Graphics just don't matter that much anymore

So I was taking a shower this morning and I got to thinking about graphics in video games. Specifically, I was asking myself if graphics really matter. Take Gears of War for example. Perhaps the most gorgeous game ever made. I haven't played it since I bought my Wii. Sure the graphics are amazing, but the gameplay is kinda repetitive. You just run from cover to cover and shoot. Then I started thinking about other games that I really enjoyed and why I enjoyed them.

God of War for PS2 was my favorite game before The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. I loved God of War so much because of the awesome gameplay. You did things in that game that hadn't been done before and it was just so well put together. The graphics weren't all that great, I mean it was a PS2 game after all. It was really the gameplay that made that game so great to me.

Another example is Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, along with the rest of the series. These games are the opposite of God of War to me. The gameplay just doesn't do it for me. But wow, the story is to die for. In fact, most of Metal Gear Solid 3 I just ran through, hoping to get to the next cut scene and learn what happens. For me the storyline drove this game from me, along with the rest in the series, making them some of my favorite games to play. I think they are just about the only games that I have played through more than once.

Looking at my collection of Xbox 360 games, I can't name one that I picked up because of the graphics. I have been so happy with the Nintendo Wii because it is so much fun to play, even if the graphics aren't all that. They definitely get the job done well enough. So I have to think that we've reached a plateau in terms of graphical quality.