Where do you go for game reviews?

[luke10123]

Just out of interest, where do you get your game reviews from? (other than the escapist, naturally )

I've always used Gamespot, but i'm getting a tad sick of every game getting either a 7 or an 8 and a lot of titles getting undue flack/praise.

So how about you? anywhere in particular you trust?

 

[BloatedGuppy]

Hard to trust anyone these days, with the state of game journalism and the pressure publishers and developers bring to bear on those review scores. If I want an impression of a game before a purchase, it takes some heavy duty research.

1. Review score aggregates. Comb as many sites as possible. IGN, Gamespot, Rock Paper Shotgun, Escapist, etc. Metacritic is a good conglomeration site as well. Read through the reviews. Look for common themes, and red flags. Pay especial attention to any commonly voiced negatives.

2. Look through user reviews. If the game has a forum, read through it. Obviously, a great many user reviews are just pointless noise and spleen venting, so you need to read critically and try to get a sense of people who have actually played the game, and aren't company plants or score bombers. Again, look for common themes.

 

[Happy Sock Puppet]

I used to trust The Escapist for reviews. But after their review of Portal 2 (they basically said 'meh' to what is a stellar game), and then their glowing positive review of Dragon Age 2 (obvious cash-grab, buggy as shit, pathetic mish-mash storyline of a game) all in the same month, they have lost my trust.

 

[hermes]

I use metacritic as an aggregation site, mostly to get summarized reviews and links for more elaborate opinions.

For a more personal review, I usually go to Giantbomb and podcasts. Even when I might not agree with their opinions, I find it useful to get a deeper understanding of where those opinions come from.

 

[KarmaTheAlligator]

Nowhere, I want to have a fresh look at a game rather than a biased opinion due to a review, because I might actually like the game for all its flaws.

 

[Euhan01]

I look at IGN/Gamespot as, for all there flaws they do review most things - just ignore the number at the end. Escapist is oviously good, but the one I most like is Gamesweasel, short snappy reviews, sadly its only one guy so can't cover every game. I don't watch one review and take it word and buy/ignore, but try and watch them all and see if the things there saying make it sound like its something I like or dull.

 

[teqrevisited]

I don't look at reviews. The closest thing to a review I'll see is if Totalbiscuit has a look at it, otherwise it'll be the random bits of information that are available all over the net.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

I kinda just pay attention to what gamers are saying about néw games on this forum. Although I do look at ign when I am bored.

 

[GrandmaFunk]

Rock, Paper, Shotgun.

they best represent my tastes and interests

 

[DSK-]

Gametrailers. I find that their reviews are informative, and they at the very least show and explain a good amount of gameplay and the game's mechanics.

 

[LilRock1976]

1UP
Gamespot
IGN
next-gen.biz
Sega 16
Videogame Critic
Armchair Empire
ActionButton.net
Socksmakepeoplesexy.com
Gametrailers

Those are my main sources plus there are a bunch of sites I casually check out like Giantbomb,NowGamer,Bitmob Etc.

 

[Soxafloppin]

Youtube and type in "[Games name] review." IGN and Gamespot are usually the first to show up, but I tend to just look through forums and see what people are saying about it.

 

[the.gill123]

I go to Blistered Thumbs, well mainly Angry Joe and Bennett the Sage.

 

[Palademon]

I go everywhere, to see if there's a running view on pros and cons, and to get the most information.

 

[Soviet Steve]

I watch let's plays on YouTube if there isn't any demo available. People who get paid to praise a game have nothing useful to say as far as I'm concerned, which is all the "serious" reviewers. Plus the quality of a game is subjective so the opinions of others can't really substitute yours.

 

[Sectan]

Well I look at LPs. Yogscast is where I look. They are playing Dead Island, I'm not interested in the game so much, I'm interested in in Lewis and Simon's banter. Good indication to me that I wouldn't have too much fun with Dead Island, but when I watched Hananh's L.A. Noire I was watching that for the game itself and I wasn't too worried about what Hannah was saying. Also a good indication that I would have fun with L.A. Noire.