Siliconera Speaks Up On Game Reviews

By Louise Yang . March 15, 2009 . 8:36am

Siliconera Speaks Up On Game Reviews

What do game reviews mean? Do you take them with a grain of salt? Do you read them at all? Do you make game purchasing decisions based on them?

 

Siliconera Speaks Up On Game ReviewsJenni: I always thought of game reviews as a sort of suggestion. I don’t often buy games based on reviews I’ve read, but if there’s a game I’m somewhat interested in, but not ready to go and spend money on, I’ll check out reviews. In a way, I’ve always thought of game reviews as window shopping.

I don’t visit major video game review sites often. I preferred reading reviews in actual magazines. (I was a fan of EGM, and enjoy picking up the occasional Nintendo Power.) More recently, I’ve found myself skimming the Gamefaqs user review scores when I’m curious about a game.

 

Siliconera Speaks Up On Game ReviewsSpencer: The majority of game reviews analyze parts of a whole, look at a feature list, and see if it is up to par with what’s in stores now. I suppose it’s good for a product comparison, like if you were reviewing a car you want to know which one has a better engine, but a mess of numbers and letters don’t capture the experience. Writing about how a game makes you feel is abstract and even more subjective to interpretation. It takes longer to do, it’s longer for people to read, and doesn’t have the instant gratification of seeing “9 out of 10″ at the bottom. People like to see high scores for games they purchase since it psychologically validates the idea they made a good purchase.

I tend to take a different approach writing “reviews” on Siliconera. I like to write them as a journal entries to capture the moment I’m playing a game whether frustrating or exciting and present as much of the experience as possible. The readers here are intelligent enough that I don’t need to stroke egos with scores. I feel like you can discern whether the experience is something you will enjoy or not. The problem with product comparison reviews is titles, especially the quirky ones that we cover on Siliconera, get lost in the shuffle. Smaller games have smaller budgets and can’t present the same production values as a game with a multimillion dollar advertising campaign. Does that mean everyone should just rush out and purchase the blockbuster of the week? Of course not! There is a sea of other games — other experiences out there and we want to cover what they offer.

 

Siliconera Speaks Up On Game ReviewsIshaan: No, I don’t usually pay much heed to reviews anymore. I read a couple previews from different sites and forum threads on GAF, watch a trailer or two and usually, that’s enough for me to figure out whether or not I want a game. Too many reviews focus too much on nitpicking and not enough on design for me to care about them. It’s hard to discern sometimes whether they are aimed at angering developers or helping readers make a decision. I use Siliconera to take a design-oriented approach to games. Does it play well? How could a particular game mechanic have been improved upon? To me, these are meant to spark discussion, not necessarily always help readers make decisions.

Personally, I don’t see the point of sites using a ten-point-scale. Really, what’s the difference between a 4 and a 5? Likewise, the “Try/Buy/Fry” system doesn’t work very well either because too many games end up in the “Try” section, which isn’t an option for those of us who can’t rent games. I’m not saying I have a solution (other than not assigning scores at all), but I do think we need to re-evaluate the review systems on some sites…especially those that don’t really care for the kind of games we like at SE but attempt to cover them anyway.

 

Siliconera Speaks Up On Game ReviewsLouise: I like how Jenni put it — window shopping. That’s basically how I treat reviews too. I’ll read reviews from sites like Eurogamer to get a better idea of a game I’m interested in, or to see if there are any additional features like multiplayer or online. Sometimes, if I’m deciding between two games, I’ll read reviews about both of them to see if one of them has something I want more over the other.

When I’m done writing a playtest for Siliconera, I like to go and look for reviews written by other people about the same game to see what they thought of it. Sometimes, the reviews will point out things in a different way, which I find neat — especially when there are lots of differing opinions.

I don’t think I’ve ever had a review make me want to buy something I didn’t want to before reading the review, but that definitely happens when I read forum posts about games. General gaming forums give a wider range of opinions on games and since the posters are just regular gamers (most of them), I feel it gives a truer representation of the game.


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  • http://www.liquid-crystal.biz kryptonics

    I've always looked at reviews for additional perspectives. These viewpoints can totally change how I look at a game. I'm not looking for good or bad spectrum based comments, but comments that change my understand.

    Here's some examples of what I'm talking about–I didn't know any one this: Virtua Fighter is based on a brilliant rock-paper-scissors system. Street Fighter is about controlling rectangular windows of space. The controls in Blizzard's real-time strategy games are so intuitive that you can easily practice Sun Tzu's “Art of War” principles. Simply calling Trauma Center a puzzle game left me viewing it differently.

    Good reviews expose the unseen or misunderstood. Wave Race 64's graphics were very impressive at the time–that doesn't really need to be stated. Several reviewers at the time did point out the amazing feel of the water and how the wave generation really added some depth to the gameplay. For one of the first times, it wasn't simply about going around a predetermined track, but fighting an onslaught of ever changing waves that could slow you down or knock you off course.

  • MadMirko

    The bad thing about most reviews is that the reviewer feels the need to advise the reader on whether to buy the game in question, or not. I can figure that out myself, thankyouverymuch.

    A good review separates the facts and features from how the reviewer likes them. Especially as I'm usually not interested what the reviewer thinks, but I do want to know non-obvious stuff about the game mechanics and options available. I also do not want to hear about the graphics (screenshots and videos are easy to come by nowadays), stuff I can learn from playing a demo or visiting the game's website.

  • Nika

    The only time I read game reviews is when I'm waiting on the train. If I go to my parents place the connection is always so that I will have to wait 15 minutes or so, perfect time to annoy the people from the kiosk by reading their magazines.

    I used to be subscribed to some magazines, but lately I've found that I read less than half of the content so I stopped my subscriptions. Over half of the reviews or previews simply don't interest me, or because I live in europe I've already read all about them or even worse (or better?) already played the game because I imported it. Of course, some features and interviews are still interesting to read.

  • Hello Hello

    I have a pretty low opinion of gaming reviews. My big problem is with scores, which seem only to exist for the benefit of message board trolls. There's also the problem with how scores encourage people not to read the actual review.

  • http://myanimelist.net/profile/Kuronoa Kuronoa

    I used to, but I find myself having more fun buying games my own way. There are good points to reading reviews, like finding out about certain flaws you might not like. Nowadays, I prefer previews or impressions from members of forums/blogs I visit.

    I feel the problem with reviews isn't the reviews or the critics, but the readers. It's the critic's opinion on the game and give you thier opinion if you will like it or not. For instance, there are many tv tropes relating to reviews like “reviews are the gospel” or “Four Point Scale” that points out how “important” reviews are for gamers as oppose to trying it themselves. The score of the game isn't important but the content the critic writes.

    There are gamers who doesn't give games under 7.0 a chance that's rather sad really. It doesn't have to be a high scoring game for you to enjoy it.

    Of course this is IMO.

  • Xemnas

    I don't take them seriously, most reviewers are either biased for silly reasons (the backlash Godhand got because of it's difficulty), focus on silly things, or they haven't even completed the game

    How can i take your opinion on a game as a WHOLE when you haven't finished the WHOLE game?

    I tend to go on message boards and get a perceptive from normal players like me, not some on their high horse because they get paid to be a gamer

  • shion16

    when you read a review, you see a point of view different of yours
    like IGN, you see their reviews and sometimes you say WTH!!, then you play the game and you find it funny.
    The best way to use the review is seeing more than one, or even better is test the game.
    And the most important, if the review is sponsored as IGNs, take a good look of the game, if its sponsored by the web, the review is FAKE!

    Thats my opinion
    Shion 16 ,Viña del Mar, Chile

  • http://denpanosekai.blogspot.com denpanosekai

    I much prefer previews to reviews. I don't like how most reviewers try their best to bring out all the little negative details that don't really deter from the experience and use them to bring down the score as much as possible. Take the recent 7th Dragon, there are plenty of little things that don't make it the perfect RPG but it's still a hell of a game. I couldn't care less that it gets a 7 or 65 of B+ in some guy's eyes out there. Previews on the other hand, bring most of the game's fact sheet to a much more natural / human readable format, with little to no personal opinion tarnishing the report.

  • Aoshi00

    I used to read EGM just for fun, and mostly take their reviews w/ a grain of salt since you could tell they're jaded and biased know-it-alls.

    I would say reviews from general gamers do affect my purchases. Unless it's a title that I'm familiar w/ and will buy no matter what people say, I would quickly glance at reviews from a wide range of general users, like from Amazon, Amazon Japan, gamefaq, or even Play-Asia. I find many of them useful since I could take into account opinions from many regarding a certain game. Important thing is you have to be mindful of the taste of the particular reviewer, if you know he doesn't care much for JRPGs in the first place and you like JRPGs (like his tone of full of contempt, eg. IGN didn't think much of the old school turn-based Lost Odyssey), then you probably shouldn't bother listening to him anyway.

    In the last 2 years or so I have grown to like Gametrailer's video reviews, they go rather in depth on many aspects including gameplay. I haven't read IGN in a long time since I don't trust them.. Of course the ones here are very useful as well. I do miss the pro/con summary at the end, the literacy lvl was great, but doesn't apply to me personally..

    A number score could be very helpful, like if I see the general score on Amazon is 2.5 out of 5 stars, then I would try to figure out why a game is rated so, I would make my decision after digesting those comments. If I'm still inclined to get the game no matter what, I would give it a try perhaps after a price drop.

    However, I don't depend on reviews for movies, since movies only last for ~2hrs each, and I always read movie reviews after I saw the movie myself, just to see what the others think. There are times I regret buying certain games by not listening to some reviews, so I don't think one should discount them entirely.

  • thaKingRocka

    i like to check out the scores on metacritic and gamerankings. first and foremost, i trust my own gut, but if there is some glaring difference between what i expect a game to earn and what it receives, i may be swayed toward holding off or ignoring the game entirely.

    the current beta system in place at cheapassgamer mirrors the way i think about games, so i'm glad someone has done it. users can assign the game a dollar value at which they would recommend purchasing. some games are worth my 60, while others can wait until a 30 dollar price point. i just picked up CoD: WaW today for 30. that was my “buy” price, so i didn't hesitate once it hit that price.

    reviews are great for keeping yourself informed, but they are rarely ever make or break the sale for me. there are some things you know you'll like even though they get slammed.
    take mobile light force 2 for example. the port had a lot of features cut, but they were no loss to me. i couldn't care less about the inane chatter those characters were spitting out during cutscenes. i wanted to shoot things, and enjoy the core play mechanics. shikigami no shiro is one of my all-time favs in the genre, and it was a no-brainer to buy it despite a pretty lousy critical reception.

  • EvilAkito

    I pretty much agree with what's already been said. I only really bother with reading reviews when I'm on the fence, and I can't just rely on one review. I like to check with several sources, and also ask for opinions on internet message boards.

  • Chow

    For the most part, I know which games I'd want to get before going out to get them. But on the other hand, I'm also an impulse buyer who only remembers a gist of what reviews say for certain games.

    I have a few experiences where I totally hated a high-reviewed game, such as Chrono Cross and The Thing.

    Other times, review can really piss me off when I can basically see a huge bias toward certain companies or established IPs. I remember when certain Virtual Console titles came out, They praised NES Kirby, explicitly stating that for its time it was a really good game 9/10, then turn around and review Streets of Rage saying that it's a dated game by today's standards 5/10. You could've flipped those two reviews around depending on your bias, and that instance really stuck out to me.

    In the end, I like to read the more low-to-mid-scoring reviews because they tend to be more critical and actually point out why you would or wouldn't like the game, and not just praising the game with no real points.

  • daizyujin

    As a whole like Jenni and Louise I take them as a guideline. On the other hand I tend to try to find a reviewer that I feel fits my personal tastes. Like Aoshi00 mentioned, I tend to like Gametrailer's reviews. They are done more as an overall group review process rather than just by one single reviewer that may or may not match my tastes. If a reviewer constantly gives high scores to games I despise and low scores to games personally liked I tend to ignore them. (Matt Casamasina I am looking at you.)

  • http://www.twitter.com/dancarew Denalin

    I find it absolutely foolish to avoid checking reviews before making any big purchase. I check several big sites and a few smaller sites before making any new game purchase. With prices reaching $60 for new games, any my small amount of money NOT spent on college, I want only the best bang for my buck. I understand that reviewers don't look at games as in-depth as they perhaps should, especially on drawn-out RPGs, but this is fully understandable. For more niche games, I look to the fans for reasons to play.

    There are so many foolish gamers out there who do NOT read reviews and buy over-advertised games (like Wii Music) or movie-games like Wall-E (not at all worth $50/60).

    See, game reviewers have seen SO MANY games that they find it easier to point out the bad parts than the good parts. While normal people may think many of the lower-rated games are good, a full-time, paid reviewer has the most experience in comparing the most vital aspects of a game.

    I have a feeling that many gamers will like a game, but when they see a poor review for it on some major website, the gamer will get upset with the website for “not understanding”. It's true, reviewers are not perfect, but if I hear a lot of rumblings about a game being good, then it's probably good.

    When I see movies, I try to not see any trailers for it, because often the most intense or funny parts are in the trailers. If I get the recommendation of many of my friends, news papers, and websites, I'll see the movie, and I'll almost always be happy with the result. The same system goes for games, when I picked up Persona 4, I had NO IDEA what it was about other than that it was a JRPG and included high-school drama. I am in love with P4, but I only made the purchase because of universal acclaim for the game.

    The most recent instance I can remember of forgoing a review to purchase a game is the PSN-only PSP game entitled “Beats”, the game claimed to take any MP3 you put into it and make a rhythm game out of it. I was hoping for something similar to Audiosurf or Amplitude when I purchased the game. I read poor reviews for it on IGN and GameSpot, but figured that five bucks wasn't too much to worry about. I am very disappointed in myself for purchasing that game, it's one of the worst games I've played in a very long time, and I only play it when I have nothing else to do, and want to listen to music while challenging myself slightly.

    In conclusion, I find it a bit pretentious and elitist to ignore reviews and act like a scoring system is unnecessary and primitive. I have a friend who exclusively owns a Wii and has been disappointed with many of the games on the system (there are, after all, MANY shovelware games on the system). He's gone so far as to give up on modern gaming as a whole, and only lives for the classics. This saddens me deeply, because I think of 2008 as one of the best years for gaming of all time, and I think it's only going to get better as time progresses.

  • http://www.twitter.com/dancarew Denalin

    I find it absolutely foolish to avoid checking reviews before making any big purchase. I check several big sites and a few smaller sites before making any new game purchase. With prices reaching $60 for new games, any my small amount of money NOT spent on college, I want only the best bang for my buck. I understand that reviewers don't look at games as in-depth as they perhaps should, especially on drawn-out RPGs, but this is fully understandable. For more niche games, I look to the fans for reasons to play.

    There are so many foolish gamers out there who do NOT read reviews and buy over-advertised games (like Wii Music) or movie-games like Wall-E (not at all worth $50/60).

    See, game reviewers have seen SO MANY games that they find it easier to point out the bad parts than the good parts. While normal people may think many of the lower-rated games are good, a full-time, paid reviewer has the most experience in comparing the most vital aspects of a game.

    I have a feeling that many gamers will like a game, but when they see a poor review for it on some major website, the gamer will get upset with the website for “not understanding”. It's true, reviewers are not perfect, but if I hear a lot of rumblings about a game being good, then it's probably good.

    When I see movies, I try to not see any trailers for it, because often the most intense or funny parts are in the trailers. If I get the recommendation of many of my friends, news papers, and websites, I'll see the movie, and I'll almost always be happy with the result. The same system goes for games, when I picked up Persona 4, I had NO IDEA what it was about other than that it was a JRPG and included high-school drama. I am in love with P4, but I only made the purchase because of universal acclaim for the game.

    The most recent instance I can remember of forgoing a review to purchase a game is the PSN-only PSP game entitled “Beats”, the game claimed to take any MP3 you put into it and make a rhythm game out of it. I was hoping for something similar to Audiosurf or Amplitude when I purchased the game. I read poor reviews for it on IGN and GameSpot, but figured that five bucks wasn't too much to worry about. I am very disappointed in myself for purchasing that game, it's one of the worst games I've played in a very long time, and I only play it when I have nothing else to do, and want to listen to music while challenging myself slightly.

    In conclusion, I find it a bit pretentious and elitist to ignore reviews and act like a scoring system is unnecessary and primitive. I have a friend who exclusively owns a Wii and has been disappointed with many of the games on the system (there are, after all, MANY shovelware games on the system). He's gone so far as to give up on modern gaming as a whole, and only lives for the classics. This saddens me deeply, because I think of 2008 as one of the best years for gaming of all time, and I think it's only going to get better as time progresses.

  • thaKingRocka

    the literacy level rating was the main reason i came to siliconera. i loved that feature. i really wish there were a more exhaustive database of that kind of information. i only have about a 3rd grade reading level in japanese, and that limits my options quite a bit. though games are games, and i can often figure out what to do owing to the universal language that seems to bind them, silconera's literacy level rating was one of the most resources for me as i struggled to find which games would help me improve, which ones would leave me scratching my head, and which would actually speak to me in my native tongue.

  • http://www.infinite-bits.com NickyD

    There are enough long comments here, so I'll be brief. Reviews are opinion; how that person found the game.

    Case in point: when I reviewed Wild Arms XF, I gave it a 9.5 — I really do think it's a fantastic game that takes a completely different angle to the class system and mission objectives. It keeps the game challenging and forces you to try out all the different jobs available. I think it's awesome. Imagine my surprise when other sites gave it a 5.5, or a 7.0, etc. They thought it was too hard, etc etc.

    I always say “different strokes for different folks” but reviews really only mean something for the person writing them.

  • aj

    I like sites like MetaCritic. They take a lot of reviews, and let you know if the bulk of reviewers had a good, bad, or mediocre opinion of a game. That works a treat.

    Otherwise, video game journalism is only really a step above music journalism. And we all know how awful music journalism is (NB: if you read and enjoy Rolling Stone, you are either illiterate or 12 years old).

  • BlackFreefall

    I read the review to get a general idea of what game is about. Ever since entering the seventh generation console, games are quite expensive. Games with positive reviews usually sway me into buying it. But if I really want a game, the score would not be a matter as I would still buy it.

    I wish reviewers would also mention the quality of the items included in the collector edition of the game. Obviously this would not affect the score of the game, but it is a nice heads up on whether to pluck down the extra cash or not. Some collector editions are not worth it (I'm looking at you Resident Evil and Street Fighter IV).

  • Justin Bailey

    “What do game reviews mean?”

    Absolutely nothing. No demo, no sale. Maybe a rental if the developer has a good track record.

  • http://www.nakedsushi.net/ Louise

    Hm, I didn't know about the rectangle spaces in Street Fighter. I'm going to have to read-up on that now. Maybe that's why I'm sucking so much.

  • http://www.nakedsushi.net/ Louise

    I think I'm guilty of that. When I write reviews, I like to end it with a short summary like, “You would like this game if you like blah blah blah.” I write that in for people who just like to skim reviews. Sometimes I skip to the last paragraph when I read things just so I can get the gist of it all.

  • http://www.nakedsushi.net/ Louise

    Yeah, I'm not a big fan of scores. Well, more like, I'm not a big fan of people who ONLY look at the score.

  • Justin Bailey

    “What do game reviews mean?”

    Absolutely nothing. No demo, no sale. Maybe a rental if the developer has a good track record.

  • http://www.nakedsushi.net/ Louise

    Hm, I didn't know about the rectangle spaces in Street Fighter. I'm going to have to read-up on that now. Maybe that's why I'm sucking so much.

  • http://www.nakedsushi.net/ Louise

    I think I'm guilty of that. When I write reviews, I like to end it with a short summary like, “You would like this game if you like blah blah blah.” I write that in for people who just like to skim reviews. Sometimes I skip to the last paragraph when I read things just so I can get the gist of it all.

  • http://www.nakedsushi.net/ Louise

    Yeah, I'm not a big fan of scores. Well, more like, I'm not a big fan of people who ONLY look at the score.

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