What would we ever do without video game reviewers. Seriously, have you ever thought about what we would do if there were no reviewers? While normal people would say "We would never know which games were good and which were bad", we the real "internet people" know what would really happen, console wars would be a lot less bloody on the forums.


Lets face it, one of the main reasons we hunt down reviews of new games is so that we can compare it against games we love or hate. While these reviewers work hard to find a way to put ten hours of a video game experience into just a couple of paragraphs, we just look at the score and quickly post the link on the forums and claim victory. I have turned into such a terrible person that I don't even bother to read the reviews, I simply check if they have a video review or not, if they don't, then I just look at the score and tuck it away into my mind, waiting for an unsuspecting forum troll.



Some of the most eloquent members of our community always accuse reviewers of being biased, whether towards a particular franchise or a console. Whether they give a good or a bad review, reviewers just cant seem to win these days. The funny thing is, a single video game review does not make or break a game. There is not yet a video game website or magazine, that has so much influence in the world, that their reviews can sell a million copies. That power, still rests with the almighty advertising industry. Therefore, it is asinine to think that a video game publisher is paying off someone to write a good review.


What you call "bias", I call "point of view". While many judge games very harshly, others may be more forgiving. When I look at a game and try to say whether it was good or bad, I look at what it was trying to achieve. I try to look at how the creators wanted me the experience this game. Nowadays games have become to complex that it is impossible to classify them in just one genre, because many try to add elements of a different genre into the game.



Try to look at how the developers wanted you to experience the game. Did they want to tell you a more grounded and deep story? or did they try to give you different tools so you can have fun on your own? Did they want to make you feel like a indestructible bionic man? or did they want you to make you feel like a helpless man who must survive against the odds? These different experiences has made it hard to even compare games withing the same genre. Games like Thief, Splinter Cell and Metal Gear Solid may be similar in theory, but practically they are very different. Of course we must not forget that the game must be fun, and be without game-breaking glitches or bugs.


Reviews tend to be subjective, it does not mean that the reviewer has been paid off or is bad at what he does. Lets take GTA 4 as an example, while many people have loved the game, others were not fond of the serious tone of this iteration. Even the reviewers themselves were divided, and many have said that if it were up to them, GTA 4 would not have gotten a near-perfect score. So we can see that while one reviewer was impressed by the story and the relationship with the different characters, others felt alienated by the fact that you didn't have more wacky things to do in the sandbox. While both points are valid, its up to you to decide which one you will heed.



Whether through a podcast or an older review, you can get to know the reviewers, you can tell whether he is highly critical or tries to look at the bright side of games, whether he is content with the game if it has cute characters, or bitches about level design if two levels have the same shade of brown. No one can or should tell you what you must enjoy, if you enjoyed Killzone, Haze or Too Human, then I am happy for you, just don't expect me to like them as well. I have seen many people enjoy games which I hated, games which are filled with bugs and a bland storyline, but I have also seen many ignore and hate good games, just because it didn't give them the same experience they are used to from a game.


I can appreciate the long cut-scenes in Metal Gear Solid 4, while also have fun with the cliched characters and over-the-top violence of Gears of War, but I wont stand for buggy or stupid AI. At the end of the day, if you enjoy your game, then you shouldn't have to justify it to anyone, whether he is a 12 year old in the forums, or a 10 year video game industry veteran.










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