Trust in the computer games industry

[ro9ue]

I only trust in Totalbiscuit.

And if he doesn't review a game that has piqued my interest, I just gotta bite the bullet. (/sigh Destiny)

[May90]

Well, both extremes ("I trust reviews completely" and "I ignore reviews whatsoever") are kind of silly. If you trust the first review you read, then you will end up playing many games that some random reviewer liked while you do not necessarily like them. If you, on the opposite side, do not care about any reviews and such, then you are essentially blind and have to buy hundreds random games before you stumble onto a gem.

Here is what I do. I never pre-order anything, I never even really care about any game before it's been released (except for sequels of games I like). From time to time, I read general reviews like "10 best RPGs of 2014". If I see something that interests me, I proceed to reading different reviews and watching Youtube "Let's Play"s. When I do that, I totally ignore everything related to personal preference ("I really like this feature", "This is a significant improvement" and such are highly subjective and depend on the reviewer) and look only at the objective facts: what is the gameplay like, what is the story/lore about... Then, if after all this I believe that this game suits my gaming interests, I go buy it.

And, honestly, if I'm not sure about a game, I usually torrent it, play for a bit and then decide whether it is worth the money or not. Unfortunately, it doesn't work well with online games as they are usually well protected from piracy, so it is kind of a hit and miss. I bought WoW and then regretted it when the game proved to be everything but what I expected it to be. But then I bought Guild Wars 2, and that is now my favorite MMO in the world.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

1. Never, ever trust mainstream media reviews of video games (IGN, Joystiq, etc). Often times they are bribed (Not by money but through favors, which are much more valuable in the industry). Look at second tier media (PCgamer, Massively) because they are just, and even then do NOT TAKE THEIR REVIEWS AT FACE VALUE! Look at multiple reviews; if they are telling you the same thing then it's accurate. Also take into consideration youtube reviews. Lastly; never, ever buy games at launch unless you really love them. Most games nowadays aren't worth the $60. Wait until a sale.

[May90]

Look at multiple reviews; if they are telling you the same thing then it's accurate.

This is actually not necessarily correct. Often reviewers repeat after each other, and their impressions are influenced by each other's. I find the best way to get a totally (well, mostly) independent opinion of a game is to go to a forum where it is discussed by players and read what good and what bad they say about this game. This, mixed with "official" reviews and Youtube videos, will have a fairly decent insurance that you are going to get about what you expect.

[WintersLegion]

I never read reviews until after I form my own opinion most I do is on like steam I look at the overall score. I have read reviews where people don't like a game because of something in it that to me was enjoyable and if I had read the review I may of never tried the game.

[kail]

Streams atm are my best form of getting an idea if a game is going to be fun or not.

Just watched a stream of someone playing an early Sunset Overdrive, I got a grasp as to what I am going to get out of the game.

[Celista]

+1 for TotalBiscuit. Like him or not he is your best bet for "uncorrupted" first impressions of PC games.

I have to second this, I really enjoy his videos.

[Yunru]

Imagine back when I started playing computer games. Not only was their no youtube, no twitch, there wasn´t even an easily accessible internet!! The only ´review´ you got of a game was in a magazine. Probably the first 20 games I bought, including great ones like Ultima, Bard´s tale and stuff like that I bought because of what I read on the box in the store.

But to the OP, besides my silly comparison. It really is no worse now than it ever was. Computer gaming magazines were always corrupt, now it just has trickled down to major gaming sites. But really, this is the nature of everything in the world. As soon as someone has a voice that can influence people, that voice will be bought. When the people who are the biggest advertisers on your property, and are also the people you are reviewing? yeah, that is never going to end well.

It is one of the reasons I laughed at the beginning of gamergate. OMG. someone got laid in order to give a good review.. That happens everywhere in the world for any product. Somewhere in the last week, a prostitute was hired to help cement a deal for cement. I read a story from Ohio where a guy who owned a ton of car dealerships allowed/forced his wife to sleep with an exec from a car company so that the dealer would get all the best models in all the best colors on day 1 for his dealerships.

Trusting reviewers is folly. First you have to hope their their idea of ´good´ lines up with your idea of good, and then you have to trust that they weren´t bought off or influenced.

Well before the good internet i had too read this:

It usualy came with a game cd and it kinda cheap for the time (2 euro in todays money).

Lucky games were not so bad at that time.

[NPEC]

Well lately i only have been playing free games like LoL hearthstone, robotcraft, etc. However when i want to know more about a game im interested on i normal go to youtube to see if there are vídeos of people playing that game so i can have a idea how the game plays and decide if i want to buy it.

[Lancer]

Ever since Jeff Gerstmann was fired from Gamespot for giving Kane & Lynch a bad review I have a hard time trusting any reviews for games from major gaming sites. Happened 7 years ago but I still can't help but get the feeling paid reviews are thing even though I have zero proof/evidence.

[Deleted]

I have to second this, I really enjoy his videos.

Not to mention, even if you don't agree with his assessment of a game during the video, you still see plenty of footage to help you decide.

[Ninotchka]

I have a fairly wide range of friends who game, and I will generally ask their opinion before I buy unless I know the company.

Then again, knowing the company isn't always a guarantee of quality. I got the new Sid Meier game, forgetting that I only like 50% of the games he produces, and I really didn't like this one. Oh, well, my To Be Played list is long enough that I'm not missing anything.