Do good graphics really matter?

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BoredDragon

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ciortas1 said:
I'm a little bit curious - where does the idea that it's always a choice between graphics and gameplay come from? Because from what I understand, separate people code separate things and a studio, given the funds, is always capable of creating a game that excels in both sides of this so-called duality.

Naturally, graphics are always important. Always.
I guess that makes sense, but do graphics really tell how good a game is? I have played many indie games that might not be that match to look at, but were really fun and/or had an amusing story.
 

Siege_TF

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playstation 2 level graphics are good enough for me, I only bought a 60 gig PS3 because it meant the PS2 would be dying out, and because it's the most backward compatable model.
 

teutonicman

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Yes they do. Look at KotOR, it looks like shit. I look at Jade Empire in comparison and it looks significantly better even when factoring in that it came out two years later.
 

willsham45

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Graphics are hugely important.

Without the right graphics you cannot tell, who or what you are, what is friend or foe, what I can interact with and what I cannot, what ledges I can climb on. How much health I got how much ammo I got, what gun (if apparent) I got. To that end Graphics are essential, and most games now don't much that up. you can usually tell what is what, some older games had graphic problems with confusing textures and a lack of an interface of any real sort.

Although that is not what you are talking about is it you are on about realism, how detailed the characters are. It does not matter what the graphical style the game uses, be it photoreal, cell shaded, retro. As long as you know what you need to know it is fine.

I was not put off vvvvv or mine craft because of its looks more was I compelled to play crisis or stalker for there glistening graphics.

good graphics you know what stuff is bad you don't. And by you know what stuff is I mean you know what is friend foe a table, castle etc not I know that is a elf as apose to a dwarf or human etc.

But again they all depend on the game. (even text based games have graphics)
 

RadiusXd

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Scabadus said:
Crysis proved that you can get away with only average gameplay if your game looks really, really nice.
personally I think that Crysis has really fun gameplay, love approaching the same problems in entirely different ways.

OT: the whole art style over graphics argument holds some weight, but would avatar have been nearly as good if it had used the same tech as the Shrek movies, only to use some cartoony art style to cover up the shabby polygon count?
 

Caligulove

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Depends on the game. Some games are simulators or are trying to convey a sense of realism through their graphics- then yes, of course they matter. Although, good gameplay and story never rely on good graphics, and neither are they a deciding factor when it comes to a game.

People use it as an example all the time, but I've probably logged more hours on Minecraft in the past few months than anything on my current gen consoles.
 

loc978

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Phoenixlight said:
They do to a certain point but when some PC gamers say that PS3 games look awful then it's just ridicoulous.
...low polygon counts causing artifacts in smoke and such [http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/9/90445/1639513-rome_super.jpg] in games touting "photorealistic" graphics mean I beg to differ. If I could put GT5 on my PC (or run it on several PS3s working together to render it like they did for commercials), it wouldn't do that.

OT:
I think it depends heavily on the game.
Does a modern 2D platformer need better graphics? No. Most folks wouldn't even notice.
Do RPGs benefit from better graphics? Ye gods no. Look what happened to Final Fantasy.
Shooters? Sure. Being able to tell the difference between an enemy sprite and a background sprite is nice.
Real-Time Strategy? Not really. As long as you can tell your units and the enemy's units apart from each other and the terrain, you're golden.
Simulation (driving, flight, et cetera) games? Yes. Realistic visuals and as close as possible to realistic controls are what make those games.
Immersive, Hybrid-genre games? Yes. It helps with mood and immersion when you can actually see the sun set (et cetera) in-game.
 

kek13

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Sep 23, 2010
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It's nice when a game has good graphics, however if the other elements aren't as good then no, no matter how pretty it looks no amount of beautification is going to hide the terrible quality of that game.

On that note however, good graphics can make a pretty decent gaming experience absolutely extraordinary.
Bottom line is that if it has good graphics along with other elements then yes to a certain degree it does matter but if other parts of the game are sacrificed to make it look nice then frankly it just isn't worth the time of day.
 

funguy2121

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Oct 20, 2009
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No.

Absolutely not. The only time they did was the PSOne/N64 era where the nintendo games had to be shrouded in fog and sometimes still looked like crap, and the PSOne games that were actually 3D (resident evil, tomb raider, et al.) suffered so horribly from aliasing/jaggies that all the characters appeared to be in a perpetual epileptic fit
 

TheDarkestDerp

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They do, but nearly as much as core gameplay elements. Without these, the graphics are just pretty window dressing for an empty stage.
 

Something Amyss

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The better I can see what's going on, the easier it is to enjoy a game.

I mean, I could probably get by on NES graphics for certain types of games, but regardless, improved graphics mean improved detail. That's generally a big deal.

Do I need bleeding edge graphics? Nah. Do they matter to me THAT much? no. But they do sort of matter. And again, how much is kind of genre specific.