What's more important if done well?

Hmmm...tougher choice than I initially assumed. Both great music and unique art-styles can transcend the generational leap and make their accompanying games timeless. I guess if we're talking about graphics from a purely technical standpoint, I would take music. But games that have a truly unique art style can look good whenever you play them, and to me that adds at least as much personality to a given game as music does. I'm not really bothered by poor graphics, but it still bothers me more than games with a bland soundtrack that becomes barely noticeable when you play.

I have to look at the game no matter what, so if it looks like shit then it basically ruins the game. On the other hand, when the music sucks I can just turn it off and listen to something else.

Graphics is more important to be done well than music I think.

Wait, does this have something to do with the KKK!???

Anyway, graphics always. Visuals are central to the existence of games - even Blindside (a completely audio-centric game) still has a graphical interface.

Music, definitely. Metal Gear Rising's absurd Speed Metal soundtrack helped established the crazy pacing of the game better than the graphics could have ever hoped to. Probably not the best example considering it's not much of a looker to begin with but... The music of a game will always stick longer with me than pretty screenshots anywhoo and there's a much higher chance I'd get nostalgic of re-listening to video game themes than even by watching the game in motion.

The Souls games is another example where the soundtrack truly evokes the feelings I had with the game perhaps more than anything else as well, because they both have some truly unforgettable themes in there. #ashlakeneverforgetyolo

you guys are totally misreading my thing, argh D:

keep talking about how graphics, if done poorly, are worse than music being done poorly is true but that's not the question I was asking; if both are done well, which is more important?

this is what i think

Graphics/Art Style, no questions about it. If instead of "music" you said "sound", I'd give it a second thought, but as it is, it seems pretty obvious. But, even with sound I would choose Graphics/Art Style over it. Visuals are more intrinsic to games than sound.

I think the music in the first few polygonal Final Fantasy games holds up way more than the graphics/art style.

If both are done well, I think the answer has to be music. Effective music has the ability to guide the mood of a game, effect the players emotions, and reflect what is happening in the narrative. Good game music will end up stuck in your head for years and years after you first play a game, staying with you in a way that graphics don't. Both are important, but music is more so.

So, both are pretty tertiary to the game, and if they're mediocre you don't really care (you shouldn't, anyway)

I strongly disagree on this. If you ever look at a list of what are generally agreed upon great games, all (or nearly all) of them have pleasing graphics, at least for the time, and the same goes for music and sound in general. A better saying might be "aesthetics" rather than "graphics", since graphics mostly refers to the detail and clarity of a game and "aesthetics" refers to how something appears. Regardless, I don't think that sweeping them away as "something to not care about at all" is a good way to go about criticizing games. Both are very important in creating good games.

*ahem* Artsy-fartsy stuff aside, I like music a whole lot. Some of my favorite games from the past few years (Chrono Trigger, Skyrim) have had very memorable music. However, I don't really want to give favor to one over the other since both, when combined well, can have a great effect on drawing the player in. Skyrim, for instance - not exactly Crysis in terms of graphical fidelity but what it lacks in texture quality it makes up for in gorgeous landscapes.

Music. The score in Heavy Rain did more than the graphics ever could to create an amazing atmosphere.

Music, by far (if both are done equally well). A good score tends to stick with me far longer than pretty visuals.

graphics. its what the game is, its absolutely key for atmosphere and setting.

if i hate the art style of a game but like the music, then i'll get the soundtrack and stop playing the game.

if i hate the music of a game, but like the art style, then i'll just turn the music off/down and continue playing.

music can elevate a game to greatness, but art style is absolutely the core of how you view a game.

What he said, but with capitalized letters at the start of each sentence.

The thing is, both need to really work in tandem to create a cohesive aesthetic. If one doesn't fit the other, they both tend to fall apart for me.

I've had enough of graphics. I recently beat Portal 2 on my new PC and the aesthetic highlight of that beautiful game was how the electronic music and noises went in and out, blending with my actions.

More needs to be explored and innovated in the aspect of blending sound and music into the player's actions, as well as the events.