@avariceny said:
It boggles me how in this day and age media decides how well a product is going to do just because people can't make their own choices. I grew up in a time where I didn't have internet and I didn't read magazines for someones subjective opinion. Dont get me wrong Im curious as the next person on what other people's opinions are on something. I enjoy a good debate and I enjoy hearing people try to explain their justification for why they give something a crappy score or a good one.
I see crappy games get good scores and good games getting crappy scores all the time. I see editors give bogus reasons why a game is great and why another one isnt so great. I see a lot of the same editors contradict themselves. I see some editors give a game a bad review for all the wrong reasons. The thing is how the hell did the world get so Naive and Gullable. The majority of people cant even make their own decisions. I used to buy a game by gambling on how cool the boxart looked on an NES box lol. I made my own decision and I still do.
I dont let a 7/10 tell me I shouldnt buy a game and not for nothing but a 7/10 is still a good score. Are the scores editors give out right all the time and do they match up to what they think is the reason it deserved that score? Subjectively I think no not really. Almost never to be honest. This is why they are purely subjective opinions. There is no "professionalism in reviewing anything". Make up your own damn mind. It just makes me sad when I read comments on here and people wont buy a game because of what Gamespot or IGN says. Its pretty pathetic and sad actually. People say " Im not going to buy this because it didn't at least get an 8" really lol? . The sad part is the ones that say they wont buy it because it got a low score probably go out and buy it anyway.
Call this trolling whatever. Block it ban me I dont care Im not trying to troll or personally attack any one website they are all equally to blame for their lack of professionalism. I just cant stand people who think they have power and try to abuse it because they have their heads too far up their......Im starting to wonder if these editors even play the games for more then a few hours.
It boggles me that people seemingly can't separate fact from opinion. It boggles me that people seemingly can't put opinions into perspective and make them a valuable source of information. Most reviews offer an opinion based on clear examples, which makes it relatively easy to put that opinion into a context that helps in making a decision. The value of an opinion (if backed by clear examples) is that it offers a description of an experience. Videogames are all about the experience. People might claim it's about the 'objective' quality of game elements, but I don't think that actually tells people what they want to know. They want to know whether or not they might like the game. That isn't determined by any 'objective' qualities, but by their personal preferences (which people sometimes perceive as 'objective' qualities).
Making an informed choice isn't solely determined by knowing the facts about the game. It's also determined by how these facts are experienced (since that is what videogames are about). Reading reviews creates a context of different (or similar) experiences that helps in painting a broad picture of whether or not you might like a game. Forming your own opinion based solely on the description of game elements (which most reviews still provide, even though a lot of people appear to think they don't) is limited, because it tells you nothing about the potential experience you might have. While other people's opinions are personal and therefore seem useless, in the case of a decent review there's often enough contextual information to adjust that opinion to your personal preferences.
As for scores, in my view, discussing them doesn't serve a purpose. Scores tell people nothing about whether or not they'll like the game. The way I see it, discussing scores is about people trying to justify their enjoyment (or lack thereof) according to (imagined) universal standards. It doesn't actually help you in deciding whether a game is right for YOU.
I agree that reviews are largely subjective. I do however not agree that this is a bad thing or that an opinion can't provide valuable information (do note that I do not wish to imply you have this opinion). As long as there are examples to create a context, even the most biased or emotional opinion can be a valuable source of information.
@Lulu_Lulu said:
@MarcRecon
They've already tried to do a totally objective review, and even though I liked it I can see how it might be a problem for others.... So I propose a middleground, The Reviewer should Objectively describe the game then form an oppinion on it...
I feel most reviews do this, just not in the clearly delineated manner you seem to desire. Most reviews contain the facts and the opinion, but presented in a way that's actually pleasant to read. In such a case the lines between what is fact and what is opinion might become a little blurry, but they're both still there and I feel they are still clearly discernible. At least, in my experience. I'm not sure if people are incapable of seeing it, if they are unwilling to put the effort in and just want their food chopped up and ready to eat, or if I'm living in some fantasy world where reviews actually have significant value, but apparently only to me (and a few others I've spotted online).
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