Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

Do you find reviews influence the decisions you make regarding gaming? Even on the most basic level, do you make purchase/rental decisions based on reviews?

I would imagine that most of the folks on here are pretty independent thinkers, and probably reserve their final judgement from their own experiences. However, with that being said, I'd be lying if I said there haven't been times that I've both completely written off games as well as had an increased interest in others based off of a review or two I caught.

What impact do game reviews have on your gaming purchase/rental/playing life?

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

If a game is universally panned via reviews and word-of-mouth, chances are that I'm not going to give it a look.

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

Yeah it has to be universally panned for me to pass up on something I have interest in. If anything it just changes the timing window of my purchase from release day to price drop day.

Then again, there are exceptions. No amount of negative reviews could sway me from Lost: Via Domus, which was clearly a $10 game dressed up as a $60 title. Got burned on that one. :lol: I think lwig has a similar story for Rock Revolution. Nobody is immune.

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

I'm more influenced by videos and stuff like that. Sometimes I see a teaser for a game and I know that I'll enjoy it.

For games that have been already released I checked sites like metacritic or gamerankings just to get a general feel of the game. But even then I've bought games with a ranking a little bit below 80%...

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

For those that buy dozens of games a year, I'm sure reviews are less of a concern. I only buy a few games a year, typically only the big releases, so reviews mean a lot to me, especially since I don't have a whole lot of time to dedicate to games these days. So games that get mixed reviews and are only in the 70% range usually will fall off my radar, where as only games that get solid reviews all around get my attention.

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

<b>NEVER.</b>

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

Pretty much always.

This is a $59.99 game we're talking about. I can't be buying it based on screenshots or cover art.

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

:up: Me too. I need some guidance with these purchases. Sometimes I might ignore a negative review or two, but if the trend is pretty negative, I won't buy it. Sometimes I pull up Metacritic on my cell phone while in Target to see if a clearanced game is worth getting.

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

I'm sure that we can all name universally well-reviewed games that we didn't like (GTA IV comes up a lot). But how about the opposite? Is there an example of a game that was universally panned that actually turned out to be good?

Free adult games. Click here.
 

With the sheer number of games released for various systems and my cheapness, I do use reviews to get an idea if I might like a game. I am generally less concerned with the score than I am with the description of the game play though. I will use gamerankings as a way to expose myself to games I might not have known about.

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

Yeah, reviews definitely influence my purchases. I was interested in Shaun White snowboarding (cause I'm having SSX withdrawals) but the reviews were just terrible. So I passed.

However, Tecmo Bowl DS got pretty poor reviews, but nothing was going to stop me from getting it.

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

I think that sequel fatigue can skew scores lower on otherwise good games. The Mario Party series comes to mind. 4 got very good reviews, 8 got mediocre reviews. However, I don't think someone who had never played the series before would think 8 is worse than 4.

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I don't know about universally panned, but I think a lot of folks here liked both Saints Row 2 and Crackdown despite less-than-stellar reviews.

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

The Simpson game. Got 70% in GameRankings and I loved it.

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

I actually will read reviews to find out why they rate them a certain way, instead of just looking at scores. I also try to monitor message boards, which often have at least some die-hard fans of a game that can explain what they like about it. And then there are those games that reviews don't matter to me, since I know I'll like the game because of the license or premise. And then there are those games that I only noticed after someone raved about it on a message board.

Even if you're an independent thinker, there's no way to try out every game to see if you like it, even if you take out the cost factor. At some point, you have to take other people's opinions into account, whether it's reviews or Pixy ranting about the latest rogue-like game.

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

Metacritic numbers:

Saint's Row 2: 81%
Crackdown: 83%

I would consider these be positively reviewed.

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

I would also say that sometimes I'm more influenced by what I read in this forum than by any external review.

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

Almost any 2D game on the PS1 that wasn't SotN. :lol:

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

This is the big point for me. I get so irritated when people get wrapped up in scores. I think for me, I'm much more open to discussions of games (the 1UP podcasts of old for instance) where people have a dialogue about the game, over the interpretation of a single dude. I still like to read reviews, but usually I make sure to take them with a grain of salt, and always get a second or third opinion. ;)

My biggest factor when looking at reviews is seeing the estimated play time for the reviewer. I already buy way too many games, and prefer to rent most games that I want to play, but know are quick enough to do in a limited time, or won't have a replay factor. That's the biggest thing I look for anymore, as I feel I'll play almost anything regardless of what is said about it. :lol:

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

No. Never. No influence whatsoever.

I'm am such a unique gamer that I've never found a review that connected with how I view games.

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

I'm surprised SR2 got overall numbers that good. I read some pretty negative ones and some big magazine listed it as one of the year's worst games.

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Same, I can't wait for Big Rigs collectors edition.

PC Edition maybe?

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

I always look at reviews. There are just too many games out there and I can't afford to try them all only to find out 80% are crap. I try to stick with the cream of the crop. I usually go be user reviews before I go with mainstream reviews. Seems to me you get a better hands on review. I find the reviews on VGTalk to be pretty down to earth. I don't think those guys have any hidden agends and don't seem to sway to one console over the other.

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

Earth Defense Force 2017 - 69% on Metacritic

I logged more hours on that game than I've put into anything else on my 360. While it had some issues, I found it to be ridiculously fun and addictive.

As for the original question, incredibly positive reviews can cause me to check out a game I wasn't interested in, but that's about it. I should probably let reviews play a bigger role in my decisions, as I've got quite a few games that had mediocre reviews because I thought I'd like them, only to find out they did actually suck. Most recently, this happened when I dropped $60 on Lord of the Rings: Conquest and $40 on Time Crisis 4 and wish I hadn't bought either of them.

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

You know...I've been racking my brain to think of a bad-mediocre reviewed game that I actually enjoyed quite a bit and couldn't think of anything, but EDF 2017 is a great mention!

I found myself also playing that game for way long than I should've. I just kept thinking to myself that I should hate so many things about that game, but I couldn't stop playing it. :lol: The cheese factor totally worked in a good way for that game.

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

To be fair to the reviewers, EDF2017 is not a game that reviews well... the controls are very basic, there's little to no storyline, the graphics aren't that great, and there is little innovation or depth. It's like a budget game, but it's surprisingly addictive.

On a side note, I love Dynasty Warriors Gundam, but even I realize it's the age-old Dynasty Warriors formula (which hasn't changed much since Dynasty Warriors 2!) with Gundam skins. I doubt it reviewed well, but I imported it early anyway, foolishly thinking it had no chance of making it out here.

It becomes a little trickier looking at reviews of older games... there are some games that just remain classics, but others that rely on a lot of nostalgia, or that otherwise just haven't aged well.

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

I use reviews somewhat, but I know what I like out of a game already. If I leave my "comfort zone" for a game, it's because it's got decent->good reviews, but even more important is word-of-mouth from people here or other friends. Bioshock is a good example for me. It really isn't a game I would go for, but I remember buying into the E3 hype and pre-release trailers. Then it came out and everyone loved it. Sure it took me a year to finally borrow it and try it, but I enjoyed the hell out of it.

I've been gaming long enough to know what I'm going to like or not like based on genre, developer, or concept. Reviews and word-of-mouth rarely dissuade me, but often encourage me.

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

Same for me, it was as good as purchased on day one when announced, then the reviews started rolling in. I might see how Stoked does, but I'm not holding my breath.

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

:up:

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

Well maybe not the best example, but Masters of Orion III was horrendus and buggy with no support, but fans made some awesome improvements and patches, and the game now is what it should have been when it was released.

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

Honestly, at this point I know what I like. So if I think I'll like it, and the reviews support it, I might pick it up. If I don't think I'll like it, but the reviews are great, I still won't get it. I've been burned too many times.

In the last few years, I didn't like any of the Katamari games, didn't like Oblivion, didn't like Sly Cooper, and a few more. I go with my gut first, then use reviews to push me over the edge.

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

Entertainment Weekly had it as the year's worst.
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,2016...247344,00.html

But if I recall correctly, the accompanying text in the magazine version of the list goes off on the tone of the game without ever discussing the actual gameplay.

Plus the list was just one of their writer's opinion, it doesn't match their other game writers' opinions...

From the EW review of Braid, their #4 best game...
"this experiment strives for videogame greatness -- but falls frustratingly short of its goal"
Grade B-

From the EW review of Saints Rows 2, their #1 worst game...
"Does this title provide you with as good an open-sandbox experience as Grand Theft Auto IV? No. But finishing second place to a strong contender for game of the year is nothing to be ashamed of — especially when it gives you such a larcenous good time."
Grade B

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

Same here. While it was nice to be able to explore some of the stations, they even screwed that up. The invisible barricades and the abridged geography took away whatever little fun there was to exploring the island. Searching for coconuts to trade Sawyer for a gun was both tedious and absurd.

I enjoyed the hell out of the RE: Outbreak games (70.0% and 62.3% meta score at gamerankings.com, respectively). I didn't even play them online, which was their big sell. Most of the reviews slammed them for using the outdated RE gameplay after the release of RE4 but whatever, I still like that style as well as the updated version.

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

I put some faith in reviews if they're by people who get paid and make a living doing video game reviews, but even then not much. If you're just some guy who gets some free games and reviews for a website, not a chance. I follow the same thinking when it comes to DVDs or electronics, etc.

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

^ That almost seems backwards to me. Wouldn't you trust someone who does it as a hobby over someone that does it as a job? Doesn't matter, either one can be just as biased as the other for different reasons.

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

haha, this is coming from a magazine that has Wii Fit as their #1 game

they also have Madden 09 All Play and ipod touch (is that the phone or a game?) in their top 10



Also, did anyone play Kung Fu Chaos for X Box. We played this shit out of that game in college, but I think it got blasted in the ratings.

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

what about someone who does it for free in one place, and gets paid in others?

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Like a whore with a boyfriend?

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I'm pretty sure the only good thing about that EW article are the comments. rotfl

That's how I feel. Places like this are going to influence me a lot more than what one guy at IGN thought.

Re: Do reviews influence your gaming decisions?
 

Of course I would believe a friend over a real critic. But I put no stock in the opinion of someone who just reviews for fun. I'd put internet freebie critics in the same boat as asking the guys at Gamestop what to buy.

EDIT: I should clarify, as I am saying that IF I sought out an opinion, it wouldn't be the one of someone who did reviews on the side for fun or after their real job. I'd want to hear from someone who was close to me that I trusted or someone who depends on the field for their income.