The Art of Reviewing

The truth is there really isn't one. Reviews are all completely subjective and the opinion and experience of the person writing them. That is not to say that they are completely without merit but it is often wise to get a more general overview of reviews than just one.

Once my colleagues start submitting reviews we are hoping to be able to give you a more varied scope on things than just one man's view point.

Just to put this into a context, say you and I play the same game. Something like Alien: Colonial Marines. You being a huge fan of the Films, you own all of the collectors editions and also have been a fan of shooters on consoles such as Halo, COD and the like. Myself, I have just turned 18, have never really seen horror films (Been too young remember) and my gaming experiences come mainly from arcades (I know this is an unlikely extreme). From our two view points our opinions are likely to differ dramatically. For me the game would look great, be full of suspense. For you it would look shoddy, be lacking in any depth or fear or originality. the reviews would be at complete opposite ends. If I was to play the same games as you later then my view would likely change to match yours but my review at the time would come down to my past experiences. 

It is often good to know where a reviewers opinion is coming from. What they are comparing it to. This would then link with the audience a bit and put things into a more defined context. While the website currently does not have this on our reviews it is something that we think will help. So once we have multiple view points on the same subject. We will try and link to a context so you can easily detect which review will match your thoughts. Its not an exact science but without being you we can never be 100%.

MR