Lowering your standards?

[pretentiousname01]

So my friends give me grief about not liking anything. As this is a primarily gaming based website we'll start there.

i have a hard time playing "eights". Pretty much anything that didn't get a 9 or higher unless it has some specific reason I like it. Borderlands is a good example, got an 84 (metacritic) Most places cost it alot of points on story. Due to the almost complete lack of it. At the same time I played ff13. an 82 and hated it.

So I'm here to try and lower my standards. On pretty much everything. Problem is I'm not quite sure how to do that.

For games I'm fairly certain it means just playing more sub optimal games. Which can either be awesome, ie borderlands, or a complete waste of my time, ie ff13.

 

[e2density]

I don't really read reviews. I just look at games that look cool and play them.

 

[Marter]

What types of genres do you enjoy? After we get that, we can recommend some games for you.

Also, what consoles do you have?

 

[maddawg IAJI]

Don't read reviews and buy games that interest you? And why would you lower your standards? Be different from the crowd if you want to be. Play what you like.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Wait wait wait.

You play games based on what the "big-shot" reviewers like?

Form your own opinions!

I agree, don't let the man tell you what to like or not to like!

 

[Aesir23]

Wait wait wait.

You play games based on what the "big-shot" reviewers like?

Form your own opinions!

Yeah, I have to agree with Demented Teddy. Figure out what YOU like and go from there. There may be some games out there that you would like that might be scored as "mediocre" on a gaming site or some games that are rated very highly but you hate. Basically, ditch the reviews and go for the games you're interested in, but play it safe and rent first. No point risking $60 on a game you might not like.

 

[FieryTrainwreck]

Why exactly should you lower your standards? I don't get it. Mediocre games don't deserve your time or money.

 

[Krion_Vark]

So my friends give me grief about not liking anything. As this is a primarily gaming based website we'll start there.

i have a hard time playing "eights". Pretty much anything that didn't get a 9 or higher unless it has some specific reason I like it. Borderlands is a good example, got an 84 (metacritic) Most places cost it alot of points on story. Due to the almost complete lack of it. At the same time I played ff13. an 82 and hated it.

So I'm here to try and lower my standards. On pretty much everything. Problem is I'm not quite sure how to do that.

For games I'm fairly certain it means just playing more sub optimal games. Which can either be awesome, ie borderlands, or a complete waste of my time, ie ff13.

DEMOS are GODS but when they are not available friends are awesome as well. Or stick to what TYPE of game you like as in Genre like Sci-fi, fantasy, FPS, RPG

 

[pretentiousname01]

I have a ds 360, pc.

As for the people who say I should form my own opinions. It must be nice to have disposable income that you can just shunt on games that suck. I do have several games that didn't review well. Overlord, Little red riding hood's zombie bbq, Pokemon, dead space.

I like alot of different stuff. Rpg/s to tower defense. Unfortunatally other humans typically ruin online gameplay for things like call of duty or halo. Although I enjoyed the single player for both mw's.

 

[DividedUnity]

Reviews are a bunch of dribble. I can't believe you actually base what you play on anothers opinion. There are good games that have been panned and vice versa.

 

[Infinatex]

Reviews should mean nothing! Buy what you want to play and I'm sure you'll enjoy it! I don't think I've bought a game off a review score for about 10 years!

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

If you mean lowering your standard in the sense that You'll play a game with a relatively low metacritic score, then it's simple enough. Find a few sources you trust who have a history of liking stuff you enjoy. Then, listen to what they have to say about a game. There are plenty of games that are poorly scored but I enjoyed immensely. Recently I played Alpha Protocol which sports a metacritic score of 74. I know precisely WHY it got the score it did and it deserves no better but these problems did not result in me not liking the game. In fact, I stayed up quite late two nights in a row just to finish it.

It isn't about lowering your standards in this case - it's about actually having a standard. If you're rejecting things based upon a number that expresses almost nothing about one's enjoyment with an entertainment product you aren't following a standard by any stretch. This may insulate you from games that are terrible, but you'll miss plenty of amazing experiences along the way.

The only standard that really ought to matter is that you enjoy the experience with a game and that you find it worthy of an investment of both time and money.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

Wait wait wait.

You play games based on what the "big-shot" reviewers like?

Form your own opinions!

I agree, don't let the man tell you what to like or not to like!

It isn't about forming an opinion. It's about looking for a game to play that he would enjoy. Marketing materials will not do the trick. Demos may not be an option. All that leaves is the word of someone who's played the game. This doens't mean that one should obey the reviewers at every turn, but if they consistently deliver a verdict that mirrors your own you should at least consider their input if you're on the fence about a product.

Of course, sometimes the best way to find out is simply to jump in. Joystiq gave a scathing review of Alpha Protocol and the reviewer is someone I generally agree with. I played it regardless, mostly because by the time the review went up my copy was already on the way and found an example of where I would have been lead astray.

 

[dex-dex]

i don't read reviews that often unless i am getting games for my brother ( he is nit pickey)
i get games if they are recommended from friends or cousins but it is usually me being at my local place to buy games looking at the shelves seeing what sounds interesting

 

[dex-dex]

Wait wait wait.

You play games based on what the "big-shot" reviewers like?

Form your own opinions!

I agree, don't let the man tell you what to like or not to like!

what are you a hippie?
but i agree DON'T LET THE MAN GET YOU DOWN!

 

[L-J-F]

Scores = full of it.

I've loved a game that once got 5/10 on IGN. The only thing that the scores represent is how mainstream a game is, so if it gets 10/10 I usually try to stay away ...

 

[pretentiousname01]

If you mean lowering your standard in the sense that You'll play a game with a relatively low metacritic score, then it's simple enough. Find a few sources you trust who have a history of liking stuff you enjoy. Then, listen to what they have to say about a game. There are plenty of games that are poorly scored but I enjoyed immensely. Recently I played Alpha Protocol which sports a metacritic score of 74. I know precisely WHY it got the score it did and it deserves no better but these problems did not result in me not liking the game. In fact, I stayed up quite late two nights in a row just to finish it.

It isn't about lowering your standards in this case - it's about actually having a standard. If you're rejecting things based upon a number that expresses almost nothing about one's enjoyment with an entertainment product you aren't following a standard by any stretch. This may insulate you from games that are terrible, but you'll miss plenty of amazing experiences along the way.

The only standard that really ought to matter is that you enjoy the experience with a game and that you find it worthy of an investment of both time and money.

I want to play alpha protocol. However everything I've heard so far tells me its not a 60 dollar game. I'll probably pick it up when it gets cheap.

However it works the same opposite way to. I wasn't gonna get rdr. Found out some friends were gonna get it. Got shinning reviews. I bought, was awesome.

tried a few demos of games I was interested in. Ghost busters, screwed around for 10 minutes or so. Nothing seemed to really happen, turned it off. Same with tomb raider. They stuck me on a boat in some water with no real direction. Ten minutes late, off deleted. So demo's don't always work. Under the premise that I download it because I'm marginally interested in the game, the developers should do something that makes it grab you. Otherwise people out there won't even put that much effort into it.