Do reviews and previews ruin enjoyment of games?

Does anyone else feel that reviews and previews often ruin your enjoyment of games?

I remember before I first played Metal Gear Solid 4, I read all the reviews and previews. I knew everythin about the game before I had even played i, i knew its strengths and its weaknesses. And the result? Well, it felt like I was just comparing the game to what I had read rather than enjoying it. I noticed the flaws that had been talked about, and expected the amazing moments before they happened.

Same happened with R2. Fantastic game, but I pretty much knew of all the huge boss battles I would encounter and I knew the basic plot. I enjoyed it, but I feel I lost out on the WOW factor.

Having just gone repurchased MGS4 (before I got bored and sold it after the first act) I realise now what a great game it is when you simply enjoy it rather than comparing it to reviews. I think in the future I may just only glance at the reviews, totally ignore previews and just play the games.

Does anyone else feel that reviews and previews often ruin your enjoyment of games?

I remember before I first played Metal Gear Solid 4, I read all the reviews and previews. I knew everythin about the game before I had even played i, i knew its strengths and its weaknesses. And the result? Well, it felt like I was just comparing the game to what I had read rather than enjoying it. I noticed the flaws that had been talked about, and expected the amazing moments before they happened.

Same happened with R2. Fantastic game, but I pretty much knew of all the huge boss battles I would encounter and I knew the basic plot. I enjoyed it, but I feel I lost out on the WOW factor.

Having just gone repurchased MGS4 (before I got bored and sold it after the first act) I realise now what a great game it is when you simply enjoy it rather than comparing it to reviews. I think in the future I may just only glance at the reviews, totally ignore previews and just play the games.

thetruespin

Well with MGS 4 I thought I had ruined it for myself, but when I actually played it alot happened which I could have never expected, and this really got me. I probably ended up enjoying it even more.

However I really wished I hadn't watched the Leviathan fight on YouTube before I got Resistance 2, that was silly. One of the best bits in the game, and I totally ruined it for myself. It still had plenty of suprises, but I was really disapointed that I had pratically already played through that section. I was disapointed by Orick aswell, I thought that chapter would have been great, seeing as it got alot of coverage, but when I played it large setions of the level felt empty.

It really depends. Generally you should only follow Hype in moderation, and avoid being swept up in it.

Does anyone else feel that reviews and previews often ruin your enjoyment of games?

I remember before I first played Metal Gear Solid 4, I read all the reviews and previews. I knew everythin about the game before I had even played i, i knew its strengths and its weaknesses. And the result? Well, it felt like I was just comparing the game to what I had read rather than enjoying it. I noticed the flaws that had been talked about, and expected the amazing moments before they happened.

Same happened with R2. Fantastic game, but I pretty much knew of all the huge boss battles I would encounter and I knew the basic plot. I enjoyed it, but I feel I lost out on the WOW factor.

Having just gone repurchased MGS4 (before I got bored and sold it after the first act) I realise now what a great game it is when you simply enjoy it rather than comparing it to reviews. I think in the future I may just only glance at the reviews, totally ignore previews and just play the games.

Well with MGS 4 I thought I had ruined it for myself, but when I actually played it alot happened which I could have never expected, and this really got me. I probably ended up enjoying it even more.

However I really wished I hadn't watched the Leviathan fight on YouTube before I got Resistance 2, that was silly. One of the best bits in the game, and I totally ruined it for myself. It still had plenty of suprises, but I was really disapointed that I had pratically already played through that section. I was disapointed by Orick aswell, I thought that chapter would have been great, seeing as it got alot of coverage, but when I played it large setions of the level felt empty.

It really depends. Generally you should only follow Hype in moderation, and avoid being swept up in it.

Maybe, but I think it's a good thing. A good review is brutally honest with their criticisms. In all honesty, I think Gamespot is a bit too gentle with the reviews. I ended up buying Little Big Planet and Spore off of a Gamespot review, and they were both mediocre games.LittleHands134

So because you don't agree with their opinion, they arn't being brutally honest? If you look at the new Prince of Persia review you will see that Gamespot are not really all that afraid of being "brutally honest" when they feel like it.

those previews and video reviews are so tempting to watch! but i try my best to avoid them until i've at least had the game for a week or two.

when Gamespot did the Animal Crossing:City Folk feature, I had to stay away from the site because I knew I would watch it, and that i'd regret it when i finally got started playing it.

but i love watching that stuff after the fact. like after playing through Final Fantasy 12, it was fun going on YouTube and watching everyone beat the bosses. It was like reliving the best moments without spending 100 hours getting there. (that dragon at the end of the forest level is still my favourite).

[QUOTE="LittleHands134"]Maybe, but I think it's a good thing. A good review is brutally honest with their criticisms. In all honesty, I think Gamespot is a bit too gentle with the reviews. I ended up buying Little Big Planet and Spore off of a Gamespot review, and they were both mediocre games.WasntAvailable

So because you don't agree with their opinion, they arn't being brutally honest? If you look at the new Prince of Persia review you will see that Gamespot are not really all that afraid of being "brutally honest" when they feel like it.

The Prince of Persia review was still pretty tame.

The only brutally honest review I've seen here was the one for Mount and Blade.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/218-Spore

There's a good review.

Previews create hype and depending how it is done ruins enjoyment of games. Although good reviews help a lot in saving you a lot of money, I honestly believe that bad writing and over exposure somewhat ruins the experience.

Doesn't affect it for me.

I usually use reviews to look up a game's features, or for screens. For example, I love Test Drive Unlimited and that got terrible reviews.

[QUOTE="WasntAvailable"]

[QUOTE="LittleHands134"]Maybe, but I think it's a good thing. A good review is brutally honest with their criticisms. In all honesty, I think Gamespot is a bit too gentle with the reviews. I ended up buying Little Big Planet and Spore off of a Gamespot review, and they were both mediocre games.LittleHands134

So because you don't agree with their opinion, they arn't being brutally honest? If you look at the new Prince of Persia review you will see that Gamespot are not really all that afraid of being "brutally honest" when they feel like it.

The Prince of Persia review was still pretty tame.

The only brutally honest review I've seen here was the one for Mount and Blade.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/218-Spore

There's a good review.

You think Yatzhee is brutally honest? Seriously? I wouldn't take him so seriously myself, his "reviews" are designed for humour, not for "spreading the truth".

You think Yatzhee is brutally honest? Seriously? I wouldn't take him so seriously myself, his "reviews" are designed for humour, not for "spreading the truth".

WasntAvailable

The appeal of his reviews are his humor, but every point he brings up is valid. Look at any of his reviews, everything he said is true.

Mirror's Edge: Overhyped garbage. Yatzhee called it.

Spore: Nothing like it was promised to be by Will Wright. Yatzhee called it.

GTA4: Lacking in some great classic GTA aspects, takes itself too seriously, and poor driving. Yatzhee called it.

Age of Conan: Terrible joke of an MMO, not even close to a WoW killer. Yatzhee called it.

Haze: Overhyped generic FPS. Yatzhee called it.

Everyone of those points are valid and it's what the majority of people have to come realize a few weeks/months after the games were released. Yes, Yatzhee focuses on the bad aspects of the games, but what's wrong with that?

I don't look for a review so I can hear how great they thought the game was, I look for a review so I can hear how bad it was and if it justifies a purchase.

Just read the review then.

The reviewers generally try not to gibve much away on gamespot.

to tell you the truth

other than observing whether a game is coming along on track or not, i never read a games previews

most of the time they're too ambiguous to decypher whether or not the game is crap, then they spoil all of the exciting moments

a review is one thing and i understand once you read the cons you're pretty much looking for them the entire game.. but expecting to be surprised by a game after reading the previews? lame, not as bad as those people who watch videos of the first half hour though..

i tend to only read the reviews to learn about features i might have missed in previews or to see different reviewer's interpretations of those features.

Also, to see screens and read about any compariosons to other games.