STORY or GRAPHICS...?

[shortylickens]

Oh

5. Audio


It matters. Helps with the atmosphere and realism. Those of us who grew up with Wolfenstein know better.

 

[PlanetJosh]

Well I don't think the OP question is silly. I generally play games like tech demos so it's graphics by far for most of the time for me. The genre really doesn't matter. Take Oblivion and Skyrim for example. I was busy for years with those to two games getting the best looking mods for graphics. I wasn't really interested in the plot or story. I like exploring and checking out new levels and maps. Action, RPG or adventure or whatever as long as it has full motion movement and great graphics.

Sometimes I get caught up with gameplay, but rarely in single player. It's with some online gaming I'll get into the action and gameplay. I have over 14,000 hours in Guild Wars since 2006 when I first started playing it. I liked the community and the game missions. But I've given up on it due to lack of players, they went over to Guild Wars 2 and I can't seem to get into that game very much. And btw Guild Wars back in it's time of release in 2005 was considered to be one of the better looking games even when compared to single player only games.

 

[HeXen]

Well I don't think the OP question is silly. I generally play games like tech demos so it's graphics by far for most of the time for me. The genre really doesn't matter. Take Oblivion and Skyrim for example. I was busy for years with those to two games getting the best looking mods for graphics. I wasn't really interested in the plot or story. I like exploring and checking out new levels and maps. Action, RPG or adventure or whatever as long as it has full motion movement and great graphics.

Sometimes I get caught up with gameplay, but rarely in single player. It's with some online gaming I'll get into the action and gameplay. I have over 14,000 hours in Guild Wars since 2006 when I first started playing it. I liked the community and the game missions. But I've given up on it due to lack of players, they went over to Guild Wars 2 and I can't seem to get into that game very much. And btw Guild Wars back in it's time of release in 2005 was considered to be one of the better looking games even when compared to single player only games.

So you could buy graphical adventure, maze or RTS games based on graphics alone? I think the genre does matter to most, many choose those games for their story. Many choose Simulations for realism, not for story...if any even had one. Some genre's wouldn't exist at all if they didn't have either a story or good graphics.

 

[Red Hawk]

If a game doesn't have a good story, criticize it for that. If a game doesn't have good graphics, criticize it for that. Both are part of what makes a good game.

 

[SPBHM]

witcher 3

 

[PrincessFrosty]

I buy games for both of those things independently and when possible together or sometimes neither of those things. Sometimes gameplay is good enough that story and graphics don't matter, puzzle games tend to fit that description.

There have been many great games that have good graphics but no story, and a great story but bad graphics, as long as there's something good about the game that can often be reason enough to get it. Game play normally trumps all for me though.

 

[z1ggy]

Story for 1 time play through games (The Walking Dead, etc) but graphics for FPS or MMO games. Since I play both, I can't really pick one over the other.

 

[pathos]

I play mostly rpg's, so,

Story
gameplay
graphics

Now, even though story is the most important, if gameplay or graphics are complete and utter crap, then sitting through a good story is kind of hard.

As long as gameplay and graphics are serviceable, then story becomes the most important

 

[SlitheryDee]

Both are important to me, but I give story more weight generally. If I were to rate graphics, story, and gameplay on a scale of 1-10, then story can't get below about a 7 and the average of the other two needs to be at least 7 for me to enjoy it.

That means I can tolerate below average (but not horrible) graphics if both the story and gameplay are good enough, but I can't tolerate a particularly bad story no matter how good graphics and gameplay are.

 

[Oyeve]

Skyrim has it all.

 

[SMOGZINN]

Which would you rather play, a game with a GREAT story and mediocre graphics or a game with a HORRIBLE story but great graphics?

I am asking seriously...

Think Borderlands style graphics over say...Witcher III Graphics...

While it all works together, graphics fade quickly while good story or gameplay can last forever. People still play Zork.

 

[norseamd]

Gameplay trumps all. Graphics/Story are just pluses.

Usually this.

 

[werepossum]

Story.

And the perception that FPS, which is nothing more than a mechanic, doesn't need a story, is something that has kept the genre in the dark ages since it first began.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. pretty much changed how I viewed what an FPS could be. Story and gameplay need not be mutually exclusive. We can have both.

True, but HeXen is correct that it absolutely depends on the genre. A pure shooter might be more enjoyable with a good story, but it doesn't absolutely have to have it as long as the gameplay is fun. Conversely, a story-driven RPG shooter such as Fallout would be horrendous without a good story; neither graphics nor game play could save such a game with a crap story.

 

[werepossum]

Oh

5. Audio


It matters. Helps with the atmosphere and realism. Those of us who grew up with Wolfenstein know better.

Remember Monolith's Aliens versus Predator 2? Audio made that game.

 

[cmdrdredd]

You can have the best gameplay in the world but if it looks and sounds like an NES game I'm not touching it.

It goes hand in hand. Today there is no excuse to not have a great looking game that has good story telling or writing, good music and sound effects, and is fun to play.

 

[Red Hawk]

Skyrim has it all.

The story in Skyrim is actually pretty mediocre. And, before mods, it's not much of a looker, either.

 

[HeXen]

Atmosphere alone can do a lot, like Limbo..not really so much of a story or graphics, the gameplay is typical 2D affair but it definitely had enough atmosphere to engage your curiosity and make you want to finish it. I like the feeling of creepy and mysterious that it gave me and the ending reminds me of the feeling I used to get from watching Twilight Zone as a kid, filling my imagination wondering wtf?
But again, genre...Other types of games like FPS don't typically have much atmosphere without graphics to create it, like Metro, the lighting, fog/smoke..etc are what gives it that atmosphere. So again it really depends.

You can have the best gameplay in the world but if it looks and sounds like an NES game I'm not touching it.

It goes hand in hand. Today there is no excuse to not have a great looking game that has good story telling or writing, good music and sound effects, and is fun to play.

I still play NES games and still enjoy the music too. But a game only needs that 1 thing to make it fun for you to play and that will vary depending on the individual.
Some games like Project Cars only have good sound effects, physics and graphics, but it's realism of driving a race car is what makes it fun to play.

If you literally never, ever buy or enjoy games unless it meets all those criteria that you mentioned, then I'd say you are quite a unique gamer.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Atmosphere alone can do a lot, like Limbo..not really so much of a story or graphics, the gameplay is typical 2D affair but it definitely had enough atmosphere to engage your curiosity and make you want to finish it. I like the feeling of creepy and mysterious that it gave me and the ending reminds me of the feeling I used to get from watching Twilight Zone as a kid, filling my imagination wondering wtf?
But again, genre...Other types of games like FPS don't typically have much atmosphere without graphics to create it, like Metro, the lighting, fog/smoke..etc are what gives it that atmosphere. So again it really depends.



I still play NES games and still enjoy the music too. But a game only needs that 1 thing to make it fun for you to play and that will vary depending on the individual.
Some games like Project Cars only have good sound effects, physics and graphics, but it's realism of driving a race car is what makes it fun to play.

If you literally never, ever buy or enjoy games unless it meets all those criteria that you mentioned, then I'd say you are quite a unique gamer.

I'm saying there is no excuses these days. You should have all of the above. I buy and play lots of games but we should demand that these $100mil budget titles have everything you want in a game. The thing is you see, with the internet and youtube and all the information sources, it's very easy to avoid games you won't like. Not like how it was back in the day where the only info you may have gotten was on the back of the box at the store. Remember going through Toys R US and flipping all the cards over to read about the games? Now you can just search google and get all the info you want.

 

[shortylickens]

Remember Monolith's Aliens versus Predator 2? Audio made that game.

See man, this is why I like you.
You got your head on straight.

 

[Anomaly1964]

LOTS of great answers here, thanks for your replies...

Personally, I put an emphasis on STORY. Take Arkham Knight, I am playing on 1920x1080 and everything thing else on low BUT I DON'T CARE - I GET TO BE BATMAN!