It’s human nature that sometimes we become so stubborn about certain things that nothing can change our opinions. Video games seem to be one of the most divisive topics when it comes to people’s stances on them, second only to movies. Some people are so sure of their perception of a title that, even when the reviews come out one way or another, they turn a blind eye to them.
The most recent example I can think of is The Force Unleashed 2, which comes out today. The game is universally being panned for having repetitive gameplay, a meandering, pointless story and a short length. Should I have shifted my pre-order money onto something else? Possibly, but I’m so sure that I’ll enjoy TFU 2 that I marched resolutely into GameStop and picked that game up with pride. Sure, the clerk may have looked at me like I was crazy, his arched eyebrow saying “have you read the Internet this morning?” but I am willing to look past the reviews and try it for myself, consensus be damned.
That little rant brings us to you guys, and whether this little phenomenon has ever happened to you. Have you ever been so enraptured by a game that, for whatever reason, you choose to clamp down on the part of your brain that regulates common sense and proper spending and just buy that sucker?
Conversely, was there ever a game the you were so sure was going to be awful that you were surprised by the reviews? For example, Vanquish is one that comes to mind. Not that I have anything against that style of game or that particular developer, but I definitely did not expect it to score in the 80s.
So, any cases where you closed your mind to the reviews and stuck to your guns? Go!
Most of the time I ignore the review of a game and just judge it for myself.
Alien Syndrome for the wii.
Not a good game at all and it deserves it’s mediocre scores. Still, so long as I play it with another person or two, the repetitive levels and waves of palette-swapped enemies just don’t bother me. I could sit down and play a co-op game for 7 or 8 hours straight (and I have).
I never ignore them, but sometimes you gotta take the plunge.
For the record, I was confident Vanquish would be good.
It depends. If you read the review and it is describing something you would like, but the reviewer didn’t, then take the plunge.
Dark Alliance 2 got average scores b/c they said it was more of the same.
Perfect. Exactly what I wanted.
If I am looking forward to play a game, a review is never going to sway me from playing it (and 99% of the time I do end up liking it)
It’s only if I am unsure of a new game that I may consult reviews but even then I will always value the opinion of friends with similar tastes more.
I think the best example I could give would be Iron Man, when I completely ignored all the reviews I read. And it actually turned out to be really fun. Just wish the disk didn’t get destroyed.
I only listened to the PC Gamer Review when thinking about buying Darkest Of Days (they gave it an 80%) and i am glad i did listen. It turned out to be fun but i wish i could have grabbed it cheaper.
naruto shippuden ultimate ninja storm 2: got a five out of ten on gamesradar and said that the first one was ten times better got just cause i love the naruto series and as it turns out its a pretty fun game
I’ll read reviews and certainly ignore moderately negative ones if the issues they raise aren’t critical to my enjoyment of a game, especially in the case of a franchise/source material I’m already a fan of. Case in point: The Force Unleashed, which I definitely enjoyed beyond its mediocre reception.
I have a long list of games and movies that I enjoyed that turned out to hated or just not box-office successes to my surprise. For the most part, I don’t read reviews, I just do my own research into the actual game mechanics (I always try to track down some real gameplay footage), features, story, etc., and maybe I’ll do a quick glance at the general ratings and reasons why. I also read reviews on Gamersushi and watch reviews by like Angry Joe and such and just anyone who’s NOT a “professional reviewer” because they’re typically smarter. The guys like at IGN are either obviously biased, ignorant, or just plain wrong. On a pretty much regular basis, they’ll say a stupid thing or act like morons, and they’re fuckin corrupt anyway so I don’t give them the respect they want. Fuck them bitches.