You say graphics whore like it's a bad thing...

It is a necessary evil in games journalism that games are (often) compartmentalized. It would be wonderful if games could be judged solely as a sum of their constituent parts, but games are ultimately about the succinct threading together of a complex multifaceted experience and if the visuals stink like a half eaten sandwich you left festering on top of your PS2 last generation, well...

[crimsonfox]

annoying when a good game with poor graphics does bad but when a bad game with good graphics does good.

some games don't deserve there praise's.

[Mr Fancy Pants]

mention one bad game with good graphics that have done good on sales...

[Thoas]

Crysis

[kittoo]

You havent played Crysis have you. I love PS3 too...but dont bash a game just because it was a PC exclusive. It was an awesome game with best ever Graphics.

[Mr Fancy Pants]

Crysis it's not a spectacular game but it's pretty good.

--and how it's possible that people could disagree with my previous statement?

I'm just saying to mention one game... how can you disagree with that? if you can't mention one it's because i am right, right? lol

this it's called logic.

Example: Lair was hyped a lot and it got awesome graphics but it sucked at sales... People today read reviews and look for info before they buy something and bad games don't sell. Even if the graphics are the greatest of their time.

Edit: then Thoas, why you mentioned Crysis as an example in the first place?

[Thoas]

I've played it before. I'm actually looking forward to it when it comes to the PS3. The Crysis story is horrible, but the sand box play is fun.

Crysis on the PS3 is a first day purchase for me.

[kevnb]

why is the story more important than anything else in the game?

[shazam]

Gears of War

Muahaha there I was the first to say it.

[kewlkat007]

now games have superiority complexes about their hardware depending on the game and it's graphics...

As if, "great graphics" is all it takes to make a kick-ass game.

Therein Lies the Problem..graphics has become fuel/propaganda to the delusional console wars.

We do not judge books by their covers, usually after the first chapter, we know whether we wanna continue or not. For me the graphics do not have to be super for me to play the game. The game just have to attract me with it's Story/Music and overall gameplay and I'm hooked.

"GRAPHICS" just like A "HAWT GIRL" can attract ya, but if the "Game play" stinks overall and her "Personality" is sh^t, it won't make you stay.

[Meresin]

But even when hot girl gameplay is bad, it's still good. ;)

[byeGollum]

*out of character* everything about a game is just as important - poo graphics can put me off no matter how good it plays(E.g Halo Or Haze?) ___ poo gameplay can put me off no matter how good it looks (E.g Liar)

[kevnb]

Lair doesn't really look all that great actually, screen tearing, blurry textures here and there, framerate drops... I know they can put together an awesome trailer, but play the game and see how inconsistent the graphics really are.

[marcellizot]

There is no escaping the fact the games are a visual medium and often the visuals are key to communicating other aspects such as gameplay and story.

I would never not play a game because I didn't think it looked impressive enough, and I agree that arcane details about the graphical nuances of console games have become an annoying yardstick by which everything is unequivocally judged, but at the same time, there is no denying that good graphics are a key aspect of any great game.

[JasonPC360PS3Wii]

As long as the gameplay and graphics get the job done. Spend to much time with graphics, gameplay suffers. Spend to much time in gameplay, graphics suffer. In the middle is the perfect place IMO, just make sure the game is as little buggy you can get it. Whats a pretty game if you get stuck in a wall and can't move? Look at The Precursors, that games graphics are almost Xbox but the game is HUGE with gameplay and content, were talking never ending story here.

[mistertwoturbo]

That's why games with graphics and gameplay are the best.

COD4 (even though at 600p, it still looks great)
Gears of War
MGS4
Uncharted
Bioshock

etc.

[somelikeithot]

I don't believe graphic's effect a game sales just look at the wii!!!

[Baka-akaB]

@kittoo

What if he actually played it ? I also feel that Crysis was a pretty poor game . The suit was a gimmick with quite limited use (how often do you even really sneak thanks to the suit btw ?) . Gameplay was it was nothing new , and no classic . Gameplay wise even timeshift on every platform , or Haze proposed something better , and those werent stellar games . And there is a reason we dont usually mention or hear about Crysis multiplayer .

I'd say that with a pretty bland storyline , and generic gameplay , it is the very definition of a graphic whore kind of game .

[kevnb]

Except bland storyline has nothing to do with it, graphic whore games tend to feel clunky and limited. Or they are just boring, whats with people on this website putting so much importance on storyline? The only games with decent stories are mgs, some rpgs, and grand theft auto.

[kewlkat007]

this article would/could easily fail....

[Baka-akaB]

Not necessarily , it's a differend crowd . People like that does exists , and they'd obviously boycott the wii and DS and help other hardware sales . Luckily most gamers while loving pretty games arent arent deceived by games with only graphics , and most casual simply dont care (yet) .

Even among graphics whores things are different between pc or consoles ...
On consoles it mostly translate into a console wars , with people comparing their consoles of choice . It's relatively rare on consoles to see a console with high budget and works over aesthetics , with little on gameplay .
On pc , often in FPS , with the high competitiveness in graphics cards , you'll see at least one average game with bad ass graphics , trying to cater to deluxe graphic cards owners .

[kewlkat007]

but that's a game Graphic Cards Manufacturers play because of the competition and the market they sell to.

To me, that's all Marketing Mumbo Jumbo. You could easily enjoy a game not being played in the fullest capabilities. Hey we do it all the time when we play console games vs their PC counterparts(Think about it).

The bottom like IMO, is playing games because you have fun, not because of the graphics(while that differs from one to the next). If any game is fun or just the game play then you won't care about eh graphics mush or what console it is on.

we know sometimes we do not put the Wii in the same category as the 360/ps3 but the damn console sells pretty well. Your first comment

Baka-akaB - "Not necessarily , it's a differend crowd . People like that does exists , and they'd obviously boycott the wii and DS and help other hardware sales . Luckily most gamers while loving pretty games arent arent deceived by games with only graphics , and most casual simply dont care (yet) ."

1.Yet what do you think the Gaming Industry by the masses is built on HARDCORE GAMERS?

2.I have a Wii an all the other consoles what crowd do I belong in(I'm guessing, Not the Wii Crowd)?

Hey my point was graphic whores or not The Wii does very well with or without them. So it's not all about Graphics to be successful. Oh yeah add marcellizot - point down below.

[marcellizot]

I'd argue that the Wii and the DS both have plenty of games that have excellent graphics.

It's not just about pushing the envelope in terms of how much is going on onscreen and how shiny it all is, it's about how well realized the visuals are. Just look at something like Wii Sports, they serve the action perfectly, I wouldn't change a thing. Same with New Super Mario Bros. Good graphics does not just mean the latest greatest FPS game.

It's all about using a game's visual language to communicate the other aspects of the game effectively. That's the point I was trying to make in the original article.

[Baka-akaB]

@kewlkat007

Not really my point , the graphics whore might boycott the wii , but it got little to do with game being for hardcore gamer or not . You could hear their same argument over n64 and gamecube or saturn sometimes , that those consoles were crappy because of their power , or in nintendo case's kiddy titles with no graphics , when smart people actually knows the depths and awesomeness of games like smash brawl . Hell some of the most extremes case would call ps2 titles lame because no longer the powerful platform , when xbox and 360 and others appeared .

I was just saying that a market does exist for them , luckily it's a niche , the biggest one being on pc , with upgradable material , and the frenzy about getting the best graphic card .

I got a wii (actually my first next gen console) , a ps3 and a 360 , i also own a ds and a psp .

[dolomite]

Good graphics grabs your attention, good gameplay keeps you playing it.

BTW, I am a "graphics whore" myself, yet I own a Wii.

[Blademask]

Good Game + Good Graphics > Good Game + Bad Graphics?

I do agree that graphic whores are a good thing. But thats because my definition means that my standard for games starts with the quality of gameplay. If its not a good game, it doesn't matter if it has good visuals or not.

Now, when it comes to the criteria AFTER its already established that gameplay is most important, I DO care if the visuals are good, and any improvement on previous games. It means that developers are making forward progress is gaming, and visuals.

Everyone that enjoys looking at that same Unreal engine game with the same graphics as all the rest, is ruining that forward progress. Because you buy the game for the 60.00 retail price. Then what happens next? R6v2\Turok comes out with little to no visual improvement.

Game graphics every gen prior to this one had always been about pushing the envelope. The pattern was that we always knew what the big gun titles were going to be, but even the smaller devs would still push forward.

I wish more people were about the best Gameplay+Visuals+Audio+Control s, because it means bigger and better games. This gen has thrown a wrench into all of that.

[Meresin]

Is this really an article about a game's graphics based on a Youtube video? Sounds like a sick joke to me. Youtube videos are tremendously compressed and very low-res...And you're criticizing a game's graphics based on that?

http://www.gametrailers.com...

Watch THAT video, and feel free to criticize based on it as you see fit. It's not the best looking game in history, but it really isn't bad, and the gameplay looks like the same sort you'd expect from any ARPG. The only thing really new about it is the sci-fi style, but it's still kinda cool. I only own a PS3, and I can still give the game some credit. :P