Game reviews

[PaJami]

So with the game Remember Me coming out tomorrow, one I had been looking forward to for a while, inevitably reviews have been posted already, most of which giving the game "meh" scores to say the least, at least "meh" in the sense of what my expectations for the game were. And because of this, I'm starting to think I won't pick up the game, at least not until it goes on sale or something. But this got me thinking, should I let other people's opinions on games dictate if I get them or not? I mean, when I was a kid, I bought games that looked cool regardless of opinion on them. Heck, looking back, some games that most people hate today were some of my favorites as a kid (Shadow the Hedgehog & Sonic Heroes to name a few) But nowadays I look at reviews before I decide to get a game, and a lot of times bad reviews keep me from getting the game. And I don't just look at the score and call it good; I read the details about why it's bad before I decide either way... But is this a habit that's good to fall into? Sure, on one side it saves you money on a game that could be disappointing, but on another reviews are just opinions, and I've loved games that have gotten bad reviews and skipped games I'd been looking forward to because of bad reviews.

I guess my debate topic for this thread, then, is do you let reviews dictate your purchases of games? Have you ever bought a game that was deemed "bad" but enjoyed it? Discuss away!

Also, on a side note to talk about, have you ever looked forward to a game for quite a while only to see it get mediocre reviews and not live up to its potential? Besides the Remember Me example, one game that was this for me was Naughty Bear. I thought it looked hilarious and was stoked for it, until I saw it got abysmal scores. I dunno, just ticks me off when potential is wasted, and bad reviews = bad sales = less chance for an improved sequel. But yeah, sorry if I've been rambling, I just want to hear what you guys think about these ideas ^^

 

[Prof Gallows]

You might wanna edit your question out of that first paragraph so people will see it. =p

And yes, I own a lot of games people think are bad that I enjoy.

 

[ben_nyc]

So with the game Remember Me coming out tomorrow, one I had been looking forward to for a while, inevitably reviews have been posted already, most of which giving the game "meh" scores to say the least, at least "meh" in the sense of what my expectations for the game were. And because of this, I'm starting to think I won't pick up the game, at least not until it goes on sale or something.

Just like that. Go w/ your instincts. It's true that gaming sites from Giant Bomb to IGN to Kotaku receive ad revenue from these newly released titles which can sway their reviews- however, do the scores seem consistent? This is a decent barometer if it's a 6/10 production or an 9/10 title. Another consideration: how's your backlog? Is this a Collector's Edition & is it limited? Maybe you wanted the exclusive pre-order items?

Finally, always watch some gameplay. I remember purchasing a game because I was a fan of the dev & the written previews were promising. The artwork was not what I imagined. Total regret, haha...