Hey guys after the recent reviews on the website and everyone feeling like they have to weigh in, I want to know what you guys think since this is a smaller group and easier to discuss.
Anyway my start to the discussion is do you guys feel that other websites take reviews too lightly? It seems that almost every game these days gets between an 7-9 but never a 10, and Rarely anything lower. Do you guys think that it matters if they are scored higher or lower? Also how do you feel knowing its only one specific person's opinion on the game? Do you think more than 1 person should review a game on a website so that 1 persons opinion doesn't act as the whole crew of writers thoughts?
I'm asking for a way to better the review system and I don't care to be told disregard reviews, that i should make my own opinion cause thats what real gamers do, etc. I just want to hear your thoughts on the system of game or rather entertainment reviews as a whole.
I've made my thoughts on the matter obvious in the past but just to reiterate at first it's about the content as much as it is the score but I agree that there's something odd going on as to the score, I think a lot of guys who review games know a lot of the people reading their reviews go for the score which would honestly make me feel a bit disheartened if I was a reviewer if I wrote out a big review people just want for the score and I knew giving a game a low score would mean people attacking me and giving me abuse well I'd be less inclined to give the next Uncharted a low score
But yeah there's way too many reviews out there with high scores. Games Master for instance has around 20 or so games with 10 or 9 scores as if somehow 90% of the 7th generation games were near-perfect which is insane since we rate perfection based on the quality of an object/person/service based on everything else related to it. Personally I think reviews should be taken on a certain ideals. The quality of the game and then personal opinion which yes is biased but there's so many things that decide whether we enjoy something that it should be taken into account for example GTA 5
The reviewer from gamespot pointed out that the way the game handled women put her off the game and I think it's a fair critic of the title. It's basically saying that if your a women and enjoy these kinds of games then you might actually not like the way it presents your gender. There's certain things that from game to game can affect your enjoyment of the game. Plus there's a lot of fans who to me are just wearing the fanboy equivalent of beer goggles. I've always tried to take the things I'm a fan of and question whether I like something from that since it's good or if I'm just so much of a fan that I can't see it's faults. I've looked back on things before and thought "That was really bad"
As for how to better reviews, I don't think we need to improve them and I say that on behalf of every site. IGN, Gamespot, PSLS, The Escapist, Giant Bomb and so on since it's the content again and not the score. Everyone has their own method and to suggest we need a new method seems a little unfair, like we're saying "THIS is the right way to review a video game now get in line or don't review video games!"
The people who do get riled up about video games aren't upset because the review process is at fault, those guys are just upset since it's someone saying the game is bad/good and it contradicts their opinion which for some of them makes them question whether they made the right choice or if their just stupid people who are easily impressed. (For the record, I don't think it means your stupid if you like a game someone else hates)
I mean if there's a lot of gamers who can't handle Uncharted 3 getting a 9/10 then there's a problem but it has nothing to do with the review system.