Why "Good" Graphics Are Overrated

[@paulnewhouse5126]

Real life is enough realistic graphics for me. When i play a game id like to experience something unique. Made some very valid points here and i totally agree bro.

[@thatguybis1997]

Ha just wait until VR headsets start getting crazy with it! Thanks for watching!

[@lastround2357]

someone pin this comment!

[@JamieJonesanimator]

The problem is the majority casual audience does care. Even if some gamers like myself don't really care for graphics I've lost count the amount of times a really interesting looking game has been revealed especially on switch for example and the comments have been filled with "those graphics in 2024, I'll pass" and they completely miss out on some amazing titles. 🤷‍♂️ As for Wind Waker people love the art style now and I always loved it but when it was initially revealed.. mate it was hated for years that's why they went for realism with Twilight Princess in the first place. I get people love Wind Waker now, and that's great it deserves that but damm people need to understand how the majority of the audience initially felt about it to understand why most companies don't usually take these risks.

[@thatguybis1997]

Bahaha. Honestly this is very true, more or less the video that audience was made for.

[@stadthaus.7266]

I get you´re point, but the examples you picked... For example; FFVII had insane graphics for the time it came out. It wasn´t unimportant or something. They put immense effort into it looking as good as possible. I think the main reason why it feels like older games have more heart and soul is, because the teams working on them were way smaller back in the days. Now the team needs to be big, which is mainly because of the graphics. Also producing a modern graphics game is so expensive, that there are less risks taken.

[@thatguybis1997]

Yeah, I think it’s a mix of more than just graphics. Like of course I enjoy a good looking game, red dead 2 for instance, looks AND plays insane. But the fact that I can still enjoy a game like Ocarina of Time shows that they don’t all need to look so impressive for me to enjoy them, especially if the core gameplay loop is fine, or if there’s an artistic style that’s unique to the game gives it brownie points for me as well.

[@stadthaus.7266]

@@thatguybis1997 "brownie points" =) never heard that expression I saw there is an Ocarina of Time Romhack coming or maybe it´s already out. It looks insanely good. It´s called "Indigo". I´m gone play it, when my current Age of Wonders 4 phase is over. Guess you would have fun with that as well.

[@KonkeyDong968]

Visually FF7 then is what FF7 remake is now. It pushed boundaries. The biggest issue is not really having limitations at this point. The Ninja Turtles arcade game port on NES looked incredible back them. Having sprites that big wad unheard of back then. You had slowdown and disappearing graphics at times because the NES couldn't handle it.

[@Ajoura]

Just take King's Bounty, the original remakes. Today I finished The Legend. Even though the visual effects were stunning for 2008, this game never ever tried to look like a piece of real world. It's, first and foremost, a big, colourful and self-aware *fairy tale* you have to experience. A story with nice plot, great music, great jokes and great artstyle. And its artstyle never ever tried to be insanely RTX-like realistic, but doesn't look outright dated even today. Because you play the game and realise you're taking a role of a fantasy hero, not substituting your own life for this world. (And no, these are not excuses for low PC specs, I have a 4090.)

[@thatguybis1997]

I want a 4090 :(

[@Ajoura]

@ybis1997 The _only_ reason I bought one is that last summer, tech prices skyrocketed in my country (Russia). It collided with Prigozhin's riot. Heard the news of currency drop, thought: "That's it, I have to act", went and bought it. And then I swore I'm not buying another GPU for at least 30 years. Because of the point you brought up in your video. So many older gems to uncover.

[@twistedwhiskeymaker]

I would even argue that music matters more than graphics. I STILL jam the Streets of Rage ost

[@thatguybis1997]

Streets of Rage has a BANGING ost.

[@jd-wn1po]

wind walker has the best art style. one of my favorite zelda games.

[@thatguybis1997]

Skyward sword and wind water are up there for me as some really good artstyles

[@ZeroFPV]

I really like how they seem to have put more time into the physics engine than in the graphics in recent Zelda games. They do however look stunning. Like playing an Anime. Even the very first trailer of BotW instantly brought up heavy Princess Mononoke and Castle in the Sky vibes.

[@thatguybis1997]

I really do love the anime aesthetic within video games for some reason.

[@RizzyGyatt]

you do realize that all of the Best Games of All Time had groundbreaking graphics for their time, right? Super Mario 64, OoT, Metal Gear Solid, Goldeneye 007, and so on weren't "just good fun", they were either innovative or brought previous gen innovations to the then-current generation. Hell even Sonic Adventure fits the same bill.

[@thatguybis1997]

Sure but I think we're reaching the threshold of graphics becoming a selling point. Back in the day there was room to improve, but now, not so much. How do you take graphics even further from where they are now? And would that even make a better game?

[@SacrificAbominat]

The original .hack games stand out to me with their aesthetic and atmosphere even though they look like late Dreamcast games. Though what really stands out to me the most is the writing and cutscene direction that actually hold up really well today IMO. I actually cared for a character that mentally deteriorates throughout these games. Seeing that character eventually shaking as she questions her existence and then writhing as she cries out "I want to stay as me!" as she turns into a monster is still one of the most haunting moments I've seen in a game, kudos to her voice actress for some great line delivery during this scene. Her transformation might not be the most over the top gory spectacle you would see in a Resident Evil game, but god damn the realization that I've got to kill a friend in order to win this battle always sucks when I go through these games. It doesn't help that they paired her up with a sweet muffin of a boyfriend that blames you for killing her when you had no choice. I think the reward for completing the really BS post game dungeon being that she gets reincarnated does diminish this moment just a bit, but I mean it's always a great feel good moment to finish off these games seeing these two characters reunited and holding hands. We'll just forget that G.U. unceremoniously kills her off again between games and mentally traumatizes him further, seriously WTF G.U. Anyway the developer for .hack CyberConnect2 is mostly known for their anime licensed games nowadays, and I will definitely say what I've seen of their work on those games is usually way better than what is depicted in the anime in most instances. CC2 is really good at visual presentation and spectacle in this genre. I'm personally not that interested in their anime games though as it's them adapting someone else's work that I've already experienced through the anime. Though I want to bring attention to their latest original IP Fuga Melodies of steel which is on the complete other end of the presentation spectrum from these anime games. Fuga is basically a visual novel series and most of the scenes are character portraits that switch between different expressions with the occasional screen filling art piece setting the tone and scene. Again CC2's expert writing that they have for their original IPs shines through with these games. Heck the tutorial where it forces you to use the Soul Cannon to sacrifice one of the children and all the other children become too depressed to fight as a result of that is a damn effective tone setter for these games. I really like how this series in particular shifts from being light hearted to downright dark and depressing on a dime. Having the main cast being kids who are having fun with each other one moment then having to fight in a war is oddly a very compelling story to experience. Like these kids need to grow up to face the hardships of this war, but they still act like kids. Like these two different tones shouldn't work together but they do. I'm definitely looking forward to the conclusion of the Fuga trilogy, and I hope CC2 can return to the .hack series someday even if it's with a spiritual successor. Honestly I'm just happy they're back to making original games again as that decade of them only doing anime licensed games was depressing for a fan of their original games like I am.

[@thatguybis1997]

I’ve never played the .hack games but it sounds like I need to!

[@SacrificAbominat]

@@thatguybis1997 It's a good series. There's 2 story arcs you can start with. 1. SIGN, IMOQ (Infection, Mutation, Outbreak, and Quarantine) and their corresponding Liminality episodes, watch these as you beat each game. Then wrap this arc up by watching SIGN's Unison episode. This is ludicrously expensive so emulate the games instead of trying to collect them. This is also a slow burn series that is more focused on character development than action so expect it to be slow at times. 2. G.U. Last Recode. You can skip the prequel anime Roots for this as it's not that important to G.U.'s plot beyond a couple episodes. This game goes on sale for $5 frequently on Steam and PSN, $10 on the eshop. This is more Shonen like and action oriented. Haseo is a pretty abrasive character at first, but his character arc is pretty well crafted. I do have my issues with the writing for this compared to the first arc, but it's still pretty good.

[@SacrificAbominat]

@@thatguybis1997 Sorry if there's a repeat reply. KZbin is being weird and I thought it didn't reply.

[@SacrificAbominat]

Ugh it looks like it didn't reply again. Okay there's 2 arcs to this series. 1.SIGN, IMOQ (Infection Mutation Outbreak, and Quarantine) and Liminality. The episode Unison from SIGN wraps up this arc. This arc is ludicrously expensive so just emulate the games instead of trying to collect them. This is also a bit of a slow burn with more focus on character development than action. 2. G.U. Last Recode. You can skip the prequel anime Roots as it's not that important to G.U.'s plot IMO and kind of wastes your time. This game goes on sale frequently for $5 on Steam and PSN, $10 on the eshop. This is more Shonen like by comparison to the first arc.

[@ct2xperience749]

I play a game called Alchemic Dungeons on my 3ds. It's a turn base rogue like dungeon crawler with crafting mechanics. From just the text I know some people would confuse it with Minecraft Dungeons or say it looks like Mystery Dungeon, but no because neither of those games have a crafting system in it like this one does and the one this one have was executed brilliantly to where the gameplay is both really fun and unique. But what does it matter when they could EASILY overlook this game bacause it looks like it "belongs on the NES"? I really recommend people to tryout the switch version. If they want a good game now and graphics later then here it is.

[@thatguybis1997]

I'll definitely be looking into that! The 3DS is such an underrated console.

[@AshurathDR]

Donkey Kong is an uncut gem but finding out that people treat it like mistaken glass is wild to me Countless hours of play for a younger me that had no memory pak for the other games that needed it but even if I had one, those games would end faster, replayability wasn't as imaginative and fun to do the same levels compared to five different characters in wacky habitats with even wackier abilities, playstyles, and even idle animations true to their personalities. Only graphical thing they did that was intense was it's lighting system that amplified the game although the console for it was probably screaming, but then again maybe not considering consoles and even handhelds were built different back then. Backtracking? Nah just more to see and new ways to see it, but of course I have a bias sure. I also know for what little I had and with that one game and countless hours and even years I can say it gave me a childhood memory deep rooted in my mind and heart. Kids Review of DK64: I like the game it's fun and there's lots you can do!!! Adults with responsibilities and the weight of it Review of DK64: Nitpick nitpick, too much water - IGN, Retrospective vids, Miyamoto Also, Still currently waiting patiently as JKB cooks with Megaman X Corrupted at 1:31 now THAT'S a game that'd have a grand backstory

[@thatguybis1997]

You already know I’m hype for Megaman X Corrupted baby

[@lastround2357]

this video is way ahead of its time

[@thatguybis1997]

I’ll take that as the highest compliment

[@lastround2357]

@@thatguybis1997 you deserve it💌

[@paulnewhouse5126]

Had to rewatch this again, great vid brudda!

[@thatguybis1997]

You da man Newhouse

[@mahendrap1960]

Seem like what attractive the gamer most always be graphic, best example is Rockstar games where they make balance on gameplay and graphics in highest level quality Twilight princess was made because of criticism on wind Walker cell sharder art style, Twilight princess still holding up, But Cell shader was used in Zelda Skyward sword and BOTW/TOTK Skyward sword has better art style but gameplay was worse than twilight princess So I want high end graphic with art style also fun and good gameplay just like red dead redemption and GTA games

[@thatguybis1997]

I just finished replaying skyward sword recently and honestly that may be my favorite art style in any Zelda game.

[@mahendrap1960]

@@thatguybis1997 But gameplay sucks, like gameplay based on motion control also fight same boss over 3 times like demise imprisoned I didn't like it, Twilight princess was much better than Zelda skyward sword in terms of story and gameplay which doesn't give frustration on motion control Have you watched fan made Ocarina of time trailer in ghibi movie art style?

[@paulnewhouse5126]

@@mahendrap1960 Really? i loved the motion controls on the Wii version, i know lots of ppl had issues with it but it was fine for me and the 1 to 1 sword fighting was so unique and fun. However i do like TP more because its more traditional.

[@mahendrap1960]

@@paulnewhouse5126 I hate motion, it gave soo much Frustration on gameplay I won't back to play Zelda skyward sword game again, Skyward sword should have same play as GameCube version of Zelda like wind Waker and twilight princess

[@mfz65]

Any time I see a game being advertised with revolutionary graphics, it's a red flag. They probably used more resources than they should have on the graphics rather than the gameplay

[@thatguybis1997]

Great minds think alike mfz!

[@TheAmazingPizzaMan436]

If you wanna make good graphics, make them good not bad but we do not care about graphics. As long as we know you were aiming for the high-end graphics.

[@thatguybis1997]

I agree. I just don’t think they should be as much of a focus

[@Neelesh144]

my gaming memories... i am not much good at playing games but i do like the feeling when i played prince of persia 1989... i find it fun and challenging that we had to complete that game within 1 hour (which i still can't able to do lol) but when i talk about it with my friends they were like "yeah but shall we talk from real prince of persia like where the real graphics start like sands of time?"... i also like playing don'tnod "Life is strange" (if anyone hadn't played it you guys should) and telltale's "The Walking Dead" i love they able to move "out of comic book" style characters with only decision based gameplay... it gave me such immersive feeling compared to my friend's miles morales or resident evil 4..... and biomenace god... i used to glue myself in my childhood to that... biomenace, wolfenstein3D, prince of persia 1989, pacman, mario (i know all these are retro... i am not playing games these days and i am 20) lol.... so these are the memories i had with video games

[@thatguybis1997]

Thanks for sharing dude. Prince of Persia and life is strange, some solid games right there.

[@Neelesh144]

@@thatguybis1997 thanks man... Amazing video... I Love your content...

[@RayanShaikh-bf1gp]

Very nice vid

[@cleonumber1]

I hate realistic graphics they look awful. I prefer the originals any day to the remakes. If the remake justs updates the graphics slightly and fixes the bugs, it is fine. IDK why they have to change the gameplay. Kinda ruins it IMO. Also, best times i had really was playing the older Sonic, jet set radio games etc and just listening to the music. The music as well as gameplay was what made the game awesome for me, story too

[@KonkeyDong968]

I agree with a majority of this video since I can sink hours at a time into Tetris, Dr. Mario or Soloman's key but claiming no one cared about graphics in the SNES Era is wrong. Either you are too young to remember or weren't around at the time but the SNES/Genesis arguements on playgrounds were always there. Even Sega leaned into it with their advertising (Blast processing/the Sonic vs Mario Kart commercial/claiming SNES was a kids toys compared to Genesis). And the amount of controversy over Wind Waker's graphics, people argued about that way back then. People wanted the realistic Zelda they saw renders of in Nintendo marketing but got a "cutsey" version. Yeah, claiming no one cared about graphics back when isn't correct.

[@thatguybis1997]

I shouldn’t say that nobody ever cared, but what I mean is back then, there was room to improve, whereas now, it’s simply a matter of diminishing returns. Games already look so good now, how much better can they get?

[@akshaysharma5700]

that dressing scene in FF7R had me at peak cringe, Also great Videos BRO!

[@therenegadegamer7422]

Thoughts on ff7 Rebirth? I want it to be good but I'm going in with rock bottom expectations after the dogshit that was the first part

[@thatguybis1997]

From what I’ve heard from some friends, apparently the demo was really good? I’d say having low expectations going in may pleasantly surprise you. But I won’t be playing it until it releases for PC.

[@paulnewhouse5126]

So far it's really good, I'll have to come back in a week and letcha know lol

[@Mangomesh]

I'd be happy if they pumped out games like GTA 3 and Final Fantasy X, even FF9 graphics was great. The FF Pixel remasters are good enough for me. In other word, I don't want Hollywood with Hollywood actors.

[@thatguybis1997]

Stylized graphics are where it's at man.

[@tatsuya2112]

I'm more of fan of style over realism, for example, as much as i'm not a big fan of the zelda series, wind waker still looks beautiful all these years later. i find the art style of games like octopath traveler and tales of arise far more enjoyable than the realistic graphics in FF7R, because it feels unique and vibrant, but if you look at FF7R, it feels dead and fake.

[@thatguybis1997]

That 2.5D aesthetic is something I will never get enough of. Still waiting on that Dragon Quest Remake in that style.

[@larrylindgren9484]

I don't need picture prefect graphics to think a game looks cool. But I have to look at it and at least think the Devs tried. It's why I can't play Rim World. The graphics look like something you'd see on the Apple II E in 1978. It looks horrible. ONI graphics aren't the best, but it looked like they tried to make it look like something not 40+ years old like Rim World.

[@12ealDealOfficial]

Graphics are overrated BUT many classics were technical marvels in their time. Tech used to be used in service of the player experience, but in western AAA it IS the experience. Because the stories are art direction usually suck, and the gameplay is indistinguishable from other games just like it.

[@Number1gamblingaddict]

Why can’t we just go back to the good old days we’re games looked like grime and dirt all the textures being only a polygon like borderlands two graphics For a PlayStation 3 game, the graphics are still good We need more games that just make good game mechanics and horrible graphics. No company has tried to make their game look like absolute shit but be fun.

[@gjbsarmeri3957]

Undertale is one of the best examples of this. The game looks like it was made 30 years ago and it's amazing. It has an insanely huge fanbase and it's because of the story, the characters, the music, the writing and the unique fights (gameplay) and decisions you make along the way.

[@gjbsarmeri3957]

I think the thing with FF7 is that the original feels like a completely different game. The OG one made you more immersed, while in the remake not so much.

[@robertjv]

This is the reason I kinda hate realistic graphics. Take botw and totk Zelda graphics. It has art style thats just... appealing to the eyes.

[@thatguybis1997]

Agreed, agreed, agreed. Glad so many people see it that way as well.

[@joebloggs8400]

Pong LOL bought a second hand Binetone setup loved it played on a tv great fun back in the day

[@SLRModShop]

People were scared of Resident Evil 1 back in 1996 I rest my case

[@thatguybis1997]

Case closed. Get the jury outta here

[@BoltzCH]

ill take a red pill

[@thatguybis1997]

Take the red pill brotha!

[@SoldierBoy3064]

graphics mean nothing. it's all about gameplay loop a game being realistic doesn't make a game fun halo 1 and ocarina of time are proof

[@thatguybis1997]

I’m gonna start playing those ocarina of time mods just to re-experience the game in a different light.

[@BSF-7772]

tldr: soul vs soulless graphics gow 2 in ps2 is still my best graphics because it have the most amount of soul in its art style better than the garbage modern games that use the latest cutting edge graphics technologies. just look at cyberpunk and alan woke 2, they run at 1 fps with path tracing and look so soulless

[@cheesebucketman1606]

Good graphics matter ulta 4k raytraced I see the specs of dirt don't. All that does is lower the amount of people who can play it

[@twistedwhiskeymaker]

Valheim is proof graphics don't matter

[@thatguybis1997]

Valheim is a pretty solid game from what I played of it back in the day.

[@cheesebucketman1606]

Valhiem is has great graphics it's just not ultra realistic 4k spec of dirt graphics. If you want a example of good use of effects to make a game realistic without being a resource hog look up stalker anomaly not gamma just anomaly sure it looks dated but slap a reshade and wow. It's all in the way you use lighting.

[@dwayneasher6765]

I love the video

[@kylesmith7755]

Minecraft

[@thatguybis1997]

Now that's a shitty lookin' game!

[@cleonumber1]

@@thatguybis1997nah man. MC is just stylized. Roblox looks way worse

[@thatguybis1997]

@@cleonumber1Only kidding.

[@Gay_Charlie]

Frogun is an excellent example. The graphics are purposefully in a N64/PS1 style and the level design is some of the best I've seen in decades which complements the gameplay so incredibly well.

[@thatguybis1997]

I'll definitely be checking that game out.

[@Gay_Charlie]

@thatguybis1997 The sequel Frogun Encore is supposed to release this year and it has a demo on Steam.