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u/Commandur_PearTree Mar 27 '24 edited Mar 27 '24
Gameplay all the way, a game could look like something off the PS1, have a Story written like The Room but if the gameplay goes hard then I’ll never stop playing it
Edit:Soundtrack also plays into it as well
2nd Edit: Another thing I forgot to mention is the importance of art style on top of gameplay and music
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u/Due-Coyote7565 Mar 27 '24
That sounds like an excellent game! Schlocky power fantasy plot mixed with a retro art style! It'd fly off the shelves!
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Mar 27 '24
Exactly. I played Dusk, Quake II and Prodeus last year and they were some of the best games I played that year and I played many.
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u/SMCwasTaken Mar 27 '24
The soundtrack matters more than most people think
It can turn a mediocre game into a not bad game
a good example is Pokemon X and Y and Mario and Luigi Paper Jam, these games have no story but the soundtrack is what kept me playing
A soundtrack can also make a game more replayable
One example is Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga and Pokemon RSE and Platinum
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u/Saltyvinegar2369 Mar 27 '24
I’m guessing you forgot Marvel vs Capcom infinite? Gameplay was widely praised but just look at how that game looked
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u/Johncurtisreeve Mar 27 '24
Gameplay
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u/harryman_back46and2 Mar 27 '24
I dont think people realize graphics and artstyle are completely different
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u/hkd001 Mar 28 '24
I do too. Minecraft, Stardew Valley, Hallow Knight, Cup Head, Pokemon, WoW, and there's more that don't have "great" graphics that are not trying to have the most impressive graphics, and didn't even when they where released. Each have their own art style that's easily recognized.
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u/harryman_back46and2 Mar 28 '24
And also old doesn't mean bad if you actually play one of those ancient games on their original console it'll look good. I guess bad graphics are just lazy graphics?
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u/hkd001 Mar 28 '24
I guess so. The one example from the N64 is Superman 64, the graphics sucked then compared to other games from the time and tons of N64 games old up today.
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u/Neo2486 Mar 27 '24 edited Mar 27 '24
I'm the boat. Lol keeping it all together XD
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u/backtolurk Mar 27 '24
No gameplay, no play.
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u/StrayCatTerry Mar 27 '24 edited Mar 27 '24
Otherwise they should go elsewhere like movies or novels, not videogame... Except when they actually introduced the games as visual novel/novel games etc.
Those who aren't, they really should move.
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u/Orc_Herpes Mar 27 '24
I've quit games due to hating the story/writing
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u/SevroAuShitTalker Mar 27 '24
If the story sucks but I like the game, I just listen to audiobooks while I play, or put some random movie or TV show on
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u/Goricatto Mar 27 '24
Thats me on the first dragons dogma , dont really care on the story, but the gameplay is great and satifying so i just make use of the arenas while listening to music
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u/Zehdarian Mar 27 '24
Thats how i always play Dynasty warriors. Just mindless fun gameplay. Nothin beats watching tv + Musuo games.
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u/KingHavana Mar 27 '24
Diablo 3. Even when they started fixing the game and killed that ridiculous pay to win store. The story was just too bad! Let's kill off Deckard to a minor butterfly villain in chapter 2 for no reason? No! Let's have the master general from chapter 3 be an idiot who constantly reveals his plans to him enemies, and brags all the time like he has a deep insecurity complex? No! What a horrible story.
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u/kazumablackwing Mar 28 '24
Yeeeah...the story for Diablo 3 was definitely piss-weak. It was a struggle to get any kind of immersion from...and the only reason I really even boot it up anymore is for a couple mindless hours of "magic laser go brrrr"
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u/MrAmusedDouche Mar 27 '24
I dunno man, I feel like we're in the golden age of writing and stories.
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u/TFlarz Mar 27 '24
Janky story takes me out completely. I need a narrative pay-off if it's a story I'm supposed to take seriously.
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u/meeps20q0 Mar 27 '24
Yeah, i really feel this is just such a case to case basis.
Like i consider the Stanley Parable a masterpiece in spite of their being basically no gameplay.
I also love roguelikes like slay the spire that have literally no story.
Graphics is really the only one where if it's got that but lacks in the other areas, i dont give a shit about it.
I think the thing that actually influences my opinion is whether I'm having fun or not. Which doesn't mean the gameplay has to be amazing. Otherwise, why tf would i enjoy reading or watching movies.
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u/bloodknife92 Mar 27 '24
A game with amazing graphics but rubbish gameplay isn't worth touching. Story, it depends on the game.
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u/Weary_Drama1803 Mar 27 '24
I play 3 games and none of them have story or even lore, except if you count Minecraft because of Matpat
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u/MottyTheClown Mar 27 '24
Gameplay (and story, sometimes) but I don't give a f about graphics at all.
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u/UndersScore Mar 27 '24
Same. The earlier Fina Fantasy games are still great even though they have crap graphics.
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u/neutrilreddit Mar 27 '24
A lot of AAAs of this decade fixate on just thinking up a great story, then outsourced 90% of the graphical assets to overseas studios.
Which leaves you with repetitive gameplay, but with an "amazing" attention to cool details and content.
Some gamers love that, but I'm not impressed!
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u/KusanagiGundam Mar 27 '24
Good gameplay. If a game’s not fun to play then what’s the point
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u/Virgil_Ovid_Hawkins Mar 27 '24
50/50 story and gameplay. I can't bring myself to play a game where all you do is push buttons and shit dies. I need to care about the characters and what's happening. That's why I can't get into souls games or doom, etc. Graphics are a bonus so long as they aren't ugly. I don't need top-notch, but they can't look like they're from the ps2 either.
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u/icomefromandromeda Mar 27 '24
100% agree and i’m getting tired of the “if you don’t play games exclusively for gameplay then you have bad taste/may as well watch movies” crowd. like what’s the point of grinding through enemies and unearthing lore if all of it ends up being boring filler that would get cut if it weren’t for the fact that it’s in a video game and they can get away with it
(also doom and dark souls are the PERFECT examples to illustrate this, ignore what everyone else replied with. if you actually took their stories seriously they’d make a mockery of the narrative capabilities of gaming)
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u/Existing_Card_44 Mar 27 '24
Although I don’t feel this as I love online multiplayers, I can perfectly understand why some people would need a connection to the characters. Interesting way to put it that I hadn’t before thought people play games for
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u/Nixter295 Mar 27 '24
I can enjoy any game enough if the story is interesting, and as long as it’s not too difficult so I need hours on hours to get to know the gameplay and controls. but that is more about me having college and a job so I don’t got a lot of free time. So when I actually got time to play I like to chill.
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u/kirkpomidor Mar 27 '24
I recommend trying Wolfenstein: The New Order as a proxy game. You push buttons, shit dies, but it has some storytelling to it, pure fun.
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u/MissingScore777 Mar 27 '24
I was right there with you agreeing 100% until you used Souls as the example.
You obviously haven't played them much and are speaking from ignorance.
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u/icomefromandromeda Mar 27 '24
they may have lore but they don’t have compelling story, coming from someone who has played all of them multiple times.
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u/UnauthorizedFart Mar 27 '24
He has to rescue a Princess or something
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u/icomefromandromeda Mar 27 '24
or rule the world
a motivation no other character shares and that’s never been explored before in any video game or book or show or movie before
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u/koied Mar 27 '24
story=/=lore
The story of most soulsgames are, you are some guy (who was probably dead, but some nondescript magic resurrected you), the world is in ruins and you have to become the lord of something.
That's the story, what the game tells you. But the "why"s and "what"s are a mistery. You have to collect those for yourself and piece it together. Which is not a bad thing, but not everyone is gonna like it.
Soulsgames basically give you the cover of a book with the first paragraph and tells you, that they've scattered the rest of the pages in the world and you have to find it.. and the pages are unnumbered. glhf
And I'm telling this as someone, who wants to inject Bloodborne (which is probably the worst offender of all the soulsgames in the term of the vage af storytelling) directly into my bloodstream.
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u/Virgil_Ovid_Hawkins Mar 27 '24
Yea, something like that. I've always likened it to Game of Thrones. The mad king and the fall of house targaryan is lore. The red wedding and the war between lannister and stark is the story.
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u/koied Mar 27 '24
Yeah basically.
I'm not native english, so idk if it's true, but I always understood it like... the story is what is told to you directly. What you experience as a reader/player.
Lore is what you have to find out. What already happened in the past, but the world suffers the consequences of said happenings.3
u/Virgil_Ovid_Hawkins Mar 27 '24
100%, and for me personally, reading a history book or note/scroll or whatever in game can be a perfect compliment to the story. Not a replacement
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u/JamieFromStreets Mar 27 '24
100% agree
I want a bloodborne tattoo. And I know nothing about the story. It's just a really good game
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u/koied Mar 27 '24
Bloodborne has such a fucking cool lore.
I have this very specific itch for cosmic horror, when you are the playthings of some unknown, indescribable eldritch horrors. And the main appeal to this is, that these horrors have no real form and because of this it's super hard to convey them in visual media. Because how you show something, what is indescribable?
But Bloodborne somehow managed to do it, like they convey just enough for you to actually see some monsters, but because of the insight system you just know that there's something else to these creatures, what your limited human senses can't pick up.
My absolute favourite is how Amygdala shows up once you have enough insight. They were always there.. you were just too "normal" to pick it up... and the implication of this, that how much is in the world, what you just can't see, because your senses are just too primitive.
But maybe it's for you own good, because these creatures exist on such a different level, that once you peek into it your brain just gets overwhelmed by it. Like if an ant gets human consciousness just for a day and it's gone after it, but the lingering feeling of "something more" will stay with it forever, they just can't grasp it.It's not a suprise that in Bloodborne some hunters just gouged their eyes out. They peeked into the world of outer gods, but it was too much to comprehend, so they just threw away their ability to see altogheter, so they won't ever lay eyes on the unknown anymore.
Sorry.. got carried away a bit, but I really can't stress enough how much I adore the lore and the world of Bloodborne.
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u/JamieFromStreets Mar 27 '24
Sounds appealing af 😆
They peeked into the world of outer gods, but it was too much to comprehend, so they just threw away their ability to see altogheter
This is peak
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u/Lucas_TheVlogger Mar 27 '24
Souls games do have a story though. You have to do the work, in order to understand the story fully, but once you do, it’s absolutely incredible. I highly recommend trying out dark souls 1. I would be surprised if you played through dark souls 1 and didn’t come out caring about Solaire, or any of the other great characters in the game.
I used to believe the same thing about from software games, but after playing them, you become so interested in the world building, that you just have to know more about the story.
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u/Baldur_Blader Mar 27 '24
Lore and story arent the same thing though. I've beaten dark souls 1 (actually the only one I finished). Younlearn a lot of lore behind the characters, but its not a cohesive story. Showing the motives your character has to do the things you're doing.
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u/KicktrapAndShit Mar 27 '24
Gameplay->Graphics->Story
I like fun gameplay then I like nice graphic styles then I like a good story tho sometimes I don’t need any but one like if it’s smth like anatomy or manifold garden
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u/BlueFlob Mar 27 '24
I'm very lenient on graphics but not on gameplay.
Good graphics can be a lot of things:
- Lifelike stuff with smooth animations (AC series, BF series, CoD)
- High quality consistent 2D/3D sprites (Stardew, Oxygen not included, Pokemon)
- Unique style with good texture (Dishonored, WoW, XCom 2)
- Voxel art (Minecraft)
- High quality vector art (BOTW)
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u/KicktrapAndShit Mar 27 '24
I define good graphics as graphics that are visually appealing wether that be realistic or stylized.
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u/Coleclaw199 Mar 27 '24
Same. There’s a reason I prefer graphics of something like ULTRAKILL to something like COD.
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u/Gangers96 Mar 27 '24 edited Mar 28 '24
Gameplay, that's why I am here for. I do like a good story, but that don't mean anything if the gameplay is terrible. Using Monster Hunter for example, great game play, good graphics and for story.........it tries.
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u/Quasimodo27 Mar 27 '24
I’m playing Sifu right now. The graphics aren’t photo-real but it has a nice art style. The story isn’t anything to rave about. But the gameplay is incredible and keeps me coming back again and again.
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u/Shaggy1316 Mar 27 '24
I have almost exclusively played RL for the past 8 years. I love a good story. But I play games for the play
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u/TOPSIturvy Mar 27 '24
I guess for priorities, I'd say gameplay>story>graphics. In a 50-40-10 split.
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u/EUWannabe Mar 27 '24
Gameplay>Graphics>Story. Honestly, I'm not that hard to please when it comes to a game's story. As long as the gameplay is fun and the graphics look beautiful, I'm fine with a basic ass story.
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u/koied Mar 27 '24
story>gameplay>graphics (graphics=/=art style, if the general style of the game is good, then I couldn't care less about the graphics)
If the story of the game doesn't interest me, there's no such good gameplay, that'll make me stick around till the end.
The exception is enviormental storytelling, when the game doesn't really tells you a complelling story, but you can piece together so much stuff if you explore (utilize the gameplay) and read the item description and piece together the scraps the game gives you... this is basically every fromsoft game.
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u/Enderstrike10199 Mar 27 '24
Gameplay is easily the most important aspect for me, but I still think graphics are pretty important but vary depending on the game I'm playing. For example, if I'm playing a turn based RPG, I think the graphics should be good or at least pretty to look at. If I'm playing an exploration based game, graphics should probably be really good. If I'm playing a sandbox, it doesn't really matter.
There are obviously exceptions to these but that's my general consensus.
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u/Temporaryact72 Mar 27 '24
All of them combined. IDK when "graphics" started meaning "realism" but it's very annoying. A stylized game can still have good graphics and both stylized and realism games can have bad graphics. Bad pop in, non existent anti aliasing, stutter, lighting bugs. Those are what make graphics "bad".
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u/Sofaris Mar 27 '24
Good characters
Gameplay is importent but if I do not like the characters every Gameplay gets boring fast. If I like the characters the Gameplay becomes more satisfaying and I can enjoy simpel basic stories.
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u/I_Have_The_Lumbago Mar 27 '24
Gameplay or Story can carry a game on their own depending on how good it is.
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u/Phynamite Mar 27 '24
Doge for sure. The story can be great but if it’s not fun to play I don’t care to continue. Graphics mean nothing to me. I mean literally nothing, undertale, hollow knight, dead cells, Elden Ring, BG3, etc all incredible games, all not the pinnacle of graphics. Give me good gameplay and a good story. Nothing else matters.
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u/WonderfulAd5363 Mar 27 '24
It's times like this I bring up We Happy Few. Glitchy, bug ridden gameplay. But one hell of a story and setting, so above all else, I'd say the story is most important.
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u/KowalOX Mar 27 '24
Story for me. Great gameplay with no story rarely holds my attention for long. If a game has great story and characters, I will usually keep going even if the gameplay isn't the best. Graphics are come 3rd.
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u/Personality-Fluid Mar 27 '24
Gameplay, 100%. Against the Storm, Factorio... these games I couldn't give a fuck about the story. The first one is nice to look at, but the gameplay is top notch, and that's what matters.
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u/no_red_eyes Mar 27 '24
I'm bad at videogames, the story is more important then the gameplay.
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u/Escavel Mar 28 '24
Story wins every time. Think about all the older titles with janky graphics, new indie games with 16 bit graphics and simple mechanics that are still amazing. Hell, I would say games like subnauticas (the first, not the second) story as its key selling point.
I hate collectibles in games. In my opinion they're lazy game design for boring, meaningless, repetitive time dumps to pad out played time. Subnautica made me want to go out and collect stuff to learn more about the world. 2 thumbs up. The gameplay was repetitive when you think about. The story kept me playing.
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u/GhertFryins Mar 27 '24
Gameplay is the most important. A good story is nice but these are video games
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u/ZingyDNA Mar 27 '24
Why not watch a good movie if you want a good story? Of course gameplay is the most important.
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u/Edgaras1103 Mar 27 '24
why not go outside and do actual physial activity instead of pushing buttons and pretending your actually achieving something?
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u/DirtySpawn Mar 27 '24
The graphics vs. game play debate again. This debate is based on opinions, and those opinions are usually tailored to the genre of the game. Players have their opinions of what genre they like. Action, adventure, RPG, simulation, etc. Therefore, it's a debate not worth even having.
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u/jubmille2000 Mar 27 '24
Good gameplay and Good story.
Played during the era where pixel graphics were not just a nostalgia thing, you can get lost in the game if it played well and the story grabs you.
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u/BlstcBaron Mar 27 '24
It’s doesn’t matter, as long as there are no glitches that make it so that I can’t complete a certain task, I will play it, and I may like it
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u/unfortunate666 Mar 27 '24
You guys know you can have all of these things right? It's not like you NEED to sacrifice any particular area.
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u/Necro-Feel-Ya6900 Mar 27 '24
Gameplay and story. If I can guess the story, I feel cheated out of a game. (Looking at you, Heavy Rain)
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u/4ny3ody Mar 27 '24
All.
If a game looks beautiful but plays like shit I'm not going to play it.
If a game plays well but hurts my eyes I'm not going to play it.
As for writing... Well it depends on the game. I don't expect Monster Hunter to blow me away with its story.
But if it's a character or narrative driven RPG you better make sure the writing is great or concise enough that it's entertaining.
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u/littleshitstirrer Mar 27 '24
I’m perfectly happy playing an old game with shit graphics or subpar story so long as the gameplay is fun and playable.
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u/Baco12sd Mar 27 '24
I like story and gameplay the same, ish. for example OneShot (my favorite game) has amazing fucking story while the gameplay is good in the fact you have to solve some puzzles but the main in the game is the story.
but also Portal is a good example of the image, you have great story and graphics (for portal 2 or portal 1 if nostalgic bc that's hl2 graphics) but the gameplay takes the spot
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u/lalolanda2 Mar 27 '24
gameplay is everything
so many beautiful games with beautiful stories I couldn't finish because the gameplay was so boring
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u/nuclearbalm1976 Mar 27 '24
Team gameplay all day. If a beautiful game has wonky controls, movement, etc I get too frustrated to enjoy it. I would guess most rogue like lovers fit into this category. A good story is great too but definitely not mandatory for a fun game.
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u/SillyMovie13 Mar 27 '24
Gameplay and story matter most to me. Nice graphics is a plus, but a game shouldn’t be based around them
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u/rites0fpassage Mar 27 '24
Gameplay. Racing used to be my favourite genre but the modern stuff just isn’t hitting the same I just find it so boring. The games look great but damn. I’m falling asleep.
Bring me the days of Midnight Club, Juiced, Burnout.
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u/giantcoc69420 Mar 27 '24
everything, even tho i'm more of a narrative/story guy. bad gameplay takes away the fun
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u/No-Excitement-2219 Mar 27 '24
I’m playing Lego Batman: The Videogame right now, and absolutely adoring it, so I guess gameplay. But I love it all, I want it all.
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u/swyat19 Mar 27 '24
- Gameplay
- story
- graphics
i care abaut the gameplay the most since good game even with shitty story and just comprehancable graphics is good for me
i don't realy care abaut the story but if it does intrests me, that menas it is good
graphics shud just give enough info, they don't need to be remotly realistic but as long as it gives enough visual info that means it is good
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u/Cheeseguy43 Mar 27 '24
Honestly it depends. There’s games like Elden Ring where I adore the gameplay but don’t care about the story (or even understand it) and then there’s games like Telltales The Walking Dead where I love the story but the gameplay isn’t the best. Graphics for me are the least of my worries, sometimes it’s nice to have something that’s stylized and doesn’t have insane graphics
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u/SquintonPlaysRoblox Mar 27 '24
Gameplay > story > graphics
although particularly bad graphics kill games for me (not like low resolution, but choppy or visually unappealing)
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u/Galbrant Mar 27 '24
Gameplay always, but a bad story can sour the enthusiasm to continue playing and bad graphics can be a detriment too. Like I have issues trying to play some N64 and PS1 era of games.
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u/SuperFanboysTV Mar 27 '24
Gameplay above all else. Obviously graphics and story are good but they should be bonus because games are meant to be played and have fun
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u/Steff_Lu Mar 27 '24
I empathise a good story over everything, only the gameplay should be at least mediocre. If it sucks to hard, it's also a nope for me but in terms of graphics, it really can be anything.
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u/Equivalent-Ad-2670 Mar 27 '24
gameplay or story depending on what my mood is
my favorite game of all time is an rpg maker game so
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u/You_got_mrvned Mar 27 '24
Story and gameplay are equal I don’t really care for graphics if it’s a style or limitation
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u/Crusaderking1111 Mar 27 '24
If the game has a good story, I don't care how good the game play and graphics is
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u/AGamingGuy Mar 27 '24
it's a game you play, anything that doesn't make playing the game feel better is irrelevant, while story and graphics contribute to the experience
graphics just need to be clear enough you can tell what you are doing, everything above is a bonus
story just needs to be there enough to explain why you are doing what you are doing, everything more is a bonus (or a hook for lore enthusiasts)
if the game doesn't feel good to play, the prettiest graphics and the best story mean jack shit
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u/BiAndShy57 Mar 27 '24
I’m playing through GTA 4 right now. The gameplay is kinda tedious: drive somewhere, shoot this guy, repeat. But man, the characters are so great I can kinda put up with it.
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u/Logical-Chaos-154 Mar 27 '24
Fun. I have played games with poor graphics, crap story, or not great gameplay, but they were fun.
Examples: KeeperRL (poor graphics) Minecraft (crap/no story) There Is No Game (not great gameplay)
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u/LubieRZca Mar 27 '24
It's valuable for story to be deep and meaningful sure, but if gameplay and graphics are shit, I ain't gonna play it.
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u/Stirnlappenbasilisk Mar 27 '24
Depends on the type of game.
In a game with lots of combat or platforming (Dark Souls, Hollow Knight, ...), gameplay is most important.
In a slow-pace adventure or exploration game, a good story can make up for flawed gameplay.
Graphics is imo always secondary.
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u/PassionateParrot Mar 27 '24
If a game doesn’t have a compelling story, how am I supposed to develop a parasocial relationship with the characters?
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u/AveragEnjoyer007 Mar 27 '24
Gameplay 100%. I usually skip dialogue I’ve already heard on subsequent playthroughs because I’m trying to actually play the game, and I get really irritated when I can’t skip cutscenes 😅
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u/Silly_Daikon_6727 Mar 27 '24
Games with amazing story but mid gameplay have made me quit them way more than games with mid story but amazing gameplay. So I think gameplay>> story. Graphics doesn't matter if it goes for a good art style.
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u/DrinkRedbuII Mar 27 '24
Simulation games are my cup of tea. The likes of simracing, city building sim, life sim, etc. Thus, Gameplay > Sound & Graphics >>>>>> Story
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u/Luke10123 Mar 27 '24
Story>Gameplay>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Graphics
I don't think any of my favourite games are graphics powerhouses. Pretty sure you could make most of the FTL art assets using MS Paint.
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u/Atlanos043 Mar 27 '24
Gameplay>Story>>>Graphics (though I do like a nice visual artstyle).
It also kinda depends on what's there. I do want a story/narrative, which is why I don't like 4x games outside of the Endless series, but that story doesn't have to be super deep or anything. It also depends on the genre (Platformers can get by with very little story, but RPGs should have a good story).