I've always been a big Nintendo fan, not a fanboy, as I do equally like the other system too, but a fan. For one reason, their games like Zelda, and erh... well I'm sure there's something that I'm missing, and the reason highlighted by Brett Thomas in his latest Column, that Nintendo saved the games industry. However, with the Wii, it's all good with the Wiimote, and nunchuke style controls, but there's just one little problem: visual quality. Graphics are very important in games, maybe not as much as gameplay, but they're important. And I'd rather a balance between the two, graphics and gameplay, rather than the system trying to excel at one. And so therefore... now there's no proper way saying this... but I hope Nintendo don't win a big share of the consumers' ownership by the end of the lifetime of all three consoles. Because if they do, then this could be the route developers start taking with their games, which is undesirable I'm sure you'll all agree. For instance, can you imagine no more groundbreaking FMVs in every new edition of Final Fantasy, or actual horror in horror games, or actual thrilling levels in action/adventure games... I can't; then there'd be no point in having those genres anymore. Now that I've brought this point up, what do you all think about this
I basically agree, although even if they do win a big share of the market..developers will still continue to push graphics. I think Nintendo are great for creating such an innovative console..but could have put a little more effort into the graphics. Ice
QFT, ResE4 on the GC honestly looks about as good as some of the 360 games I have (need Condemned for a better horror v horror compare). This is having both hooked up to the same 60" HD 720p native screen. I don't think it's an issue of how much horsepower the Wii will have, certain visual features aren't entirely needed to make a good game; I think Duke Nukem 3D and Doom 1/2 were far more fun than Doom 3 and some of the other graphical demos that have come out lately. However 720p HD output on the Wii would have been a nice thing to have. I don't think it's a make or break factor but still, it's something Nintendo could have added without too much change I think.
Have you ever played Darwinia? It's one of the most recent games I've played that shows that graphics isn't everything. Say your a big fan of the PGR series, would you prefer it that everytime they made a sequal it was the same game but with better graphics, or a whole new game with new cars et al yet only marginally better graphics? I know what I would prefer. Of course stunning graphics are nice to have and I agree that it can add something to a game, but more often that not it's being used with detriment to the gameplay. Gameplay 1st. Graphics 2nd.
I don't think the Wii looks like it has any problems with the visual aspect at all. I do agree that there should be a good balance wbetween gameplay and visuals, but as far as I can tell, the Wii is doing this wonderfully. And eek - Darwinia is an amazing game! Sorry if I'm reading this wrong, but EK-MDi - basically what your saying is that if developers actually focus on games that are fun to play instead of making crap games that "look nice", it will be bad? That is very illogical and is the reason many games & consoles fail.
it's all about visual consistency and an aesthetic that fits the game. so long as the game does nothing to jarr your suspension of disbelief and cause you to stop connecting on an emotional level, the graphics can be as bad as anything and nobody would care. case in point, the original hl. play through tthat again - i dare you not to be as enthralled as the first time you played it. so what i'm saying, is that yes, graphics do matter for good gameplay, but only to the extent that they do not detract from the core gameplay. for me, the push towards photorealism has been going for far too long - it' time to take a breather and actually embrace the technical limitations for once. it's incredible what you can acheive when you use the capabilities of a machine as a sandbox, and not an upper bound as most devs do...
I don't see what's wrong with Gamecube graphics. If the graphics stay the same on the Wii I wouldn't be that bothered, people are talking as if the Wii will be underpowered that it'll be back to 2D or something. Although that won't stop Tetris. Doo doo doo doo...
We're reaching a stage now where superior graphics is synonymous with next generation consoles - you've got to remember that's something that Nintendo claim not to be. As a budding developer, I'd much rather produce games which challenge me from a design perspective, rather than a performance perspective. The Wii, Virtual Console and XBLA are going to bring out a totally new side of gaming. Trust me.
Just as I stated in my point, I do believe gameplay is more important. However, I'd rather a balance between both, rather than the system trying to excel at one.
Not really, because I wasn't downplaying the gameplay side of the Wii. I think it's great. It's just that they could have at least tried to push the graphics side of things, to bring us a new look in games, and just make things a little more exciting.
TBh i'm not fussed about pushing the envelope when it comes to graphics, I want a FUN game, not a TECH DEMO
Then go play NES. See how easy that was? Visuals do matter. As long as the Wii is able to contribute visually to it's world that only helps to better the gameplay. Without a certain degree of visuals, games like Resident Evil Remake, RE4, and FF Crystal Chronicles would not be as fun. I dunno about anyone else but between Playing the PSX Resident Evil, and then going through Gamecube's REmake I was just as creeped out, if not more so due to the more polished graphics of the game. And most of us already had already beaten the game before.
I still replay SNES games like BoF and that, Secret of Mana is still played almost as much as Zelda OOT by me,
imo Chrono Trigger on the SNES was one of the best games of all time, and the graphics by todays standards are very poor, the story alone still holds its own
Fantastic Graphics are nice, but they're not that important. The graphics on the current gen (and yes I do class the Wii as next gen. Next Gen is Next Gen no matter what the specification/ feature set of the hardware) have been great on more than just a few games, considering the limitations on SD TV and Nintendo are not just leaving the graphics at the Gamecube level, they will be improving upon them and I'm sure the graphics will improve again (just like with RE4) during the life of the console.
Twice as powerful as the Xbox I do believe. OK so maybe power isn't important with graphics, but it is important with gameplay. So maybe that's what I should just switch my complaint over to.
I still don't even understand your complaint. As far as I can tell, the Wii is going to have great, fun, entertaining gameplay with some pretty good graphics. Perhaps not quite as good as XBox360's and the PS3's (I have no idea how it will compare, actually), but (based of the info and video clips I've seen), the gameplay will more than makeup for the "inferior" graphics. Whereas the PS3 has next to no big titles for launch and a ridiculous price for those "great graphics".
