The PS4 thread

[Your Mom]

Do people actually buy games based on internet reviews?

Only people that aren't complete fucking idiots.

What kind of dumbass doesn't look into other peoples experiences with a product before buying it? "WELL IF THE COMPANIES SAY IT'S GOOD, I HAVE NO REASON NOT TO TRUST THEM! WHY WOULD THEY LIE?"

I keep coming back to this post but I just can't fathom the blind stupidity you'd need to ignore reviews entirely. There's just not enough mocking in the world.

A little harsh. I agree with reviews being important but no need to attack

[Avenged Probably]

There's a groupon offer for £50 to spend online for £25.

Bought two of those offers, bought two copies of The Order, trading one in at CEX. So that's £20 for The Order then. Fucking wonderful.

Thanks for the tip! I spent £31 in the end and got Shadow of Mordor and Far Cry 4!

[Your Mom]

There's a groupon offer for £50 to spend online for £25.

Bought two of those offers, bought two copies of The Order, trading one in at CEX. So that's £20 for The Order then. Fucking wonderful.

Thanks for the tip! I spent £31 in the end and got Shadow of Mordor and Far Cry 4!

Is there an American version of this?

[thatshortguy]

I've absolutely had internet reviews swing my opinion on whether to nab a game. It just has to be from people who I respect as a journalist. If Brian Crecente or Ben Kuchera throw down some praise on a game that's on my radar, It am more likely to ponder it.

At its best, reviews are meant to give you a heads up on certain aspects of a game. You then compare it to what is important to you and go from there. Too often, the medium's distilled down to a number. To have any merit in product reviews, you have to dig deeper.

Though since the score is such a preferred metric, I'd almost prefer reviews start with their number score and then explain it in the article.

[Your Mom]

Yeah I like to read more about the game and don't so much care about the scores

[Maxx]

I tried it once, Brink sucked. Won't ignore reviews again.

[Roster Depth Sicko No. 2]

I can't find the Groupon link

[Avenged Probably]

I can't find the Groupon link

http://www.groupon.co.uk/deals/premium/very-co-uk/56727253

[probablyoliver]

Yeah I totally forgot to say it was for Very.

Sorry guys.

[King Ellis]

Would you say you are Very sorry?

[apsham]

Scores are stupid as shit - I liked the Inside Gaming/Funhaus guys' take on the subject and it basically boils down to - yeah - just watch how the people reviewing it talk about the game and don't pay any attention to the final score.

1UP when it was still around did these video reviews where two people would just sit down and talk about the game, whenever it comes up in a video or a podcast these days, the Funhaus guys do the same exact thing and it's honestly the best way to do it if you're going to go that way. I've read 5/10 reviews that really seemed like 9/10s and I've seen 9/10 reviews that read like the person hated their entire experience with the game. It's weird, it's really weird and I don't think there is really a solution to it. I thought for a while that Polygon's method of "you write it, we'll figure out what the score was based off your writing" might be better but aside from the airheads at Polygon messing up everything else they've ever done good - that doesn't work at all either because it relies on the writer's skill and the ability of the editor reading it to comprehend it.

The worst I've seen boils down to "points" being taken off a game like Omega Ruby because there was "too much water" and just - blah.

[Whisper]

Do people actually buy games based on internet reviews?

Only people that aren't complete fucking idiots.

What kind of dumbass doesn't look into other peoples experiences with a product before buying it? "WELL IF THE COMPANIES SAY IT'S GOOD, I HAVE NO REASON NOT TO TRUST THEM! WHY WOULD THEY LIE?"

I keep coming back to this post but I just can't fathom the blind stupidity you'd need to ignore reviews entirely. There's just not enough mocking in the world.

You seem a tad touchy, calm down my friend.

To address the point I believe you were making between random insults and general raging, you've said it yourself. "Other people's experiences."

Other than for technical issues (bugs, crashes etc.), why would I want to own a game based on whether you liked it. Sure, I might look around for general opinion, but ultimately I would always buy a game based on what I've seen of it from demos, youtube etc.

Nobody has ever written a review without some form of bias or expectation of what a game should be. Movies are the same. All you are reading is someone else's opinion. And it's made all the more difficult when the bigger companies are paying off people for positive reviews.

According to Metacritic, Ocarina of Time is the best game ever. Guess I should go buy it, even though I played it and hated it.

Happy to debate with people, not interested in trading insults.

Edited February 20, 2015 by Whisper in the Wind

[ZJ Penn]

Reviews don't begin and end with big companies though. Metacritic is a terrible example because they're pulling reviews from everywhere when what you as the buyer need to do is find two or three like minded people.

One of my favourite things about EWB is that the board covers nearly all my interests and there are a core group of members who I can see have interests similar to mine and want the same things from the games they buy.

Sure you're opinion is your own but there must be people you trust who share them with you? Why wouldn't you be interested in what they think before putting £50 down on a new game?

[Baddar]

For what it's worth, the review in today's paper for The Order was good. Took the guy playing it 7 hours at a leisurely pace. He also said the graphics are beautiful.

[Whisper]

Reviews don't begin and end with big companies though. Metacritic is a terrible example because they're pulling reviews from everywhere when what you as the buyer need to do is find two or three like minded people.

One of my favourite things about EWB is that the board covers nearly all my interests and there are a core group of members who I can see have interests similar to mine and want the same things from the games they buy.

Sure you're opinion is your own but there must be people you trust who share them with you? Why wouldn't you be interested in what they think before putting £50 down on a new game?

I perhaps should have better clarified my original comment. I'm strictly talking internet reviewers here, the IGNs, Gamespots etc. of the world. I would always look to people here for opinion (and frequently do). That's a bit different because you "know" the person and in most cases have a friendly relationship with them. I would still always check it out for myself first though.

In response to your last question though, why would you drop £50 on a game based solely on someone else's experience with it?

[Colly]

You wouldn't based solely on someone's experience, but you add all that up to work out if it's worth buying. Play a demo, listen to your mates, glance at reviews, all sounds better to me than just picking a title at random and hoping for the best.

[Dan]

This is a huge problem with console gaming these days. A lot of games don't have demos like they used to and a lot of the major rental companies have gone bust so you're limited in what options you have.

It's one of the things EA do right. EA Access is a brilliant service - you get 6 hours trials of every new release (as well as about 10 full games from the back catalogue) for £20 a year.

[Whisper]

You wouldn't based solely on someone's experience, but you add all that up to work out if it's worth buying. Play a demo, listen to your mates, glance at reviews, all sounds better to me than just picking a title at random and hoping for the best.

I agree 100% . I could have put my original point better, in that I was generally wondering if people bought games because IGN, or whoever, told them to.

Anyhow, let's get back on topic before I get yelled at again.

I haven't really kept up with release announcements lately, so what are people looking forward to on PS4 in the coming months?

[Avenged Probably]

Final Fantasy Type-0 HD edition for me

[probablyoliver]

Bloodborne drops next month, I've never played either of the Souls games but everyone seems to gush about them endlessly.