Topic: How important are quality graphics to you?

You can do a lot with limited graphics, so long as the art is good. If a games controls aren't tight, or the audio doesn't fit, or the learning curve is off, or the gameplay isnt fun... super spanky graphics won't save it.

Think of all the games you were wowed by ten years ago. When you go back to them you notice all these imperfections you never even considered before. Not so much in 2D, but definitely in 3D. This years high end graphics will look basic in a few years. Gameplay lasts, visuals don't.

Well said, well said...

Super Mario 64. I can still think of Peaches Castle.

if it has good graphics then great if not then oh well I'll still enjoy it if the gameplay is good. The only problem I have is with contrasting graphics like the 2D sprites to the 3D karts and tracks in mario kart 64 or the 2D background in Spirit Tracks(the train portion) with the 3D train characters etc

Very important, but not before gameplay, obviously.

It's nice to have but it's not essential.

I played (and enjoyed) an FPS at 20 frames-per-second on extremely low graphic settings. I'm pretty sure that sums my preferences when it comes to the "Are graphics important to you?" argument.

Graphics are not important for me, still pretty, artistic graphics are very welcome of course, but, in the case of too realistic graphics, I don't like them. Games like Uncharted 2, their graphics make me feel like playing a movie, for some reason I don't like that. Some last generation games look like HD real images, not impresive I see that kind of images while whatching movies and shows on my HDTV everyday .

Edit: Also, Machu, you're totally right man .

Story of Wii's life

All I care is if they look decent.

Not important at all. However, graphics can ADD to a game. IE: Would you like Mario Galaxy AS much if it looked like Spiderman 3 (the wii version)?

They don't matter that much, as long as they look at least decent.

I care more about the artistic design!

Graphics are of course important, it's a piece of the puzzle. You may say graphics don't matter, but when a great game has great graphics it really adds to the overall experience anyone who says otherwise, lies. To me a game has 3 areas, presentation(sound, graphics, design) story and gameplay, each equally important. If it has only 2 of those it will not break a game, but it will probably not be a great one either.

Don't get me wrong though, good graphics doesn't have to mean the highest polygon count, take a game like Resident Evil 2 or Final Fantasy 7 for example, they look great even today, would they have been just as epic with a 3 year old painting the backgrounds? I think not.

This whole "graphics don't mean strawberries" attitude that many gamers have adopted today, has gotten out of hand, and you'll regret it the day developers stop caring about the presentation.

I think I care more about the art direction than the actual quality of the graphics. If the style pleases me, then it's all good. If it doesn't, well...I can still enjoy the game if it's fun, though it takes more effort on my end of the deal.

I've always felt this way about video games:

Gameplay > Graphics

Quality > Quantity

I'd rather play the Super Mario All Stars versions of the Super Mario Bros games than the NES originals because of the graphics.

Ever since I first saw pics of Super Mario All Stars, I like to imagine good old games in modern graphics. Not homages or remakes but the same old game with new graphics.

I'd say they're pretty important. Now, obviously, some games like Shadow of Colossus actually aren't that impressive graphically if you're just looking at sheer pixels, but in terms of art direction and style it's one of the best-looking games of all time--such is the case with Twilight Princess. I care much more about art direction than graphics, and obviously gameplay is the most important factor. But if the game looks so terrible that it distracts from the experience, then it's a problem.
Two months ago I would have just said "not very", but as soon as I played Uncharted 2 I had a whole different outlook on how important graphics are to a game.

High-Quality graphics are not nesecairy in a game to me. They are just like syrup on waffles- it still tastes good without it.

What the heck, no they don't.