Agree graphics are not everything, I very much enjoy many games that are quite basic in that department.

What I find far more important is the gameplay itself and deep story if applicable. AI itself is hard to do well but is a must in some genres and I hate it when a game obviously cheats to try and mask poor AI.

The push to better and better graphics in AAA games seems to have pushed these "important" elements into the background and I feel is a large factor in the rise of indie games.