Graphics are weird. They’re pretty vital to the vast majority of games, including most MMOs, but it is possible for a game with objectively kinda-bad graphics to still look acceptable. I played the heck out of City of Heroes and enjoyed its storytelling even with faces painted on as flat textures and everyone having mitten hands in animation. However, despite that fact, one of the things that turned me off of the original EverQuest and its sequel was just the fact that both games looked extremely ugly to me. Not because of polygon count, just because the graphics felt so… lifeless, without any animating spark.
The point here isn’t to shame anyone for liking the graphics they like, even if you think RuneScape looks pretty good after all. (I don’t understand how your brain or eyes work, but that’s a you thing.) Rather, the question is whether graphics have ever actually turned you off from an MMO? Have you ever been excited to try something out, seen screenshots or video of the game, and then decided, “y’know what, I think I’ll pass?”
Every morning, the Massively Overpowered writers team up with mascot Mo to ask MMORPG players pointed questions about the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre. Grab a mug of your preferred beverage and take a stab at answering the question posed in today’s Daily Grind!
