Absolutely always wait for reviews and consensus. And only from established sites. And I don't trust a single you tuber
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Do reviews influence your decisions?
- Thread starter MysticGon
- Start date
Sometimes. If a game is universally panned by critics (FO76, etc) then I'll take note and likely give that game a miss. Divisive reviews don't sway my opinion at all though. Games like ELEX, Vampyr and Outward didn't review all that well but were still some of my favourite games of this generation. I likely wouldn't have picked them up if I had listened to the critics.
The people saying never are like the people who don't think advertising affects them. :P
Anyone who cares enough to be on site, even if you don't really look at reviews is still getting the a general idea of the reception of most games, which will always influence you to a degree.
As long as you don't take reviews as gospel but just use them to inform your own opinion it's fine.
Anyone who cares enough to be on site, even if you don't really look at reviews is still getting the a general idea of the reception of most games, which will always influence you to a degree.
As long as you don't take reviews as gospel but just use them to inform your own opinion it's fine.
Not really tbh.
I read & watch reviews for general information mostly, as in, things that aren't subjective (gameplay loop, difficulty, performance, etc). There's been far too many instances where I've loved a game that consensus deemed average or bad and disliked or felt apathetic towards games that consensus showered praise on. I'm usually attuned to what games appeal to me.
I read & watch reviews for general information mostly, as in, things that aren't subjective (gameplay loop, difficulty, performance, etc). There's been far too many instances where I've loved a game that consensus deemed average or bad and disliked or felt apathetic towards games that consensus showered praise on. I'm usually attuned to what games appeal to me.
No. And even if a game is broken, I'll hear about it on sites like this. Reviews are mostly useless for me at this point.
I know if I'll like something simply by watching some gameplay.
I know if I'll like something simply by watching some gameplay.
I bought Celeste because IGN gave it a 10.
Probably would have saw how great it was on here but it's that review that made me buy it.
Really glad I did.
Probably would have saw how great it was on here but it's that review that made me buy it.
Really glad I did.
No, and I actually feel strongly about this because it's no longer something I can rely on.
Gaming coverage is worse off I believe for leaning too much into 'personalities' but trying to add nuance and qualify why I feel this way is extremely difficult.
Case in point there's a new Tim Rogers video on DKC 25 years on.
I have a real love for that game.
But I don't care for Tim Rogers' videos.
The guy himself is lovely - his work and long list of past works let that shine through - I just don't feel the same way about the 'personality' that comes across. And I get that's the point.
Many modern reviews take this approach. Screaming angry or soft spoken with deep knowledge sprinkled about; lewd joke or random comment about Jeffry Epstein; it's the act first and the intent - not using the word content here on purpose - second.
In a different time, you could change switch the station.Turn the radio dial. Not so with modern media.
Reviews as an art form will continue to evolve, it's exciting to see them grow and change with the medium itself.
Oh, hi Tim :)
Gaming coverage is worse off I believe for leaning too much into 'personalities' but trying to add nuance and qualify why I feel this way is extremely difficult.
Case in point there's a new Tim Rogers video on DKC 25 years on.
I have a real love for that game.
But I don't care for Tim Rogers' videos.
The guy himself is lovely - his work and long list of past works let that shine through - I just don't feel the same way about the 'personality' that comes across. And I get that's the point.
Many modern reviews take this approach. Screaming angry or soft spoken with deep knowledge sprinkled about; lewd joke or random comment about Jeffry Epstein; it's the act first and the intent - not using the word content here on purpose - second.
In a different time, you could change switch the station.Turn the radio dial. Not so with modern media.
Reviews as an art form will continue to evolve, it's exciting to see them grow and change with the medium itself.
Oh, hi Tim :)
If I'm interested in a game that doesn't review well then I'm still interested... I'm just now also waiting for a sale.
if not for reviews I never would've tried Fallout, Ouendan or Picross to name a few that I later loved, not to mention a slew of indie games.
if not for reviews I never would've tried Fallout, Ouendan or Picross to name a few that I later loved, not to mention a slew of indie games.
Of course. I don't have time to play every game out there, so reviewers perform a necessary service. It's not the on;y factor I consider, but it is an important one. It's the same with movies.
I've honestly never read a game review in my life and they will never influence my opinion of what to get or not. I know why they exist and know they are useful but no one has my exact likes and dislikes so they personally don't do anything for me. At most I watch some gameplay footage or a little bit of a playthrough video on youtube (if its an already released game) if I'm unsure about something.
Pretty much my entire life the decision to purchase or not purchase a game has come almost entirely based on if I like the box art or not, I have a near perfect record with that method going back almost 20 years now. Works for me 😅
Pretty much my entire life the decision to purchase or not purchase a game has come almost entirely based on if I like the box art or not, I have a near perfect record with that method going back almost 20 years now. Works for me 😅
Sometimes.
But it's usually in regards to games I wasn't already considering. Occasionally a game will come out of nowhere and get great reviews so I may pick it up despite previously being uninterested. On the flip side, if I have my eye on a game I will usually get it regardless of reviews barring a complete disaster.
But it's usually in regards to games I wasn't already considering. Occasionally a game will come out of nowhere and get great reviews so I may pick it up despite previously being uninterested. On the flip side, if I have my eye on a game I will usually get it regardless of reviews barring a complete disaster.
Only for things I'm very on the fence about, stuff that's outside my wheelhouse where I'm looking for takes from people who are also usually not a fan of that genre etc.
influence is a good way of putting it.
i can pretty much decide if a game is my cup of tea or not by pre-release footage. i use game reviews to identify issues not apparent from pre-release footage, or as a deeper dive into a games mechanics than the devs/pubishers released pre-launch.
thats about it. otherwise, i view them as one persons opinion, much like impressions posted on a viday game forum.
i didn't vote because i'm not sure any option accurately reflects my point of view
i can pretty much decide if a game is my cup of tea or not by pre-release footage. i use game reviews to identify issues not apparent from pre-release footage, or as a deeper dive into a games mechanics than the devs/pubishers released pre-launch.
thats about it. otherwise, i view them as one persons opinion, much like impressions posted on a viday game forum.
i didn't vote because i'm not sure any option accurately reflects my point of view
User reviews are a lot worse on Metacritic than critic reviews for a lot of reasons so I wouldn't trust those. Steam reviews tho, they're more reliable
On Steam, when the game has a read rating (negative) , I rarely bother reading up on it.
Yellow (mixed) I do research. Watch videos, read opinions.
Funnily enough, score-based reviews I don't care much. The numbers don't convey enough. Always have to do research to be satisfied.
Yellow (mixed) I do research. Watch videos, read opinions.
Funnily enough, score-based reviews I don't care much. The numbers don't convey enough. Always have to do research to be satisfied.
hell yeah.
I was so excited for Arkham Knight. And i had to call an audible and completely put off buying a PS4 for the game....for a long time. Because of negative reaction. And especially angry joes's review.
I actually finally played it in the last couple months because of GamePass and then i think it was a PS+ game.
and i surprisingly liked it
I was so excited for Arkham Knight. And i had to call an audible and completely put off buying a PS4 for the game....for a long time. Because of negative reaction. And especially angry joes's review.
I actually finally played it in the last couple months because of GamePass and then i think it was a PS+ game.
and i surprisingly liked it
To some extent obviously. If a game I've never heard of is reviewing extremely well I'll likely take a closer look at it, at the very least. Coversely, if something I wanted is getting 4s and 3s, I may hold off. So it's a thing of extremes really. If I want something and it gets a 7 or 8, I'm relatively nonplussed.
Context matters too. I don't get if like IGN or Angry Joe say gives Pirahna Bytes next game a shit review.
Context matters too. I don't get if like IGN or Angry Joe say gives Pirahna Bytes next game a shit review.
I do not pay attention to most gaming reviews.
It's really just about me following particular series and going towards my genre preferences.
I think it's incredibly sad that some people will buy a game just because it has a high metacritic. Those people will then turn around and say "Waah, this game is not for me! It's so overrated!"
It's really just about me following particular series and going towards my genre preferences.
I think it's incredibly sad that some people will buy a game just because it has a high metacritic. Those people will then turn around and say "Waah, this game is not for me! It's so overrated!"
Yes, but I would say it's not equal. The following is under the assumption that I'm interested in the game in the first place.
In general I would say games with 80+ doesn't really change much for me. The difference between good and great isn't really a big deal.
Games that get lower than 80 but above 70 give me pause.
Games that get lower than 70 I tend to ignore. Unless the fan backlash is big enough to take a second look.
In general I would say games with 80+ doesn't really change much for me. The difference between good and great isn't really a big deal.
Games that get lower than 80 but above 70 give me pause.
Games that get lower than 70 I tend to ignore. Unless the fan backlash is big enough to take a second look.
Of course they do. Sure, there's some small subset of games where my interest in a developer or franchise means I'm in no matter what, but most games exist in a limbo where of course I'm not going to expend my time and money if most people are coming away thinking the game is uninteresting, and there are tons of games that I had no interest in until they came out and reviews were glowing
Depends. If I've already kind of made my mind up on buying a game, I'm probably going to buy it either way. But if I'm on the fence, I'll certainly look to reviews. Or if something wasn't really on my radar, but gets excellent reviews/word of mouth, I'll likely pick it up.
Not really. I feel like I know enough about my own tastes to judge whether I will like something on my own.
One of the few times in recent years where I paid attention to reviews when making a purchase decision was with FFXV, as I am a big FF fan, but had hated the last few single player offerings SE put out. After reading quite a few of the reviews available during week one, I felt like it would be a more complete experience than it really was and hated almost everything about it from the cast, overall plot, mash-y action combat, lack of customization, lack of magic systems, etc.
One of the few times in recent years where I paid attention to reviews when making a purchase decision was with FFXV, as I am a big FF fan, but had hated the last few single player offerings SE put out. After reading quite a few of the reviews available during week one, I felt like it would be a more complete experience than it really was and hated almost everything about it from the cast, overall plot, mash-y action combat, lack of customization, lack of magic systems, etc.
Well, I just let the metacritic/opencritic be the judge, most of the time. Though, reviews are meant to tell you about the quality of a product, whether you'll enjoy it or not is entirely up to you and nobody can decide that for you, which is something most people misunderstand, just because you had fun with 6/10 game doesn't qualify it to be +8/10.. and yeah, 6/10 doesn't mean a bad game, actually
No because big AAA and overhyped titles always take high scores with very few exceptions. Reviews has become more marketing tools rather than reviews. Review sites (and publishers) are very aware the scores they give hold major influence in gamers decisions.
I can't remember the last time I actually paid attention to reviews.
I have a tendency to enjoy things which are more divisive and risk taking, with that said.
I have a tendency to enjoy things which are more divisive and risk taking, with that said.
