Do video game critics matter?

MCV - Games critics didn’t like Aliens: Colonial Marines.

The game’s Metacritic score was just 49. But despite the critical mauling it reached No.1 during its launch week and is the fastest selling game of the year so far.

Meanwhile, last year’s XCom: Enemy Unknown was loved by game reviewers. And although it didn’t sell badly, its sales paled in comparison to critical disappointments Medal of Honor: Warfighter and Resident Evil 6.

[GribbleGrunger]

I think the headline actually answers the question. 'Critiques'? Once upon a time it used to be 'reviewers'.

[Derekvinyard13]

Agree, I only agree with reviews these days if they all say something similar, if like 7 sites say a game has long load times, you can bet its gonna have long load times, but when it's about the story or the gameplay, il be the judge of that

[GribbleGrunger]

Can't believe I wrote critique instead of critic! Damn fool Gribble.

[JeepGamer]

Not even slightly. What used to be at least a somewhat objective few has become a mass of subjective biased tools.

[ziggurcat]

you forgot:

whiny crybabies.

[BanBrother]

@JeepGamer

Don't forget paid reviews, and troll reviews. Tom Chick for example. Gives Uncharted 3 4/10 when everyone else is giving it 9's and 10's. Halo 4 got a 2/10 from him also.

People like him should f*** off tbh. They are bad for the industry. Plus, it's funny seeing fanboys fighting over their game having a 1/100th metacritic lead, even though 1 troll review brings it down like 2 points.

[JeepGamer]

I'm more concerned with people heaping praise on games that, while good, have plenty of glaring flaws. Flaws that when present in another title from a genre the reviewer might not care for, get beaten in to the ground.

[doctorstrange]

Aliens: Colonial Marines may have sold well, but it would have sold a lot better and for a lot longer if it didn't suck xeno-balls.

[djthechamp24]

Fuck no, they just a fucking joke

[admiralvic]

While I can get into a long explanation on this issue, the simple fact is that they do matter. This isn't to say people care what reviewers say on every matter (trust me, they don't), but will generally look into "professional" opinions if they're unsure of the game. A great example of this would be Declassified, since many gamers reviewed it fondly for keeping true to the multiplayer, where as most "professionals" reviewed it poorly due to it being an overall weak package. Sometimes people want an opinion that is more rounded / thought out, than a someone on a forum making a claim.

[Mr_Stark]

Not in the slightest just like film and music critics. I have never not played a game or watched a film or bought an album because some random guy in a suit said it's not good. The problem with being a critic is the fact that whether a game/film/song is good is based purely on opinion.

[Hufandpuf]

If a reviewer says that a game is really good and is a must-buy, do you still not consider their opinion?

[adorie]

Only enough to dig deeper. Lol.

[Mr_Stark]

What I mean is I don't see a negative review and instantly refuse to ever play the game. Maybe if the general consensus, pretty much every review says it's bad, all of my friends who have played it hate it etc. then I won't rush out to spend lots of money on it but I'll try and discover for myself what it's like. As even if nearly everyone hates a particular game I still might like it.

[kingmushroom]

NO, we are in a modern era where thing are judge by the customer or the viewer.

[HonestDragon]

Speaking as someone who does reviews on N4G, I think that reviews should hold some merit, but on two fronts. The first front is that of the reviewer. A reviewer should always be as honest as they can. Even if the game they were waiting for turns out to be a buggy/unplayable mess, then the harsh truth needs to be heard.

The second front is that of the gamer. Gamers need to learn that while reviewers may not like a particular game that doesn't mean the gamer won't. However, the issue at hand is that gamers should not let companies get away with murder. If a game is blatantly unfinished or cheaply produced in certain elements and gamers see that, then the gamers need to vote with their wallets.

In terms of Aliens: Colonial Marines, I gave it a 4 out of 10 here. I admit that while the multiplayer is the more redeemable feature, the rest of the game is a travesty. There was a lot of hype going into the game. A lot of people (myself included) were pulled in with the showing at E3 in 2011. Reviews were embargoed and when release day came, so did the reviews with scores of 3, 4, and 5. It just makes you think that gamers would listen to reviews like this considering that the game has been negatively panned by many people, but currently it has sold over seven hundred thousand units.

Aliens: Colonial Marines will go down as one of the worst games of 2013 in many people's eyes. For some, it was enjoyable (even though you can question why). It all goes back to personal experience and opinion. In some cases of a reviewer, it comes down their reputation as someone who can be brutally honest when it counts.

[StreetsofRage]

Some of my favorite games this gen... Asuras wrath, homefront, splatterhouse, shadows of the damed, shadowrun, spec ops, etc...

All games that got crappy reviews. Nobody is going to tell me what to enjoy and what not to enjoy. Think for yourselves.

[Hufandpuf]

The reviews for those games weren't crappy. they were generally in the 6-8 range which isn't crap at all.

[00]

they're advertisers now.

[ACEMANWISE]

There is much truth to that statement.

[Tyre]

Alien CM, i saw that coming. That already looked like a failure in the E3 demo. The actual game is even worse. I'm stunned it outsold MGSRising & Crysis 3. A lot of gamers misjudged that game completely. Shame on u Pitchford. At 1st i thought u were a real fan and wanted to honor the movie. Why didn't you guys play an open card with that game? WE Are all fans! But it seemed that wasn't enough. Money is a bitch. You delivered a failure and it sold as a masterpiece. Weird BS. But then again most popmusic does the same, why shouldnt we, u thought?

[ACEMANWISE]

I'm having a hard time believing that most review scores are falling around the same number all the time.

Video games, to me, are highly personalized experiences. Every person has different interests, opinions, and values. One person may like a game for the atmosphere and the other won't for the very same reason.

It is also an experience that is founded on emotions. In my experience, emotions are not that consistant to the extent that most reviews get such close scores.

I have accepted the possibility that these reviewers may be using criteria outside the typical opinion (i.e. Historical or ethical values, Artistic values, or the push factor for the industry to be unique and groundbreaking). Still, if that is the case then the reviews would be worthless ( like movie critiques) because they serve not the gamer's interests but some kind of "If an alien arrived to Earth how would we represent our species when we show video games" scenario.

That is what movie critics have been doing all these years...treating movies like an artifact in case our species becomes extinct. Heck they may as well launch their favorite DVD of the month into space and wait for an answer. You can already see how my critique of them sounds like their critique of the product...sounding like they wrote an emotional poem to take the reader on a better emotional joyride than the product they considered to buy.