For me, gameplay has to be the first priority of any game dev.

I have an example

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim vs Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Sure Skyrim has some of the most beautiful graphics around, but it far off the mark in terms of gameplay when compared to its younger bro Oblivion. In Oblivion, a lot more time was taken to design the side quests and storylines, and so one is a lot more drawn into the world. Lets use the Dark Brotherhood as an example. In Oblivion,
In Skyrim, on the other hand, one can complete the whole Dark Brotherhood quest in a day, and one is hardly satisfied thereafter.


Also, Diablo 2 is much more enjoyable than Torchlight 2, even though the latter got all they had in the graphics department. I still play Diablo 2 these days, after 10 years.