The put graphics ahead of the game because they want to sell to the "muh graphics card" crowd. I still think that Quake III is the best co-op and competitive shooter there is. The game play is on point. The only arguments I ever hear against it are "it's old" or "the graphics are from the 1990s."

A good game doesn't have to be new or cutting edge. There are a ton of great atari games.

Tl;dr the game should come first. Graphics are secondary.