How Important Are Game Reviews?
See Full ImagePublishers are well aware of the impact review scores have on the sales success of any given title; in fact, last year, one analyst said that titles that score at or above the 90% mark tend to sell three times more copies than games that fall below that elite level. This isn't necessarily surprising, because for the most part, the best games in this industry's history are also the best selling. There are a few exceptions - there are always exceptions - but we should take pride in being part of an industry where, typically, the fans reward the top-quality products.
Therefore, we have to believe that reviews play a significant role in the purchasing decisions of the consumer. If they didn't, we wouldn't bother to write them. However, to what extent do the reviews affect your decision when you're on the fence? Do you go more with your gut feeling or do you rely on the numerical scores the game drags in? We're relatively certain there are plenty of fans out there who will automatically buy the newest installment in their favorite franchise (for example, I'm getting Final Fantasy XIII, regardless of reviews). But when it comes to games you're not familiar with - IPs, for instance - we imagine that reviews may serve their intended purpose, and those of you who were initially reluctant to pick up something like Uncharted: Drake's Fortune were swayed due to the high critical praise. And with more new stuff, like titles going up on the PSN and Live Marketplace, it can be difficult to choose correctly all the time.
We're also well aware of the gamers who simply believe they know more than all the critics, anyway, and they'd rather listen to reader reviews. ...well, based on what we've seen of reader reviews, you may find yourself either dropping $60 for a worthless game or needlessly avoiding one that's definitely worth your hard-earned cash. While no reviewer should place himself/herself on a pedestal above those he's supposed to be servicing, it wouldn't make much sense to install random people into such positions. We'd like to believe that most reviewers these days are experts, and that they know more about the industry than the average fan. Perhaps more importantly, they have a much larger "compare-and-contrast" base to use for each of their reviews, which in turn helps the reader. We're not trying to deify the critic - far from it - but to assume all critics are either "paid off" or "just kids who don't know anything I don't know" is a mistake. And we're just wondering- what kind of impact do reviews have on your gaming life?
By the way, this article was inspired by this same topic that is currently being discussed in our ever-growing forums. Comment here or jump in there to add your voice to the throng. What say you?
2/16/2009 Ben Dutka
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Comments (92 posts)
Random_Steve
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 12:46:22 PM
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NiteKrawler
Monday, February 16, 2009 @ 10:42:10 PM
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JaktheDaxter
Monday, February 16, 2009 @ 10:42:30 PM
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I like the idea of reviews, which I don't think came out in my posts, but I feel over the years the opinions of alot of reviewers get in the way of fair scores.
That was the main cause of my arguement against Edge's review of Killzone 2.
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JaktheDaxter
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 5:09:37 AM
I just wanted to point that out.
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Cpt_Geez
Monday, February 16, 2009 @ 10:43:04 PM
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JasperLoons
Monday, February 16, 2009 @ 10:47:20 PM
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What I do trust are averages, so in that sense reviews are very important to what games I purchase. Though, there are games that I will or won't play no matter what the reviews say.
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Ed_Wayne
Monday, February 16, 2009 @ 10:53:11 PM
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Qubex
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 4:52:16 AM
Q!
"i aM hOme"
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Tim Speed24
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 7:34:01 AM
Examples: I loved Dark Sector, Turok and Dirt. All had gameplay you can't find in other games. I still have all 3 of these games in my collection.
Traded in MGS4, RFOM2 and GTAIV because I was bored with them and they had that 'been there done that' feel from the start.
Last edited by Tim Speed24 on 2/17/2009 7:34:35 AM
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infekt
Monday, February 16, 2009 @ 10:55:44 PM
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eLLeJuss
Monday, February 16, 2009 @ 11:09:35 PM
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Deleted User
Monday, February 16, 2009 @ 11:15:32 PM
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Tim Speed24
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 7:36:59 AM
Add in GT5 too.
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Aftab
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 1:24:58 PM
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Tim Speed24
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 1:33:57 PM
I'm not going to buy a Country album because someone rated it a 10/10 or #1 on the country charts. Not my style of music.
I'm not going to buy an Hyundia because some magazine picks it as car of the year. So reviews of games are an opinion of the reviewer. I have my own opinions on games.
Sometimes you need to think for yourself and you might find yourself playing games that didn't rate high. Diamonds in the rough, Diamonds in the rough, Man.
L7 345T
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Aftab
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 10:34:08 PM
So, I'll admit, there are games that I know I'll get regardless of the reviews. These are quite few in number, and they do tend to get very positive reviews. Then, there are a whole bunch of games that I'll consider based on reviews from a respected source: LBP, GTA4, MGS4, Deadspace, Prince of Persia, Uncharted, Gears of War 1&2, Resistance 1&2, Ratchet & Clank: TOD are all games that I wasn't initially inclined to playing. But after learning more about them, again from respected sources, I picked them up and, boy, was I glad that I didn't miss out on them.
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shadowpal2
Monday, February 16, 2009 @ 11:18:12 PM
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Mirror's Edge was a good example. I read IGN's review of it. They said it was ok and that it was mainly one of those games that really depend on the player's tastes. So I watched this walkthrough and found the game to be only 2.5 hours or something like that.
I'm ok with that, since the gameplay is so...god IT JUST REALLY PUTS YOU INTO IT! Like when you're making a jump...I was seriously jumping out of my chair wondering if Faith was going to make it. And bam she made it. And I WASN'T EVEN PLAYING!!! It was a freaking video. That was one positive aspect the game review told me. Then...it told me about some cons like the short gameplay time and how levels looked very similar to each other. During the beginning and the end you could see some differences in levels. But during the middle WOW - the levels look very very similar. Especially with the whole "Go through a door and pass this hallway with this colored stripe" thing. Also there were moments when the gameplay was sort of defeated and instead of running you actually had to fight. I can understand that with bosses and stuff but not...like regular enemies. The review told me about that as well.
So yea...reviews are helpful. VERY HELPFUL. And I appreciate people doing it. Well...I appreciate people who DO IT HONESTLY. And of course PSXextreme never fails on those. It's just in my blood to go to IGN first...sorry =(.
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Geobaldi
Monday, February 16, 2009 @ 11:30:23 PM
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WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, February 16, 2009 @ 11:50:47 PM
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One thing I've learned this Gen is not to put too much weight on demos though.
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Frenchy17
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 9:09:42 AM
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Advent Child
Monday, February 16, 2009 @ 11:58:38 PM
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Aftab
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 12:48:56 AM
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Aftab
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 12:50:47 AM
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Kryptoknight
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 12:04:08 AM
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Banky A
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 12:17:43 AM
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PS1 games were getting cheap so I didn't need reviews, 75% of games I played were completely awesome anyway.
Back in the PS2 days the only reviews I've ever seen and read were Official Playstation Magazine - Australia.
I never read reviews apart from buying an occasional OPSM mag.. and ironically they all the right score for me.
I loved every game they gave a 7-8/10 or more. It was a very easy videogame picking process.
;P
But now new games costs $100+ (NZD) so looking for reviews is recommended.
[Mini-story]
The complete opposite of the time I had $50 to spend on a game, I went to a store with my neighbour. There were no good games on sale so he told me to buy Kingdom Hearts. And there we were thinking it might've been too kiddyish but it happened to be my greatest PS2 surprise.
That, is all.
=D
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blitz30952
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 3:08:04 AM
Last edited by blitz30952 on 2/17/2009 3:08:25 AM
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Qubex
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 4:56:33 AM
But ya still need to read a few reviews to get a really good idea of what the game is about, especially new I.P.
Also, lest not forget readers comments; they can be very helpful sometimes - again though depends on the group of people that usually comment... and of course, here at PSX... there are opinions you can trust... what a wonderful group we are :)
Q!
"i aM hOMe"
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dfm078
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 7:59:33 AM
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dfm078
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 8:08:27 AM
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raztad
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 8:48:26 AM
Now on topic, if you are going to spend 60+ $ in a game you need to do it wisely, so the opinion of trusted sources are always welcome.
Talking about prices, I think games need a price cut, a 50$ price will make them much more accessible to more people. I know it sounds crazy, but the high price is what makes people go to second hand games to get their fixes.
Last edited by raztad on 2/17/2009 9:02:55 AM
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Kevadu
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 12:30:28 AM
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Aftab
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 12:54:11 AM
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www
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 6:05:46 AM
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ceedot
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 1:01:17 AM
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Gabriel013
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 1:13:08 AM
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ps92117
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 1:33:01 AM
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Last edited by ps92117 on 2/17/2009 1:35:49 AM
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crapreviews
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 2:34:14 AM
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BeezleDrop
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 2:44:38 AM
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BigBoss4ever
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 2:51:48 AM
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Last edited by BigBoss4ever on 2/17/2009 2:57:16 AM
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JaktheDaxter
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 6:35:22 AM
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blitz30952
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 3:04:53 AM
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Woops! Just read Banky A's comment and I basically wrote exactly the same thing.. :P
Last edited by blitz30952 on 2/17/2009 3:06:45 AM
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FLYING_APE
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 3:15:11 AM
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That why i come here for detailed review and ign
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orangpelupa
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 4:40:26 AM
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and the review score is not too important for me.
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www
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 6:06:36 AM
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Last edited by www on 2/17/2009 6:06:52 AM
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whooka
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 6:29:51 AM
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I must say one of the best ways to get me to break down and buy something is to give me a DEMO! esp some games where reviews go either way or there's a particular angle people are reporting on that's holding me up. I waited four months to buy LittleBigPlanet because reviews of the controls and single player game were all mixed pretty well. I bought it with extra tax return money and love it. Had I actually been able to play a level or two back in October I would have bought it prob right away.
Cmon Sony, more demos! Xbox360 gets demos for everything. I'd pay for an online service for PS3 if it meant a usable multiplayer network and more demos!
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LightShow
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 6:41:18 AM
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other peoples opinions are important, but I'm the one who's paying a stack of cash for it, So it's MY opinion that matters in the end.
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Tim
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 6:44:22 AM
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Highbird
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 6:55:02 AM
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I'll list some games that I really had no interest in UNTIL I read reviews of them:
Uncharted
Warhawk
Valkyria Chronicles (hell, most people STILL don't know this exists)
BioShock
Burnout Paradise
Call of Duty 4
Call of Duty: World At War
..thats a few..theres more!
Though Disgaea 3 didn't get super high review scores, I was gonna buy it no matter what cuz all the Disgaea games are awesome!
And for sure, I would have NEVER!!! bought games off the PSN had I not read reviews (except for SF2 of course). So now I have 11 games I bought from PSN based 100% on the reviews I read.
Reviews are big for me. I go through and read handfuls of the random sites on Metacritic who review each game. That way I'm gonna get the extreme worst of every game and the extreme best of every game.
Some games though are automatic no's no matter what the review says...and those of course being games based on Movies!!! They're ALWAYS total crap and if I hear any of my friends or whatever talking about 'em or saying they're gonna buy 'em, I shut them down quick!! I don't know how many people bought that garbage @$$ transformers movie game and we're totally disappointed. Only good movie-based game I've played was Goldeneye for N64! Call me when they make one on par with that!
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Arvis
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 3:44:17 PM
-Arvis
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Victor321
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 6:59:52 AM
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Dustinwp
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 8:48:52 AM
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Last edited by Dustinwp on 2/17/2009 8:51:04 AM
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DigitalStorm
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 8:56:28 AM
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Invariably, reviews come out prior to a game launch (ah-hem KZ2 & Gamespot) and unless you have your well and truly buried in the sand, or are just plain stupid, you will sub/consciously take note.
To this end, do we think reviews are important?
Let us take a system in which they were not available. We would own lots more duffers in our collections than we currently do. (Moreover, the duffers that we do own are more likely than not the ones, which we stupidly did not read the reviews on!)
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JaktheDaxter
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 9:22:02 AM
I completely disagree with that logic. I alone have played a ton of games that were not on the receiving end of high praise from any reviewer. As have many of other people.
Just because a game isn't considered "good" does not automatically mean you can not derive any form of entertainment from it.
You may be right that we would own more "duffers," but to assume given a second chance we would not buy it again for the entertainment it provided, is "just plain stupid."
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DigitalStorm
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 10:51:01 AM
I did not mention quality or whether a game was "good", as you put it.
What I did mention was duffer - and that my friend - is entirely subjective.
Last edited by DigitalStorm on 2/17/2009 10:51:34 AM
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JaktheDaxter
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 1:00:15 PM
Based on your use of the word, I can't quite understand exactly what you mean seeing as the only definition of the word I could find referred to a bad golfer.
However,
"(Moreover, the duffers that we do own are more likely than not the ones, which we stupidly did not read the reviews on!)"
I do understand.
That is what I disagree with. The implication is assuming if we had read a review on a possibly "bad" game then it would have irrevocably caused us to not buy it in the first place.
Your use of the word "stupidly" implies that there would have been a reason to make us feel stupid. That is considered assumption. I don't agree.
"Whatever anyone likes to think - reviews are important."
You leave no room for fallability and while I do actually agree they are important, you are basically telling everyone they are wrong. Some people could not agree and you have to respect that.
"...and unless you have your well and truly buried in the sand, or are just plain stupid, you will sub/consciously take note."
Basically saying, YOUR opinion is right, while also insulting the other readers who disagree.
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DigitalStorm
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 1:47:18 PM
Duffer, in the context I use, means not one of your best games. (I don’t really get why I had to explain the meaning?)
And more likely than not if you have bought one of these – you probably wont have researched it as much as say a premium game in your collection.
You with me so far?...
Your next few lines bored me so I won’t retort.
I will however point out the irony in reading all the way up to fallibility. (Sad, but it made me chuckle; it's incorrectly spelt)
So for reference, are you saying you never read reviews? Never visit PS3 websites? Never researched a purchase? Nope, I thought not.
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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 3:34:27 PM
...and isn't "duffer" a golf term? Like for a golfer?
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NiteKrawler
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 4:32:10 PM
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Aftab
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 10:50:24 PM
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JaktheDaxter
Wednesday, February 18, 2009 @ 2:30:02 AM
Its was boring so you didn't read it. That does not make it false.
If you wish to continue. I'm in the forums.
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DigitalStorm
Wednesday, February 18, 2009 @ 6:20:40 AM
sub/consciously - granted is spelt incorrectly. it must have been a subconscious thing. I only pointed out his mistake because of the word and the timing, it amused me.
Duffer is a golfing term, amongst others...
...Slang, anything counterfeit or worthless.
PS. NiteKrawler, FYI it should be spelt, night crawler.
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NiteKrawler
Wednesday, February 18, 2009 @ 11:25:48 AM
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NiteKrawler
Wednesday, February 18, 2009 @ 5:02:07 PM
Last edited by NiteKrawler on 2/18/2009 5:02:30 PM
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Naga
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 9:46:39 AM
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But I only read reviews on games that I have no clue on earth what the gameplay is like
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Robochic
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 10:19:54 AM
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I just wish i would of waited for the review on LOTR:conquest man that game sucked! thank goodness i got my $ back through the deal w.ebgames. Games are pricy at times so i want to make 100% that the amount i am paying for reflects what i am getting.
Hey ben when can we expect the review on RE5?
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caddillac
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 10:33:46 AM
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Arvis
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 10:56:23 AM
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http://justpressplay.net/game-reviews/35-reviews/4825-street-fighter-iv-x360.html
I've literally NEVER read a review so poorly written. It's obvious that the writer was not actually trying.
-Arvis
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NiteKrawler
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 10:41:40 PM
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Arvis
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 11:47:29 AM
-Arvis
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Big_Boss
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 11:31:48 AM
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Orvisman
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 11:55:56 AM
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I, however, will admit to picking up a CD or game or watching a TV show or movie that gets universally decent reviews.
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JDC80
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 12:14:12 PM
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Scarecrow
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 1:23:19 PM
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It's important since playing the game is a completely different experience from just seeing it.
But yeah there are times when one sees promise in a game and no matter what reviews say that game can be amazing for some.
For example Thousand Arms is one of the best if not the best rpg I ever played. But the reviews always gave it an 8 or 7...Though Gamer's Republic(great mag back then) gave it an A- so yeah.
Right now I'm all 'bout psxe's reviews, in fact I can't even remember a review of them I disagree with(save for Shadow of Colossus)
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coldbore
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 2:39:58 PM
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Luiscosmo2
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 3:52:51 PM
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Bugzbunny109
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 @ 6:07:40 PM
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DigitalStorm
Wednesday, February 18, 2009 @ 6:21:49 AM
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daus26
Wednesday, February 18, 2009 @ 1:27:23 AM
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So for example I'm reading a review on Dynasty Warriors 6. Scores are bad, but reading the review, all the points that made the game score lower were things that I didn't care about.
Thats what I look for in review. To see if the things that made the game score lower would matter to me. If not, I'd buy the game, regardless of the score it get.
So if a game would score low, the reviewer better explain it well!
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Ves
Wednesday, February 18, 2009 @ 9:37:05 AM
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slayerkillemall
Wednesday, February 18, 2009 @ 11:53:48 AM
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my point is that reviews are 50/50 you win some you loose some.
i look at reviews to give me an idea of what the game is about i dont really look at the score just at the breakdown of the game and why it recieved that said score also it depends on whos review it is for example i know ben and cast will give an honest review but i also know he likes rpgs which i hate,so i go in with that in mind. the reason is the last time i bought a game based on reviews was star wars battlefront 2 for ps2 it got rave reviews so i paid $50 but when i played it i felt ripped off it felt as if i was playing final fantasy (no pun intended)i paid for a shooter not a rpg..
so in few words reviews are a helpful part of the information to decide what to do about the game but at the end of the road its me who makes the final decision....
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Qubex
Reply
Monday, February 16, 2009 @ 10:41:23 PM
Q!
"i am hOMe"