Anecdotally, it seems as though pushing technology is more interesting when you're young. Graphics weren't everything when I was young, but I gave them an unreasonable weight when considering games.
The game should look good, obviously, but it doesn't have to push the envelope. If the art is good and the graphical style is pleasing and consistent, I'm usually going to be satisfied. Zelda: TP was a good example of a game that I thought had very pleasing graphics. I enjoyed that game a hell of a lot more than Gears, anyhow (about 65 hours to 6, and I wanted Zelda to be longer, not Gears).







