What/Whom do you rely on

[PrimusPilus 0]

Greetings fellow ghosts!

I was going to put this in the Call of Duty thread as there was some talk on the "virtues" of reviews done by PCGamer magazine. It's a bit off topic and I don't want to hi-jack the thread.

So......In your opinions, what do you use as a guide when purchasing a game? Do you rely on reviews in magazines/websites, and if so, which is the best and why?

Is there anything specific that you use that is not a magazine review e.g. technical support forums, or word of mouth, or hype?

I use a combination of review, going to the site forums and looking for complaints and praise, and I never purchase a game until it has been patched at least once. As I do rely on reviews, that's why I asked what magazine/website you guys think give the most objective reviews.

PrimusPilus

[Ruin 17]

The demo.

I don't read the reviews, I just don't like em. Most forums are usually dead or filled with flame infested n00bs, so I tend to stay away from them. IF there is something worth reading the typist probably doesn't know what punctuation and the shift key is.

The demo and praise from friends do it for me.

[magnumkp 0]

I'm such a sucker for a pretty a box (so to speak )

Also most of the recent games I have bought are personal recommendations. Either that or part of a sequence (e.g. Commandos 3, which I am still erring about buying).

[Swarm 0]

I personaly read PC Gamer. It gives me a taste of what the games are going to be like when they review it and also the demo disk is real handy when you have a slow 56k connection.

Now that we are on the demo theme I always try to play a demo before I buy a a brand new game (a 60-100 dollar game). For older games that I buy just cause I want someting to do I generaly just rely on how the game looks on the box.

Kidda OT but I agree with Ruin about other forums most of the time being a waste of time. I recently have been going to the callofduty.org forums and all it is BF42/MOHAA people who only know how to yell . It makes me VERY glad to be able to come and post on these forums

[NYR_32 6]

Demos are what I rely on... if I hate the demo the chance is I'm not going to buy the game... but if the price drops enough I may pick it up. I read gaming magazines to get an idea of what the game is like.... but they are sometimes misleading.....

[Ruin 17]

The major disadvantages though of Demos is that they can be very buggy. And what's in the demo will more than likely not be what's released.

[NYR_32 6]

Personally the last few games I bought.... SC....Nascar 2003...and most notably(sp?) Ghost Recon..... I loved the feel of the game in the demo.... if the overall feel of the game isn't something I like.... most of the time the ful version will have the same feel....... bugs fixed yes.... but the whole thing changed....no... just my honest opinion

[KRP 56 92]

Gamespot has good reviews. Demos really let me know if I want to spend money for the full version.

[PrimusPilus 0]

Thanks for the responses gents,

Good points by all. I'll have to agree with Ruin about demos. Sometimes you don't get the proper feel of the game due to the demos being buggy or incomplete. Still a good tool though. Looks like the majority of you shy away from magazine reviews. I'm curious as to why? Do you believe the magazines have to placate the publishers or developers to circumvent lost advertising dollars, or do the reviewers place to much emphasis on their chosen preferred genre of game consequently allowing for poor reviews on genres they don't like or, some other reason?

PrimusPilus

[WytchDokta 6]

PC Gamer gave Vietcong 76% cuz it had loadsa bugs in it on release. Hidden and Dangerous had even more bugs in it that Vietcong but they gave H&D 93%. Something certainly ain't right there. What they fail to realise is, in Vietcong, the lastets patches have fixed ALL the bugs.They said Blitzkrieg was too difficult. The guys ate PC G are like twice as old as me and I found Blitzkrieg well easy! *cough* PC Lamer *cough* *cough*

I don't trust the reviews frankly. Ever. I am capable of making up my own about whether a game is good or not.

Nuff said.

[Zantar45 0]

I got magazine subscriptions, I check out websites, I read reviews,hear the buzz from people and occasionally get the demo.

However, I throw all that info right out the window. Its useless to me.

I know what types of games I like, and I know what to look for that interests me in a game.

Almost every game I bought because people said it was good or ''The Best Game Ever!'' turned out to be disappointing when I played it.

I play any type of game I can but only buy it when it comes out when I know I'm gonna like it.

[WhiteKnight77 1]

I try demos and read reviews in the various gaming magazines (PC game magazines that it and not an all in one type mag that has console and PC game reviews) to see what the games are about if I am interested. I am a very picky gamer and know what I like. If the demo turns me off then I won't get the full game. I have known about Papyrus' NASCAR Racing series of games since they first came out (1993) and knew them to be a very hard core racing sim (I used to work on race cars and am still a mechanic) and bought them untried due to the reputation of the company to put out a good game (like RSE in a way.)

I am a flight simmer too (I fixed and flew on/in helicopters in the Marines and have been around aircraft since I was born) and tried the iL2 demo to make sure that it was what I was looking for in that respect.

I also use friends/fellow forum members here advice/recommendations on games I may like. Most of us here have similar tastes and besides just playing GR together we play others games together too as evidenced by the pinned topics here. IMO that is a plus for everyone involved here as it gives us the kind of people we wish to game with online if we choose to do so.

[firefly2442 0]

pc.ign.com

gamespot.com

PC Gamer

Computer Games Magazine

Demos

Forums

Game Website

A combination of all of the above.

[Daywanderer 0]

I usually know what I want, so extensive research isn't needed most of the time. (For example, all Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six titles are must-buys for me, as well as stuff from developers I'm "familiar with, like id, Raven, Ion Storm, Red Storm, and so forth.)

For everything else, it's a mish-mash of reviews, previews, trailers/gameplay videos, screenshots, forum and Usenet feedback and - if it's possible on my archaic dial-up - demos. For that matter, I always read reviews unless I buy the game before anybody reviews it.

For reviews, I tend to stick with GameSpy, GameSpot and Avault, as well as GameFAQs user reviews. I've found that these places have pretty informational reviews, which is really all I need. In lieu of demos, I need to find out as much about how the game plays as possible before I buy.

[WytchDokta 6]

I rely on my "irrational impulses"....

[deadly_sniper22 0]

i do quit a bit of research before buying a game. I go to many sites to see reveiws, ask freinds, check the web for fan sites, therefor finding tech support if i ever need it. I will download a demo sometimes. I also see how much it costs, because i don't rake in to much, and also, if there looks to be future expansions, or modding capabilities.

[STU_Snake 0]

i rely heavily on the deom, because thats a basic idea of hat ill be playing, I also look at the capabilities of the game (ie- online multiplayer, modding).

I sometimes read reviews off sites.......

[Jack57 0]

I agree Snake - demos are meant for judging if a game suits you with a view to purchase. Releasing buggy demos is just daft. If it's early code and they are looking for feedback then they should release it as a public beta, not a demo.

I always remind myself when reading reviews that it is one persons opinion and I'm always suspicious of extreme opinions - they've usually either got an 'axe to grind' or a 'barrow to push'.

Demos are the biggest factor for me.

Jack

[Syncopator 0]

To be honest....HERE at GR.net.

If theres a bunch of peeps that I can trust to give a fair and accurate cross-examination of a game - it's here in this very forum section.

Earth and Beyond being a recent recommendation - and I'm now getting into it for example. Call of Duty will also be purchased - once someone has posted a review here upon release to confirm what I already think from the demo.

If it aint here - it aint worth buyin...

[Major Maximum 0]

I usually go by this following equation(created by C- Algebra 2 mathmetician myself)

y=game title

e=stupidity of title (if high such as Panty Raider or Enter The Matrix)

x=number of panty shots and boob juggling(*cough*DoA)

z="ground breaking" factor(if innovative, a high number, if a clone, a low)

R=realism

T=Technical Realism(if the game is a realistic theme, and it is realistic, a high number. If physics/graphics/gameplay/weapons is unrealistic, a low number)

C=Comic Realism(if the game is purposely comical/"Arcade" and not realistic at all, a high number, if game is accidentally a mindless POS, low)

y(e)-X

-------- = G

z( R )^T

G=overall worth as a game

Edited October 24, 2003 by Major Maximum

[Cobblers 12]

Firstly something that catches my taste of game and look the business too. If that happens I will then normally d/l the demo and have a go. If that too is successfull I start getting very excited, then I hover around the wife all day until she gives in and let's me buy my chosen computer game.

But mostly it is down to the demo, although funnily enough GR was one of those game I saw in a PC mag and it just seemed to be the right game for me, and boy was I right! Long live KING!!!