Topic: Should you play a poorly rated game before condemning it on the interwebs?

[Stratos]

Mop it up and I were talking about this and we are curious to what people think about this matter.

Should you try games before you flat out condemn them? I know some people have standards that if Metacritic -or their preferred review site- rates a game less than an 8 they will not give it the light of day. But I have also taken a chance with some less favorably rated games and found them to be quite enjoyable.

Also there are games that have a notorious hate bandwagon but I question how many people have actually played some of them. I know on WiiWare World games like Spogs Racing, Pong Toss and Plaatchen Paint N Twist seem to be almost universally hated and are almost meme jokes in relation to the question of a game's quality yet few of the people criticizing these games have actually tried them.

Should people try certain games for themselves or can we just trust reviews all the time?

Also, in the case of awfully rated games like Superman 64, E.T.or the more recent Sonic games, should we experience the bad so we can better appreciate the good? The Wii gets a lot of bad rap for being buried in shovelware. But are most of these games truly as bad as some say when we look at other poorly viewed games throughout gaming history?

Is this over thinking the situation? Are there merits to this line of thought? Have you ever gotten a game despite mediocre reviews and found it surprisingly enjoyable? Has playing a terrible game given you a better appreciation for what makes a good game fun?

[Dirk Temporo]

Should? Yes. Will? Nope.

[Mop it up]

I’m not a choosy gamer. I’m probably one of the most happy-go-lucky gamers in the world. When I play a game, I focus on what I like about it and try to ignore what I don’t like. If a game has flaws I try not to think about them and enjoy what the game got right, to extract the fun out of it, I guess you could say. I also have a wide variety of tastes; the only two categories I don’t like much are fighting and sports. It’s pretty easy for me to enjoy a game. In fact, other than some sports and fighting games, I’ve probably never played a game I didn’t like on some level.

When it comes to review scores, I don't take them into consideration as a whole. Instead, I will search for a reviewer who's tastes are similar to my own and will read a review written by them. Whenever I read any review, what I take away from it is what are presented as the facts; any opinionated parts I weigh against my own tastes and see if it matches up. With Wii games it has gotten a bit more difficult, due to the varying degree of success (and apathy) people have with the Wiimote and its motions.

A while back I received Thrillville: Off The Rails as a gift. Since I'd never even heard of it, I considered returning it to the store, but first I wanted to read some reviews. The one here on NWR gave it score of five because that's old you'd have to be in order to be entertained by the game, or so it claimed. Of course, I've always been a fan of simple games, so that actually made it sound tempting, enough so that I finally played it. The management factors are pretty simple and the park pretty much runs itself, but the game is really about the minigames which are far more fleshed out than I thought they would be. The more fastidious amongst us wouldn't be satisfied with this game, but that's not a word which could be used to describe me.

An older example would be Mission: Impossible for the Nintendo 64. This game got some pretty mixed reviews, and I guess it is understandable because the game is kind of inconsistent. Still, some of the stealth levels worked pretty well, and there was a good amount of variety to it. It has its rough patches such as any level with jumping parts because of how finicky the jump was, but overall I think it is a good game.

If I could I'd try out every game out there, but because I can't I do tend to gravitate toward the more highly regarded ones. Even so, if a game sounds interesting enough but didn't receive good scores, I'll likely try it out anyway. Of course, I can't shake the feeling I could be missing out on some good games, but it's a risk I'm not willing to take.

[Ian Sane]

Trying games costs money.  In WiiWare's case the ONLY way to try it, unless your friend has it, is to buy the damn thing.  So I don't see any obligation to try out games that I'm not really that interested in to begin with that get average to bad review scores.  Of course if it is a game I'm interested in a high score is enough to get me to buy it and if it gets a low score I'll read the reviews to find out why and make my decision based on that.

Now if the opportunity to try the game out comes up I won't not give it a try.  I've played DK Bongo Blast and can say quite confidently that that game absolutely blows.  My friend bought it so I tried it at his house.  I didn't turn down the opportunity to give it a try even though I heard it was bad.  In a way I was curious to see how bad it was.  But am I going to rent a game I'm not that interested in that's getting poor review scores?  No.  Why should I spend my money on that?  Odds are most of the time it will be a waste of money and the occasional time it won't be is infrequent enough that it doesn't bother me.  Underrated games are supposed to be rare.  If every game is underrated to you then you probably just have really low standards.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

"Underrated games are supposed to be rare."

Says who?  Based on what?  And how will underrated games be identified without people spending their money to try it against the recommendation of the press?

On the flip side, it also works when consumers pay for games to find out they're bad (despite the press recommendation) -- they publically come out and say what went borked all they want:  that is consumer info/reaction, that is a good thing since the press isn't the only voice worth listening to (provided the reader can think critically... lol internets).

~~~~~

I played the kiosk demo of Banjo Kazooie after I had spent ample time with Mario 64.  My gawd, BK was slow awful nonsense with nothing to do and weird button placement.  Never looked at the series again.

[GoldenPhoenix]

I don't think it is necessary to be honest. You can usually gather from various sources and impressions what a game is like, not to mention with Youtube and other sites that host gaming footage you can easily tell what a game is like to play.

[Dirk Temporo]

A lot of people tell me that you can't properly judge a game based on gameplay videos, which I partially agree with. Obviously gameplay videos won't provide you with the WHOLE picture, but I can usually tell if I'll enjoy a game based on gameplay videos. I've only ever purchased two games I didn't enjoy. Robot Arena was bought on a whim at Wal-Mart with no previous information about it. Deus Ex: Invisible War was purchased after I played the demo, which I honestly didn't much care for, but being a huge DX fanboy I bought it anyway. It sat unopened for like two months while I decided whether I was actually going to keep it, and I ended up returning it.

[GoldenPhoenix]

I dare someone to watch a Superman 64 video and not come away with the same impression everyone else has.

[Stratos]

I dare someone to watch a Superman 64 video and not come away with the same impression everyone else has.

I dare everyone to vote for Superman 64 in the RetroActive poll. 

[BeautifulShy]

Stratos you make some interesting points.With reviews I look for professionalisim.If someone writes like they have a bias and uses childish words than I am probably not going to listen to them. I'll read the review but I'll take most of what they say not seriously.

I don't have that much money for games so I try and pick up ones that I know I will like and sometimes a under the radar title.

[Kairon]

I think the strength of your condemnation should not exceed a magnitude in direct proportion to the amount of experience you have with it.

I mean, it's perfectly fine to never play a game and make an informed decision to not even try to play it, citing reasons for that decision. But if that's the case, you have to admit that the opinions of those who have played the game are a little more decisive, even if they may never sway you to buy it. You're still allowed to think that you won't have fun with the game at all, but I don't think you could do anything as drastic as 'condemnation."

[Mop it up]

When it comes to download games, I think people may be less willing to give them a shot if they don't review favourably because they can't be returned or sold off if the person doesn't like them. It's a bit more of a risk since you'll be stuck with the game.

[Stratos]

I think the strength of your condemnation should not exceed a magnitude in direct proportion to the amount of experience you have with it.

I mean, it's perfectly fine to never play a game and make an informed decision to not even try to play it, citing reasons for that decision. But if that's the case, you have to admit that the opinions of those who have played the game are a little more decisive, even if they may never sway you to buy it. You're still allowed to think that you won't have fun with the game at all, but I don't think you could do anything as drastic as 'condemnation."

That's one of the things I was thinking. People seem to quickly hop on hate bandwagons over games that they have never played when they may not be as terrible as some would say. Conversely games that people love greatly do not stand the test of time and people do not look back on them with as much favor as they once did.

[DAaaMan64]

If 10 scores say it's meh, It probably is.  If 5 scores say it's terrible, it probably is.  If the first 10, and the second 5 were wrong, oh well it's just a video game.  If there is something fundamentally wrong with the game as stated in reviews and proven in gameplay videos I do unintentionally or otherwise sometimes make that my opinion.  Flaw of mine? Who knows, some people say so.

The worst rated game I've ever liked was probably Ayden Chronics and Mega Man 64.

[Stratos]

Interesting because I know several people who love Mega Man 64.

How bad was Ayden Chronicles? I got the impression it was bland but it's niche-ness on the N64 has made me tempted to check it out.

[NWR_insanolord]

All I know is you should definitely play Alien Syndrome before you condemn it.

[SirSniffy]

I am the WRONG person to answer this question...I'm so cynical, I condemn almost any game before playing it, then later when I play it, I usually end up changing my tune.

[GoldenPhoenix]

All I know is you should definitely play Alien Syndrome before you condemn it.

No.

[DAaaMan64]

All I know is you should definitely play Alien Syndrome before you condemn it.

Beat-em ups always sounds good to me.

[KnowsNothing]

Yeah, you should give it a go before you condemn it.  Similarly, everyone should try a highly-rated game before praising it...with the amount of bullshit reviews out there you can't trust anything anymore.  Gaming media is dead, etc.

EGM gave Paper Mario TYD a poor review because that's what they felt their fans would want to see, and conversely games like GTA4 are getting 10s left and right from publications while most normal people admit it probably hovers somewhere around an 8.  Of course, who really gives a ****...the number system sucks anyway, and anyone who will or will not buy a game based on a metacritic ranking is a complete tool that deserves to live with the other drones in that sad, pathetic, albeit well-populated world where GTA4 is the pinnacle of all things gaming.

The problem is, of course, that games are expensive and demos extremely rare, especially on consoles.  The best someone can do is read reviews and watch gameplay videos, neither of which can give anyone an accurate idea of what it's really like to play the game.  When we buy a game we're essentially going in blind, and the only idea we have of what's in front of us is based on a thousand screaming zealots trying to describe in their limited vocabulary just what it is we're getting into.  Also the loudest of these people are wearing fashionable hats made out of cash.

That's why sequels are so prevalent; if I'm going to drop $60 on a game, I want to be damned sure I'm going to like it.  What better way to know for sure than if I have literally played the damn thing before?  CoD4 was good, so CoD5 must be EVEN BETTER; I'll buy that instead of taking a risk with Madworld, etc.  It's tough even for those enough who know better; would I rather buy a sequel that I know I'll like (but that I've essentially seen before), or take a risk with a game that I might love but also might hate?  Which is worth my money?

This leads inevitably to piracy, where people can play these games without the financial risk..."Games are too expensive" or "I can't trust reviews" or "I wouldn't have actually bought the game, so they aren't losing a customer" etc.  Why even take the chance that you will waste $60 on a game that publishers paid to be given a good score?  All this piracy of course leads to devs losing money, and which makes them want to take less risk with their games to ensure profit, which leads to more sequels and generic FPS games with bald space marines, which leads to more piracy; the spiral continues.  Soon companies are going out of business and selling their strongest IPs to other devs, which rape them and kill all their value.  The industry goes stagnant.  There are a few islands of hope in this steaming cesspool of mediocrity, but the market shrinks and they can no longer support themselves.  Gaming is dying.  Gaming is dead.  This same thing is of course happening to Hollywood, and to the Record Labels, and soon the entire entertainment industry has collapsed.  The economy crumbles.

We go back to being satisfied with hoop-and-stick.

[NWR_insanolord]

All I know is you should definitely play Alien Syndrome before you condemn it.

No.

That's it, you've insulted Alien Syndrome's honor, I challenge you to a duel!

[Stratos]

I really dislike piracy. The "I wouldn't have bought it anyway" argument is terribly pathetic. The problem with it is that you are still enjoying a service you didn't pay for. If you wouldn't have bought it you should not be playing it. You D/Ling and playing a pirated game shows that you are getting some entertainment and value out of it. You playing it without paying is them losing the money they could have made on your curiosity. If I follow that logic I could go to the store and say that I wouldn't have bought this candy bar anyway so I should just take it without paying.

I really dislike piracy.

You bring up some good points, KnowsNothing. I don't think it will end with the game market collapsing, though. Companies are evolving their system and adapting to these things. Digital distribution is one of the ways piracy is being hampered.

[Mop it up]

I really dislike piracy. The "I wouldn't have bought it anyway" argument is terribly pathetic.

I somewhat agree, though in some cases it really is true. I can say this from would-be experience, as I myself have before seriously considered going the route of the PC emulator and ROMs. Though this would have been for NES, Super NES, and N64 games, all of which are no longer being manufactured. Some of them are being offered as downloads, but that's not a form I'm willing to pay for.

Though I never have (nor will I ever) dabble in ROMs, and I haven't downloaded a single VC game. This proves that I'm really not going to buy the legit versions, and I'm not even going to obtain the ill-gotten ones either. Instead, I buy the originals used, which is essentially no different than using ROMs as the companies involved still aren't seeing a cent of the money. Does that mean that buying used is just as bad as piracy?

Of course, you were probably talking about current retail games, in which case going the route of piracy is pretty low. It is my belief that nobody has the right to a product without offering some kind of compensation, and if anyone thinks they are entitled to play a game without paying for it, they are rather selfish indeed.

The only illegitimate game I possess and have played is an NES reproduction cartridge of Earthbound. It was never released in the US, and by the looks of things it never will be. Therefore I don't think it really harmed any company, and if it were available in some legit form I would have got that instead. In fact, if it were on the VC I'd have downloaded it, and not just because it is cheaper (though this happened before there was even a mention of the "Nintendo Revolution").

[Flames_of_chaos]

Knowsnothing has an excellent example why reviews sometimes doesn't work and I still remember that whole Paper Mario fiasco, my philosophy is that the best reviewer is yourself since everybody has different tastes. Alien Syndrome is a excellent example of a polarizing game, some like it and some don't.

 I disagree with the market collapsing, while Activision is the new "sequelitus" company especially with the Guitar Hero series, people will eventually get sick of the same series that companies are shoving down their throat yearly or in the case of the GH series quarterly.  Thanks to that and well Harmonix creating Rock Band, I dislike Guitar Hero ever since Neversoft and Activision took over.

Also this is thread has an interesting discussion, please curb the piracy talk before it spirals out of control since talking about piracy is against the rules.

[Mop it up]

please curb the piracy talk before it spirals out of control since talking about piracy is against the rules.

I didn't know that, but I just checked the rules again and it looks like you are right. That's weird. I thought it was just against the rules to ask for or provide pirated software, I didn't know it was taboo to even mention it, especially since I've talked about it before and nobody said anything. Oh well, I'm sorry for bringing it up I guess.