FeedGraphics don't make the game
by Jumpluff @ Delicious Pink Ribbon on Jan.28, 2009, under Consoles, Developers, Gamecube, News, Old but Awesome, Opinions, Publishers, Rant, Review, WiiWare, xbox 360
A game is supposed to be enjoyable. When I play a game, I play it for fun. Even when I go to a tournament and play for money I’m still playing for fun. If playing a game isn’t fun, then you should really put the controller down and pick up what does turn your crank.
That being said, something that doesn’t always make a game enjoyable is the graphics. Sure, graphics can be nice, especially in a game where it serves a purpose. However, in my time, I have heard far too many people tell me that they wouldn’t play a game simpily because it wasn’t top notch graphics or it didn’t push the hardware of the machine to the max. Why would you wanna do that to your machine?
If a game is fun and has good graphics, that’s great, but what if it’s not the best image capture top notch stuff? Some games look amazing even without the magic of the third dimension. Ever take a look at Cave Story? The game would pass for a SNES game, the gameplay is something that’s involving and fun, and the story, while confusing at first, will have you in tears. Ever take a look at Sonic the Hedgehog on the PS3 and 360? I’m a huge Sonic fan and this game, while very pretty, was a nightmare to play. Sonic clips through curbs, jumps make him slow to a near stop and a personal killer for me: I can see his feet the entire time. I never ever wanna see Sonic’s feet when he’s running. Ever.
Good, pretty, but short
When you think about it, you were a kid once. When you were younger, you sure as heck didn’t have near realistic graphics and amazing surround sound, but you still played your game and man you had a blast! Why wouldn’t that work again? I gotta give Capcom kudos for giving us a new “classic” game, even if I still can’t beat one robot master, the joy it gives me is huge. Partially from nostalgia, partially from frustration and greatly from the gameplay… It’s been years since I felt this way.
I guess partially because I feel this way is that when I go to work at my game store, and kids come in and tell me about how old the Gamecube and PS2 are and I wanna strangle them. They’re telling me I sat down and played a new game for last week is old school. I could have been a little more understanding if it was a clueless old gramma or something, but a kid of 10 – 12? Come on, you’d have to live under a rock. Last week I was cleaning up Gamecube discs for a kid and said he had no idea what a cartridge was. I know not every game in the past is worth playing, but they won’t even give them a second glance.
Dear youngins,
Put down your Halo and Grand Theft Auto and play Doom and Vectorman.
Love,
Jumpluff
January 28th, 2009 on 12:04 pm
Graphics may not make all of the game.
But by god do they make it more fun in alot of cases.
January 28th, 2009 on 1:19 pm
Grand Theft Auto and Halo are better overall games than Vectorman or Doom. Both games offer significantly more things to do and also have much more replay value. Both of those games are great, but come on. Doom has been surpassed in most every way by now.
Also, graphics do have a place. They can enhance a gameplay experience. Take Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm for the PS3. That is an alright fighter that’s fairly simplistic. When you add its amazing graphics though, it becomes something more. It adds a certain flair. Graphics can definitely, definitely enhance an experience and to say they aren’t important is kind of ridiculous. Yeah, of course games can be great without them, but with them they can be even greater.
Also, getting onto a kid for not knowing what a cartridge is…isn’t bright. They grew up in a different time, why would they need to know that? I grew up as an NES kid and I didn’t even know about the Intellivision or Colecovision until I did RESEARCH. You can’t blame people for knowing only what’s available to them.
Games have changed. MM IX was a great experience, but it wasn’t this revolution some are making it out to be. A good nostalgia trip. That’s it.
January 28th, 2009 on 4:16 pm
You really need to make a distinction between good graphics and good art direction. World of Warcraft has terrible graphics but excellent art direction, this helps it to still be pleasing to the eyes. As was already said, graphics don’t necessarily make the game, they just make it much easier to approach.
January 28th, 2009 on 6:44 pm
Vectorman and Doom were both cutting-edge graphically when they were released, and both were highly praised for that reason. Hell, Vectorman was as big as it was because of how hyped people were on the pseudo-3D visuals.
I’d say it defeats the point of your article, but you seem to be arguing that kids don’t know what old is and that it can be good too. In which case, That’s fine.
If you were arguing for what the title suggests, you could have pointed out God Hand. That game was ugly.
January 28th, 2009 on 11:05 pm
@Goldanas
What I just hate is kids… or just people in general who refuse to play a game because it doesn’t have CUTTING EDGE SUPER HD GRAFIX
I have friends who won’t play Team Fortress 2 with me because its graphics aren’t good enough.
sdfgsdfhgsdg
January 29th, 2009 on 11:24 pm
‘Good’ graphics, more often than not, look terrible. Oxymoron? Maybe. Most game with cutting-edge graphics seem to completely lack in style: Oh look, it’s the newest cutting-edge game, BROWN HD! Fuck that.
Then, we’ve got games that look really, really good, with or without high-end graphics. It’s all about art direction. If the graphics fit the game, and add something to it (Other than a reduced framerate), those are some really GOOD graphics.
January 30th, 2009 on 12:40 am
@Arcadia
See Odin Sphere
Fucking beautiful game. Certainly not high end graphics.
I’ve been playing Persona 2 lately. Those graphics look really good. Like, at least PSP(lol) good, probably better than most for it that are worth playing.
January 30th, 2009 on 12:55 am
@Pluff
I’ve head good things about Odin Sphere. Persona 2 is pretty, indeed, and is a great example of fitting graphics, but I just don’t have the patience for games that long and slow anymore.