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 :?