Once again. It isn't that you can't have super-fantastic graphics and good gameplay. It is that you almost always have one or the other.
Because it costs so much to make those super-amazing graphics in labor, you are forced to make cut-backs. Or, rather, the big companies DO make cutbacks because you can't promise great gameplay. Or at least most people can't promise great gameplay. But you can promise tons of polygons and high-rez textures. And the games typically end up selling just as much anyway.
You mention half-life 2... The reason the game was so good was that they spent 7 years working on it, perfecting it. And they were using on of the best games ever made as a model. If they have just cloned Half-life they would have had a good starting point. You really can't use Half-life as some example as to how games with good graphics can be good. It took 2.5 times longer than games typically take to make.
Because it costs so much to make those super-amazing graphics in labor, you are forced to make cut-backs. Or, rather, the big companies DO make cutbacks because you can't promise great gameplay. Or at least most people can't promise great gameplay. But you can promise tons of polygons and high-rez textures. And the games typically end up selling just as much anyway.
You mention half-life 2... The reason the game was so good was that they spent 7 years working on it, perfecting it. And they were using on of the best games ever made as a model. If they have just cloned Half-life they would have had a good starting point. You really can't use Half-life as some example as to how games with good graphics can be good. It took 2.5 times longer than games typically take to make.