Most games have the ability to change the volume of music/sound effects/voice (where applicable) independently. Even console games, notoriously settings-averse, at least have that.

Aw, the old thread wasn't resurrected again. Tended to happen with it, no new activity for weeks, then somebody remembered it. Now I guess it fell too far down, with no activity in 11 months.
Wonder if anyone's opinions expressed there changed since :p

I'm actually the other way: I consider the music to be more important than the sound effects.

Worth noting that I also consider music to be more important than graphics and story, with the caveat that either graphics or story can ruin a game. (Graphics by making it difficult to make out important details on the screen, and story by requiring watching excessively long cutscenes to get to the actual game or by including offensive/inappropriate content.)

Unpopular≠strange. :p
Or worse, music that is Generic White Guy Facing Away From the Cover on a Blue/Orange Background: The Bombastic "Hollywood" Orchestra.
I'm saying it wasn't quite DOOM that started it; hence my secondary link being about Sonic the Henk.

Protip: Look up old Sega UK paper ads. You'll be shocked.

Uff... then I have to decline both: I would be frustrated pretty soon and that is not fun.
Thanks dtgreene for this lifesaver :)

Hi InSaintMonoxide, your opinion totally got my attention.
Would be possible to provide some examples to understand it better?

Sure thing. First i should clarify what i mean with "aesthetics" and "substance" in the context of video games. When i'm talking about aesthetics, i mean stimuli regarding audio or visuals, so for instance the feedback you get when punching an enemy in the face (sound of the hit, animation, reaction by enemy). When i'm referring to "substance", i mean depth regarding complex gameplay decisions and their results within the game, so for instance being able to create many different equally strong character builds which reward certain styles of gameplay.

So when i say that for me, aesthetics are more important than substance, i mean i get more pleasure out of arcade-style experiences which by their nature focus more on providing a quick to understand and instantly satisfying gamepley experience than out of games with very deep gameplay but very limited audiovisual reward regarding the gameplay (such as many old tactical RPGs where attacks and spells are barely animated).

This preference hierarchy stacks up in that even within genres, i'm willing to sacrifice substance in return for aesthetics, so i would rather play Hitman Absolution than Thief 2: The Metal Age, even though Hitman Absolution is fairly linear and therefore provides much less choice regarding gameplay approaches, because the actual actions i'm performing feel inherently more satisfying in Hitman Absolution.

To be honest, only your opening post has a strange opinion. There is nothing really "strange" about the rest of this thread.

Thank you. I got it now and I agree with you InSaintMonoxide

Yeah, it's kinda hard to gauge.

Of the Final Fantasy games, I like Final Fantasy 1's opening the best, where the game just plops you on the world map near town after choosing your classes.

(It lets you get into the game in a stable situation without having to wait for an intro cutscene, and reaching town to buy supplies is trivial, unlike Hoshi wo Miru Hito, where the first town is invisible.)

The last good NFS game was Porsche Unleashed. The series died with Underground.

it's not a weird game opinion, it's a fact
Porsche Unleashed is what's NFS supoce to be. they need to remaster it and give us new porsche models

Another wird NFS opinion:
I liked NFS Carbon the best.

Same here.

It's why I think I prefer the NES version Dragon Warrior (Quest) to its remakes; the remakes significantly increased the XP and GP that you get, resulting in the game being much shorter as a result.

Sometimes it's nice to just wander around aimlessly, fight enemies almost mindlessly, watch the numbers slowly creep up, and just relax. Not every gaming session needs to be intense.

(Then again, DQ2's endgame is fun for different reasons. When you're fighting enemies to earn the XP you need to beat the game, you actually have to think and be alert. A different experience, but one that's definitely engaging, and one that you don't really see in other RPGs (as normal encounters are easy in most, but not in DQ2). It also helps that, on party death, all you lose is half your money (not a big deal this late since you can store your money in the bank, and on NEs which has no bank, there's an exploit, not to mention that you no longer need money) and your position. Well, unless you're playing the original Japanese version, where reviving your companions after a party wipe in the final area is annoying; I'm glad they fixed that in the US version and all remakes.)