Here are various reviews and previews I have done recently at 1up.com. Check ‘em out if they are about any games that interest you:

Medal of Honor Heroes 2 Review (Wii)

The Simpsons Game Review (DS)

The Sims: Castaway Review (PSP/PS2)

Dawn of War: SoulStorm Expansion Preview

Frontlines: Fuel of War Hands-on Multiplayer Preview (360)

The above is only a portion of the work I have been doing. I have also been working on several strategy guides, but choose not to post about them here. However, should you desire a link to a game guide, just shoot me a message or a comment telling me which game, and I’ll see what I can do.

Chufmoney

p.s.-Before anyone goes hating on my MoHH2 review–anymore than it already has been hated on–please realize that the score I gave means it is average–not bad.

This is something I’ve been wondering about for a while, and is something my co-workers and I have discussed at length. When 1up (or your preferred game reviews site) gives a score to a game, how closely does that affect your purchasing decision? Is the text more important to you than the score? Do you go by the score, or is it more important to you who wrote the review?

Speaking for myself, score matters to me, but only when I feel that the reviewer is someone who’s taste I understand is close to my own. For instance, when I read what really feels like a faceless review on IGN, I don’t give a rat’s ass what the score was; I read the reviewer’s text and try to see if I understand his points. Furthermore, reading many reviews I almost always feel like the text doesn’t match the score. Reviews clearly have some issues they need to resolve.

Can you remember the times when a review kept you from buying a game? Or, when it made you decide to go out and purchase a game that you would have otherwise ignored?

Chufmoney

The internet lights up in fury every time the reviews come out on a AAA title. People seem to have it in their head that if a AAA title doesn’t get a 9+ (and sometimes that still isn’t enough), then it is somehow bias on the reviewer’s part. What the fuck is wrong with these people? Look at a goddamn review scale and you will see that even a seven is considered good.

I think the main issue is that some review sites seem to only have a scale that goes from 7-10, making anyone who sees a game get a seven assume that it is utter shit. If you need proof of what I speak, just go read any gaming message board threads about Assassin’s Creed, Ratchet and Clank or Super Mario Galaxy reviews.

Intelligent gamers need to take the time to educate their friends. It is perfectly ok to purchase a game that gets below a seven. Hell, if you are a fan of the genre and/or subject matter of the title, you might want to consider games that people give below 7s to.

Perhaps even more important that understanding a scale though, people need to take the time to read the actual review. Skipping to the bottom of the review (or the top, as is the case with some sights), to see the review score is stupid. If you take the time to read the actual review you’ll often see contradictions between the score the tone of the review gives, compared to the actual numerical print score.

Try it, you’ll see.

Chufmoney