Whenever a new game is released, the same is always said by gamers who are easily impressed.
“Wow, look at those graphics!”
There was a time when playing games such as FIFA 99 and Metal Gear Solid where I thought that these games were hugely impressive graphically. When you look back only a few years later when the PS one was replaced with the PS2, the graphics looked terrible in comparison as they all had flat faces and robotic body movements. With modern gaming there is such a huge demand for games to look the best they possibly can and I believe that this is hurting the industry. There are certain areas of gaming which are thriving even though they do not have the graphical prowess of the million dollar franchises.
Why has the community become so overwhelmed with the need to have amazing graphics when the main part of the game is actually enjoying the overall experience and taking you away from reality?
The reason I’m saying this as it has seemed, for the current-gen at least, that amazing graphics are what a game needs to be great. In the beginning, it was clear to see that technically the PS3 was a superior console and better graphics would be available on this console if developers hadn’t chosen to optimise their games based on the Xbox 360’s specifications.
As we look to the future, the same thing seems to be happening again in terms of graphics but it seems to be more of a problem for many gamers. As it was revealed that the Xbox One was only able to output 720p on Call of Duty: Ghosts compared to 1080p on the PS4, the community at large seemed to react furiously to this prompting many to cancel pre-orders and jump ship once again to Sony’s next-gen entertainment system.
I have written several articles recently regarding how concerned I am for the launch of the next-gen and I still am. While I am sceptical about the future Sony and Microsoft consoles, I think the quality of games and enjoyment should overshadow any graphical differences that may be found. If you are playing a game for the first time, you will instantly think it looks great or it looks poor. After the opening 10 minutes or so, your eyes will adjust and your experience will revolve around how much you enjoy the game and not the graphics. Had all of these comparison videos and news about the two consoles not been released this week, I think it would be hard to find anyone would have made a huge fuss over the Xbox One’s graphical power compared to the PS4.
The footage of Battlefield 4 was centre stage for this comparison and Battlefield is as guilty as any game for pushing it’s graphics to the limit and constantly reminding the community just how important graphics are. While all we can see graphics in a build-up to a game, gameplay, story and atmosphere are and will always be the main aspect of any game. I’m not saying that graphics aren’t important but they aren’t the most important thing. A game can look rough and be excellent at the same time whether it be through gameplay, mechanics or story.
The Walking Dead did this spectacularly. Although the game looked very rough, the gameplay mechanics were solid and made me feel involved in that game so much that the graphics did not matter at all. Another game which did this recently was State of Decay which looked horrendous when you first played the game. It looked as though the game had just been created in one day by someone who wanted to make a zombie game. But, the experience of SOD was brilliant as it featured so many great gameplay mechanics that you soon got used to the jarring graphics or rough landscape. It didn’t take anything away from my experience of the game and I will happily recommend SOD.
If you are reading this and thinking “Why are you speaking of Arcade/indie games? We want AAA,” that’s because they need to look the best because of pressure from the community and it’s an improvement on the last edition of the game. With new consoles you definitely expect graphics to improve but sometimes these games which have yearly releases are made to look nicer just as an improvement rather than an improvement to the overall experience.
Indie games revolve around allowing the player to have fun for a relatively low price while playing an inferior looking game compared to what an AAA developer would release. This seems to be the reason why Steam is performing so well these days as the games are so cheap that people are buying them, enjoying them and telling their friends about it because they aren’t consumed with games looking as best as they can be. A select few people out there have PC’s which are constantly at the highest level of specifications and I don’t see why not having the best PC affects their ability to enjoy a game.
I cannot see why someone would decide their next console on something which has overshadowed the fun and atmospheric side of games in recent years. When looking at retail games you are constantly hearing people saying how rough it looks or judging their opinion on the game based on looks. I would much rather have a memorable experience playing a fun game rather than playing a game which looks amazing. The Crysis series has suffered from this as the games haven’t been of the highest quality but whenever you mention the Crysis games to someone, they always say, “Oh, it looks brilliant.” I’m sure Crytek would rather have people reflect on how much they enjoyed the story or gameplay in their game rather than the visuals. Graphics are important but the quality of a game relies on so much more than that. The atmosphere in a game combined with the story and gameplay mechanics are far more important in games for me than graphics.
For people who have been thinking of changing console due to graphical superiority, can I ask them to consider this: The Xbox One will (more than likely) eventually release all of your favourite exclusives such as Halo, Gears of War, Titanfall, Alan Wake and Fable to name but a few. Of course Sony will have its own share of strong exclusives and the graphical power will be better but if you would rather have stronger graphics than a variety of great games, then it seems as though the fun and enjoyment factor has been zapped from gaming’s core.
Before I get accused of being an Xbox fanboy, I have pre-ordered a PS4 and will be getting mine on launch and, in the first few months at least; I will be playing indie games as well as AAA titles. Even though the indie titles aren’t as well made as Battlefield or Call of Duty, they offer a unique experience which doesn’t have to be clouded over with graphical criticism. Graphics can only take you so far. What keeps you playing through a game are the mechanics and ability to enjoy yourself and this can be achieved on both next-gen consoles.
@SimonMarshall6
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