Having impressive graphics is great and all but gameplay matters more to me than graphics.

Graphics have never made me go back to a game, gameplay and replay value on the other hand has kept me going back to various games regardless of what they look like.

The Wii was the last time I cared. It looked terrible for it's generation and was almost a step sideways from the gamecube. Since getting a PS3, anything of that standard is fine. I now have a Wii U and it's my most played. It's not all that much better than the ps3 on graphics but it's piles more fun in other aspects. I enjoy a nice turn based or real time stragety too and those never have amazing graphics but are the most enjoyable. If only they could get some onto consoles.......Jebus if you're listening.

While writing this, I did think my examples were a little unfair. They were very impressive for their time, even if they may not be that way now. Maybe I should have gone for smaller or indie games for examples. : ) Also, Tetris is one of those legends that will never die...

Graphics don't matter to me, as long as the game is fun.

As good as possible without ruining the framerate and gameplay

What I mean by gameplay is that I'd rather have the devs focus on a good gameplay instead of just making it pretty

I want new games to look nice as good as they can be without compromising gameplay. But I think the majority of games have a pretty acceptable presentation, so I can't think of any game I would put down because it looked that bad.

Of course I expect more from new games but overall I'm pretty lenient considering I play a lot of Pre-Dreamcast games.

I agree somewhat with this, early 3D graphics have not aged well but sprite visuals are more or less timeless. The best part about FFVII has to be the animations; in the beginning when Cloud slams both fists down to press a simple button.

Of all the games I think are good and would like to play, I generally pick the ones that look better first.

Not sure how to answer this really.

Smooth framerates and reasonably sharp IQ are necessary to a good gaming experience, but are you talking about those, or about textures, animation, and all the rest?

Smooth framerate, IQ, and animation matter to me alot(as they usually directly influence how you may play a gme), but I don't care what the textures look like really, or how many polys a character or the geometry has, particle effects used or how realistic you can make a sweat on someone's forehead look.

I'm meaning more of the visuals of a game, and how important they are to you. Do you prefer them to be the best as possible, such as the Order or Infamous, or are you fine with simpler graphics Mario 3D World or a smaller indie title? : )