Good Graphics Don't Make Good Games

As with any other console generation in the history of video games, heated debates are ever-present among the gaming community over which preferred console is better and why; however, this time, the topic appears to have centred on resolution and frame rates. While both are very important elements in a video game's presentation and basic functionality, this importance is somewhat misplaced.

[F4sterTh4nFTL]

True, but good graphics make good games into great games. Would games like Uncharted series, Last of Us, BioShock Infinite etc be as legendary if the graphics were anything less then what they are.

[admiralvic]

"Would games like Uncharted series, Last of Us, BioShock Infinite etc be as legendary if the graphics were anything less then what they are."

Of course they would be, just look at the original Bioshock. It's in no way the best looking game, though it's still consider an amazing game all the same.

[F4sterTh4nFTL]

It was one of the best looking games when it was released back in 2007. It was also a lesser game than System Shock 2 in every way except graphics and history will remember BioShock much more than System Shock 2 simply because BioShock was a pretty looking game on top of being a very good game.

[sonarus]

i agree that great graphics don't make great games. However if i plan to switch from one generation to the next my primary reason for doing so is for higher graphical fidelity. Otherwise i might as well just stick with a PS3

[Hydrolex]

Playing a super fun game is like driving a 2000 Honda civic with 700 horsepower

Playing a super fun game with AMAZING graphics is like driving a 2014 brand new Lambo Aventador

[Kingthrash360]

this is more of an opinion question than anything.

me...for the money i spend on a new console + the $64 bucks for the game...depending on what i buy, it better damn well look better than current gen games. i like the awe factor in games and IMO graphics play a huge part in this.
fun factor has nothing to do with looks, and imo fun factor is a must. but fun also lies in the opinion of the gamer playing the game.
some like rpg's while others like sports games..whats fun depends on the gamer.

all in all my point is for a game to be successful it needs to sell as much as possible at the >>targeted audience<<
games like ryse/crysis look great...but are they fun? immersive? not to all..but some will like them and actually brag about how beautiful it is. these games are aimed at the gamer who like the graphical achievements in the game.
while a game like minecraft looks like a atari game but its fun and exploration makes it a hit, its literally not even trying to look good but the content in the game is huge.

so i'll end with this....buy whats fun for you and you never lose..i like pretty games with fun action...tlou..bf..tekken and nba2k. games like that.
for me graphics make a game good...but thats me. we all have are preferences. that is the beauty of being a gamer...there is something out there for all of us to enjoy.

[badz149]

Another stupid article that kinda forget that we can have both great graphics and great games!

Seriously, if any of you hate graphics so much, just stay in the corner with your Atari and CRT tv while the world enjoy the advancement in technology!

I hate this "graphic doesn't make a game good" argument that some people are trying to shoehorn into the middle of attention this gen when last gen, a minor, under-the-microscope superiority in multiplats was hailed to no end as the de facto reason to choose a certain version of multiplats over the other! Last gen was not too long ago, you know!

[DarthZoolu]

Ryse and Forza are great games.

[KinjoTakemura]

Outlast is another example. Okay graphics. Amazing gameplay mechanics.

[AndrewLB]

FasterthanFTL- System Shock 2 was an excellent game but I personally think the original Bioshock is definitely in the top 3 games of the last decade. The story, setting, and the way the player became immersed was absolutely incredibly well done.

As for it's graphics... the PC version of Bioshock 1 still looks pretty darn good. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B...

[Bonerboy]

"....>THAN< what they are >?<
"

[LogicStomper]

Wild Grammar-Nazi used spell-check!

[brish]

I'm a grammar Swedish! I'm neutral about good/bad grammar as long as no one fights over it.

[Vegamyster]

Graphics help immerse you into an experience but if the gameplay itself isn't average or under par it doesn't really matter, going back and playing old Megaman or Mario games on the Snes is still fun because the gameplay is still good.

[Irishguy95]

Nah, graphics are just a big bonus. 'Okay' graphics are a requirement. For 3d sake. But Great graphics really are only a bonus.

Imo, the last of US has just okay graphics. But thats only because i've been used to 'next gen' visuals for a while now since I game on PC. Doesn't change the fact that everything else was great in it.

[UnbiasedOpinions]

TLOU is the only "Legendary" game you mentioned, the other 2 are mediocre at best, sorry pal

[GarrusVakarian]

Opinions.

What do they mean?

How do they work?

[Hicken]

@Lukas: This unbiased opinion doesn't mean much, and also doesn't seem to work very well.

[geddesmond]

Don't listen to the people who say graphics don't matter. If they didn't then why do they take the jump each year or buy high end PCs.

Play FF14 on the PS3 and then play it on the PS4 and tell me graphics don't make a difference.

[Matt666]

The only people who jump ship etc every year is fan boys who go with the most popular console during that particular generation. I would rather have a good story line with re-playability then a game that has got good graphics but got a rubbish story line.

[geddesmond]

@Matt666

How many great looking games have disappointed? I can name only a fraction compared to the ones that have blown us away.

For every crap game like Rage that looked great but failed on everything else we get 10 games that that didn't disappoint. The Last of Us, The Witcher 2, Uncharted, Crysis, GTA5. Good graphics help immerse a player into the world better.

My first paragraph was a mistake. I meant to say if graphics didn't matter then why do people jump ship every generation to more powerful machines.

Also why are people screaming out for game remakes like FF7. Surely the old FF7 is enough for them as it has a great story and gameplay for its time. Answer! because graphics do matter.

[Matt666]

What we need is a good balance of both but out of the both game play should be more important then graphics, no point playing a game if it's boring and rubbish.

[Magnes]

I say you can have both good graphics and good game play.

[TitanUp]

clean, clear games make for a more immersive game

[no_more_heroes]

Child of Light has the best graphics I've ever seen. Can't wait to play it!

[beerzombie]

Graphics are fourth on the list behind "Fun" and "Control" and "sound, music"
I'm not discounting Graphics because they are vey important for immersion and eye candy "pc and PS4 fans" Its just more overrated and bragging rights than anything else.

[MultiConsoleGamer]

Absolutely.

And the console with the best graphics has never won the console wars in any generation.

[F4sterTh4nFTL]

So you are saying WiiU or Xbox One will win this gen not PS4.

[Majin-vegeta]

There's a first time for everything ;).

OT:If a game has good graphics and great gameplay it will suck you in instantly.

[Meltic]

Remember playing crash. Bad Graphics but the game was so damn fun. I could play for hours

[ironfist92]

Yeah but if you were to release that game this gen, it'd get torn to pieces.

[beebap]

It was damn good graphics for the time..so many great games I would love to replay fallout 3, oblivion etc but now spoilt with next gen graphics the graphics would be painful at beginning to play these classics again.It the reason for buying new console, more power more graphics it not about features as we all know it going to takes a while for xbox one/ps4 to catch up with xbox360/ps3 features.

[bass4g]

I'd say, for a lot of people, it's more so they can play new games that are released. In the past it used to be the case that a boost in hardware means an increase in what devs can do but I think we've reached that plateau. In terms of gameplay we aren't getting much of an upgrade. (apart from always online worlds, which is more as a result of improved network infrastructure).

[TheSaint]

Gameplay all day every day over graphics, more devs need to realise this.

[No_Limit]

I agreed 100%. Gameplay trumps everything else in gaming.

[beebap]

So we all agree indies are good..with some of articles and comments about else where I thought only AAA games matter.

[TheSaint]

Just because it's an indie doesn't mean the gameplay will be good.

[No_Limit]

No, indies are still terrible. I was referring to triple AAA blockbuster games with good gameplay and so-so graphics...aka...L4D and Xenoblade Chronicles come to mind.

[beebap]

And just because it a indie doesnt mean that gameplay will be bad.see what I did there, not all AAA will have good gameplay either. But according to no_limit all indies are terrible. some indies all that are missing is great graphics so I thought gameplay trumps everything else.

[GUYwhoPLAYSvideoGAME]

not this again.

graphics are an ingredient/tool you use to make games, in some games it's more important than others, in some games i don't even care, in some games it's essential

there shouldn't be any of this graphics vs. gameplay crap

[Deadpool101]

Graphics are important to a certain degree, especially at the beginning of a new console life cycle, but ultimately not a sure sign of a good game. Otherwise Ryse would be the best/second best game of this generation so far and the whole indie scene would be dead on arrival.

[no_more_heroes]

May I also add, Hyper Light Drifter's pixel art looks quite beautiful.

A different kind of beautiful, but one that I find more interesting (like I said above) than your typical Ryse, Crysis, Killzone, etc. types.

[Deadpool101]

Im in a similar boat, I love the retro style of Super Time Force. Also, Im playing titanfall on my 360. Looks like the dogs dinner but plays brilliantly lol

[gantarat]

good gameplay make good game

[MasterCornholio]

Graphics won't make a game good however if the gameplay is good it complements the game.

[GundalfDeGrej]

Of course it doesn't. Do we really need to say it again? It just makes good games better.

[Dannycr]

If graphics are not important, then should the developers stop trying to advance the technology to achieve new things?Should we game with PS1 graphics on our WiiU, PS4, XboxOne?

Graphics are not just pretty images, they are advancements in Technology as well. A lot of games that you guys are saying that they "look bad" actually were groundbreaking when they came out

[aconnellan]

"both (resolution/frame rate) are very important elements in a game's presentation and basic functionality."

Of course graphics are important, I didn't say that they weren't. This is more of a comment on the 1080p/60fps debate, where games are torn down for not reaching it (even last gen), and developers are now pressured into announcing their game's resolution and frame rate well before being asked.

[Hicken]

That debate exists for two reasons. One is because manufacturers made promises of performance milestones. They often failed to reach those last gen, at least on a consistent basis. This time around, with much more powerful hardware at hand, we have high expectations.

The reason for developers needing to announce the milestones that their games run at is almost exclusively a multiplat thing, generated by the often downplayed- particularly before and right at launch- difference in power between the XB1 and PS4.

Graphics are not looked at as the most important part of a game by any majority. Of course, there are those that DO consider graphics king, but that's no big number. But graphics are a big deal right now because it's one of the easy differentiators between this new gen and the last (and the consoles of this gen,a well). Solid gameplay should not be and is not being ignored. They're both obviously integral parts of games, and there really isn't enough of a reason for such an article.

[beerzombie]

Better Hardware are not there just for graphics there also is AI and physics and more enemies and different types of enemies.

[Summons75]

Actually we get new hardware so devas won't have limitations on the gameplay anymore. Better AI, frame rate, add more into the game. Graphics are again just a bonus, they are not important or else games like Mario 64, ocarina of time, ff7, chrono trigger wouldn't be hailed as classics today. They all had great gameplay.

[Darklordnick]

No but they do help .....

[Inzo]

Good Graphics Don't Make Good Games

Thats for sure. Crisis case in point, great graphics but a snore fest, ultimately a glorified tech demo

[Stunmonk]

I would rather play a great game with great graphics than a great game with good graphics. Why would I choose less?

[finito82]

i agree its all about the overall gameplay, not looks even though looks are a bonus.

[BBBQ_BYOBB]

Good graphics are important in making a good game, just like good music, gameplay, animation etc. Good graphics doesn't just mean 'realistic', it's about the art style, design. If a game is badly designed visually, than it's going to impact on the gameplay.

[Chard]

The success of the PS4 has really given rise to some retarded articles.

[Einhert]

A great art style trumps photo realism graphics every time

[KinjoTakemura]

If graphics didn't matter no one would be buying 4th generation playstation machines and 3rd generation xbox machines. Graphics do matter. On the hand, that doesn't mean a game with less than stellar graphics will be a terrible game. Killzone has wonderful visuals, but the gameplay SUCKS CHUNKY NUGGETS...

[SoulSercher620]

Crytek games are a perfect example of this.

[mic_cala]

By that same token bad grqphics dont mean its a good game either.

A game is either good or it isnt I dont know why people need to argue over the whole high end graphics and low end graphics.

neither guarantees a game will be good.

its such a stupid argument

[Predaking77]

What's needed to be explained is why on last gen the media never make such a resistance to power and graphics. They never make an argument about this.

Then now, suddenly on this new generation, power, resolution and graphics doesn't matter. Why the sudden change of mind? It has something to with the xbone not being the superior console?

[MasterofMagnetism]

Of course it doesn't.

[spoonard]

Good graphics are PART of a good game. Good design, good graphics, and good gameplay are the trifecta to shoot for. Also enough of this stupid graphical debate now! I'm tired of hearing Xbox fans who feel burnt by Microsoft feel like they have to trumpet this bullshit everytime they feel threatened by a PS4/PC title.