if it looks like fun

Gameplay first, graphics later

The whole.

Of these two, gameplay comes first but horrible graphics could be a stop for me as well.

This... games like n look nothing like U2, but they are still on my desktop for ages now

There should be an option for both, I don't buy games that look like crap and I don't buy games that have rubbish gameplay. People keep saying how presentation doesn't matter, but then I remember how games like Okami, Heavy Rain, Ocarina of Time and Silent Hill would simply not work without their presentation.

I would rather play a great looking game with decent gameplay, than play pong, text RPG's and Donkey Kong classic for the rest of my life.

No it should not as it is about the choice between the two. If I put in “both” most people would chose that even I but then I asked my self what I want first and that is of course how it plays.

The poll won’t be fun then

It depends on what game it is. If it's a gta type game,I want it to look really good. If it's a fps,it doesn't have to look top-notch.

I guess your right, if everyone chose the same thing it'd be boring.

How the game plays is obviously more important. However having said that our expectations of graphics are such that they should constantly be improving over time alongside innovations in gameplay.

To all those saying graphics don't matter you are obviously entitled to your preferences but why not have the best of both worlds??

Seems like some people here have it in their heads that gamers that love graphically impressive games only like and play them because of that. I know I wouldn't want to play a game if it didn't offer me a fun overall experience.

It really really does. Not so much in pure polygon count, but in effects and textures, and just about everything else. Take that new Metro 2033 game. On highest settings I couldn't find pixelated textures unless they filled up half my screen and then the pixels were about the size of my toenail. On the 360 one pixel is as big as the entire screen. I will also never forget Garrus' armor from ME. Since they didn't push graphics and just made it to conform to the 306 just about everyone had extremely pixelated armor so when you talk to them it felt like you were talking to 8-bit characters. However Garrus was worth, especially that blue stripe he has on his face. It's just laughable how poor those things are on consoles.

To your other post, that's because you are a watcher and not a gamer.