Why do you read reviews?

[chikusho]

I don't read reviews. Possibly I look up some scores and read the final paragraph in a review. But I'm attuned enough to my tastes as to be able to figure out by myself what I will or will not enjoy.

 

[L. Declis]

Because I trust some people's opinions, and if I am on the fence about buying a game, it's nice to look around. So Two Best Friends, Bro Team, Jim Fucking Sterling Son, Yahtzee, Mr. Tito and the highest rated Steam reviews all get a read or a watch.

In fact, Yahtzee is the person who most often sells me on games. If he says it's good, it usually deserves a bloody gold medal, and if he trashes it and I still want it, then I usually take that as a sign that it's worth playing. However, if he destroys the game, then I take his word for it because, well, he seems trustworthy and funny and as a Brit, being funny is about 9/10s of possession.

 

[The_Darkness]

For me? A review is about reading a writer's opinion on a game

This. So much this.

I want their subjective opinion of the game. Why? Because, ultimately, I'm interested in finding out what my own (subjective) opinion of the game is going to be, before I buy it. I can get a pretty good idea of what my own opinion would be by reading a handful of other people's opinions. If I can understand another person's opinion, I can begin to guess how I might react to the game. This is why its helpful to have a lot of reviewers out there, and to find one that I regularly agree with. (Greg Tito and Jim Sterling both seem to line up fairly well with my own opinions of games.)

Of course, "I hated it", while a subjective opinion, isn't helpful. "I hated it because..." is helpful. Even if the reasons for hating it are entirely subjective, I can decide whether or not those reasons would bother me.

A purely objective review... wouldn't help me.

 

[stroopwafel]

I'm interested in reading people's opinion about a game(if it's informed) but eventually don't really care if they like it or not. I greatly enjoyed a lot of games that were not really favored among many critics(like Watch Dogs and Evil Within) while being disappointed by games that are near unanimously popular(like Wolfenstein). So yeah, whatever a reviewer thinks of a game is in no way indicative of if I personally will enjoy(or not enjoy) it.

 

[Dizchu]

I don't read reviews of games or films before I play/watch them, though I do look at review aggregates to determine whether or not it is garbage (I generally don't play games with Metascores under 70 or watch movies with Rotten Tomatoes scores under 60). I know they're not entirely reliable but I figure that it's a good way to filter out mediocrity.

NOW, I do like reading reviews AFTER I experience the film/game just to understand my own opinion better. They help me notice things that were particularly good or bad about the experience and as a result give me a greater appreciation.

It's a lot different with music however. With music I'm more lax about the general consensus (I like several albums that are merely considered "good" or "slightly above average" or even "completely insufferable") and I'll read reviews before listening to get an idea of how it sounds. This is actually one of the primary ways I have of discovering new music.

 

[Pink Gregory]

I'm interested to hear what other people think, ultimately.

I don't care about scores for posterity, to be honest I approach games from behind, usually years after they've been released.