Reviews / Previews do they ruin games?

[mehuk]

Think back to when you were just a young porker, you had a C64 / Amiga etc, internet wasn't in the mainstream and only nerds bought gaming magazines

You didnt have reviews to go on, so you would go to a shop and get a game that looked or felt good... you would then play and enjoy the game, simpler times, but at the same time, its all one and the same, you paid money for a game and you should enjoy it.

Nowadays, games are killed or hyped before we even get our mitts on them. People stay away from games because 'they are told to' but haven't tried it for themselves. Conversely people 'buy' games because a preview has hyped it to the moon...

What i am trying to get at is, could you make up your own mind on a game without knowing anything about it, until you saw it on a shop floor? (probably not feasible in this day and age, but i bet people would find more gems than they do now)

For me, i am sucked in by reviews... i get told NBA 2K8 is more realistic than NBA Live 08, so buy the former. Same for NHL 08, that took my money over NHL 2K8.....

Did i buy Madden 08... nope, the reviews slate it - however if i hadn't read them, i would have picked up a NFL game, and probably liked it as i wouldnt be looking for the glitches that everyone tell me are there.

It is a shame that the world as a whole is like this (not just slating the games industry) - probably just thinking out loud on this thread, but i feel i miss out on stuff as i do take in reviews / previews and put myself in a 'if its not perfect...' mode.

A strange fact is, i have not bought a game on release day since GTA:SA ... i await community input before parting with my notes. What a buzz to miss out on.. release day gaming, always loved it...

I know all the obvious answers i.e i dont want to waste money etc, but do you not wish to be able to get that 'gem' that you never heard of and actually enjoyed it before, reading how 'the polygons are jagged on the horizon' carp.

mugs game is gaming

 

[randal]

I think the hype machine has a lot to answer for, personally HL2 EP2 was ruined for me with the excessive and drawn out build up. I thought the game was flat, disappointing and lacking all the magic we'd been promised. Much the same with Crysis too.

Bioshock was the one game I read nothing about, just went out and bought it as it came recommended by my gf's brother. It had a certain feel to it, like I was treading new unknown territory so-to-speak and I enjoyed it a whole lot more. Now that might be down to it being a cracking game, but I felt a lot happier about the whole experience without watching endless clips and screenshots.

2p.

 

[Kainz]

Thanks to the interweb it has created greater awareness for upcoming titles, and given that the bar for originality was set long ago most games are simply rehashes of the originals set in either a different world or maybe with some major changes. Back in the 8bit days previews were rare in magazines, probably due to the fact that gamers knew what to expect from their CPC, Speccy or C64. It changed with 16bit gaming on the Amiga/Atari and then the consoles because games were so much more expensive. Magazine companies realised that they could fill in a niche market by giving their readers an exclusive detailed look at upcoming titles that were costly. This then later translated over to the internet with games reviews websites. Now awareness has been joined by hype from millions of gamers communicating with each other via the web.

Back in the day all we had was word of mouth from our friends who read magazines. Hell they weren't a ripoff £5.99 back then either. Awareness is the key thing - just imagine how we'd cope purchasing games at present if the web wasn't around.

I used to be pretty good on buying the right games and avoiding the hype. Then I balls'd up with Bioshock after the demo created a major first impression on me.

 

[lordrobs]

Yeah Kainz makes a good point. Back in the day I used to read a prieview in a mag which would grab my interest, a review a few months later and the next thing I see of the game is when I pick it up in a shop.

Now however 6 months before a hyped game is released and the ball is in motion with a few "screenshots" which are normally of the intro sequence at best, then with 3 months still to go you get the "**********OFFICIAL********* [insert game]" threads where you can read about everytime the game developer breaks wind all the time building the hype even more in your own head.

I try and avoid everything about a game until release then just go on instinct. When you do pick up a gem without meaning too its fantastic. Take GOW for example, I read nothing about the game, picked it up simply because I saw it for £18 and was blown away. No pre conceptions, no way I could have been disappointed.

Another reason I stopped reading reviews is that so many of them go into too much detail. The last couple of GTA games spring to mind- "another cool thing you can do is this, and this and this oh and don't forget that" Yeah thanks for that but it would have been much better to find out by accident that you can pick up a hooker, driver her into the woods and boost your health rather than read it in a magazine first.

 

[wedgie]

People only have themselves to blame if they jump onboard the hype train.

Previews/Reviews are a good way of finding info about games, and in particular games you're not sure on. It's still easy enough to keep yourself away from info about games if you want to.

 

[Twinblade]

At the end of the day previews/reviews in games magazines are just a handful of peoples personal opinions on that game, and I dont read too much into it.

Yes, I read game magazines and read the reviews, and it may make me take a little more interest in the game but it wont sway me to buy it or not, if the review has some negatives then I will probably play a demo or hire the said game before purchasing it. If I enjoy the game I couldnt care less what some game magazine reviewed thought of it, as he isnt the one splashing out the £40 odd to buy it and play it.

For example, WoW is always receiving super high ratings from the majority of game magazines, and thats because all the writers are addicted to it, and play it all the time, why would they give a game they always play a poor review. I like MMO's so would have looked at WoW, I was intrigued, so I played the trial game, it wasnt for me, so I didnt buy it. The majority of magazines give it a 9/10 or 10/10 or 95% plus, but to me, it wouldnt score anywhere near that highly because I dont think its that great.

 

[skullman]

Another reason I stopped reading reviews is that so many of them go into too much detail.

Reminds me of Gamespot's Crysis review. It was blatantly full of spoilers.

Its a lot different from the old 8-bit days where gaming wasnt so serious or complex: Expectations were not high. You knew what to expect, you just set out to reach the end or get the highest score without really giving a toss. There was so many games to choose from and they were all so cheap (very cheap). Also very few games that you'd play for hours on end - mostly arcade conversions. Usually after 5 minutes on one game you'd get bored and put something else on. Plus I was only a kid back then...so short attention span and all.

Nowadays people expect so much more because it takes years to develop a half-decent original title, so during that time there will be the inevitable hype/build-up as gamers wait impatiently.

 

[mehuk]

yeah good point re: different era's

sometimes you just want to catch the magic of the unknown again like games were.... now its.. well if a game dosent do that, then whats the point...