How do you choose your games?

I just read reviews/previews and view screenshots and keep track of the progress of them and then decide if its worth getting

But it is mainly the previews/reviews that i do follow. If you get say IGN and Gamespot both saying that XXXXX game lacks this, that and something else then they cant both be wrong so you know its not worth getting :) 

i don't use reviews at all, i can usually smell a good game a long way off, so i just go by instinct, and use demos when i'm not sure

i used to use reviews when i was younger - but i don't feel a need to any more, the more i've played games, the more i've just gotten a feel for quality - but i also listen to people whose opinions i respect (close friends or random forum guys who seem vaguely intelligent!!) - i generally ignore user reviews as well, though - if there's one thing you can't trust, it's the opinion of the masses

my general bitterness and cynicism means i never have high expectations, so i'm never disappointed with my purchases - because, yeah, i have made mistakes (i'm looking at you dark messiah!)

it works out nice

I won't get a game anymore without reading at least somekind of review of it, usually I do a lot of background checking(screenshots, user and pro reviews, gameplay videos) before I do anything, I don't try demos tho, it's too slow to download them. Exceptions are sequels to games that I love like Kotor2 or games that belong to rare genres that I love, like spacesims.EntwineX

i used to use reviews when i was younger - but i don't feel a need to any more, the more i've played games, the more i've just gotten a feel for quality - but i also listen to people whose opinions i respect (close friends or random forum guys who seem vaguely intelligent!!) - i generally ignore user reviews as well, though - if there's one thing you can't trust, it's the opinion of the masses

A-S_FM

I agree.  I like to read previews, see what the buzz is, and then I make the best selection on my intuition, preferences, and experience.  I no longer trust reviews because of advertising influences or reviewers that just don't understand gaming/hate certain genres but still review the game.

Like one poster said, choose for fun!  I don't care if the game got a 1 on the scale, if I like it, I like it.  I don't have to justify to anyone or argue.  If that game is enjoyable, then it was worth the cash.

I have made my mistakes, but I can live with them.  It's all about the gaming experience, at least in my estimation. 

Demos-demos-demos

If a company wants me to spend my money it, they better let me try it before I waste $50 and a weekend playing it.

I go by previews more than I do reviews.  I usually skip the run-of-the-mill stuff such as what type of enemies, weapons, etc are going to be in the game and look at the unique stuff the game may or may not have.  If it has a unique environment (such as STALKER), an outstanding story (such as KOTOR), or something else then it gets my attention. 

Then I usually ignore it for a while (hype kills games for me, learned that from my experience with Tiberian Sun and more recently Supreme Commander).  When I see that its getting close to release, I wait for a review.  If the game gets a decent score (anything over 7.0 at Gamespot) then I consider purchasing it.  Also, rarely do I ever buy games that dont have demos or are not similiar enough to a previous game that I dont know what to expect (i.e. Jade Empire didnt have a demo, but having played KOTOR gave me a good idea of what to expect).

For me is all about what makes me interested.  When I first hear about a game, I like to look at the screenshots and read the previews to see what the game is about.  More then often the screenshots will get me interested right away.  I will even wait for gamespot, ign and pcgamer to do their ratings.

I read the REVIEWS but not the score of the game. GS gave Test Drive Unlimited only 7.5 which in my mind should be 10. So i was sceptical before buying the game, but now that i have it, it is waaaayyyy better than what i could have imagined.

So read the review and then best thing to do is ASK HERE OR ANY OTHER GAMING FORUM and hear from the guys that is actually playing the game. I find the best info from the guys here, honestly.

i don't use reviews at all, i can usually smell a good game a long way off, so i just go by instinct, and use demos when i'm not sure

i used to use reviews when i was younger - but i don't feel a need to any more, the more i've played games, the more i've just gotten a feel for quality - but i also listen to people whose opinions i respect (close friends or random forum guys who seem vaguely intelligent!!) - i generally ignore user reviews as well, though - if there's one thing you can't trust, it's the opinion of the masses

my general bitterness and cynicism means i never have high expectations, so i'm never disappointed with my purchases - because, yeah, i have made mistakes (i'm looking at you Gothic3!)

it works out nice

A-S_FM

 Same here.

I'm not the richest person in the world, so I research as much as possible before buying; unless it has a very good advertisement. xD

Usually I start with something that I'm interested in. Then I go online and look at screenshots, look at videos and determine if this is my kind of thing. If so, I'll read some reviews (though they rarely sway my decision, unless there's an obvious pattern in scores), and finally I check the price tag. =)

I do some background research like reviews and screenshots, but I never know unless I have tried it myself so if the game sounds good and the story is alright I take a shot at it.

Most important for me will be the story or settings of the game.

I go to reviews (in some cases cost & download size).

the majoy i see is the rating , particularly to the lifespan of the game.

The graphics and others are quite weighted but the lifespan of the game and its effect on the gammer is what i consider much 

Quite a few things get factored into my game purchases.

In no particular order:

- Previous titles made by the developer and whether or not they were critically acclaimed (in cases where I didn't care to play these previous titles) or titles that I have previously enjoyed from them.

- New appealing gameplay. Is the game offering something new I am interested in?

- Genre. Most RPG's will get at least a rental from me.

- Mood. Sometimes I'll pick up random budget titles or something I wasn't previously very interested in just as a change of pace.

- Somtimes, what a review says, not how it is scored. There are plenty of games I never have to look at a review for to decide if I want to buy them, but these are usually games that fall into the "previous titles" category I listed above. If the title is something I have never heard of (which is rare) or is something I am very unsure of or have heard other people not liking (such as the recent Armored Core 4), I will read reviews and form my opinion. I like to pick through the reviews and look at what they thought was done well and then decide if what they disliked is something that I would also dislike. 

Four parts instinct and one part research. It's worked about 90% of the time.

8)

I look at what previous titles there are

Originality if there is any

How well the gameplay is and how well multiplayer will be

and last of all I'll check reviews from players and other sites.