When I first started playing videogames, I would seek out gaming magazines and pour over the reviews, eager to discover whether a game was "good" or "bad". In those days the number of reviews that you read was far lower than today and, because of that, they seemed to carry more weight; magazines like Computer & Video Games and Zzap!64 were big influencers on my gaming purchases.
Over subsequent years the sources and numbers of reviews has, of course, massively grown. We can now load up Metacritic and have instant access to maybe forty reviews for any particular game. On YouTube, we can have access to hundreds more. The range of reviews can bring about a wider variety of opinion, too. I guess it's natural that the more opinions you gather, the bigger spread you'll see. This can be - and probably is - a good thing; a more comprehensive assessment is available.
But.. but. It has also brought about - for me, anyway - a situation where I tend to skim over reviews and, on an individual basis, place far less value upon them. There are so many; they're not "special" or particularly important. That feels a rough thing to say as I know many reviewers put a high degree of time and sweat into writing a review. My feeling is accentuated because I also increasingly tend to go with my gut instinct more than in years past; I know what kinds of games and styles I like and so I will make a purchase regardless of a few "bad" reviews.
In my mind I now, more than ever, see reviews as just being one person's view. I still like to read - or, more often nowdays, watch - someone's review, but they are not quite the guiding light that I used to regard them as being. Interesting, sometimes entertaining, but not "the final word".
Another aspect is that now, with the huge variety reviews and sources, you see so many varied approaches and styles. This thought struck me when I recently read Kotaku's reviews of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox consoles. They had different authors and totally different approaches; the PS5 review veered into real-world challenges and issues whilst the Xbox review was a more console-focused piece. The difference was startling and, in my eyes, served to underline reviewing today. It's a huge business and yet, when you look closely, perhaps less influential than ever. Maybe they are now more based around entertainment than influence?
Anyway, that was a lengthy opinion piece, wasn't it? How about you? What is your thinking about reviews? Please vote in the poll by selecting an option that best-fits your position and, hey, why not write words here, too? Review the review!
If I read or watch reviews I tend to do so after already playing the game nowadays to see other opinions of it and because "spoiler-free" reviews are rarely completely spoiler-free.
If I'm thinking of buying a game, streams and lets plays do a better job of letting me know if I'd like it.
I still read reviews from various sources and there are some opinions that I hold in high regard, but largely they have little influence on my purchasing habits these days.
Unless there is a clear view that a game is a stinker then if it's a new release from a series or developer I love then I'll probably buy it. Beyond that I tend to just see what people on here are talking about and recommending.
Written reviews used to be my main source of information about whether a game was worth buying or not, and that was mainly from magazines. But I don't read them anymore, and the only site I know or look at that does them is Eurogamer. I barely visit there anymore as it's gown downhill massively though. I think I only go there still out of habit.
Video reviews are different, as I find them far more informative. I get a much better feel for what the game's like from a video, and they can illustrate issues or highlight things far better than text reviews. I'll generally look at several, and then combine that with people's views from on here.
This is going to sound bullish and churlish, but reviews are a tiny factor in my decisions to play a game. Nowadays games are easier than ever to play - rent it, wait until it’s in a sale, or hey, get it on day one. I mean, demos would be good too but just sign up to Boomerang or wait until it’s like £15 if there’s something you’re on the fence about.
A good review is usually a good piece of writing full stop. They do influence my decisions, but I also enjoy reading reviews of games I'll never purchase if they're from someone I know writes a good article.
Unless its, like, resident evil, I'll only buy a game once its had good reviews, but I tend to go with video reviews nowadays. For example, Jim Sterling kept going on about Children of Morta, and I absolutely loved it. Been a while since I read EDGE, but I read that for the writing more than help with purchase decisions...
It's no secret that I have little respect for the average games reviewer. Generally I'll have my eyes set on a game and unless general word of mouth comes out and it's absolute wank, then I'll stick with it regardless of what some guy who likely isn't even a fan of the genre, or who hasn't put in enough time to properly understand the game has to say. It's not really a fault of the reviewer themselves, more the industry around them expecting them to work to deadlines, or being assigned things they otherwise wouldn't focus on.
The closest I'll get to reviews are watching streamers I enjoy, who I know have similar tastes to me. If they get an interesting game that I wasn't thinking of looking at and it looks worthwhile, I might pick it up. But generally I won't pick up a game purely because it scored a 90+ on Metacritic, likewise if I have a game I'm looking forward to, some guy at Kotaku or whatever not liking it isn't going to change that.
I'm at the point now where I pretty much know I'll like a game before I buy it so a review is only useful for the finer points and even then I will normally watch a video review rather than read one. The exception to this is Chris Scullion who's reviews are always worth a read.
I kinda feel sorry for kids though as games magazines are really only bought by old codgers like us. They will either rely on the opinion of their favourite Youtuber (which can be brought) or they will just get locked into playing the same games over and over.
I love taking the mick out of my oldest son because he claims he is a gamer and yet he only ever plays Fortnight and Rocket League. He needs more single player finite games in his life.
Back in my youth I wholly depended on reviews from magazines I knew I could trust. Nowadays, i just confirm on metacritic that a game ain't an onion and take on the general consensus from people on here, along with checking the game in action on YouTube.
I grab whatever, tbh. If its gooseberry fool, its gooseberry fool. I like some games rated badly and dislike some highly rated games, I try gooseberry fool and see if I like it myself.
To go against the consensus, I’m 99% a Nintendonly gamer. That means that I have loads of games to get through (the eShop has brought a lorry load of stuff), but especially this year not much that I’m actively excited about playing. Add to that the fact that I don’t have much time to devote to gaming, sadly, and I need something to guide my purchasing. Reviews are that.
Nintendo Life is my primary source and while I don’t always agree with the authors, I can normally guarantee that a 9/10 for them will be at least a 7/10 for me (so worth playing), when filtered through my gaming tastes (so I still wouldn’t buy a 9/10-rated shooter unless the text was very convincing). If there’s something I was excited about that’s poorly reviewed there I’ll normally get it anyway, but I might look at other sources to make sure I’m not wasting my time.
I’ll also be influenced by popular opinion on communities like this and GNamer, but that’s not worked out as well for me in the past as relying on reviews. And of course there’s the odd well-reviewed title that’s a duffer, but I think I’d be playing more duffers if I went in blind.
I've written and then deleted various version of this post because it seemed unnecessarily long so the basic version:
When I was a kid I had little disposable income so I needed some certainty that when I splashed 50 snoops for an N64 game, it had to be a good one. N64 Magazine never let me down in that respect. Nowadays with print media dying off and video reviews being more common, I rely on channels like SwitchUp for unbiased opinions.
I think reviews have their place, but the most important thing IMO is the source. You have to trust the outlet that is providing you with your information and be sure that your opinions generally align with theirs.
