There's always going to be a divide when reviews are treated as opinions rather than something mechanical. I don't really like reviews that get overly mathematical in their structure (X game was a 7, and Y game was a 9, so this is an 8). I totally understand why some want that, but for me it's more about finding a few reviewers that I relate to game-wise, and listening to their opinions.
IGN seems to be an easy target, but I find I almost always agree with the reviews. That being said, because I listen to the podcasts I know that there are pre-existing biases towards certain genres that you have to factor in. For example, Greg Miller's favourite games are 3rd person action games, so something like Uncharted 3 is right in his wheelhouse. I've even listened to IGN podcasts where they collectively rag on him for that review, but it was his review and his opinion. I prefer things to be that way. It's the same with Colin Moriarty and his enjoyment of indie games. I enjoy indie games but I don't love them - so when he gives something an 8.5, I know it's probably more of a 7.5 in my books.
|