Do reviews affect your opinions?

[mikev7.0]

Recently I've noticed something about the way I think about games. Ever since I started watching Zero Punctuation I've begun picking holes in games I would have previously have liked without question and I think the this new found criticism is something I may have picked up from Yahtzee.

That's not to say I agree with everything he says but I find I agree with more of his points now than I would have before I started watching his videos. Have any of the rest of you who watch ZP or those of you who watch reviews regularly found something similar with yourselves?

Yahtzee has a review show now? What happened to Zero Punctuation? I think Yahtzee himself has said on more than one occasion that his shows aren't reviews. I could be wrong. However if they are reviews than we disagree on many levels about many games.

I think his "harshness" on a lot of games is kinda' part of Yahtzee's schtick. I mean how entertaining would it be to watch him go off on a positve note. I'm not real sure he even CAN.

I never take "professional" reveiws seriously. I prefer to watch the amateur ones on You Tube. For one, most of the footage comes from the game and they just seem to "come from the heart" more if that makes sense. They are also longer and have more info without exception.
Many do not have scores and are just "my opinion." I like that. There is a humility there that is nonexistent in professional reviews. My reason for not taking the "pros" seriously comes from the same place as many others. I've been burned before. Also it's kind of obvious that the way reviewers and game journalists are treated (schmoozed, really.) by the industry that their objectivity is at the least compromised and in the worst cases out and out bought. So how do you trust and industry with that record. I don't.

Most importantly if I always listened to reviewers I would have missed a lot of great games that they never even cover. Those unsung gems are often among my favorites.

Also is it really a good thing that games you may have enjoyed before you can't enjoy now?

 

[Launcelot111]

I read a few reviews first if I'm thinking of getting a new (and still full price) game. The actual number is near useless, as games are reviewed on an absurd and meaningless scale, but I feel that if there are flaws or terrible features or whatnot, then most competent reviewers will point them out. Typically, I go with the median review and see why they rate the game as in the middle.

If the game is cheap or if I've heard a lot of good things by word of mouth, then I'll probably just buy the thing at that point

 

[Launcelot111]

Move along, double post, nothing to see here

 

[somonels]

I already have an opinion or don't care about the game, I go to reviewers to see how right I was.

 

[octafish]

I have some trusted review sources, well, pretty much PC PowerPlay (I used to read Commodore PowerPlay too). They are good informative reviewers. I can generally tell from their reviews if the game will be something I'm interested in or not. The reviews inform and entertain, but they don't influence my opinion, just my purchases. It's hard to tell if reviews have made me more critical of games or not as I've been reading game reviews for over twenty five years. Anyone else remember Zzap!64?

 

[Belaam]

Depends on the review. If they spell out a reason that is something I like or dislike about a game, that can completely change my view of the game and get me interested in it.

Zero Punctuation is what initially brought me here, but lately, I watch maybe half of the reviews. Part of it is the same few gripes repeated ad nauseum. I realize that these are gripes about issues that are prevalent in the many games, but it's almost where I think, "So, which game is Yatzee complaining about A,B,& C in this week?"

But for actual reviews, I tend to hit Metacritic, read the top two reviews from sources I've heard of and the bottom five reviews and figure it out from there. Generally successful for me.

Oh, and I take notes during Extra Credit's "Games You May Have Missed"

 

[Savo]

I use a variety of review sources. A game's Metacritic score can be a very good gauge of how well-made a game is. Although I may not see eye to eye with critics 100% of the time, the vast majority of highly reviewed games are that way for reason.

People criticize the way in which games are dismissed if they are below a 7, but the system works just fine for me. Experience has taught me that if a game looks good to me and has great reviews, I most likely will enjoy it.

I also use Amazon's customer reviews. People on Amazon can be very informative in determining whether a game would appeal to me or not. Metacritic's user reviews can sometimes be helpful, but the fanboy population on Metacritic is staggering and the reviews tend to be poorly written.

If I need more info, I occasionally read professional reviews from sites like RPGfan and use that info as a tool. Many times I read professional reviews to determine how good the story in a game is, as story is valuable to me in the games I play.

 

[Smertnik]

I don't read reviews, so no.

If I'm unsure about a game I'll play the demo or watch some gameplay videos if a demo isn't an option. This usually provides me with all the information I need to know.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Well obviously, I turn to reviews for the crucial information before I buy anything, but I always weed out the BS reviews and anyone that gives scores.

Also gameplay is a huge indicator of what to expect.

 

[Bat Vader]

Not really no. I may read a review to find out more about a game but that is about it. Reviews don't sway my opinion on a game. The only review I trust is my own.

 

[General Twinkletoes]

They've gotta be by really good reviewers, where I know the kind of games they like.

The only one at the moment is angryjoeshow, on youtube. He seems very silly and cheesy, but his stuff is legit, and he has really, really good points.

 

[JesterRaiin]

Do reviews affect your opinions?

Well... Yes, they do. It's one of main reasons i visit places like The Escapist. I can't remember playing any single game without sharing overall impression with Escapist reviewers.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

They've gotta be by really good reviewers, where I know the kind of games they like.

The only one at the moment is angryjoeshow, on youtube. He seems very silly and cheesy, but his stuff is legit, and he has really, really good points.

I like him too, mostly because when he is enthousiastic and/or disappointed about a game, it shows and feels more honest than most reviewers. I don't always agree with him, but I admire his passion for the medium.

I suppose reviews affect my opinion in the sense that I use them as a source of information about a game's features, story, and so on. Whether they are good, bad, flawed, ... something that would appeal to me. For example, a reviewer may slam a feature for poor implementation. If I see multiple reviewers react negatively to that same feature, then that indicates it will likely bother me too. That wouldn't stop me from buying that game, but it could determine how I buy it: new or used.

 

[General Twinkletoes]

They've gotta be by really good reviewers, where I know the kind of games they like.

The only one at the moment is angryjoeshow, on youtube. He seems very silly and cheesy, but his stuff is legit, and he has really, really good points.

I like him too, mostly because when he is enthousiastic and/or disappointed about a game, it shows and feels more honest than most reviewers. I don't always agree with him, but I admire his passion for the medium.

I suppose reviews affect my opinion in the sense that I use them as a source of information about a game's features, story, and so on. Whether they are good, bad, flawed, ... something that would appeal to me. For example, a reviewer may slam a feature for poor implementation. If I see multiple reviewers react negatively to that same feature, then that indicates it will likely bother me too. That wouldn't stop me from buying that game, but it could determine how I buy it: new or used.

Yeah, I disagree with him a lot too. That's why it's important to know what kind of things they like, a purely objective review is almost impossible.
But, even when he hates a game I love, he makes such good points that it's hard to argue with them sometimes


Captcha "hear hear"

He agrees

 

[Nouw]

It only affects my opinion on a game I haven't played. If I'm going to buy/not buy a game, I'm going to base it off more than just reviews of it.

 

[Radoh]

When I'm on the fence about something, and if I usually agree with the reviewers opinion on things, then yes. But if I'd made my mind up one way or the other then not so much, unless I had planned to skip over it and constantly see reviewers lauding it as 'the best darn thing' it has a grander impact.

 

[loa]

They do!
Spoonys in-depth review thing of ff8 showed me that it was actually complete nonsense and why exactly it was.
Before, I thought it was kinda alright but had a stupid levelup system.

 

[Starik20X6]

They do, but not always negatively. Sometimes I'll look at the review score and say "what the heck is wrong with you people, this game rules/sucks."

 

[dimensional]

They can affect my decision to buy a game in that if it seems to be getting universally low scores and generally being slated then I probably wont buy it. Usually though I know what games I am going to buy and nothing short of universal terrible reviews will dissuade me or they bring up a point which I was unaware of and dont particularly like.

A lot of reviews particularly from the big companies are a bit of a joke though the reviewers come across as either being huge fans of the game (so not objective in the slightest) or have been paid off which also brings a backlash the other end with others usually users giving it terrible scores to try and counteract the unjustified praise they feel it is getting.

Once I have a game though reviews wont affect my opinion of it as then im quite capable of making up my own mind on it.

 

[Scarim Coral]

For Zero Punctuation no but for other reviews, sometimes but not all the time.

It depend on a few factors like-
How much I want to play that game?
Is the negative reviews?
Did I already already pre-order it?
Or am I just short on cash?

Example I didn't pre order or buy the game Pandora's Tower because of some of the negative traits in that game (the camera angle and the control) and since I was short on cash I decided not to buy it despite intially I would had bought it.