Jump to content
Search In
  • More options...
Find results that contain...
Find results in...
Potatoguy

Who do you rely on for reviews?

Recommended Posts

When games/movies/whatever comes out, you sometimes feel compelled to know if it's any good or not. Whether you're unsure if a media will be good, or just want a reassurance that said media will be good, there's a reviewer to help you.

Now which reviewer do you go to, if any, to know what product will be good? I go for three (all review doom, for sake of example):

Which guys you put confidence on for giving good, insightful reviews? (Not limited to just games. Could be also movie/book/music reviewers, too!)

Share this post


Link to post

I don't follow anyone in particular for reviews, as I mostly play a game myself and discover what merits it has.

Sometimes, however, I'll check and see what the majority of people think about it.

Share this post


Link to post

I tend to watch gameplay footage on YouTube and then decide whether or not it's a game I want to try. I rarely care about reviews. If it looks cool and fun, I'll give it a go.

Share this post


Link to post

I don't really play modern video games, so i rarely watch the actual reviews and mostly i do it just for fun. I enjoy watching Yahtzee's reviews, however he's more of a comediann, than an actual reviewer..

Share this post


Link to post

I like Jim Sterling and TB, and their reviews have been in line with what I think relatively often. Regardless, I would not necessarily say that I "rely" on both of them, or either one, for that matter.

While they're both good at what they do, I find myself disagreeing in some (at times major) regards with one or the other, maybe even both. Also it is worth pointing out, that neither of them claim to be 100% objective (not that anyone can say so, actually), but this reflects on how I use reviews in general. I rather use reviews to see if I am interested in a game or not, and then I decide wether or not I want to dig around a little more, hopefully finding some more footage of the game.

One may ague that the steam-refund system, for example, would make further digging obsolete, and I partially agree. However, 2 hours of play-time is just not good enough, when it comes AAA-games doubly so.

Share this post


Link to post

I look for consistency in Steam reviews (and the quality of the writing). I also check out Jim Stirling and if I want to hear anything nitpicking / negative I do actually check out Yahtzee.

Share this post


Link to post

Normally I'll check out the screenshots. Then if I'm interested I'll skim through a few gameplay videos on YouTube and see if it looks as good in motion. If I'm still interested I'll look at steam reviews and start in the negative selection to see what issues other people might have with bugs or whatever so I know what i might have to look out for. Then if I'm STILL interested, I'll buy it :)

Never really found a certain reviewer to follow because they may or may not like certain elements of different genres that I really enjoy so I can't count on a review most of the time. But I find angry Joe to be kinda funny so I'll throw that fool on sometimes for the hell of it but that's about as far as I usually go with reviews on video games

Share this post


Link to post

TB.

Really the only guy I know who reviews games within the context of gaming in general and not within the context of themselves (ie. as if it was the only game in the universe). He reviews games compared to other ones and is practical about it (Why play game B when game A does the same but better?). Which is important before you drop 60 dollars on something.

Also, his stance on console gaming is absolute truth. Anyone who disagrees is wrong!

Share this post


Link to post
RUSH said:

I tend to watch gameplay footage on YouTube and then decide whether or not it's a game I want to try.

Definitely this. And definitely prefering a footage without voice commentary.

Share this post


Link to post
Guest

With movies I usually check the score on IMDb or RT. However, if the premise of the movie sounds interesting to me, I'll watch it regardless of its critical performance.

Share this post


Link to post

I generally check RottenTomatoes for movie reviews, sometimes watch YouTubers like Chris Stuckmann, Jeremy Jahns, and Brad Jones.

Share this post


Link to post
dethtoll said:

This is a reasonable answer.

Why? If it weren't for them, I'd never know about that new Doom wad that was released recently in anticipation for Doom 2016. Maybe you've heard of it? Sonic Robo Blast.

Share this post


Link to post

Roger Ebert, even though he ended his days looking like a tragic fucking pez dispenser, was seldom wrong about movies. I really haven't found anyone else of his calibre to rely upon.

Share this post


Link to post

I get most recommendations via word-of-mouth from friends and forum posts. Seele00TextOnly and I watch a lot of anime together as a fun bonding activity and occasional exercise in masochism, so I tend to keep up with news on what's coming out and what people are talking about. Seele and I also exchange reactions and recommendations with Tarnsman pretty often, since there's a lot of overlap in the kinds of things we tend to like and dislike in shows.

Beyond that, there are a few writers I occasionally look into. I've found Nick Creamer's articles at animenewsnetwork and his own site, wrongeverytime.com, to be the most consistently on a wavelength that's interesting and informative to me. He has a great knack for articulating the underlying themes of a story and pointing out interesting aspects I'd never noticed. There are a good number of works I've strongly disagreed with his take on, but his writing has directed me towards some fantastic underappreciated gems and given me a greater appreciation for works I was already impressed by.

Share this post


Link to post
esselfortium said:

Seele00TextOnly and I watch a lot of anime together as a fun bonding activity and occasional exercise in masochism,

esselfortium said:

and occasional exercise in masochism,

Wow. This sure sounds fun.

As for me, i never relied on film critics and most of the films i love i discovered myself.
Also, have to say that ratings in Rotten Tomatoes really suck. Well, i mean, they're totally different from ratings that i would give.

Share this post


Link to post
Ribbiks said:

Armond White, of course.


A man after my own heart

Share this post


Link to post
Phml said:

Steam reviews.

I never tend to read steam reviews because the most "helpful" reviews are always a stupid meme or a pie recipe. Ya, really helpful.

Share this post


Link to post

I pretty much only trust close friends to tell me if a game is good or not. I've been mislead by professional reviews before, and I'm noticing a lot of them nowadays are just too meandering to really tell me about things that I might not like, or things I should be aware of when I buy a game.

Share this post


Link to post
darknation said:

Roger Ebert, even though he ended his days looking like a tragic fucking pez dispenser, was seldom wrong about movies. I really haven't found anyone else of his calibre to rely upon.


Didn't he also believe video games couldn't ever be an art form? Or am I mistaken?

Share this post


Link to post

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×