How Reliable Are Game Reviews?

One of the many benefits of getting a review code for a game isn’t that it’s for free, but getting it early. I hasten to add that the games aren’t free, per se: you have to play them irrespective of whether you enjoy them, then write/stream/produce a video. Whether or not the content meets your standards is irrelevant. A lot of work goes into each article. I’ve mentioned before that my motivation is to write using an endless supply of material – it just so happens that I like to play games. Quite a bit.

Reviewers will typically get a game before the release date. Our role is to promote the game with a fair assessment. Well known sites can afford to take a risk with their critique (unless it affects ad revenue!) without worrying about a flow of review titles, while some of the smaller sites will be overly positive in fear of not getting future codes. The best reviews, in my opinion, are by those who bought the games with their own money.

I’m just trying to paint a picture with transparent paint. Before I buy a game, I will read other review sites. A handful of folk I’ve worked with saw others as competitors, but we’re all people who write and play games – I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend other websites over mine. I particularly like Finger Guns, Rock Paper Shotgun and a few absurd ones I find along the way. The other reviews I rely on are the Steam ones.

However, I’m an angry driver, not an angry gamer, to put this in perspective. I don’t get bent out of shape with difficulty levels (that much), dropped framerates and the occasional bugs. I’ve been binging on Ghost of Tsushima these past couple of weeks and found a few bugs. Do they bother me? No. Will I write about them in my inevitable review? Probably not as the ‘bugs’ in question were the occasional floaty characters when attempting a jump I shouldn’t have. Did it affect gameplay? No. I’d mention it in my review if a game is affected by gameplay due to a glitch. 

Cyberpunk 2077 was a brilliant example. That game was ripped to pieces for good reasons, but other than a few teleporting cars (literally, a few, no more), the game was superb, and I was perhaps lucky not to encounter any problems; hence, it wasn’t in my review.

This opinion piece has gone off the rails as I intended to write about some of the games I’ve reviewed over the years that I play more since the review, or perhaps never again, but you don’t want to read a massive post. Instead, I’ll explain it here and write another article that lists the games.

Getting a game early means playing it to death before the release date. Fortunately, I’m self-employed and control my working hours, thus in the luxurious position of being able to play games. A lot. If only there were some financial return for all this hard work… Anyway, a game will often come through a day or two before release. I’ll play it to death, give it a favourable review, post it, and move on. Often, I’ll complete the story and go back to ‘clean up’ or explore. This is when I get a different perspective and why game reviews can be sketchy. 

A couple of times, I’ve finished the story or primary campaign of a game and been mildly deflated that it felt incomplete. A day or two later, I’ve returned and unlocked a new arc or perhaps read about it online. I’ve never claimed to be a good gamer – I will miss stuff as much as anyone else and will look at a guide made by someone a week or so after release. That’s why I recommend reading a range of articles/watching videos to make your own opinion.

My motivation has always been writing and sharing experiences about games, and I get a personal kick out of pushing someone towards a title they might have overlooked. ‘In real life’ I’m like this with music and passionate about recommending artists and hearing recommendations. Literally. There are certain people you rely on for these. I have a friend who introduced me to some of the most surreal musicians I’ve heard and loved them. I’m hoping that I can replicate that with my writing.

The site doesn’t feature affiliate links, and to date, I haven’t made a single penny in running this site (as lovely as it would be). So, if I’ve recommended you a game and you’ve enjoyed it, mission accomplished. If you’re even reading this, I’m flattered. As I recently tweeted about, I’ve reached a personal milestone for readership now, so glad that all this RSI has been worth it in the long run.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you stick around. Look out for the follow up to this post where I write about the actual games!