Graphics vs. Game play

Throughout the years I have enjoyed playing many games but more recently I have found that rather enjoying the game I’ve just found it visually stunning. Though it is a good thing that games are getting better visually once upon a time it was about playing the game and enjoying it. I am an artist and I love high-res HD graphics but it’s always been a pet hate when I play a pretty game to find it boring and the plot lacking.

Back in the time of the original Playstation there were many games there were failures but a lot shone through(if not more so for plot). This for me has become a less recent occurrence. Recently I have found games to be boring if not lacking a good plot but visually stunning.
I remember back on the Playstation owning Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider 2. Back then the graphics were brilliant, good old pixilated triangular boobed Lara in all her glory climbing cubed rocks and swimming through turquoise waters. It might not seem so brilliant now but back then it was astounding. Not only were the graphics good for the time but the plotline was brilliant. You played Lara Croft an archaeologist who with two pistols and a shotgun (plus many other guns) went on a long journey through many levels around the world to get to some form of epic treasure to defeat the bad guy. Sure these days the games might have the same basic plotline but now the game run time is a lot less and though Lara looks good in Denim with her now rounded boobs I don’t want to go around pulling levers to make her arms stronger to go through a door. The only recent success Tomb Raider had was in a remake of the original game for the PS2, great graphics and a sound plotline.

Another example of how graphics have outshone the game play was the most recent Final Fantasy game, Final Fantasy XIII. Never had I seen such attention to detail in some skin. It was such a visually stunning game but when playing the game I found that it felt like I was playing through some form of artist showcase. The game play was appalling, there were some good ideas but they were thrown together so badly nothing fitted and worked well. The characters were unlikeable too. Maybe it was just the company at fault, trying to prove they could bring something new to an old series but after playing a lot of Squares prettier games I find myself losing faith in the games industry.

A lot of Final Fantasy fans these days want a remake of Final Fantasy VII after seeing the Playstation 3 demo. Square refuse to do this though because making it with the same quality graphics as XIII would mean it would take over 5 years (according to them). At least if they had a go at making it they would have a sound plot in place rather than the terrible stories they’ve started throwing out.

After playing quite a few games recently I’ve found that I’ve enjoyed the most a fighting game called Blazblue: Calamity Trigger. Sure it’s a fighting game meaning minimal plot but a plot still exists, the characters are likeable and to top it all off it’s a 2D sprite fighter.

I also seem to be enjoying playing my hand held games recently which have never really been good for graphics but on occasion have thrown out some brilliant plots.