Do you read reviews before buying? Will you wait for games in the fall or just jump right in?

[xxmyhero64xx]

To be honest I almost never buy a game these days before reading the reviews, however this fall and winter there are so many games coming out that will be high on demand, I really don't have a choice to not pre order them and just wait for a review.

Do you guys feel similarly? Or do you feel that reading a review can hinder your enjoyment of a game?

 

[AroLombardi]

I feel, when I hear a bad review, I look for the review's points when I play the game and agree. That usually makes me more probable to dislike it. So I try not to see a review of a game I'm pumped for, and usually see reviews if I'm on the edge about getting it or if I don't plan on getting it.

 

[DJDarque]

If it's a game I know very little about I will wait for a few reviews and then make my decision. If it's a sequel to a series I already enjoy, I'm fairly confident with just jumping right in.

 

[Last Hugh Alive]

The only game I'm letting reviews decide for me come November is Modern Warfare 3. I say that game because I need a new multiplayer game and my friends aren't getting Battlefield 3.

I enjoy reading reviews because they can either put the things I like about a game into a structure, or to challenge my opinion against the reviewers. Not often do I decide what I'm going to buy based on reviews though, apart from certain games. Because the reviewer doesn't know what MY taste is what I may personally enjoy that others don't.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

I really don't have a choice to not pre order them and just wait for a review.

Tools go in the toolbox.

I've always waited for a game to drop within the $5 to $20 range. By then everything you could want to know about it is available.

Also, it might just be a locational thing but I have never never seen a game sold out.

 

[Uber Waddles]

Depends. If you see a review for a Pokemon game, you'll almost always see some idiot exclaiming how there is no difference between this game and the other generations - despite the fact that there are some major differences.

If Im on the edge about a game, I'll usually check out a review. This is mostly to get a fairly decent look at what the game has to offer, and some of its flaws. If Im really excited about a game, I'll just ignore reviews - good or bad.

 

[ajofflight]

I rarely pre-order games, since I never have the cash on-hand before the actual game comes out. For example; I want to get Dead Island (even though, since it's going to be released in the first few days of my first semester in college, I won't be able to play it for a while), but I doubt I'll pre-order it. I usually check the reviews of bargain-bin games, but if I'm excited enough about a new game, I'll buy it, and to hell with the reviews!

Case in point: LOTR: Conquest. Reviews beat up the game pretty badly, but my buddy Jordan comes over almost every Saturday, and we beat the hell out of either the humans and elves, or the orcs for a couple of hours. We always have a blast. So you can't ALWAYS trust reviews, though they are a good barometer to help you make decisions.

 

[Last Hugh Alive]

Sorry, disregard this.

 

[easternflame]

Seriously people, Checking the search bar for repeated threads never hurt anyone.
I guess now I have to tell you or I will be this thread's dickbrain.
It depends on who makes the game. In some ocassions I trusted to much, like brink and hunted, bought the games before the reviews were out and payed for it.

 

[Ice Car]

It depends. I will usually read a review if I'm unsure about buying it and want a fan's view of what the game is like, its upsides, downsides, etc. If I can, I will jump right in and buy it unless I'm on edge or unsure about a purchase. Some games I just want to play on the day of its release. No reviews read or anything. I haven't really bought a game I've hated or wanted to return at all, but maybe Fable 3 since I didn't find it very fun. I still got far in the game and had fun for some time, but after that it got really boring...

 

[ChupathingyX]

Usually no, I look into games and pick out specific ones that I know I'll like. Sometimes I go for a risk and will buy a game I either know nothing about or is part of a series I haven't played...this has resulted in both good and bad games in the past. If it ends up being bad, I'll just return it, simple.

However, one thing I never do is listen to reviewers, I honestly don't care what one person thinks about a game, especially considering some of the most popular game reviewers are utter crap, not to mention that I review games with my own criteria and no one can decide what I consider to be a good story or bad gameplay.

 

[SteinFaust]

reviews can be bought. i rely on friends and personal hands-on playtime to make choices.

 

[Fiad]

Depends on the game. Skyrim, have it preordered. Dead Island, will wait a few days, see what reviews and friends say before deciding if I want it or not.

 

[DanielBrown]

Most of the time I check reviews, both video and written, and then check out some gameplay videos.
Always wait half a year-a year before I purchase the game however. It's only in very special cases that I buy games for full price(God of War III!).

 

[SomebodyNowhere]

The only game I have coming out that I am really looking at is Dead Island and considering I am still on the fence(and the pre-order incentive isn't that impressive) I will likely wait until some reviews show up and then make my decision if I should get it right away or wait.

As far as a review hindering my enjoyment, I'm old enough that I am able to form my own opinion and if some reviewer didn't enjoy the game(or for that matter any piece of media) then that is his/her problem.

 

[KaWaiiTSuKI]

I tend to read the entire review before I dismiss it completely.

Reviewers are biased just like anyone else, so what they find annoying, I might enjoy.
But yes, I do read the reviews before buying the games.

 

[Midnight Crossroads]

Sometimes, I see a cheap game and jump right in with no idea what to expect. I figure that my own prejudices probably lead me to the same sorts of games over and over again, so a few wild cards will shake things up.

But for $60 games, I tend to be more cautious.

 

[EHKOS]

I have Skyrim, Arkham City, and Saints Row III all on pre order. I usually make up my mind when it's a sequel to a game I liked, or if I see actual gameplay.

 

[Don't taze me bro]

On some games, yes! On may other games no. I was dubious about Duke Nukem. I wanted it to be good, and if it was I would have purchased it. Hearing it was a steaming pile of excrement saved me fifty bucks.

To be honest though, I rarely buy a game at full price. I have no qualms waiting til a game drops $10 or more to save a few dollars. I have so many games that I'm slowly working through, I can wait to buy a new game.