Graphics -VS- Gameplay
Posted by Ghost on September 7th, 2009 | Visited 3577 times, 7 so far todayThis is an age old debate, a war that has been raging for… about 3 years and as is with most stories, there are two sides.
Graphics… and Gameplay.
I am classifying graphics as - any visuals ; and gameplay as the controls, style and story of the game.
The arguments we see are simple, if you support the graphics team, you say something along the lines of “Graphics are everything in a game” if you are on the gameplay side you say “Gameplay makes a game”
now I am going to come clean now and tell you that I am a supporter of the Gameplay team. If we go way back to the year 1998, Goldeneye 64 was released, a very good game, one of the best shooters of all time in that it really set the stage for the genre more than anything else.
new shooters have awesome graphics, but the trade of is gamespeed, you enter a heavy fire fight and your FPS drops to 2 as a result you die not knowing what happened. but using a shooter as an example is probably a bad idea. Their gameplay stems more from the fun you have while playing (not to say that dying in the metaphorical 2 FPS is fun) so instead let us use a different game.
Diablo II - the game is made by 2D sprites, by no means are these graphics good, but by some crazy chance, the gameplay was so addictive, it is still played by thousands today despite having games with “next gen” graphics on offer.
Now I know I am making it sound like gameplay is the all important factor, but it isn’t, I love great graphics, hell proof of my devotion to graphics is in me upgrading my graphics card and RAM so that I could play TES4 with all graphics on max with additional mods to improve them further. My point however is that gameplay is the most important element in a game, after that I would probably say music and then finally graphics. We also need to consider that graphics in some cases will fuel gameplay and vice versa.
So what do I want in a game? Simply, I want it all, gameplay, where applicable, an awesome storyline, good music and SFX (bad music is possibly the biggest turn off on a game) and finally beautiful graphics, not all that “next gen” crap, but something truly beautiful, we don’t need our circles to be perfect, we will not be using maximum zoom on a sniper rife to check and see that each brick is unique in any given shooter (we will hopefully be to busy blasting some suckers head off)
And so I reach the point in this blog where I get to insert some propaganda that is, HoN vs LoL - Graphics vs Gameplay.
this is the battle currently being fought between the two - HoN fanboys say that HoN has <insert big list of things that LoL has anyway> but also has better graphics, while LoL kids (me included I guess) counter with “but we have all that, and better and original gameplay” but wait, there is more.. I am still unable to post pictures of LoL (because of the NDA) but I can say that it actually has pretty amazing graphics, the thing that HoNboys don’t see is that it is the graphical style that is so different.
yes, HoN has those darn fangled “next gen” graphics but LoL has something simple, that runs fast, looks good and when you take the time to use the sniper rifle (or mouse wheel) to zoom in on bits of the forest floor, beautiful graphics.
/propaganda
while on the topic of MOBAs, I would like to once again point you in the direction of Bloodline Champions, a game I feel may be truly beautiful.
fast paced, fun, replay value, beautiful graphics and hopefully music to match.
September 7th, 2009 at 6:32 am
*nod*
I’ll just add on the propaganda side that I was quite happy with LoL’s graphics set on Very Low, since my *expletive of your choice* graphics card was too poor to run them on any decent setting.
And then I got a real graphics card and put everything on Very High, and SURPRISE, what is THAT? Its really good guys…
September 7th, 2009 at 6:46 am
Pfff. Gameplay is more important. For example - caesar 4 has better graphics than caesar 3. I still play caesar 3, rather than caesar 4. Diablo 2 is also an awesome example - not to mention warcraft 3 and starcraft. I would never play a game with wtfomgawesome graphics and shitty gameplay over a game with great gameplay and quality graphics. Ofcourse, shitty graphics can ruin a game, but not as much as shitty gameplay.
September 7th, 2009 at 9:02 am
I would say, I expect a minimum of graphic details & style from a game. As long as a game doesn’t look like total rubbish and the graphics kinda fit the gameplay, I’m satisfied.
The rest is a matter of gameplay.
September 7th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
eh, in my opinion dota’s gameplay is perfect, and HoN expanding that and improving on graphics is all the better. not a big fan of LoL, dont like the microtransactions and the summoner system doesn’t seem the most fair. The biggest problem for me was that while playing LoL i was thinking like.. is this is a flash game? Ive seen stuff on newgrounds that had better graphics and was animated more smoothly. Add on top the spammy-ness of everything and in my opinion it strips away skill from the game. In dota you could use fog, you could juke, and take advantage of mana and cooldowns to outsmart your opponents and overcoming impossible odds. In LoL its very very unlikely you’ll come out of a 2v1 with a kill or even live to escape no matter how skilled you are, so a skilled player would say to avoid those situations. Avoiding something instead of learning how to deal with it feels so.. eh. dota has the best gameplay and HoN has the best graphics, so i’ll probably get that. while i might hop on LoL once in awhile to mix things up, i dont think it’s going to be the serious competitive game that riot wants it to be.
September 7th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
My computer actually hardly ran LoL and lowest graphics and it had a ton of lag, compared to HoN which runs smooth on low graphics. Just saying.
September 7th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
this is why i got back into Guild Wars XD
September 7th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
@Gaucma
there is a memory problem with low graphics, the gane runs better for low end computers on medium.
@leopo
micro transactions do nothing to the actual gameplay, ergo. fair.
how long has it been since you played? LoL is heavily team orientated, you still take advantage of cooldown and mana,
other than that you have no appreciation for graphics… that or you are a hon fanboy.
riot has no intention of making into a mega serious competitive game, they have aimed at a casual market with room for competitive gaming.
and i frequently leave a 3v1 with 3 kills.
maybe you just weren’t very good “P
September 7th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
Sigh Smashing HoN again ghost which is pretty pathetic if you ask me.
Ive run Graphics on LoL and HoN, and i have to say HoN does run smoother, the hosting it better (For me, US for LoL would be better) and it has the same feel as dota, sure LoL is a team based game more than HoN where you can pick a hero and come away with 5 kills, but that just reminds me of DotA which is why i like it, i Showed my friends both games, Some even Laughed at LoL as the childish graphics suit childish minds. And dont dare call me a Graphics Freak, as i still play 1.6 Counter Strike, which all in all is a better game than Counter strike Source, Just less players.
/rant
September 8th, 2009 at 1:59 am
Gameplay is more important for me. I have PS and Gameboy Advance emulators in my PC and I still enjoy those outdated 2D graphics games like Tactics Ogre, Final Fantasy Tactics, Brave Fencer Musashi, Fire Emblem, etc. That is not to say I don’t enjoy playing games with excellent graphics.
I play GTA IV, Fallout 3 and Elder Scrolls Oblivion in full blast graphic settings and I’m totally amazed by the almost surreal graphics.
September 8th, 2009 at 2:24 am
If you have an average PC(Processor/RAM/Graphics Card) - just stick to gameplay, ok!?!
If you have an above average PC(or perhaps top of the line) - you’re lucky to play games you like to play on high resolution graphics! Lol!
But seriously, I’d go 70% gameplay, 30% visual/sound effects. Why put more percentage on gameplay? But of course! The reason we play games is for the Challenge, tactics, strategy, competition, right? We all have this feeling like we are glorified on every triumph on every game, and we feel humiliated every time we lose, right - having this feeling of wanting to humiliate our opponents the when next battle everytime starts! Lolz…
September 8th, 2009 at 2:32 am
Well, I simply agree to your point and what’s my prediction is that HoN will get a better boost in the starting as compared to LoL but in the end LoL would have more dedicated players.
September 8th, 2009 at 2:47 am
gameplay > graphics.
i wonder why AC wasnt successful.
but its always better if both was present.
September 8th, 2009 at 3:34 am
nowhere did I say HoN was a worse game, I knock the fanboys who chant about rebindabe hotkeys.
WHO NEEDS THEM?
q/w/e/r/a/s/d/f should be plenty for spells and commands.
1.6 is the way to go.. graphics freak
but in all seriousness, if dota didn’t bore me so much (aka more than 2 games and it is just tedious) I would probably play HoN more.
but I hate the darkness. graphics are nice though.
@ic4three
I WANT IT ALL
currently craving banjo-kazooie. do I get a 360 just to get the port then epic the achievements by speed running the game (sadly my record is somewhere around 3.5 hours)
September 8th, 2009 at 4:26 am
Rebindable keys is good for people that have a keyboard setting different from your regular qwerty. Like me, in my country we use azerty, some examples of the differences: my Q and A are switched and my Z and W is too. So my hotkeys for example aren’t lined up like on a qwerty keyboard, and I have to rebind them.
September 8th, 2009 at 4:59 am
freaky French keyboards
so why do they want you to rebind all of they keys? surely a azerty profile should be plenty.
and why are Americans with their qwerty keyboards so happy that they can change something they will unlikely be needing to touch?
unless they are trying to tell us the HoN has a crappy default configuration.
in which case, rebind away.
September 8th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
what guns said
look at d2, w2, starcraft etc.
awesauce games.
September 8th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
i go with Gameplay…Who the hell plays “Mario 3000″?If we chose Graphics over Gamplay…then Were just playing a pinball with the BEST graphics but with the WORST gameplay…How the hell do we play Graphics-based games?
September 8th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Wow, as soon as I saw this I was thinking of diablo 2
anyway @ topic, I supported HoN all the way until i read this 
I really didnt know that LoL had better gameplay, Gameplay for me is everything but some nice graphics are not bad either.
September 8th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
the main graphics difference between LoL and HoN is that LoL uses a more childish application.
in the world of marketing, it is no secret that adults will play kiddy games… but kids won’t play adult games.
September 10th, 2009 at 8:13 am
LoL has a lot more teamplay involved that in DotA; assuming that HoN is a clone of DotA, then LoL has a lot more teamplay than HoN as well. Making it much more appealing, not that I need any more appeal arguments when I can point out my Statement Number One: LoL Is Free And HoN Is Not.
On the other hand, I’ve never seen any kind of monetary figure for HoN. For all I know it could cost double my lunch money or something, which would make it worth buying for the win-win scenario of: a) I am proved wrong and get another worthwhile game, or b) I am proved right and laugh at HoN supporters that it is truly a rip-off and not worth it.
Anyone who thinks I should stop talking about a game I’ve never seen before, speak up please. Although I can blame HoN’s advertising team for that - having their main info page on that treacherous-cesspit-of-evil website where I refuse to set foot (foot?) is a bad idea for attracting people who play games (mini-games do not count), since people who play games will not be wasting their time in the aforementioned website of which I will say no more (ask me to join and I will kill you).
September 11th, 2009 at 5:09 am
of course.. 2 awesome stuffs are better than one…
but I like gameplay better ofc..
good old times.. Diablo I, although I have finished it for so many times, still awesome..
September 11th, 2009 at 11:35 am
1. Gameplay
2. Graphics
3. Storyline
4. Sound (music, voice acting, ambient sounds, etc.)
The game that combines all those perfectly: Star Wars - Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2
September 11th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Just wanna to coment to ppl who said LoL graphics are bad: WTF WHY DO YOU PLAY DOTA THEN!?!? lol.
Anyways.. if graphics > gameplay, no one would play dota, everyone would play HoN ._.
and TIBIA ( YES, TIBIA ) wouldnt be the most famous RPG and considered by many, the best
September 13th, 2009 at 12:51 am
@kingv
IMHO, storyline > graphics. sometimes even gameplay. ‘
@shim
if LoL is more teamwork oriented then im afraid about what would happen to LoL in pubs. i mean, pubs = majority = every man for himself. they say HoN is more of dota, therefore, pubs might like HoN better than LoL. not being biased in any way, its just that pubs are lesser beings who would prefer graphics and prolly that egoistic feeling(which can be found in dota), rather than gameplay.
but the thing that would compromise HoN’s everything would be the fact that its not free.
again, not being biased.
September 13th, 2009 at 4:23 am
@ic4three
shim would completely understand here.
me + shim + his brother in get put in with two pubs who immediately pick DPS heroes.
we leave the game before it starts.. (there is a pre-game hero selection time, rage now, not later XD)
LoL seems to have developed a “safe” formula which is 2 tanks (1 pure tank and 1 caster/DPS tank), 2 casters (1 support and 1 heavy DPS) and a DPS carry.
on the other hand, win some games, get your ELO up and kaboom, you find yourself playing against other premades and pubs who know what they are doing.
shim and his brother aren’t ranked nearly as high as me yet. but we can get good games with semidecent pubs against pubs and occasionally midranked premades.
but the instant we invite a level 1 friend……. well things explode (mainly because it is their first game and the tutorial isn’t up yet) then averaging ELOs and stuff they get shoved in against people who can play
and we acquire an egotistical pubby.
le sigh.
anyway back to graphics VS gameplay.
gameplay > story > audio visual.
but i would say that good audio is ESSENTIAL.
because I don’t want to mute… but then for some games I will listen to music over the top of. wc3 is an example and so are HoN and LoL.
but Banjo-Kazooie?
hell no, turn that music up.
September 16th, 2009 at 8:52 am
I totally do understand, especially following today where… what phrase have I been saying for the last few hours? Ah:
“Every ally I’ve had today, except the ones I know, has had the killer instinct of a tomato and the survival instinct of a lemming with its head on fire.” Promptly loaded DotA instead…
But yeah, it does make things more prone to being screwed up by … the community. I still see people who have as many games under their belt as I do (profile checking is win) getting horrific scores which I didn’t even get when I was starting to play. One of the games today had the two idiots we didn’t know get a combined K/D ratio of 2-30. One of them had a hero who has an invisibility skill.
September 17th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
well
this is a no brainer
gameplay> graphics
Well the gameplay makes the graphics just imagine your watching angry video nerd make his reviews on crappy games not because of the graphics but the gameplay factor.
Honestly why did people love Final Fantasy 7?
Probbably the graphics yep it was advance for that time but no it was the simple Materia system and simple gameplay features that made you feel the game was moving.
Again another good example of a game is Suikoden 1 or 2
They say it is compared to the Final fantasy generation
If you guys played these games they are all 2d sprites not much graphics than the 3rd final fantasy 7 but what did they like about it?
Battle system simple straight forward the rune system the wars the 108 sOD everything that focused on the players feel toward the game
This goes the same for Hon
though i played it last night im still not used to it… come on theres alot of changes in this game… but if i had to pick between both of them
id rather get the roadkill noobs than dota than the amazed shocked ajujuju noobs of HoN
September 18th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Why do you assume that LoL has better gameplay than HoN?
Yes it’s more original but it’s completely your opinion whether it is better or not.
September 18th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
there is a thing called the gameplay scale.
a game has good gameplay, or it doesn’t. the final choice is that it sits somewhere in the middle.
game-play does not come down to opinion.
you are entitled to like HoN better, but when it comes to gameplay, LoL wins.
you just weigh the total sum of everything else in HoN to balance it out.
October 30th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
GAMEPLAY ! ! !
PERIOD.
October 30th, 2009 at 9:26 pm
Resident evil 1/2/3/RECVX - Good games decent graphics - my score: 8.5/10
decent graphics - 9/10
Resident Evil: Remake - great game great graphics - 9/10
Resident Evil Zero - Great game great graphics - 8.5/10
Resident Evil 4 - Good game good graphics - 8/10
Resident evil 5 - Total screw… great graphics - 6/10
Parasit EVE 2 - Great game decent graphics - 9.5/10
Silent Hill 1 - Awsome game decent graphics - 8.5/10
Silent Hill 2 - Great Game - decent graphics (most say that is the best from the series) - 8/10
Silent Hill 3 - Awsome game (my favourite from the series) - good graphics - 9.5/10 (and great music/soundtracks/etc…)
Silent Hill 4 - Great Game good graphics - 8/10
Silent Hill 5 - Good game verry good graphics - 7/10
Gran turismo 1/2 - Great games decent graphics - 8.5/10
Gran Turismo 3/4 - Great games good graphics - 8.5/10
ToCa 2 - good game good graphics - 6.5/10
ToCa 3 - Verry good game verry good graphics - 8.5/10
Syberia 1/2 - Great games good graphics - 9/10
Clock tower 3 - Verry good game good graphics - 9/10
The Longest Journey - Awsome game poor graphics - 9.5/10
Dreamfall (The Longest Journey 2) - Great game good graphics - 8.5/10
Half Life - Great game decent graphics - 8/10
Counter-Strike 1.6 - Game of all games
Counter-Strike: Source - Great game verry good graphics - 7.5/10
Half Life 2/ep.1/ep.2 - Great games verry good graphics - 8.5/10
Obscure - Good game good graphics - 8.5/10
Obscure 2 - Good game improoved graphics - 8.5/10
Driver 1/2 - Great games decent graphics - 8.5/10
Overclocked - Good game good graphics - 8/10
Fahrenheit - Great game good graphycs - 9/10
1nsane 4×4 - Great game decent graphics - 8.5/10
Assassin’s creed - great game awsome graphics - 7.5/10 (too boring… never finished it, n’either I intend to…. completed ~75%)
Alone in the Dark - great game good graphics - 8.5/10
Alone in the Dark The new nightmare - good game Great graphics - 7/10 (again… boring… completed ~50%)
Call of duty 1/2/3 - good games good graphics - 8/10
Call of duty 4 - great game awsome graphics - 9/10 (too bad that it’s too damn short… :|)
Race Driver Grid - good game great graphics - 7/10 (boring…. yes… boring… again…..)
NFS Porsche - great game decent graphics - 8/10
Experiment 112 - Great game good graphics - 8.5/10 (eats a whole lot of resources for it’s appeareance…)
These are all games that I’ve finished at least once (except the ones that I’ve mentioned)
And the list can continue…..
BOTTOMLINE:
Graphics are NOT the important part of a game though it can enhance it more or less.
Graphics = echonomical strategy (MONEY ! That’s all there is MONEY) - REMEMBER THIS ! ! !
A game still needs to be a GAME not a reflected distorted reality and this is often a forgotten issue these days….
And what if a game looks like a movie ? There are some bad movies that won’t even worth bother to waste the time watching…. This can be the definition of a great looking game with a sh***y gameplay….
I’d still prefere to play an older game with poor graphics and a great gameplay over a high-end hy-poly eye-candy looking game with a poor gaeplay.
October 30th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
Sorry for multiple posts….
1. Gameplay
- Storyline
- Sound (music, voice acting, ambient sounds, etc.)
- Customizable (verry customizable in every aspects if it can be)
2. Graphics
- Realism (physics engine, render engine, special effects)
- hi-poly models, hi-res textures