Which video game source do you trust most?

[cr0n0]

Maybe this question has been asked already, but I got into wondering this as I browsed through one of the topics in this board. I think it was the one where most people hate EGM. SO I was just wondering which source you all trust or respect the most when it comes to their reviews, previews etc.

Or maybe you trust no one... x_x

I tend to read many reviews on the game I am interested in purchasing and kind of getting an idea of what most think. I do not like to stick to ONE source, since they greatly differ on certain things.

[Lady Jaye]

www.metacritic.com is your friend.

[mr_nihilism]

Online I tend to read GameSpot's reviews.

As far as magazine's go, I go with EGM and GamesTM

[Cleatis]

I have a hard time trusting any review thats based on opinion. I need the facts and few magazines offer that. EGM comes to mind when I think about a review being based off of hype and what they think the kiddies want to hear. Im not saying the reviewer is full of crap, Im just saying the writers EGM hires are people who love pop licenses. I like to find previews and demo videos off the net. Thats about the only way I know if a game seems like something Id like to spend my time playing.

My opinion of a good game is usually quite different from the top 10 sellers of the month. Take GTA as an example...I think they all suck. I think Mortal Kombat has always sucked. I think Bombastic (Devil Dice 2) is one of the greatest multi-players of all time.

I think its far more productive to meet people who like the same games that you do and listen to what they have to say about a game. If youre lucky, youll find a specific reviewer in a mag who has the same taste as you. I gave up on magazines a long time ago (I still read for the previews and specs though) so Im in no position to recommend any magazine. So Im recommending the internet for previews and demo videos. ^^

[Xantan the Foul]

Well, needless to say: I don't trust PSM for PS2 game reviews or Nintendo Power for Gamecube reviews :roll:

[Wily]

www.gamefront.de

[maxlords]

I don't trust reviews at all anymore. I just browse them for content information and ignore their conclusions. I rarely agree with them.

[Richter]

gamerankings.com for reviews

[xaer0knight]

www.gamespot.com - mostly for there shows and videos
www.planetgamecube.com - for anything GameCube and for there reviews and list of games
www.gamefaqs.com - fun for laughs but sometimes you'll see some good stuff there, mostly FAQs, links, and crappy Message Boards. Fanboyish.
www.gamerankings.com - is great, pulls and post most reviews from other sites.
www.ign.com - sometimes on a very good/lucky day you can get some insite. some of the interviews and videos are good.
www.vgmuseum.com - great if you want to see videogame pics, scans of the games, midis, and a lot of stuff is there. POP-UP blocker recommended!

I would recommend gamespot and gamerankings. GameFAQs is better than spending 15-25 on a game guide at any gamestore.

[VACRMH]

Well, needless to say: I don't trust PSM for PS2 game reviews or Nintendo Power for Gamecube reviews :roll:

Psh...why not? I mean... Sega Visions had great reviews for games :evil:

For myself... usually I do a few things. Such as checking pages with lots of reviews, I like to check the average. But usually I just try out the game ;) Or ask people who play the same games as myself.

[Promophile]

For reviews? Here is what I do

If it's a popular game, I go to gamefaqs and read the reviews. But they are fanboyish, right? Well what I do is first read the reviews that gave the game the worst score. I then work my way up until I get to the 9 or 10 reviews, if there are any. I find that this is pretty helpful, because it is often easy to tell if the negatives people give the games are justified or not after reading them in this way.

[MikeBoh8]

gamefaqs.com

[Nature Boy]

I have a hard time trusting any review thats based on opinion. I need the facts and few magazines offer that.

I couldn't disagree with this more. A review that doesn't offer me an opinion is a spec sheet. Any review of any merit *has* to be an opinion - and it's my job as a reader to judge how much that opinion meshes with my own opinions on what is good and what isn't.

I usually go to two place when I'm looking for a review: here at DP (word of mouth is a wonderful thing) and GameRankings.com, which gives an aggregate score of every review. When I want to read a review I usually hit IGN straight from GameRankings.com.

I also value the opinions of Vic and Tommy on Reviews on the Run.

[Mr.FoodMonster]

When it comes to videogames, and just about anything else, I usually judge it based on what I personally think. However, if everyone (all reviewers, all of you guys, all of my friends) says it sucks, I'll avoid it. But if they all say its GREAT, then I'll give it a look-see. But usually its 'Would I be intrested it in? Do I think it looks cool?' ect.

[tededfred]

http://nfg.2y.net/games/

[Ed Oscuro]

Or maybe you trust no one... x_x
Trust no one...it's the only way to stay alive. Your future...depends upon it. *Loads shotgun*

But I'm with tededfred (?) here, if it's something NFG's got covered then it's completely covered. Anything Brian Provinciano says is gold, anything developers say is interesting, and I've got a number of favorite writers (actually, vid game reviewers just have that personality...it'd be hard to entertain while reviewing without it!)

[SoulBlazer]

Well, I usually start at GameFAQ because they have reviews there that are both written by actuall gamers and from the press (read, sites like GameSpot). Yes, some reviews are crap, but you can quickly figure out the good ones and I like how it's a 'all in one' place to get tons of reviews.

I find myself agree with GameSpot a lot. That's my favorite site.

[izret101]

I trust Tips & Tricks the most.
But i for the most part get info from a bunch of sources and peice together my own conclusions.
It is really your beast bet.

[JJNova]

I have a hard time trusting any review thats based on opinion.

ANd I don't like your Opinionated review of reviews.

[Fuyukaze]

I trust the most honest source I know.

My magic 8 ball.

Over the years, it has so far had the higest percentage of honest and unbiased answers I have encountered when it comes to both games and other things. All I need do is ask it if I will like the game or not, shake it, and it gives me an answer. If it gives me one that isnt clear, I simply rephrase and shake untill it gives me one that even if not satisfactory, is an actual response. Opinions are horible in reviews these days because so few have any objectivity in what they are doing. Hate the system its on? Hate the company that released the game? Or just cant stand the Genre? If these things are used to base an opinion on a game, chances are no matter how impresive, how superior, or how inovative, the revier will never be able to see such due to the limitations placed upon them by their petty preduidces. True, an opinion isnt always a bad thing, but only when its presented in a rational manner with a sense of objetivity in informing others what was good, bad, and different with the game from the many others in its click.

[GarrettCRW]

I trust the most honest source I know.

My magic 8 ball.

Over the years, it has so far had the higest percentage of honest and unbiased answers I have encountered when it comes to both games and other things. All I need do is ask it if I will like the game or not, shake it, and it gives me an answer. If it gives me one that isnt clear, I simply rephrase and shake untill it gives me one that even if not satisfactory, is an actual response. Opinions are horible in reviews these days because so few have any objectivity in what they are doing. Hate the system its on? Hate the company that released the game? Or just cant stand the Genre? If these things are used to base an opinion on a game, chances are no matter how impresive, how superior, or how inovative, the revier will never be able to see such due to the limitations placed upon them by their petty preduidces. True, an opinion isnt always a bad thing, but only when its presented in a rational manner with a sense of objetivity in informing others what was good, bad, and different with the game from the many others in its click.

Absolutely. Magic 8 Ball is *never* wrong. Even when it gives funky answers (for instance, it has said that the Mariners will win the 2005 World Series-after me asking if the Sox or Yankees will win).

[goatdan]

I have stopped reading pretty much all video game magazines for pure reviews and just looking at the pictures mostly. I have come to realize a few things about magazine reviews that I don't like:

1) I feel that reviewers often forget to say what type of gamers they think the games they are reviewing will appeal too. When I have written reviews of things, I always try to state what type of game it is and "you should get it if you enjoy... you should avoid it if you..." Most magazine reviews tend to just say, "I love this game and so will you!" or "This game sucks!" without trying to determine if anyone would enjoy it or not.

2) Either only one person reviews the game, or two do but rarely offer differing opinions. If more than one does, one person gets a BIG review and one gets a paragraph usually. I would much rather have people with disagreements on there, and with more space dedicated to both people.

3) Magazines often (always?) promote the most popular upcoming games with huge spreads. I believe the Game Informer Halo 2 spread was 4 or 6 pages. Other games that are less known get a paragraph, if that. While I understand why this is done, it doesn't help me make game purchases as the games that I haven't heard much of and may consider purchasing I still don't hear much of.

4) Most mag reviews do not break down a games totals into categories any more. I really miss that.

If I am looking to purchase a new game now, I tend to look at the average score on gamefaqs. Then, I try to read one of the worst reviews for the game and one of the mediocre ones. Often, the worst ranked reviews will make one or two points that are in the middle of a bunch of "THIS GAME SUXORZ!!11" stuff, and the mediocre ones will often try to highlight why they thought the game was good, but not great. If I see stuff that I don't care about as the reason for the downgrade (graphics, multiplayer, online modes), I will tend to purchase the game. If the downgrades were for more significant stuff (gameplay, difficulty factor, etc), I won't.

[whoisKeel]

i like the gamespot reviews actually, they're usually are pretty upfront about what is wrong with a game (sometimes even more so than what is right). most of the newer games have streaming video reviews too, which is kinda nice.

i hit up gamefaqs and read user reviews sometimes too...but you tend to have to sort through the fanboys and haters.

[ubersaurus]

I generally go by gamespot, forum reviews, and X-Play for my review needs.

[calthaer]

Digital Press. I occasionally browse the other sites, but usually I hear about it here first.

[tholly]

while i do scan the other various sites out there and try to keep up with as much as i can, the main source of any video game info i have comes from DP

[Cleatis]

I have a hard time trusting any review thats based on opinion. I need the facts and few magazines offer that.

I couldn't disagree with this more. A review that doesn't offer me an opinion is a spec sheet. Any review of any merit *has* to be an opinion

Thats where we differ. I love a good spec sheet. Specs will tell me what the developer meant for the game to be. Demo videos will show me how well it worked. An opinion is just that, an opinion. What *is* fast? What *is* slow? When is fast good and when is slow good? It all depends on your own personal opinion. Even a review that you consider to be of *merit* is based on your opinion. My reluctance to bother reading reviews stems from my opinion that magazines hire people that tell you what you want to hear so youll be pleased with the read rather than bring into question whether or not the guy writing the review is an idiot. All the kiddies care about is that this is what the EGM game god with the dream job thinks.
Take a peek into the mind of a 13 year old. *Well he writes for EGM...he must know everything*

[cr0n0]

I also like digital press for gaming information. How wrong can you go when the information is coming from real gamers.

Real gamers, real opinions. How so? I have seen people cuss each other out in some postings just trying to get their point across. When was the last time you saw that anywhere else?


YOU DON'T LIKE NINTENDO??? :bad-words: F*%! YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Got to love the loyalty and passion. :argue: LOL

[Nature Boy]

My reluctance to bother reading reviews stems from my opinion that magazines hire people that tell you what you want to hear so youll be pleased with the read rather than bring into question whether or not the guy writing the review is an idiot.

What makes a reviewer an idiot in your eyes? Someone whose opinion you don't value? Someone who looks at things from a differen perspective? I'd hardly call them idiots if that were the case (I might not value their opinions much though).


All the kiddies care about is that this is what the EGM game god with the dream job thinks. Take a peek into the mind of a 13 year old. *Well he writes for EGM...he must know everything*

All it takes it to read one review, play the game, and find out you hate it to start changing your mind about the reviewer. Doesn't matter if you're 13, 23, 33, ...

[EricRyan34]

EGM Magazine has all the goods, as well as Gameinformer Magazine :-P

[Cleatis]

What makes a reviewer an idiot in your eyes? Someone whose opinion you don't value? Someone who looks at things from a differen perspective? I'd hardly call them idiots if that were the case (I might not value their opinions much though).

I didnt say anyone is an idiot. What I was saying is that these magazines dont hire people based on their ability to bring the facts to the reader. They hire them based on their ability to hype a reader up, get the blood flowing and get them to buy the mag next month.


All it takes it to read one review, play the game, and find out you hate it to start changing your mind about the reviewer. Doesn't matter if you're 13, 23, 33, ...

This may be news to you but 13 year olds arent adults. They dont make well thought out rational decisions like adults (should) do and they rarely reflect on past experience unless it involved a reward or punishment. They dont reflect on last months reviews...theyre already reading this months.

[Promophile]

This may be news to you but 13 year olds arent adults. They dont make well thought out rational decisions like adults (should) do and they rarely reflect on past experience unless it involved a reward or punishment. They dont reflect on last months reviews...theyre already reading this months.

Thats not true in every case. Hell, there have been 9 year olds who've graduated from college. Hell, I would say the intelligence / decision-making ability of the average person dosen't change much from 13 to 21 .

[Sanriostar]

I trust the most honest source I know.

My magic 8 ball.

Over the years, it has so far had the higest percentage of honest and unbiased answers I have encountered when it comes to both games and other things. All I need do is ask it if I will like the game or not, shake it, and it gives me an answer. If it gives me one that isnt clear, I simply rephrase and shake untill it gives me one that even if not satisfactory, is an actual response. Opinions are horible in reviews these days because so few have any objectivity in what they are doing. Hate the system its on? Hate the company that released the game? Or just cant stand the Genre? If these things are used to base an opinion on a game, chances are no matter how impresive, how superior, or how inovative, the revier will never be able to see such due to the limitations placed upon them by their petty preduidces. True, an opinion isnt always a bad thing, but only when its presented in a rational manner with a sense of objetivity in informing others what was good, bad, and different with the game from the many others in its click.

Fuyukaze, your reply is a little hazy, could you try again?

[Nature Boy]

I didnt say anyone is an idiot. What I was saying is that these magazines dont hire people based on their ability to bring the facts to the reader. They hire them based on their ability to hype a reader up, get the blood flowing and get them to buy the mag next month.

Actually you did, indirectly. You wrote "...bring into question whether or not the guy writing the review is an idiot." Which to the reader suggests you think some reviewers are idiots, and I was trying to find out *what* made them idiots.

BTW: Do you have facts to back up that assertion (about hiring practices?) Or is that just your opinion?


This may be news to you but 13 year olds arent adults. They dont make well thought out rational decisions like adults (should) do and they rarely reflect on past experience unless it involved a reward or punishment. They dont reflect on last months reviews...they're already reading this months.

13 year olds are more susceptable to marketing, no question about it. But they're not mindless drones. And distrusting a reviewer after getting burned once or twice hardly requires 'rational' thinking. How long ago were you 13?

[Ed Oscuro]

What makes a reviewer an idiot in your eyes? Someone whose opinion you don't value? Someone who looks at things from a differen perspective? I'd hardly call them idiots if that were the case (I might not value their opinions much though).

I didnt say anyone is an idiot. What I was saying is that these magazines dont hire people based on their ability to bring the facts to the reader. They hire them based on their ability to hype a reader up, get the blood flowing and get them to buy the mag next month.
The issue here, I think, is that a spec sheet is useless without the game sitting next to you. I can look at a game sheet and say, "what the..? This game plays at 20-30 FPS, that's horrible. Blurry textures? I will hate this game, no doubt," when the game turns out to be Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I'm not really sure what you mean by spec sheet, either, because loose, random facts are useless without context.

The consumer would like computer-accessible movies of console games played at the console's resolution and speed, of course, but few game companies would be willing to provide them because they just can't hold up as well.

Basically underlines the need for a writer to communicate in a situation where the difference between good and bad is borderline. I.e. OPM's "In a perfect world, all games would be developed by Guerilla!" in a Killzone preview article. (You can fool some people some of the time?)

There's just no cut and dry way to get things across effectively. Football and boxing game reviews can go on at length about how good the game is, but for my taste the game still won't be worth my time as I just don't like them (hypothetically speaking of course!) It would also be utterly unfair to have a FPS junkie reviewing basketball games when he can't "see" what there is to like about such games. It's all about demo discs, but as games get more and more ambitious it becomes harder for top-level projects to produce them, sadly.

[Cheese]

The IGN video reviews are actually pretty good. For magazines, I miss Next Generation, nothing's really ever beaten it. XPLAY's fun to watch, and sometimes shows some cool shit.