Poll: Are graphics taking over story/gameplay?

[Cid Silverwing]

Depends on the game. Many mainstream ones overfocus on graphics, while some sacrifice graphics for story, or balance it.

 

[Jumplion]

Depends on the game. Many mainstream ones overfocus on graphics, while some sacrifice graphics for story, or balance it.

Could you tell me one or better yet 2 or 3 mainstream games that were overfocused on graphics (aside from Crysis)? I honestly can't think of any, could someone point out these games that are "overfocused" on graphics?

 

[Crushed Fate]

I don't think graphics are becoming more influencial than before. If anything I think they are becoming less influencial. Look at the popularity of the Wii and the DS, neither of which has exceptional graphics but instead look at gameplay as there main selling point. I think what is becoming more important to games designers is the 'experience'. Games designers try to create a point of difference between the game they are making and the other games coming out. Sometimes this difference is 'ground breaking revolutionary graphics', other times it is an inovative style of game play (Assassins Creed for all it's graphical splendor gave the player a free roaming feel), and occasionally it is an interesting and engaging story.

Now some games fall short, usually on the story element. You get some games which have good stories but they are not but across well and aren't engaging. They are like poorly written books, the story can be great but you miss it due to all of the other flaws.

For a game which had wonderful gameplay but terrible graphics and a static story I'm going to state the lesser known and often forgotten 'Rings of Power' for the Mega Drive. There was a world out there and the quest you were given was so vast that you could easily get lost. Hell, you could just wander around the world trying to find some vague clue of what you were suppose to be doing. As a game it got slated at the time of release because the graphics were so bad, they completly missed the roleplaying aspect or the gameplaying element. There was one magazine at the time which actually scored the game well because it had great playability.

That was 15 years ago and I think the change is that people expect more from a game, but that more isn't always graphics. It's the experience; whether that be playing drunken Wii Sports with close friends, raiding Black Temple with 24 people you have never met, deciding whether to harvest the 'little girls' in Rapture or just admiring the stunning graphics of Soul Calibur IV. Everybody makes there own choice on what they want but I think in general people care less about graphics than they did 10 years ago.

 

[tobyornottoby]

Not to me, but I notice some people in my school that literally won't touch a Wii because it's not as powerful as their precious PS3. It's sad really, they say graphics > gameplay, and I just tell them "Well if you don't want to have fun then that's your choice. I'll be over there playing Mario Galaxy and being happy."

This is just as stupid. Of course they're having fun with their graphics

 

[frontier psychiatrist]

Sad realization time:

No game plotline, ever, has been better than a B-class movie. Period.

There have, in fact, been games with stories better than those found in B-movies. I'm guessing you started playing games a few years ago, so you have neard heard of them.

There might have epic music, there might be an awesome story for a game, the presentation may have been really good, but at the end of the day, we've never had a game present a storyline that was truly new or innovative. Nothing that an author or screenwriter didn't do before and better.

A story doesn't have to be "innovative" (whatever this stupid buzz word is supposed to mean in this context) to be good. It just has to be told well. One of my all-time favorite stories is essentially just interpersonal drama concerned with fairly mundane things.

As games become more story focused, it becomes easier to see that the stories aren't very good (after all, you weren't thinking about storyline when you were playing Mario 64). That's what you're seeing.

Eh? We've had story-focused games for over two decades. If anything, games are becoming less and less about story telling. Why are you citing Mario 64 as an example? Have you really never heard of adventure and roleplaying games?

Torment disagrees with you. With a big axe. Seriously, show me a movie made in the last fifty years or so that discusses and analyzes such diverse issues as immortality, morality, human bonds and intellectual lust while keeping it all tied together in a single storyline.

I think you might want to watch more films. Like, a lot more.

As for unoriginal ideas that's sort of a moot point. There is no work of fiction created in hundreds of years at least that can not be traced back to some source or inspiration. The only reason video games seem worse is because they tend to operate in clearly defined universes.

What does this even mean?

 

[Easykill]

Well I would normally just say no, but I played a little of both Morrowind and Oblivion today, so maybe you're right just a little bit.

 

[Solo508]

This doesn't even need debate, the last couple years have just been nothing but a giant war of graphics and I've yet to play a game that doesn't dissapoint me in terms of gameplay/story... besides COD4. Anyway, I read somewhere that its coming to an end so hopefully we will get some actual GAMES not interactive movies sometime soon.

 

[frontier psychiatrist]

This doesn't even need debate, the last couple years have just been nothing but a giant war of graphics and I've yet to play a game that doesn't dissapoint me in terms of gameplay/story... besides COD4.

CoD4? Are you being serious?

Anyway, I read somewhere that its coming to an end so hopefully we will get some actual GAMES not interactive movies sometime soon.

I didn't realize the market is being flooded by interactive movies.

 

[ike_luv]

Other than Crysis, could you list all of these games where this is occurring?

I only feel that games LIKE Crysis, Gears of War, and EVEN CoD4! They were cool, but I'm worried we're more concerned about graphics than an actual GAME!

Dead Rising managed to throw out fantastic gameplay, innovative structure with the mechanics and dynamics of the game, the voice acting was pretty good considering it really can help the atmosphere in a game and at least the story was different to your regular "Oh my god, there are zombies... we must kill them all!". Sure the save system may have been broken, but in some ways it could also play into the "survival" genre of the game. If you weren't organised or careful about the way you played the game... you failed!! So it made sense me!

The graphics weren't compromised either, they were pretty damn tasty! So why is it developers can't at least take these kinda stuff into consideration.

But instead of looking at THAT part of the games, we'd first go "oh my god, it looks amazing!". So does the countryside, but we're not concerning outself with that!!

 

[Are.Oh.Why]

I've noticed a lack of good story in most of the games that I've played period, but some games still shine and give us hope.
Like Final Fantasy VIII (Yes that's right I said it).

You say it like it's a bad thing, fucking A! Final Fantasy VIII pissed battery acid on 10 an 12!

 

[Katana314]

THANK you. Someone else who realizes COD4 was just the millionth nuclear missile story. It's the sort of thing Tom Clancy writes in his sleep.

Anyway, I actually think more recently there has been a slightly better balance. People start to realize that their incredible effort at making a game more impressive-looking ultimately just change the look by a few pixels, and it can't sell things anymore. It's not as hard to develop things with all the existing engines, so I don't think people are going to bother too much with additional technology progress. Then again, there's just this lack of new ideas in terms of story that really blocks off a lot of people.

 

[hhslf]

Graphics are going to get better with or without bad story's- I think the story's becoming worse doesn't have anything to do with graphics.

 

[Japelo]

well gta4 and mgs4 have prestine graphics but also stories

 

[defcon 1]

I like this generation. Yes there are bad games but there are plenty of good games with pretty graphics to go along with it. I'm not sure how many of you remember the old days but a lot of people seem to forget that the older generations had there fair share of shit as well.

 

[tiredinnuendo]

Sad realization time:

No game plotline, ever, has been better than a B-class movie. Period.

There have, in fact, been games with stories better than those found in B-movies. I'm guessing you started playing games a few years ago, so you have neard heard of them.

I've been gaming a fairly long time at this point. I started with the 2600 and the C64. I'll ask you to trust me that stories are not why we are here. I regret that you've been banned, as I would've loved to have you list some of your "better than B movie" game plots.

There might have epic music, there might be an awesome story for a game, the presentation may have been really good, but at the end of the day, we've never had a game present a storyline that was truly new or innovative. Nothing that an author or screenwriter didn't do before and better.

A story doesn't have to be "innovative" (whatever this stupid buzz word is supposed to mean in this context) to be good. It just has to be told well. One of my all-time favorite stories is essentially just interpersonal drama concerned with fairly mundane things.

Innovative means new, or at the very least brought across in a very new way. 'Like something not done before' you might say. Ours is a genre so dominated by tropes and cliches that to call it anything other than "passable" is usually pushing it.

I learned a lot about humor and delivery from reading Catch-22. I thought long and hard about the definition of quality after reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I found an important piece of myself in reading Les Miserables.

I've never had a game even come close to those sort of revelations. Ever. They're basic stories that fit in neat boxes and teach us nothing, existing as a means to drive the gameplay.

As games become more story focused, it becomes easier to see that the stories aren't very good (after all, you weren't thinking about storyline when you were playing Mario 64). That's what you're seeing.

Eh? We've had story-focused games for over two decades. If anything, games are becoming less and less about story telling. Why are you citing Mario 64 as an example? Have you really never heard of adventure and roleplaying games?

Yes, we've had story-based games for decades, but I brought up Mario 64 because most of the folks on this site tend to vote around the 14 - 17 bracket whenever a "What age are you" poll comes out. If I had said "Pong", it might not've had the same personal impact.

Games are more story focussed now, in my opinion. At least the mainstream ones are. Of the biggest hyped and/or largest selling games out or coming out, I can think of maybe three that aren't story driven. Compare to the NES days, where almost none of the big-name titles had stories beyond "rescue your mentor/princess/MacGuffin and beat the big bad".

We're noticing the bad stories more because:

1) You're getting older and your measure of quality is now better. Are you going to tell me that you really had a deep and personal revelation because of the bland homespun wisdom about cherishing the time you have in life that the end boss gives you in a JRPG? Of course not. It seemed powerful and you ignored the *huge* cheese factor because you were 10. Now you're older and starting to realize how these stories actually sound.
2) Big-name games *have* to be story driven, but with gaming, the plot has to be built around the gameplay as a means to drive the player through the world. Very few games start as a story and build the gameplay around them. Most start as a game concept and then the story is written (and often re-re-rewritten) around that gameplay concept. Since all the big titles have these tacked on stories, it's hard not to notice.

- J

 

[khululy]

I don't think CGI can get any better, to be honest.

we still don't play games that look kinda like Advent children or any pixar movie.

Sad realization time:

No game plotline, ever, has been better than a B-class movie. Period.

There might have epic music, there might be an awesome story for a game, the presentation may have been really good, but at the end of the day, we've never had a game present a storyline that was truly new or innovative. Nothing that an author or screenwriter didn't do before and better.

As games become more story focused, it becomes easier to see that the stories aren't very good (after all, you weren't thinking about storyline when you were playing Mario 64). That's what you're seeing.

Hopefully we'll rise up some day.

- J

I beg to differ.
how can you define a B movie plot.
many HI-budget movies have terrible plots take most super hero movies for example.
A plot like the one from silent hill 2 has not given me a B movie feel it's actually quite well written. So where the lucas arts classic adventure games.
but Today I think stories aren't fleshed out with their eye on a sequel. might not be a new series but take the legacy of kain series. You have to play all 5 games to really understand what has happend. But then again in some games a story could work distracting. But I think (hope)the whole graphic focus thing is wearing off

 

[Bored Tomatoe]

No..
Graphics are just advancing, and some people seem to think its a good Idea to sell a nice, shiny game with minimal story (which I am fine with as long as the gameplay is solid and lasting.) How ever, most games are not totally focused on graphics over gamplay.

But if anyone aplauds the wii for its "Gameplay" over graphics, then I will form a large bruise on my head from banging it on a wall. The majority of wii games have shoehorned controls meant to wow the casual gamer by having a very new, if flawed concept.

/rant

 

[ike_luv]

I only feel that games LIKE Crysis, Gears of War, and EVEN CoD4! They were cool, but I'm worried we're more concerned about graphics than an actual GAME!

GoW and CoD4 are nothing like Crysis though.

Oh no don't get me wrong, Crysis was a head above the rest in graphics... but so what?! All three of them for me were pretty much just eye candy!! Eye candy shoot em ups!! I'd care more if there was a REALLY good reason for fighting against these people rather than just knowing I've got to shoot them! That gets me into a whole new conversation about glamorizing violence though!

 

[Bob_F_It]

Ike, you're bang on the money. Developers stuff so much effort into whacking graphics into the realms of real-ish-ness, they start diverting some much needed fuel from gameplay.

It's not so much as the developer seeing it as "video game", but more about attracting the money.
When you into a games conference, all you can really judge a game by is by what you see (graphics) and what you hear (potential bullshit). First impressions have a lot of impact on a game's success because so many people are either too impatiant to delve into depth, or playing it safe and only buying what really, really looks good.
In a nutshell: eye-candy=sales