Okay, listen. I know that graphics aren’t the be-all and end-all of games. I know that it isn’t just about polygone count and realistic physics simulation. I agree, it’s a pain in the ass when a new game comes out and you can’t play it because your six-month old computer just can’t hack it. I do realise that stories were just as gripping, characters just as appealing (maybe even more so) back in the six-bit pixel-era. I was there. I played them. I get it.

But you know what? I fucking love graphics.

Yes, I admit it. The water effects in Bioshock make me happy. They are pretty. They are, well, watery. Sometimes I would just stop and admire them for a while, before moving on. I love water, I love grass, I love blowing hair and realistic movement.

I love them the water effects in Bioshock the way I love the opening cinematic to Final Fantasy games. Because they rock. In terms of sheer panorama, imagination and style, Squaresoft takes my breath away. I hate Tidus. But I’ll be the first to admit he looks good.

Yes, I hear you. But c’mon. Are you telling me Final Fantasy 7 would have been the same without the dark, industrial-urban cityscape of Midgar?

Then there’s the whole soft-shadow, dynamic lighting, motion-warping gaming goodness. Crysis did it, and did it good. No, I haven’t played the game - my laptop barely coped with Bioshock - but I like to watch the videos. One day I’ll upgrade, and then that jungle will be mine! All mine!

Tell me that you’ve never been sold on a game because of it’s graphics. Not even once? Not even a tiny bit? They don’t have to be photorealistic to work. In fact, I like the cartoony, the stylised, and the somewhat anime-esque even more. After all, I play to escape the real world, I like it to be a bit shinier. What about Ratchet and Clank? Now there’s a series I like the look of - and the latest release Ratchet & Clank: Future Tools of Destruction? It looks good. It looks Pixar good. And that’s saying something.

Yeah, okay, great graphics don’t always make for a great game. Just look at Lair - beautiful flying dragons, awesome fantasy-eque graphics, and a control system that sucks big ones. But, assuming at least competent gameplay, and a reasonable story, graphics can make an otherwise ordinary story stand out from the crowd. Want an FPS? They are ten a penny. But do any of them look as good as Call of Duty 4? Not in my opinion - and COD4 is now FPS of choice.

It isn’t just about great graphics though. It’s also about style, and the overall feel of the game. To go back to one of my favorite games of all time, Grim Fandango takes inspiration from paper dolls. It looks great. It works. It’s different, and it adds that extra bit of awesome to an already stellar game.

Yeah, the old games were classic. But when you go back to play them now, don’t you dream about a remake? Don’t the Nintendo DS versions of those old faves look pretty damn nice? Isn’t it good to see Lara Croft with 5000 polygons instead of 300?

So, all you graphics-bashers. Leave me alone with my eye-candy. I want more reflections, more shadows, more ripples, more expressive faces, more dynamic skeletons (and better acting), more water, more hair and more grass.

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 19th, 2008 at 3:07 pm and is filed under Game Design, Raves, What Makes a Game. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.