Do good graphics really matter?

[Anaklusmos]

I feel, if BioShock didn't have the good graphics it did, it wouldn't have been as immersive as it was. I mean when you're looking into the face of a Splicer you can see all the detail of their drug abuse, you can see the insanity on their face. When you first looked out a window your mouth was open from the beauty surrounding you. So yes, in some games, graphics are very very important.

 

[jawakiller]

No, gameplay is the only thing that matters. Minecraft. 'nough said.

 

[vivadelkitty]

For the most part, no. If they're so utterly terrible that I can't discern what's going on, it's an issue, but for the most part, I love cel-shading, N64 era graphics, SNES and NES graphics. It's probably just nostalgia, but what the hell. Doesn't make the games any less enjoyable.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

i used to say they don't matter at all..

but now a days all i can think about is when i'm getting my next big paycheck and i'm going to be buying a nice 23" 1080 LED monitor to match my crossfiring 5770's

so yeah, they are a WONDERFUL bonus, but not the most essential

 

[RikSharp]

agree with a couple posters above me. i would much rather have believable graphics than realistic graphics.
games like LoZ wind waker were slated as the graphics were "too cartoony" but i felt that they stuck out, were interesting and most importantly, fit in with the game.

 

[teh_spartan]

deffinetly not

 

[Jandau]

In what is predominantly a visual medium, of course graphics matter. However, the problem is that developers tend to focus too much on making the most realistic dirt or trees, thinking that's what makes graphics good, instead of focusing on quality visual design and aesthetic style.

 

[Denamic]

Of course.
Now, what 'good graphics' is is highly subjective though.
Could be photorealistic, or it could be highly stylised, like in TF2.
I think Minecraft has excellent graphics, for example.
If it suits the game, the graphics are good.

What's a "Backjob"?
Got it in the captcha.
Sounds kinky.

 

[ModsDeleteThisAccountPlease]

Good graphics are nice. I spend to much time with photography, I WANT MY GAMES TO LOOK SEXY DAMMIT!

 

[GeorgW]

No way. I actually prefer it to look bad, cuz my PC sux! Minecrafs FTW!

 

[Do4600]

Depends, Some games are ugly as hell and amazing, and others are beyond pretty and terrible.

Graphics don't matter in my opinion, however, games that use graphics to augment an already good game stand out even more because of it.

 

[Jodah]

UI is more important than graphics though the two are often linked. That being said if graphics are the main selling point the game will likely be bad. Graphics cannot sell a game but they do improve it.

 

[Plurralbles]

It depends. Does the graphics let me see hwat the dev wanted me to see or does it hinder what they're trying to do by having too fine details that dont' work on the machine?

If they made a great game, grahics dont' matter.

Look at Asteroids. NOt even the awful sound matters in that game cuz' it's just too much fun.

Guy above me mentioned UI.

Reminds me that Starcraft Broodwar is still a kick ass game, even with SC2 being a imagery badass.

 

[Booze Zombie]

Minecraft and World of Warcraft say: No, we're fine without them.

 

[Arehexes]

If a game needs graphics to help (like a horror game) then yes it is important, but some games it doesn't matter as long as it's fun (like megaman battle network)

 

[Fearzone]

First, I look for fun gameplay. You can do that with 8-bit graphics, or even monochrome.

Once the fun gameplay is rock solid, good graphics certainly look nice.

If good graphics are the focus or somehow detract from the game's length or performance, or increase the games cost and overall burden of production, then one needs to worry. If eye catching graphics and physics engines come first and foremost as a necessary step to impress teams of investors who know nothing of gameplay, we got problems.

Is it fair to say World of Warcraft is the most successful game of the decade? Has it consumed more hours of human life than any other paid title? If so, its graphics were, at best, just okay at release, and over its lifespan have gotten somewhat better but are still way behind the times. If mediocre graphics has the advantage of a larger world and better performance, it was a wise trade off, and mostly made up for by excellent art direction.

I have a hand-built gaming rig (and damn straight I hand built it to get the best graphical performance out of games) and a PS3, and mostly right now I'm playing games on the Playstation Portable, and half of those are remakes of earlier PS/PS2 games, and I'm having the most fun with gaming I've had in years.

 

[Kingsman]

If anything, overdone graphics can be a deterrent. The reason I bought Caesar 3 over Mass Effect 2 for christmas was because I had no doubt the former would run like a top and the latter would jitter like a dance craze.

They CAN be pretty to look at, but really, I only think you need enough to be able to clearly distinguish the basics well. I'm of the set opinion that the Fire Emblem GBA games were the best creations ever in this regard- spritework is highly underrated.

 

[ZeroMachine]

They can.

Sometimes, I want a more stylized game, where graphics aren't a huge issue. I can play old sprite-graphics games and not bat an eye. Chrono Trigger is one of my favorite games of all time.

BUT, sometimes I do want a more realistic game, and if a game scrambles for advertising realism, the graphics better be able to back it up.

Let's face it- good as it was, if Red Dead Redemption looked like crap it wouldn't be nearly as immersive, and Oblivion is much more immersive after you mod it to make it look a bit better.

 

[Lizmichi]

To me it's just icing on the cake like music/SFX and voice acting, it just makes the game better. As for the cake bits it's made up of game play, story and programming and when one of them fail the cake really won't be that good. I mean you can have amazing graphics but it will mean nothing if the game is filled with bugs and the story line is hard to keep up with.

I'm hard pressed to find a current game I'm thrilled with like I was with the older games like Half-Life 1 or Ocarina of time. Yea I have found some I love that have good graphics like allot of BioWare and and Valves stuff and I love there older games too like KoTOR. But as I said good graphics just add to the quality but if the quality is crap then the graphics make it shinny crap.

 

[moose_man]

They help, but it's not like they'll kill a game for me.