Why reviews shouldn't matter all that much to you

As we all know, reviews are indicators on how good the actual game is. The reviews however good or bad, aren't that important. Because those reviewers are looking for different things in a game compared to you. They might not even be that excited to play that game compared to you. I have seen so many complaints about just a score from some reviewer. It's important to remember that. Many seem to forget that the review has no effect on you what so ever. It can't stop you from getting the game if you want to.

The publishers nor the reviewers are your friend. They both have a job to do. The reviewers job is to critique the game, while the publisher and developer are trying to sell you the game. I personally rely looking at the gameplay footage the most and what features the game have. I also try not to pre-order games.

At the end of the, you need to trust your own opinion instead of wasting your money for something you might not even like. And we all know that gaming is expensive.

How much do you guys really value game reviews these days?

Reading multiple reviews can actually be rather valuable, in my experience. I've never made a bad choice based on reviews. It takes a bit of effort, but usually it's pretty easy to put the reviewer's opinion into perspective and find out what's actually in line with my preferences.

I don't find reviews helpful at all, all to often I'll have a different opinion and like some games scored low, or hate or high scoring games. I find watching gameplay videos with good commentary gives me the best insight on a game.

This website actually got me out of the habit of even bothering with reviews, anywhere. Occasionally I'll check out Eurogamer, and oddly enough I used to think the content here was better than IGN. It was for a time. The way this site has changed gave me an urge to rethink that and IGN is actually a higher quality more trusted site, imo. Things still get overrated but the text is more accurate.

THe issue with reviews is that they don't give the info critical to a review, anymore.

It fun to hear what people think. That's why they matter to me.

i don't mind the score if what the review says is pretty accurate. I usually go to IGN, eurogamer, rev3games and youtube to check out reviews. But they rarely have any effect on me. I usually trust my instincts and look at the gameplay and make up my mind

"Because those reviewers are looking for different things in a game compared to you"

yup, thats the problem on reviews they are not reviewing the game and analyze game mechanics they just state an opinion and what sucks is that the bigger the site, the higher the game ranks on metacritic reviews.

Basicly if a site posted a bs review but the site was well known metacritic would pick it up and it will get a score based on that.

So dont bring metacritic, they are nothing more than a bunch of random guys from some famous sites posting an opinion.

The problem is that the last few years the reviewers dont really seem to represent the gamers opinions but they are affectin the industry and thats bad.

@dakan45: Can you elaborate on how they effect the industry?

Reviews seem to be based more on opinion than the actual game mechanics, music, framerate, bugs, glitches, pacing, character, development, story, length. etc. It's just mostly to say if it worked or not in their opinion

I mostly just look at the overall average. More often than not, I end up liking games that have higher averages, so I think there's some sort of accuracy when it comes to reviews. Obviously, I'm not going to fall in line with every accumulated average out there. But give or take, my scores for games that I rate are almost exactly that of the overall average Metacritic rating of all said games. Still, it's always best to take critic ratings with a grain of salt. Like, don't get too excited for very high scores and don't get too down if scores don't turn out as high as you'd expect. Just play the game and decide for yourself.

I don't pay any attention to reviews after the Kane & Lynch one

I read the reviews for one reason and thats to see what other people think about the games i like and because i love debating.

I would never be so dumb to actually let them decided what i like or dislike so i buy the games i want no matter if they get a 2 or 10. So i agree never let anyone decide your own opinion.

I value reviews and like to read them. While they aren't necessarily the be all end all for if I buy a game or not they still are somewhat of a guidance for me and typically reflect on how I'll relate to a game.

I do not mind reviews and see them as a good resource. The reviewer opinion is just the three character for the rating. The thousand of characters is their justification of the opinion.

Okay good point i agree with you but then again I mean that's why you read more than one review that's kinda why this site was maid in the first place to read what every one thinks of the game. If you've been thinking about getting a game you wasn't too sure on and the majority says they hated the game, are you really gonna go out and buy it, maybe. But if I'm following a game for a while and every one who thought they were gonna love the game was really disappointed and I've already seen gameplay so i know what I'm in for, its like you said gaming is expensive so most id do at this point his rent it at Redbox or get a preowned version so i can return it in a week if i don't like it just to be sure. But then again it can go both ways so :P. I wouldn't say I'm disagreeing with you I just thought id put my two cents in.

No, we don't "all know" this. They're simply opinions and have no relevance on a game's quality. They simply indicate a reviewer's personal preference, nothing more.

@Jacanuk: True, i usually don't do it either

Actually i dont rely that much on the game reviews, i wanted to try on myself to make sure. Like Rohan since they opened a new server called Isen i've been seeing a lot of negative feedback to the game but i tried it and enjoyed it. Since then i don't really rely on the players game reviews.

Reviews are beneficial sometimes - when read in a right site/ magazine or even by word of mouth. It at least gives you a perspective that you can bounce against. In the end, it's your own call, always, but being guided by opinions and those who tried the product before you, at least you're not throwing your time/bandwidth/effort/cash blindly at something.

they may indicate on how good a game is, would you say that most gamers hate Last of Us? They are opinions and they don't matter at the end of the day if you are buying something

I look at metacritics but usually i just follow my gut feeling, i bought Destiny yesterday, now before any reviews are out and i can tell allready that this game is good, at least good enough for me. I agree though one single review does not mean anything, look at The Last Of Us review and score here on GameSpot for instance.

At this point, I only read reviews because I'm interested in seeing what that particular critic thought of the game, especially those who I greatly disagree with. I find there's value in exploring different views. Helps me appreciate games I love even more, as well as better articulate what I dislike about games I don't enjoy. Plus, the more opinionated the author, the more interesting the article.

This.

I think you missed the sarcastic part of that statement.

For the most part I don't pay attention to reviewers at all, since I thoroughly research the games I want to buy before making purchases. If I like them it doesn't matter what reviewers say. Some reviews are downright atrocious. IGN makes perfect example of this. They tend to give scores for no reason sometimes or find flaws that don't matter and detract points for them.

Also lately a lot of sites don't even put out reviews before a big game comes out. IGN and GS both haven't put up a review of Destiny yet. What's the point then? If I were going to make an impulse purchase on day one then it makes reviews obsolete anyway since they're not even up sometimes.

The only time I will check out reviews is if I'm on the fence about a game, but I'll look at multiple sources (including the gaming community) and check out gameplay footage as well. I don't let reviewers sway me.

I do tend to listen to them, but they don't effect my decision unless i am unsure about the game

@Minishdriveby: How do they not affect the industry? They get coverage, the devs and publsihers pay attention.

@The_Last_Ride:We read reviews to be informed about games or give a damn what some random guy thinks?

Nuff said.

You're like me then when it comes to purchasing games then

Ziiiing. Right on @The_Last_Ride

Reviews matter to me because, when done well, they are a good blend of work and play. It has always been good to be able to look into a magazine or on a website and see that others appreciate video games. We may be different in some ways, but we share that similarity.

How much influence have the opinions of game critics had on game developers and publishers? Publishers are already moving away from game sites using more direct feeds to disseminate news. When's the last time a bad review stopped a well marketed game from selling millions? Has the sexist critique stopped the making of the next gears of war, god of war, tomb raider, etc.?

I think people overstate the influence that game sites have on the important aspect of the game industry, development, especially in this day and age.

Yes, developers may get bonuses for a higher metacritic score, but reviewers/publications didn't have say in making that bonus addendum.

I use reviews as a reference point, not a purchase decision. Sometimes I'm disappointed in what reviews say (Metro: Last Light and the Borderlands games come to mind), but others I've agreed with to a point.

@Minishdriveby: You are wrong.

You fail to see what reviews have done to how games are made and you pick on sexism stopping god of war or tomb raider when neither of those games is out nor have anything to do with the topic.

The creator of god of war was accused by sexism from some jouranlist and had a fight, there is an audio clip somewhere. The saints row devs were accused of that as well and said "yeah you are right we could do better" because they didnt want any problems. The divinity dev said that journalists cause problem to them. You may not see it now but you will see in the future that games will change to fit their style.

Take a look at wolfenstein it didnt sell because of the bad reviews, TLOU and bioshock infinite sold because of them. Lets not get into awards where gone home an depression quest get awards.

Devs see all that and they adapt.

thanks dude

God of War was a storm of controversy since the very beginning due to the sex mini-game, each successor had the mini-game. Yes, David Jaffe was accused of being a misogynist, but what did that accumulate to other than a recorded confrontation? He's still lewd and abrasive; he didn't change. If developers want to change after taking in criticism that's fine too, no one is forcing them to change, despite what many might think.

What? The New Order? The one that just released? It Has an x>80% on metacritic. It was lauded as a surprise hit. It also topped sales charts. If you want to talk about reviewer's influence or lack there of, why not talk about Okami? why not talk about Resident Evil 6? Why not talk about Alien Colonial Marines? In all cases, review scores weren't positively correlated with sales. What does influence sales? Marketing campaigns. The Last of Us and BioShock Infinite had huge ones, so did Resident Evil 6.

Gone Home deserved every award it recieved.

I don't use reviews as a buying decision nowadays, instead I use'em to get a fresh perspective on a game and to give me something to think about.

reviews matter.......

They do matter!

Name some games that got bad reviews yet u enjoy the hell outta it ! For instance Resident Evil Operation Racoon city or Ride to hell Retribution , got utterly bad reviews and they were such poor games , on the other hand The Last of Us got high praises and it turned out to be masterpiece , the same can be said for numerous games like GTA series , Bioshock series, Batman Arkham series etc ....there maybe a few exceptions tho

Granted most of the reviews are full of crap but you can definitely rely on the ones you trust, after all it's not just a score you can read the damn review or watch it to decide , you're an adult and you can make a decision on your own , it's not like they throw a score out there without having anything to explain , based on my experience solid reviews can help a lot in making a decision for buying a game ......

@Minishdriveby:

This "boohoo games are not for women" happen in the last few yers and it exploded the last few weeks.

So you cant put the god of war series on it.

The new order has 80 on pc, on the rest its 7, most reviewers bashed it for having "dated mechanics" and "crappy pickup system" needless to point out the same pickup system was freaking fine in bioshock infinite and borderlands 2.

The new order hasnt sold well and most people dismissed it due to its score.

As ken levine said bioshock infinite did not have alot of marketing or development budget, then again he did the hyping by himsefl by giving interviews everywhere. Still its the score that got the sales not him talking. Same on TLOU the pefect scores got the sales.

Both colonial marines and re6 flopped. Honestly neither of them was as bad as the reviews made them,seems there is no middle ground either the gmae is 4 or its a 8-9 no 6 or 7s.

"Gone Home deserved every award it recieved."

... i facepalmed.

So it deserved goty on polygon?

so it deserved best pc game?

It deserved best indie game? GAME???? id rather give that award to a ton of games that came out that year.

But back on top, you do know that depression quest, which is not even a game took the award from papers please? How is that evne possible, i smell corruption.

Opinions shouldn't matter to you unless they're mine.

Same with the Sims 4 and Walking dead, But i see that as a unfortunately knowledge that there are a lot of gamers out there who actually follow the reviews and let them make up their mind, like you say yourself "if i wanted to make a impulse buy" So developers/publishers have gone away from giving out early review copies, not to mention its probably also due to security and how fast "review copies" can end up on the dark side. But they know how harmful a bad review can be.

They perhaps matter to you but they don't matter one bit to me. I would never dream of letting anyone but myself decide my opinion about subjective things.

And what games i enjoy with a bad review, Thief, remember me, Walking dead, Dead Rising 3. pro cycling manager and there are a lot of other games.

I managed to find a study on the subject here. Look, I don't doubt reviews have some influence, otherwise people wouldn't be constantly whining about the scores. But whatever sells a game is always the result of multiple factors. Bad review scores can be outweighed by marketing or collective hype and good scores can be outweighed by bad pre-release impressions, a lack of pre-release coverage or collective suspicion. Then there's the whole franchise influence that will keep people coming back, regardless of actual quality (AC, CoD, BF). Some games have a legacy that might affect sales (previous games in this series were good, the new one must be aswell). Some games are simply bought because they present a setting or a theme that appeals to people. Heck, some games probably sell because people want to talk about it.

I think RE6 and Alien: Colonial Marines didn't just sell because of marketing. RE6 also sold because it was simply part of the Resident Evil franchise. A:CM also sold because it had Aliens (and I also heard stories about people buying the game, because it's so bad that you have to play it). Still, I think a lot of people will buy a game if the majority of reviews give a game a 9 and will refrain from buying it if most reviews give it a 3. But the point is that it isn't just reviews that affect sales and you will never be able to accurately determine which factors were the most influential.

I agree I don't care anymore when it come to reviews I did when I was younger but not anymore I decide for myself If I want to buy a particular gamei just do my research before I hand over my cash.

You could just look at the gameplay and see it's crap. That's easy. There is always gameplay footage of games up before they launch

but do you feel that part that stems from reviews changing? Old school EGM, GAmepro, Gameplayers, and gamefan reviews are nothing like the ones of today. Todays reviews are not reviews, they are GAME SHOWCASES.

elaborate please

Walking Dead was swimming in 8s.9s and even 10s ! loved that game myself ....almost all reviews were positive!

Theif was around 7 , 7 is "Bad"? ! 7 is good to me !

Remember me was 6 or sth , didn't enjoy it myself but as i said always there are a few exceptions

Dead Rising 3 got good reviews too , 7s and 8s .....C'mon man you expect reviews to be all 9s and 10s ?!

You decide to buy a game just based on a 20minutes gameplay footage?! where there's nothing about "Story" or "Characters" in it? They do matter , i always watch trailers and stuff before the game launches but that ain't enough ....i need to see some reviews to be sold on it.

All i'm saying is that you're not gonna regret buying a game that has got good reviews, my approach to buy a game is like this : Watching trailers , listening to what devs has got to say like interviews, and finally reading some reviews ....sometimes i get to be sold on before even reading reviews for games like Batman Arkham series or GTA series .....i only read reviews when i have some doubts so they matter.

@mjorh: Take Shadow of Mordor for example. I've seen two hours of footage of it. That's more than enough for me. I have bought games earlier that have had good reviews, which were absolute crap to me. Just because it has a good review doesn't mean it's a good game.

I try to read multiple reviews from different sources. Sometimes reviews are indicative of whether or not I'll like a game. I tend to read negative ones since they focus more on the flaws. Doing that I determine if those will be enough to ruin the game for me.

Because of this, I regret very, very few game purchases. Hell the only one I can think of that I genuinely regret is far Cry 2 for obvious reasons.