Graphics = "Great games" -- Does Age play a factor to this thinking?

[MikeB]

Would people be less interested if Crysis looked like Doom?
Would people be less interested if Gears looked like Cabal or Narco Police?

Improved graphics can add a lot to the gameplay as well, for example with regard to line-of-sight, being able to spot and distinguish enemies or friends in the far away distance.

Often the best games also offer good graphics for their time. Examples God of War series, Mario64, Half-Lfe 2, Civilization series, The Sims, GTA series, etc, etc.

Replay those good old speccy games (ZX spectrum) and ask yourself would you pay modern retail prices for them? Do you like a movie with a good storyline with realistic special effects better than the same movie with bad unrealistic special effects and picture quality?

IMO graphics artists should be given credit for the impressive work they are doing. Modern Zelda games are also good examples of games offering good graphics. I think the main reason for this thread is the XBox 360 and PS3 offer by far more artistic freedom to development teams, a fact Nintendo fans may dislike. Everything in terms of graphics created on the Wii can technically be reproduced on the higher specced systems, only there an option for games developers to go beyond the technical boundaries the Nintendo Wii allows.