A game doesn't have to be mechanically great to be worth playing.

If you know what mechanics you like in a game and enough about how they generally work then you're likely at a point where things like aesthetics and storytelling are what could lead you to pick one game over another. Gameplay absolutely matters, but mostly in being used as a filter on what kinds of games you want to even give the time of day. I'd much rather play a 5/10 in a genre that I know I like, but looks and sounds cool than some overhyped 10/10 in a genre I know I dislike, even if it still looks and sounds cool. Gameplay matters, but as for whether or not it's got the best implementation of its mechanics ever isn't really the point, and I feel like that's greatly overvalued around here.