Reviews. Do you trust them?

[Mass Distraction]

So, to what extent do you trust reviews and is there a certain place you feel is more reliable than the other? Do you let the reviews affect your opinion on the game and whether you buy it or do you just rust your instincts and see for yourself?

The only source I really trust anymore is a Finnish gaming magazine called Pelaaja (Gamer) as it seems I'm usually pretty much on level with their reviews. I used to really like this game review show called Tilt but when the staff changed and they said things like Rayman Origins and Sonic Generations being complete rubbish, Rayman because it was too hard and Sonic because it was too much the same old, I just stopped watching it. Reasons like that make me frustrated. I don't really like IGN either, the reason being... well, just look at their Double Dragon Neon review. They made a person who absolutely hates beat-em-ups review a beat-em-up. Sense, this makes. That one has even been used as an example on how not to write a review.

In the end, though, I still prefer to just try the gem out myself instead of relying on what other people say about them. RE6 got bad reviews but I enjoyed the game a whole lot.



You know, I could've added a poll but that would've been the easy way out. Out of what? I dunno, I live in a box, shut up.

[SERIOUSLY THOUGH*]

Calqued from DYKG

I try not to read reviews before playing a game. I feel that it makes you concentrate too much on what was said.

I just play a game without previous influence and judge it on how much I enjoy it.

I rarely trust reviews nowadays,sometimes they get a bit biased.

A bit ?

Real quotes from IGN
"ZOMFG CALL OF DUTY Modern Ops 21 with extra lens_flare *jizzfest*"
"Indie game made with less than $1.5T budget = cock."

[Raiden Blackwood]

I read them, but never put much stock in them. What's true for the reviewer may not be true for me. A perfect example is White Knight Chronicles. Almost every review talked about who much the game sucked, but I really enjoyed it.

[Nicknclank]

Well, I read Game Informer when I have the chance. They rate the new games in a good manner and I think that they're right for most of them.

Then again, sometimes, I think too much of the reviews, and I think that a 7/10 is a bad game when it's not :I

[Psychospacecow]

I trust game reviews if there is a consensus among them. If I am really gambling on a game, I'll check Yahtzee, IGN, you guys if ya like it, and other sites that come up in my search engine.
I used to really respect and trust X-Play until their channel started showing more Cops episodes and cut the gaming show count in 4th to make room for Ninja Warrior AND MORE COPS!

[Enderwoman]

I don't trust "professional" reviewers at all. My belief is that its a reviewer's job to tell you what content is in the game, not act completely childish because of their personal preferences. I've also noticed that most critics who give great games bad scores just suck at the game and deem it "cheap".

Plus, Game Informer gave Sonic Generations the same score as Sonic 06, in probably the worst review anyone has ever done.

Ever.

[Mass Distraction]

I've also noticed that most critics who give great games bad scores just suck at the game and deem it "cheap".

That's pretty much my experience with most "professional" reviews.

As for Sonic Generations, you should've seen the infuriating review by Tilt I mentioned in the OP. "Too much of the same" is one of the stupidest things someone could say when it comes to games like this.

[supersquid64]

Personally I stick away from majority of reviewers, I always feel like when I read their stuff that they've been paid to make a game look good, usually commenting on pointless features like the save screen, not the mechanic of the save screen but the colour scheme of the save screen.

Internet reviewers I take what they say with a pinch of salt, sometimes they can be right on the money with a game but other times they can't be. The only reviewer I'd say I trust when he's reviewing a game is AngryJoe, but I don't watch too many reviewers anyway so I am in no place to judge.

However I usually like to see how the game plays and feels before I play it, at the end of the day it isn't about what other people think it's about what you think. For example the game Drakkhen is a game that I hold close to heart, not only have I been playing it since I was about six or seven but I've never really gotten bored of it. Sure people don't like the game but that doesn't matter because I think its one of the best games ever. :P

[TheTrueBoss997]

I don't trust reviews. I will go to Gamerankings just to get an idea on how the game is. I only trust friends and family when it comes to reviews on certain games.

[FUS RO DAH]

[Zaliphone]

I trust some reviewers. They have to have a similar as I do for me to really trust them, though. That Zero Punctuation guy is an example of a reviewer I wouldn't trust. I also don't trust Metacritic or IGN.

[Wardenclyffe]

I usually read reviews before picking up a game just to see what everyone has to say about it, and I usually only look for huge flaws that the reviewer finds. I really dislike it when a reviewer is like "I really loved this game, but there was one tiny little problem that didn't really affect the game at all so I'm going to give it a 7.5".

[pyoro64]

Most reviews I've read usually focus on the bad parts. I've read reviews for Farcry 2, and they all complain how the majority of the game is driving to your next mission. What they don't see is how the driving is well executed, the surprise enemy jeeps keep you on your toes, and the guard posts which you just can't drive through. I'll only believe reviews from trusted sources.

[BumblebeeCody*]

I want to like this everyday for the rest of my life.
All it needs now is an icon, a symbol of hope. I know

WE LOVE YOU POPE GEOFF!

And no, I generally don't care for reviews. I take in ones that seem to not force an agenda or have biased views. I generally don't have a problem with Gametrailers but even then I still form my own opinion. There are those like Angry Joe who can make crap games still sound interesting to play and I do enjoy his reviews the most, but again, I still come to my own conclusions.

It's actually quite worrying(more pathetic) that there are a lot of reviews that're paid for. What else is that people who kick up a stink over a game review. If a Zelda game doesn't score high enough then people are in "outrage" and bash other games as being worse like Uncharted....and don't get my started on Metacritic. Gaming Journalism is a joke at the moment. The whole Doritogate with Geoff Keighley and Rob Florence/Eurogamer really dented the credibility of reviews.

[Salseh]

Thank you for reminding me that video exists. Comedy gold.

Anyway, I generally trust certain reviewers (Angry Joe, Yahtzee). But I never let any review blur my vision as to what to expect out of a game.

I can only hope that the game that I will be playing is the best, most polished version of that game that the developer could have put out in the time alloted, if they want me to come buy from them again for their future titles. Sometimes they're good, sometimes it's a flop. It happens.