Topic: Gameplay/Graphics: what's it to you?

to sum it up in a simple equation:
Good graphics + good game play > good graphics + bad game play = bad graphics + good game play > bad graphics + bad game play

The End.

Graphics and gameplay aren't mutually exclusive. One aspect doesn't have to suffer for the other to flourish.

There are games which look great and play great. That's an almost perfect combination for a game.

graphics have been improving since gaming started but gaming is still fun

A question about graphics,is allways interesting to me!Off course it would be nice;3ds,with the power of ps3.I think the graphics look superb on 3ds.After a looooong period of 16 bit graphics,finally a massive upgrade,AND 3d!!!

Most of the time good graphics and gameplay go hand in hand. Think about the best games on Wii, most are also amongst the best looking on the system. Why? Because the developer cared enough to polish their game, and it shows in both the gameplay and graphics. Systems that have the power for better graphics can also use that power for smarter AI, longer games, etc. While you can have impressive graphics without strong gameplay (ex. many cutscene heavy games) or vice versa (ex. Wii Sports, I like the style, but those graphics certainly are not pushing the Wii's limits), most of the time they're not mutually exclusive like many Nintendo fanboys like to believe.

Good graphics are fine and dandy, but unless they're there to enhance the gameplay, they won't hold a candle to a solid gameplay system.

I think that if it has graphics as good as a ps2 I'm buying one!

@ffXoverlord It's shown graphics far better than the PS2. Apart from the poly counts (though they are also very impressive), I'd subjectively put it almost on par with the Xbox 360. Definitely better than the Wii.

Graphics are the least important part of a game. Sometimes I even unplug my video cable from the TV. It just gets in the way of the music and Canadian voice acting.

I will never understand why there's this taboo amongst certain categories of gamers around wanting good graphics.

I'm gonna put this out there - I hate games with crappy graphics. I don't care how good the game itself is, I want a game that looks good (and by that I don't care about HD, I just want aesthetically pleasing), and plays well.

Anything less is an inferiour game.

With that in mind, I'm pretty sure having a more powerful console doesn't mean Nintendo is going to suddenlty forget how to make a good game. And if Nintendo does forget that... well I don't care for Nintendo games much anyway. I've still got Square Enix and Tecmo Koei.

you too? i thought i was the only one who did that!
_{'cept maybe for the 'Canadian' part; i appreciate voice actors from all countries}

Nice graphics are nice and all but the problem is when the game knows it looks nice and goes out of it's way to make sure we notice. It can really brake the flow for me when a cut scene is a minute longer just so it can show itself off (Im looking at you FFXIII). But maybe im just jealous that I cant make such pretty things.

In order for me, graphics, story, art style, music, game play.

I honestly can't think of a single cut scene in FFXIII that was too long. If you had have said Metal Gear Solid, now...

Graphics are not too important. Simple proofs are games like Mega Man 9 & 10.

I think people need to learn that aesthetics have nothing to do with highly detailed HD visuals. There are plenty of PS3 games that are uglier than Mega Man 10.

And aesthetics are as important as controls to a good game.

Firstly, I have no idea where you got that impression. Gameplay has only improved over time. If anything seriously goes wrong, developers can just go back to making games like they were in the 90s (or whenever you think the "peak" was), but I really think everyone would notice the big step backwards in terms of controls, difficulty, balancing and sophistication.

Secondly, the 3DS has the potential to make playing 3D games far easier by allowing true depth perception. We'll finally be able to maneuver in 3D space correctly. It's been one of my major problems with 3D action games ever since they started.

Yep, that's the magic formula. Graphics =/= art direction. Panzer Dragoon Orta is an example of a last-gen game that looks better than most current-gen titles because of its incredible art direction, even though it runs on worse graphics hardware. I could also go on about the incredible music direction and gameplay, but we're talking "graphics" here, right?

Skip to 3:50 to see the gameplay:
[youtube:uFNOqsZCYPs]

Yeah, exactly. I can only think of one game Ive ever played that was genuinely good while having legitmately poor art direction and aesthetics - Final Fantasy VII.

Some games are minimal, or deliberately retro, but those are still visually pleasing. So yes, having good "graphics" is critical to a good game.

If the gameplay is perfected, the game will be remembered forever.
If the graphics are spectacular, a game with better graphics will be made next month.