Bad Graphics, Good gameplay

[Techno]

What are some video games that have bad graphics but have really good gameplay? I think of Theif Simulator which while looking rough in every graphical department, still has a fantastic sneak system.

[killamch89]

My list goes as follows:

• Deus Ex (the graphics were poor even at the time of release. It's still a great game but still...)
• Twisted Metal 2
• Nioh (truly underrated game)
• Fallout 3

[Shagger]

Tales of Berseria. For a game that came out in 2017, it's pretty poor. The art style and overall design is great, but the graphics wouldn't impress even if it was on an XBox 360 or PS3. A great game, but it looked so out of date.

[Shortie]

There are a few games myself that I have played in the past that have been really good games but do not have the greatest graphics if I am honest.

House Flipper was one, the game was amazing and very addictive to play but the graphics were not the greatest and I even noticed sometimes they would glitch

Power wash simulator was another game that I have played and again found very addictive, but the graphics again were not the greatest.

[Empire]

Silent Hill 1. The strange texture warping, the low render distance covered by fog, and the muddy textures really make it all the more creepy. In fact, it's not just the graphics, but the shit controls and poor voice acting also only serve to make the game scarier.

Ironically, everything that normally makes a game age poorly, are exactly what makes that game timeless.

[Kane99]

I'd say a lot of the early 3D games that came out. This includes PS1, N64, Saturn and maybe Dreamcast games as well. 3D graphics back then are tough to look back on now. I tried to play a few N64 games a while back and it was a burden on my eyes lol. Just everything often looked so grainy and rough. 

22 hours ago, Shortie said:

There are a few games myself that I have played in the past that have been really good games but do not have the greatest graphics if I am honest.

House Flipper was one, the game was amazing and very addictive to play but the graphics were not the greatest and I even noticed sometimes they would glitch

Power wash simulator was another game that I have played and again found very addictive, but the graphics again were not the greatest.

idk if House Flipper or Power Was Sim really need impressive graphics. When it comes to House Flipper, I feel like the inside of houses look fairly decent. It's the outside of houses that are lacking imo. But I think we're meant to focus more on the insides of houses than outside. 

But yeah, they aren't glamorous graphics, but passable with me. 

[Justin11]

On 11/28/2022 at 12:51 PM, Empire said:

Silent Hill 1. The strange texture warping, the low render distance covered by fog, and the muddy textures really make it all the more creepy. In fact, it's not just the graphics, but the shit controls and poor voice acting also only serve to make the game scarier.

Ironically, everything that normally makes a game age poorly, are exactly what makes that game timeless.

I really think the graphics of silent Hill 1 wasn't that bad and it was just right compared to other video games released at the same time frame with it .

[Empire]

On 12/1/2022 at 7:18 AM, Justin11 said:

I really think the graphics of silent Hill 1 wasn't that bad and it was just right compared to other video games released at the same time frame with it .

well, it was bad for me with some factors 

[Grungie]

On 11/28/2022 at 5:51 AM, Empire said:

Silent Hill 1. The strange texture warping, the low render distance covered by fog, and the muddy textures really make it all the more creepy. In fact, it's not just the graphics, but the shit controls and poor voice acting also only serve to make the game scarier.

Ironically, everything that normally makes a game age poorly, are exactly what makes that game timeless.

The texture warping was pretty normal on the PS1. The console lacked texture perspective correction.

[Justin11]

9 hours ago, Grungie said:

The texture warping was pretty normal on the PS1. The console lacked texture perspective correction.

The issue was more tied to the console than the game because I played it on PlayStation 2 and the graphics was pretty decent.

[Grungie]

2 hours ago, Justin11 said:

The issue was more tied to the console than the game because I played it on PlayStation 2 and the graphics was pretty decent.

That’s absolutely not true. The PS2 didn’t magically fix the texture warping on the PS1, it’s still present.

[Kane99]

On 11/28/2022 at 6:51 AM, Empire said:

Silent Hill 1. The strange texture warping, the low render distance covered by fog, and the muddy textures really make it all the more creepy. In fact, it's not just the graphics, but the shit controls and poor voice acting also only serve to make the game scarier.

Ironically, everything that normally makes a game age poorly, are exactly what makes that game timeless.

5 hours ago, Justin11 said:

The issue was more tied to the console than the game because I played it on PlayStation 2 and the graphics was pretty decent.

To be fair, it's also on the PS1, so you're not going to get a great 3D experience that way. And the reason is may look a tad bit better on the PS2, is because the PS2 spruces the graphics up a bit, more clean, but doesn't change much at all. It was also one of the first true 3D horror games. Aside from that, most horror games at the time had poor voice acting, that's kinda to be expected lol. 

 

[Grungie]

28 minutes ago, Kane99 said:

To be fair, it's also on the PS1, so you're not going to get a great 3D experience that way. And the reason is may look a tad bit better on the PS2, is because the PS2 spruces the graphics up a bit, more clean, but doesn't change much at all. It was also one of the first true 3D horror games. Aside from that, most horror games at the time had poor voice acting, that's kinda to be expected lol. 

 

The PS2 literally does nothing for the visual quality of PS1 games. It doesn’t force the games into 480i, and if you use component cables, you have to go to composite mode on your TV if you pop in a PS1 game.

Idk where people are getting the idea that the PS2 enhances the graphics of PS1 games.

[Kane99]

17 minutes ago, Grungie said:

The PS2 literally does nothing for the visual quality of PS1 games. It doesn’t force the games into 480i, and if you use component cables, you have to go to composite mode on your TV if you pop in a PS1 game.

Idk where people are getting the idea that the PS2 enhances the graphics of PS1 games.

The PS2 has a texture smoothing feature for PS1 games, it's just kinda confusing to find it. It doesn't improve much, but tries to add smooth lines to the PS1 games you play. You can literally turn on a setting to do it. 

https://stationgeek.blogspot.com/2010/08/how-to-turn-texture-smoothing-on-for.html

I also remember hearing about the option in an old gaming mag when I was a kid. 

Edited December 3, 2022 by Kane99

[Grungie]

1 minute ago, Kane99 said:

The PS2 has a texture smoothing feature for PS1 games, it's just kinda confusing to find it. It doesn't improve much, but tries to add smooth lines to the PS1 games you play. You can literally turn on a setting to do it. 

https://stationgeek.blogspot.com/2010/08/how-to-turn-texture-smoothing-on-for.html

That doesn’t actually improve the graphics, or fix the polygon warping that was mentioned earlier.