How important are graphics?

[Erdrick Holmes]

To me, I think graphics should only be allowed to do so much, depeding on the games. The only time I think High defienition 3D should come into play is if the game has a fear factor to it (Resident Evil, Silent Hill, or Doom) or if the game is a first person shooter. I feel that games like RPGs can have all of the graphics tuning that they want, you can't harm a turn based RPG with graphics. Adventure games work well with 3D but you don't want to make the physics TOO real, or else controlling stuff might be a bit difficult. The only things that should remain 2D are fighters, puzzles, and side scrollers.

What about you? What are your feelings on graphics?

[Tidus Andronicus]

To me, graphics are very important... and shouldn't be limited... lol
I'd like to always see them improve! Once everthing has reached photo realism and perfect physics, then we've got as far as we need to... until of course they send games into out brains... LOL

The fact is, graphics are up to the Developer! With a system that can do as much as the current next gen consoles, Developers can choose whatever kind of graphics they want! They can make things look photo real, or even Cell Shaded anime style! As long as graphics keep improving, developers will have the ability to make any graphics style... and make it look good! They can even make new games for a next gen sytem, look like snes game... if they wanted too. lol
With the power we are starting to see on the PS3 or 360, developers can make perfect looking animation styles, or impressive realism! There are unlimited things they can do with the graphics, and it just keeps looking better!

Imagine what cell-shaded games looked like years ago... and compare them to what they will look like on these next gen consoles! ^_^

So yea, graphics really matter! The power that a console give the developer to make their visions look more and more perfect, is a very important factor!

Not to say that old games aren't great! Heck my favorite games are Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 8.
I just don't think there is any reason to go back to those graphics! And graphics certainly shouldn't be limited. Imagine Chrono Trigger, in new, cell-shaded graphics! I think it would be amazing! But at the time CT came out, that was about as good as technology allowed, and now that we have better, there isn't any reason to go back to those graphics.

And genres shouldn't be limited to one kind of graphics or another... RPGs can be as cartoony, or 2D or 3D, or as real looking as they want! And the same goes for any other genre. ^_^;

[Lindy]

Graphics depends on the game, some games need graphics more than others, a shooter will need good graphics better than a D&D styled RPG, but that doesn't mean it should have bad graphics, it just has less of a need for them.

And Joel, Viewtiful Joe for sidescrollers, 2d format but 3d characters, that's how things should be.

[Destai]

Graphics are important when playing games for me and often enhance the expierience. I look forward to seeing them improve with each console generation.

[Yew-Yevon]

the better the graphics the more enjoyable the games are.

[YukiKiro]

graphics aren't exactly important to the point where that's all that is needed. evil twin for the ps2 has absolutaly sensational graphics, but the gameplay sucks (and that's probably why none of you have ever heard of it). FFVII has horid graphics compared to games today and i still see people playing it every once and a while. personnaly i enjoy playing a game that looks nice, and especially if it has a great framerate. the other reason why people played FFVII so much was (believe it or not) framerate. the graphics are bad, but the gameplay flows, and the framerate in the wilderness is as smooth as silk. so when it comes down to it its framerate and gameplay that come first, graphics come second. great games don't always need great graphics.

[DMKA]

the better the graphics the more enjoyable the games are.
I have to disagree.

Personally, I love pretty graphics. I love newer RPGs and the beauty they display, yes. But at the same time I hardly think graphics make or break a game (which seems to be the popular belief now). For example, Xenogears is a kickass RPG...arguably one of the best ever made...the graphics are awful...pathetically awful, even for the time it came out. Now, while I love FFX, it can't compare to the brilliance, and enjoyment of Xenogears, or FFVII for that matter. I think one of the main problems with newer games is alot of them seem to be about graphics and nothing more now. Take Halo for instance (I know I'm signing my own death warrant by saying this when fanboys see it...oh well): Halo is nothing special. It adds nothing to the genre, it's nothing original...it's just another first person shooter (a rather lousy one at that)...what does it have? Beautiful graphics...which is what has made it one of the most popular games in the last 5 years (and possibly ever). Since PS2 and Xbox were released, videogames have went from being a hobby/nerdish/something we do when were bored thing to something everyone does and is practically looked at as a trendy thing now. I remember when Xbox and PS2 came out, on MTV Cribs I believe it was, every single person I ever saw on there had a game console and displayed it, I saw them (PS2 and Xbox) and still see them in music videos constantly...they've just turned videogames into something they weren't before. Sadly, I think this has had a negative effect on the videogame world as a whole and now it's getting to the point where it's all about what's pretty rather than things like plot.

I mean good graphics are nice, but they aren't to be put before the game actually being fun and holding an interesting plot. In my opinion, anyway.

[edczxcvbnm]

Graphics are important in what they can do. A high level of detail and a far draw distance can really help in a FPS or action game by allowing you to read signs or see hostages more clearly from further away and thus giving you more options and stratgy. Its not so much for things to look real but to give things more life. You can have a cartoony game like Jet Set Radio and do a lot with it. You could make paint acutally run together or leave that spray paint mist in the air and when you run through it your clothing gets painted up. There are lots of little things like that which you need more power to do but you don't need to make it look any better. The coming generation I believe will be more about the effects rather than things looking better.

[KoShiatar]

Graphics have to improve. I remember hating 3-d graphics when I first saw them but now I enjoy them a lot.
Said that, I never discarded a game I was interested in just because of old graphics.

[XxSephirothxX]

On the scale of things I look for in a game, graphics are pretty close to the bottom. Certain types of games, as has been mentioned, need pretty graphics more than others. Graphics don't guarantee a good time.

[Erdrick Holmes]

the better the graphics the more enjoyable the games are.


...

You're one of them, aren't you?

[JAS4Yeshua]

I don't think graphics make or break a game, but I do think if a game's graphics don't live up to potential, that it can take away something from the game. If you were to have a game that had the graphics of a PS1 on a PS3, you'd probably be disappointed, and wouldn't want to spend the money on it. At the same time, if a game was designed for a PS1, and the graphics were comparable to the technology, then it wouldn't make much of a difference. Afterall, isn't 8-bit FF still popular? ;)

[Tidus Andronicus]

Look at it this way... we all know FF7 was a popular game and a lot of people played it, and loved it... It was a good game! Though by today's standards... the graphics are crap!

BUT, IF FF7 never came out back then... and then it was released today, as exacly the same game, same old graphics... nothing changed...
Would people still like it? Would people still play it? Would it have such a big fanbase?

While I'm sure there would still be some FF fans that would buy it, and it would still be a good game... even with commercials, I'm sure that no where near as many people would even pick it up and play it... and thus the fanbase would be a LOT smaller. Even many FF fans wouldn't buy it, and might lose faith in Square cause of that. And it would probably become one of those games that the majority of people forget about eventually. Of course, lets forget how people would react to seeing such old graphics... lol cause seeing something like that released in this day and age by a company like Square, would probably get more attention just because of the strangeness. lol

So, in that way, I still think graphics are pretty important!
Its the graphics that give people the BIG first impressions of a game, whether or not they know that consciously. I'm not saying people don't read reviews before they actually deside to buy something... Just saying its a bigger factor than some of you think!
Its kind of a human subconscious thing to pic pretty things first. lol

[Maxico]

It IS important to improve graphics at the stage where we are at. And it DOES effect gameplay. Good graphics help to put the players mind at rest. Its pretty much exclusivly on a sub-consious level but good graphics really help to emmerse the player.

On the other hand extremly stylised games do not really need much graphical improvement as they do not rely on emmersion on the same level.

[ChaosCalibur]

Visuals are just as important as gameplay because they set the mood for the game. And without mood, you might as well be playing text based games :?

[DMKA]

So then if that's the case watching FF: The Spirits within is 10X better than playing any Final Fantasy game...or any game for that matter?

I'm sorry, but you can make the prettiest game in the world and it still be a complete and utter piece of crap.

[JAS4Yeshua]

Graphics and gameplay go hand-in-hand. If one is lacking, the other will undoubtedly fall with it. This isn't the rule, as there are exceptions to the fact, but most of the time, this is the way it is. People desire better graphics and better gameplay, which is why Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo are striving to give those capabilities in their newest consoles. As I said before, though, Graphics, by themselves, don't make or break the game. There are other factors at play as well. ;)

[Tidus Andronicus]

Yes, you can make a game with great looking graphics... and it could still totally SUCK... but that doesn't change that still graphics play a big part in what people want to buy, and what people think is fun!

If a game has terrible graphics compared to otherstuff thats currently out... then most people aren't going to bother playing it, and might not even bother researching it. Its just a fact!

As said before, subconsciously, looks are one of the most important things... in many cases.
Heck I wish that weren't true, cause I'd like to think most humans aren't that shallow... but its just something subconscious. At least we have game reviews, so we can read about whether a game is really good or not. But obviously, graphics are like the first or second draws people have to a game!

[JAS4Yeshua]

You are correct, from a marketing perspective, Graphics are the most important. Can't argue with that. From a gamer's perspective, though, I stand by what I've said previously. ;)

[Tidus Andronicus]

I agree as a gamer too! lol

If I like the game, it doens't matter too much how good the graphics are!

But I still find my self not being interested in some games, if the graphics aren't very good.
As long as graphics are decent compared to other current games, then its as big of a factor.

I think maybe graphics style mean a lot to different players as well! Some people like FF graphics styles... and others like blackandwhites dirty war zone games...And some like real cartoony graphics...
Thats just another factor that plays a part of the graphics debate. lol

[Agent Proto]

Graphics don't exactly make the game, but I think it's important to have good graphics, if the systems can support them.

[Erdrick Holmes]

So then if that's the case watching FF: The Spirits within is 10X better than playing any Final Fantasy game...or any game for that matter?

I'm sorry, but you can make the prettiest game in the world and it still be a complete and utter piece of crap.

As the old saying goes, you can cover a turd in diamond dust, it's still a turd.

[Yew-Yevon]

the better the graphics the more enjoyable the games are.


...

You're one of them, aren't you?

as long as the gameplay is worth it of coarse

[Chris]

Graphics, it really depends on the game.
Of course playing through a field of wonder is much more pleasurable than bad-ass ugly deformations; still, it goes to prove that graphics are not bearing for every game. Not at all.

[MecaKane]

It's fun to look at pretty things.
It's fun to play video games that I like.
It's the most fun to play video games I like that have pretty things in them.

Sometimes it's like watching at action movie. Sure, you can watch a movie from the 70s without as many specail effects, and that's fine. The oldtimeyness of it was probably your draw, just like playing a silly old fighting game on the SNES would have it's draw with it's nostalgicness. But just the way people who go to see action movies in theaters today want to see something that looks really cool, people who play fighting games want really cool 3-dimentional combos blowing away their apponent. Just so they all can say "Whoa, look at that!"

RPGs are like dramas, really. It doesn't matter if a good drama is shot in black and white with /xxx.gif/xxx.gif/xxx.gif/xxx.gifty film, you want to watch because you want to experance the story and all that. New RPGs have the "Whoa that's cool" thing in there too. And that's good, but they're not really lacking without.

[TasteyPies]

Question: How important are the graphics?

Answer: They aren't

[Erdrick Holmes]

Question: How important are the graphics?

Answer: They aren't

This guy knows the score.

[Lindy]

As the old saying goes, you can cover a turd in diamond dust, it's still a turd.
No, it's a turd covered in diamond dust that you can sell to an idiot for a fortune.

...Which is basically a lot of games these days. Hooray.

[Shlup]

I am a graphics whore. Bad graphics make me cry.

Which doesn't mean is has to be 3D. Pixels can look good.

[DMKA]

No, it's a turd covered in diamond dust that you can sell to an idiot for a fortune.

...Which is basically a lot of games these days. Hooray.
:love:

[Lionx]

Graphics should be only appropiate to the game they are making. Things like Windwaker and SFIII graphics are the things that are great, photorealistic is not the only way things are good. In fact i feel it takes more work and courage to NOT go photorealistic and still be good like the Namco X Capcom game thats out in Japan. I give much more credit to that since photorealistic games, while nice, are just a copy of what we see everyday while those that arent come from imagination and its much tougher to get that onto paper correctly.

[Yuffie514]

very! still, like FFVII, they are only second to the storyline.

[Samuraid]

IMHO, Sound is far more important than video. I'm an audiofanatic and an auditory learner though. :)

[Xander]

I really think it depends on the game. I've never thought of myself as a "graphics whore" before, because I still love Commodore 64 games and the feel of them, the whole era, I wouldn't want to see them with any different or better graphics. However I fell in love with the graphics of Wind Waker on the GameCube and I wouldn't have wanted them any other way. They made me wish other games had such graphical goodness. And now when I think about getting new games, I am bothered about how they look but more for the overall graphical style then just the quality. Final Fantasy VII will always be brilliant and at the time I played it the blocky characters didn't bother me.

The playstation had amazing graphics when it first came out, as did the playstation 2. Everything changes as things develop and graphics that looked great once look dated, because of what we're used to. Anyway I'm getting off the trail and my point is that they are important but along with other things that make the game. And also there IS a standard now, it can't be avoided and it would be disappointing if games coming out now had crappy graphics. But crappy graphics on old games = <3

Uhh hope that made sense xD

[Jack]

Depending on the type of person you are. If you're a graphics-whore like this kid in GAME that made me want to kill him when he declared that games are only good if their graphics rock.
If enjoy the PLAYING experience more, then less so. Graphics can enhance (Silent Hill) but can take away too (Mario Sunshine) so i think they have to be taken with a cup of salt.

[Craig]

Good graphics don't make a game good, however they can decide the feel of a game.

Take the Zeldas for example, compare A Link to the Past, Wind Waker, and Ocarina of Time. All of these games have different graphical styles, and different moods and feels to them.

One thing that graphics do is give the Developers more freedom to make their game with and therefore better graphics could make a game better, because the Developer had more to work with, that being said the game could've ended up better as a simpler game.

Also, there is more room for error as a Developer gains more freedom, games have more of a chance of looking unprofessional as they become more sophisticated.

[Old Manus]

Graphics come into it somewhat. Bad graphics = bad gameplay when you see some guy walk halfway through a wall.

[Ultima Shadow]

So then if that's the case watching FF: The Spirits within is 10X better than playing any Final Fantasy game...or any game for that matter?

I'm sorry, but you can make the prettiest game in the world and it still be a complete and utter piece of crap.
I love you.


As the old saying goes, you can cover a turd in diamond dust, it's still a turd.
I love you too.

Question: How important are the graphics?

Answer: They aren't:love:

What I'm trying to say is: Graphics are probably one of the least important things about most games.

I think that graphics are nothing but a "bonus". The gameplay, story, characters, music and all that stuff makes the game. The graphics don't. The graphics are just something that makes stuff in the game look cooler and more realistic etc... but it really doesn't add something necessary to the game itself.

As long as you actually can look at the screen without hurting your eyes, the graphics are good enough for me. :D

Any game needs good gameplay to be a good game. But it doesn't need good graphics in order to have good gameplay.

[Giga Guess]

Depends on the genre.

Sports, racing, fighting, etc....graphics are pretty critical. But in terms of story heavy games, such as RPGs, and the likes, sure graphics are important, but if it don't have the story, it's sunk.

[Lionx]

I actually think most ppl are hypocrites...omg graphics are not important yet they complain about windwaker not being graphically good when it IS...its damn well better than alot out there. -_-;

[Yuffie514]

Graphics come into it somewhat. Bad graphics = bad gameplay when you see some guy walk halfway through a wall.

agreed >> FFXI

i had to contact the GMs twice yesterday because my character somehow loves to get stuck in boats.