^^
Fair enough. Though I mentioned creating atmosphere as being the key thing there.
As I said, they're not necessary, but they can certainly aid in creating atmosphere. Not every game needs it (Hell, I'd argue very few do), some may create atmosphere simply out of level design, plot, setting, etc... but I don't doubt that some games benefit from better graphics.
I'm not comparing Uncharted 2 to Left4Dead in terms of immersion, that's just silly and I would completely agree with you, Left4Dead wins easily. Rather, I'm comparing Uncharted 2 with what it could have been as say a PS1 game. I think having that higher sense of the destruction of the train that you're stuck in can certainly aid in creating atmosphere.
Not unlike when a book is really descriptive or when James Cameron had the budget to make the Alien look as good as he did in Alien.
It's not that I'm saying graphics trump anything or anything in terms of immersion... not even close. I'm simply saying that they can aid in creating it. I'm actually, rather surprised (and interested!) to find someone who is absolutely rigid on this. I mean, in Lord of the Rings Online, would it be so hard to believe that someone could feel more immersed if it simply had better graphics and made them feel that it better suited Tolkiens description of it? Sure we should be encouraged to use our imaginations, but that's what books are for. In a game, I'm in the game that I see.
