I normally check out what the general public here has to say regarding games I'm about to purchase rather than sticking solely to Game Spot reviews. How do you pick your games? Let me know what you think...
I do alittle of both, so I can see what the professionals have to say about a game, and then what the general gamer's take on the game is, balances it all out.
en to the gamespot staff because they are (SUPPOSED TO BE) unbiased. And i am sure that if you go searching through reviews your going to always get those 10.0's and 9. somethigns by heavy fans of that game who had anticipated it for a long time, and then those abysmal scores by the people who despise that company or whatnot, so i tend to lean more towards Gamespot Reviews, mixed with Game Trailers reviews.
If Im gonna buy the game then I rely on user reviews more cause thats alot of people, and the average score there is probably more reliable than the score of one gamespot staff member
Both, i always ignore user reviewers that give 10 though, i more look into the ones that are different from the rest, which are usually the bad reviews.
Sometimes I get the impression that the reveiwers are bias. There are some games that are excellent and they give them a low score for the dumbest reason. And sometimes you get the feeling they score harder when they are reviewing certain company games. So I read from both sides and make a decision in the end.
I don't trust individual player write ups. Only a couple are honest. Most are "Score: 10 OMG This game is teh roxorz!!" or it's "Score: 1 OMG This game is teh suxorz".
I read review just to gain a little insight into the game which I'm interest it. Either they are reviewed by pros or players, it wouldn't be very influential to me.
I don't really rely on player write ups because they're usually poorly written. I look at several reviews and see what's good and bad about the game and make my decision based on that.
I usually look at the individual player reviews. I ignore the tens and zeros, reviews that sound like they were written by 5 year olds, and the reviews with OMG and LOL. There are actually a lot of good user written reviews on Gamespot. You can tell some people spent some time on them and didn't just regurgitate what was in the GameSpot review.
Gamespot editors and other gaming media seem to be video game snobs. It is almost like they try to review the game as "how will this review look in five years" way. If a game is fun but doesn't have a heritage they will often give it a medicore review. I think a lot of groupthink also happens with gaming critics. If a game is on the fence I think critics read what other people say. Nobody wants to be laughed at for liking an uncool game.
Both, i always ignore user reviewers that give 10 though, i more look into the ones that are different from the rest, which are usually the bad reviews.langrisser2005
Neither. How could I trust a site that gave Gears of War 9.6? Well I never came here only for the reviews anyway so I don't really care. I mostly read reviews from European gaming magazines and from European reviewers since I don't trust Americans anymore. They gave Gears of War 9.6! IMO 8.6 would had been better but still a little too much. It might be better game than Halos but the story still sucks. Many PS2 games are also overrated so don't get upset because of my comment.
Generally if the game is scoring low because of 'graphic issues' or 'poor control', I am beginning to get a little leary of anyone who attacks these areas. These things generally translate into 'doesn't make my A/V set-up look good' or 'I only like to play (insert genera) with a mouse and keyboard.' I also don't trust a review that compares a high-powered PC version of a game to a consloe translation. Or a review of a game that shares a name with completely different style of gameplay (Dirge of Cerebrus FF7, Shining Tears, etc.) because reviewrs (not just GS reviewers) have a tendancy to grade based off their expectations rather than the game itself. And about player wirte-ups; I discard that ones that say things like "10.0 -- best game ever!!!" or "1.5 -- worst game ever!!!" when the game got a 7 or an 8.
I don't really go by scores, everyone has different tastes. I read the reviews to find out what's in the game really and whether I'd care for it or not. Now if a game does get an average of 5 or lower I'll usually rent it first or avoid it.
I usually try to look at as many reviews as I can, I have found that Gamerankings is probably the best site for reviews on the net.
I also try to look for reviewers who have scored games that I have liked highly. And then I look at thier other reviews to see what else they have liked.
Usually I just look at the reviews to see what is in the game and what the game is about, I usually only buy games I really want, not just because it got a good score. I don't really trust the user reviews, because its usually either "10 out of 10! THIS IS THE BEST GAME EVER!!" or "5 out of 10, THIS GAME SUCKS!!!" kind of hard to find a honest reveiw on the user ones, and GS reviews are sometimes good, not always though. I usually just buy whatever game looks like something I would like and have read up on, purchase wisely, not just because a fanboy gave it a 10 or because GS says it sucks avoid it, play it for yourself.
I tend to trust Gamespot's reviews because they usually provide the kind of information I am looking for about a game. Also, I have had good past experiences when buying games based on Gamespot's reviews
i read gamespot reviews first then i check into ppls personal opinions. i look into ppl who give completly different ratings from each other then read and compare their reviews so i see all sides. so both
I trust my own opinion and what friends tell me. For the most part, I look at reviews to get a general idea of what a game is like. Just because a game gets a not-so-great review/score doesn't mean it's not worth buying, that's for sure. Titles from already popular series almost always get too high of a score, unless it's really obvious how bad the game is compared to its predecessors (well, that isn't a complete truth, either.) Fan bias gets in the way a lot as well. :/
Well, I've bought games which i liked a lot but were rated low on gamespot. so, its not like i don't trust Gamespot reviews anymore but i don't completely rely on them either.
Reader Reviews are too black and white; it's either a 10 or a 2 based upon some prejudice. Gamespot is more objective though hype still effects everyone.
i usually find myself agreeing with what Gamespot says. 9 times out of 10 they're pretty dead on in a tough but fair kind of way. Sometimes though, i feel they over-hype something that's only OK or they give an average rating to something i end up loving. I look at the "You say" score often just to see how much the fanboys factor into that score, because every series has people who will follow it into the depths of hell (i'm a HUGE fan of the Legacy of Kain series and Defiance got a pretty crappy rating on this site) and then there are the jerks who throw in poor ratings just because they feel like it so that score is hard to trust. HOWEVER, when over 6,000 people give a game at LEAST a 9 on a game im not so sure on, it defintely helps me make up my mind. But in the end, whether or not the game is good to YOU is all that matters so if it's something i'm interested in trying, i'm going to try it no matter what it's rated by anyone. I choose my games by subject matter, screen shots, previews etc. I research them pretty well before i pick them up.
I'll read GS reviews just to get an indication of whereabouts the quality of the game is. But I actually like to check the user average score underneath the GS score which actually gives me a better opinion without reading the review.
I trust GameSpot to be accurate in their reviews. They don't pull any punches, and after playing the games they review, I find that I agree with their reviews more times than I don't. There are a few reviews I disagree with them on (like Valkyrie Profile 2, see sig), but I'm not one of those people who complain every time a game doesn't get a score I think it deserves. I would hate to tell GameSpot that they should be writing their reviews in a way that will please the whiners (i.e. inflating scores). Speaking of reader reviews, I don't read too many of them because a lot of them are either one paragraph or just poorly written. If you're going to write a review, put some effort into it. It doesn't have to be long, and you don't have to use big words. Just get your point across, and don't add any filler statements.
Too many reader reviews suck on this site. I have successfully red flagged and removed about 25 reviews from moron kids who need to learn how to type better.
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