At this day and age, you'd be an idiot to think graphics still doesn't matter.It adds a great level of immersion that makes the game even more worth playing.

Graphics immerse you into the game. You probably wont be as into some games if they look bad. Just think if heavy rain looked like super mario 64 would you still have that same felling of realism and immersion? NO, same with Uncharted 2 and others.

Graphics are just as important as gameplay.

I didn't buy my HDTV, HD Console, GPU for nothing.

Graphics matters as for Gameplay also matters.

Assassin's Creed 2 was ruined for me because of the god awful textures and low pixel counts. Im sorry but under no circumstances should a sequel take a big step backwards in visuals. Don't believe me? Pop in the first AC after playing the second for a little while. It's embarrassing really

It depends more on the type of game it is, some types need better graphics than others. But you can't rely on graphics alone to make a good game.

Graphics are important, but I honestly would choose amazing gameplay over amazing graphics. There are very few exceptions where I believe the graphics and gameplay are both excellent such as Crysis, God of War 3, and a few others.

To me it's a case of not what you have but how you use it. I think the part of graphics that means the most to me is consistency, each element needs to be believable in the world.

I think art style is much more important than tech though.

There's a delicate balance that needs to be achieved between graphics and gameplay.

duh its teh only thing that matters!
oh and screw colors!

If you own a PS3 then of Course Graphics Matter
Why Would'nt they ?
What with all the Great Looking Exclusive the PS3 Serve's up
And
If you own a Xbox then of Course Graphics Dont Matter
Why Would They ?
What with all the Average Looking Exclusive's the Xbox Serve's up

There has to be both.

IMO, Final Fantasy 3 (FFVI) on SNES had AMAZING graphics for it's time. And not only that, but it had the content and gameplay to go with it.

So there are those noteworthy titles in each generation that has that perfect blend of both, and those are the games we truly remember.

I'd say graphics matter, it's all about improvement or there would be no reason to keep upgrading. It then goes to the opposite side, where some people think people because people do care about graphics, they don't care about gameplay, but the two aren't mutually exclusive. You can have both.

depends what type of game, fps/racing/action games they do other games i couldnt give a fck about it.

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Of course they matter.
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It creates an immersion level that puts you more into the game.
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These are the first moments in gaming when that question is raised. Every gen people would rave or complain about visual quality. You can even see it in the reviews from years ago.

At the beginning of this gen everybody raved about gears of wars graphics and the unreal engine and the 360s graphical supremacy. Then all of a sudden a bald man with cancer shows up on screen preaching to mutants in gas masks. Then all of a sudden people changed their minds. Lets all watch alien vs predator on video cassete and play pong.

I see this hypocritism every week. Are we claiming ownage for call of duty looking better on the 360 or are we saying Killzones graphics mean nothing, I can't keep up.

there's also a difference between "graphics," and "art design."

the real question is: "Does art design matter?"

for example, Super Mario Galaxy can't technically compete with a game like Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time. that's a fact.

HOWEVER, Super Mario Galaxy is still a beautiful game. why? Art Design.

if a game has great art design, then it will look great.

look at World of Warcraft. the graphics engine is incredibly old by this point, but the game still looks visually pleasing. Blizzard puts emphasis on art design, not graphics.

it's like questioning if film evolving and moving to color mattered.

maybe it's because i've been playing video games since 1985, and i've seen the gaming industry evolve and grow and improve on a generational, even yearly basis.

look at the titles released at the start of this generation, and look at the titles being released NOW.

would you be willing to shell out $60 again for games that look like how they looked back in 2005?

game play and graphics are NOT mutually exclusive. not in a medium that emphasizes BOTH.

there seems to be this misconception that pretty graphics means the developer didn't focus on the game play. again, i grew up in an era where the best visuals were usually coupled with the best games, BECAUSE the developer gave a damn and focuses on BOTH.

Super Mario Bros 3, Chrono Trigger, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil 4, and Uncharted 2.

what do they ALL have in common?

at the time of their releases, they were not only praised for their fantastic game play, but for their state of the art visuals at well.

game play and graphics are a marriage. compromise is often required, and a bit of effort from both parties. with the abundance of middleware engines like Unreal Engine 3, the line is a bit more blurred this generation in terms of separating the titles that are both beautiful and fun to play, but a little bit of research clears that up real fast. look for keywords like "rushed development cycle," "movie tie-in," "Activision," and you should be well on your way to being able to discern which titles aren't worth your time.

a little word of mouth doesn't hurt either.

i was iffy about Alan Wake (i wanted it, but didn't want to spend $60), but after hearing from my fellow gamers (not paid reviewers; how worthless are THEY this generation?), i've decided i'll pick it up when i have the cash.

i'm sick of the "game play over graphics" argument, because we are paying for BOTH. we are paying for a unified gaming experience. whether the art design is Patapon or Killzone it doesn't matter as long as it represents the GAME the developers were trying to make. game play is just as vital. i don't put emphasis on one or the other, but i certainly give credit where it's due when a developer is pumping out quality like what we've seen with Uncharted 2, Killzone 2, and inFAMOUS 2.

Man these video game "journalists" have no originality. I swear I see this same article written every five minutes. Jesus. How do they get paid for this?

Graphics matter to PS3 fans (Like myself) because it's the only thing we were told to (by Sony) care about.

Without graphics the only thing that would justify our purchase would be watching the Dark Knight in 1080p on our Sony Bravia HD TVs.

I hope this clears things up for those who were unaware :)

Yes, they matter, but only to a degree. Once you're immersed in a game, you get caught up in what's going on in the game. You're not thinking, "Man, those blades of grass look so REAL. It's even the same with movies. High def. doesn't matter once you're into the story. Those of you who've dated a very attractive person know it to be true in relationships, as well. Once you're into them, really into them, you really aren't thinking, "Damn, they're hot. What. An. @ss."

True immersion goes so far beyond visual it's sad. It comes from a level of quality that's felt, not seen.

when I spend $300 - $600 on a console, yep. On a little deeper, graphics always matter. There has to be a visual representation on the screen. That's why it's called VIDEO game. Anyone who says graphics don't matter then they're lying

im playing stalker shadow of chernobyl atm on my 2006 MBP, and although i have to use static lighting, everything else is on max, and its playable! it even looks amazing indoors with the flashlight (which is quite surprising)

im loving it and, although i play GOWIII and KZ2 i can still enjoy and get immersed in the world of stalker just as well =)

But not as important as good gameplay, nobody wants to play a great looking game with terrible gameplay, afterall it's the gameplay that brings us back into the game years later.

this guy never said that graphics doesnt matter at all,and i agree with this article 4 100 percent.

almost

It makes the game a little more enjoyable. But it doesn't make an amazing game. I rather play a game with amazing gameplay, and ok graphics, (Super Mario Galaxy 2), than a game with amazing graphics and sucky gameplay.

There not everything

Yes, with today being a lot about HD TV's and technology to produce incredible visuals, a lot of people crave them - but I think Plot and Gameplay still comes first, of course theres nothing wrong with GOOD visuals, but not every game can be compared to Crysis or the like.

all the graphics hype that fanboys invest themselves into... is the reason the hobby has been losing its luster... with the tons of fanboys I always see on this site having a p!ssing contest over graphics... I'd love to sell them gold spray painted s#!t... I bet they'd be blown away! and forget that it was still actually s#!t... but its covered in an appealing color that is associated with wealth/power!

Graphics are pretty But i look for gameplay.
Look at MAG, the graphics aren't up to par to like Gears of war or Uncharted but the gameplay elements are there.

Can we have our cake and eat it to.

Graphics are important for game representation. Surely a game like Uncharted couldn't have been done with SNES or Genesis graphics...But we live in such an era where people want long, pretty, and interesting games, or at least some combination of two of those elements. Imagine how interesting a game could be and how long the story could span if the all the graphical processing powers of a game like Uncharted 2 went into more levels, more weapons, a longer story, etc.

Graphic are nice and all but what needs the most focus is gameplay, controlles and story after that then awesome graphics are welcome.

It adds to the whole like every aspect of the game.

I think it depends on the experience of the games. If Uncharted 2 didnt look great, It wouldnt have been a memorable adventure, like a movie. I personally liked Borderlands a lot, it looked meh imo, but it was actually very fun and addictive, the gameplay was solid

Sorry xboxers.

Its a nice surprise but not vital.