Xubidoo,
"You" was generally speaking.
Your comment about having realistic gameplay over realistic graphics is a bit hard to diagnose. The gaming community has been affected by the graphics race. Which is a huge issue. Yet there are many people who respect two positions:
1) Gameplay was important, and while visuals weren't impressive, you didn't care, because you were actually PLAYING and not just breezing through pretty looking stuff only to have it end in six or eight hours, because it was so poorly lacking gameplay elements of any noteworthy value.
2) Not everyone can be a Navy seal, a professional race car driver, a commander of a space fleet of ships, a warrior in Middle Earth etc. Part of playing the game is like reading a book, you take on that roll. However with a book, you're free to use the best 'computer' of all time, to render your sights and your sounds - the human brain. Games offer us less and less immersion because they don't have an appropriate balance of gameplay and graphics.
I don't understand why the two have become so exclusive.
As for wasting my time. I don't find commenting based on first-hand experience to be wasting time. If it helps others get an understanding of what or what not to expect in a product, then the goal is achieved.
Likewise, spouting a bunch of hype or only touching on the good points of a product is a sure way to mis-lead people. I could reverse the question on you.
You are right, I am in the minority, and that's a shame, because if my type were in the majority, we'd have fewer gaming titles, yet they'd be more enjoyabe, have greater longevity, and be closer to actually worth the money you paid for them. We'd also have less of a whiny, weak and wattered down gaming consumer base, whos demographics dictate the direction corporate bozos take software titles.
If Grid was half as difficult, half as flexible and half as in depth, it wouldn't be a worse off game; it wouldn't be any less fun.
It would simply be better.
Grid is just another example of a product released to sell well into an unfortunatley fast growing market and that is one of 'I want it to look and sound cool, so I feel I'm there, yet I don't want it to be difficult!'