Should game reviews be updated after patches?

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

SNIP

That seems rather unfair if the product is fixed in post. It shouldn't have been launched like that to begin with, but with the stupidly high value that buyers put on review scores these days, I think a review should reflect the product a buyer would receive at the time of reading. Polygon does this quite often.

But that completely spits in the eyes of the people who bought the game in a broken state, essentially wasting their money. Who cares what a game might be; I care what it is.
Its not really fair to expect reviewers to go back and play a less shit game and amend their work to say its less shit now. The original review is for the original release, and its up to the reader to know that. Film critics don't re-review a movie just because a director's cut or alternate endings come out.
They review the cinematic release, and for games that would mean their launch.

But yes, too many people throw out 10/10 and 8-9s/10s. Agreed there. But that doesn't mean the 1/10s are any less shit and no punches should be pulled.

 

[Trude]

But that completely spits in the eyes of the people who bought the game in a broken state, essentially wasting their money.

That's the onus of the developer, not the writer. Are you implying that a journalist who does this is betraying their reader's trust in some manner?
Yes, readers should be able to tell the difference. Worst case scenario, someone misses out on an eventually great game because their most trusted journalist said it was bad in a previous state.

But yes, too many people throw out 10/10 and 8-9s/10s. Agreed there. But that doesn't mean the 1/10s are any less shit and no punches should be pulled.

So you mean that a game that is improved to the state of being desirable is still terrible? I feel I'm reading you wrong.

All that said, if a reviewer wants to append an update to the original review without changing the original review, I don't see a problem with it. Just don't change the text of the initial review.

Pretty much this.