Graphics have always been important, no doubt about that.
I wouldn't say Nintendo fans are being hypocrites now though, gameplay has been their mantra since the 80s. Even when N64 titles were shutting out PS1 titles visually and the GC had the edge on the PS2, gameplay was still the mantra.
All that aside, that wasn't really his point. A game doesn't even have to look great to be a heavily cinematic game, it has nothing to do with graphics. Naughty Dog started putting gameplay in the back seat starting last gen. They'd rather send you through a scripted tunnel of set pieces than give you a meaty game that stretches it's mechanics in significant ways from start to finish.
Now obviously ND is not the worst offender when it comes to cinematic gaming. They still make solid games that are fun to play. But at the end of the day they make rental games. Games were you're funneled through what is essentially a long movie with extremely repetitive run of the mill gameplay. The shooting is average, the stealth is average, the platforming and melee are below average and the level design is nothing memorable nor exciting.
Even as stale as the Zelda series has become, it still gives you some bang for your buck. You'll get plenty of game. You'll get very well thought out level design. You'll get to use the array of different mechanics and items in increasingly inventive ways throughout the course of a much longer game.
And before you decide to throw the sheep card at me, just know that my two most highly anticipated games right now are PS4 games and that Sony has made my favorite console every gen since they've been in the business.
All I'm saying is that it doesn't require much thought to understand why so many people prefer the Zelda series to Naughty Dogs recent efforts.
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