Let's just say I'm just as happy with my £90 GPU than a £1000 Titan. Not only am I smug because it outpowers the PS4, and that makes me smug. But it's all about the game and how it plays, if it's an action game, what makes it stand out in it's unique story and it's gameplay mechanics, if it's a stealth, what makes it stand out from Metal Gear Solid as far as story and mechanics? What makes them fun and unique to play.
Yes something to marvel at or having visuals that aid immersion, especially in Survival Horror (for me SH games are 40% audio presentation, 40% visuals level, character and enemy design, 10% story, and 10 gameplay. For example the old Resident Evil and Silent Hill games have proved that really bog standard gameplay mechanics can work - even work to the advantage of keeping the player on their toes, and don't require too many unique things in the art of making a scary game. In fact you can notice as gameplay mechanics have improved by the time they added online-co-op it ruined the horror experience.
However really amazing games though provide all of them in droves, they have amazing gameplay, amazing visual and audio flare and a gripping story that makes you think. But the hardware is only half of what is needed for visual flare, the other half is the developer's imagination and ability to optimise and prioritise for that system, weighing framerate, draw distance, load times and frequency over graphical detail effects etc.
Edited by Penguin101, 22 April 2013 - 12:45 AM.