I mean you get the latest hyped up game coming out be it Halo Killzone MW2 UC Gears Etc Etc and according to the mainstream reviewers they not only live up to the hype but surpass it.

You get the game and start playing it and say to yourself wtf is wrong with me as I just dont get the wow factor the guy on IGN or Gamespot or whatever site got.

So you plod along anyway and then hit the blogs and realise hey I am not  the only one under whelmed by this game.

So what is the story with the mainstream reviewers.

Are they under pressure by there editors to make sure the review is to there masters liking.

I mean I have stopped reading reviews of hyped games in the last few months and tend to wait for the real reviews IE gamers who have played it.

But I still get stung by the odd one unfortunatley.

So do you share my thoughts or are you happy with the status qou?

By the way the games I mentioned are only examples and not vindicative of said games.

reviews are NOT meant to be break or Make..just small deciding factor in a purchase...Research yourself, dont rely on reviews OR Metacritic

If you know how to sift through the reviewers' biases, it's easier to plod through the mud of their opinions.

Its hard to define how a review can be trustworthy per definition, its all about preference and opinion. Usually, you start to relate to either specific sites or specific reviewers whom you know to have roughly the same taste as you and you start taking their words more seriously before others'. I no longer have a favorite reviewer or review site/magazine since all the highest reviewed games of this gen (there are a few exceptions) have been massive letdowns for me.
I won't bore everyone with my usual whining about the usual titles but I truly feel that this gen has been somewhat lackluster in the software section, especially the consoles.
Sure, there have been many good games but almost none of them as good as people have claimed (imo).
Also, I feel that certain developers get away with a few glaringly obvious things at times, reviewers simply dote on some of them.

This generation has been unique for me, I've never waited this long to buy a console, but today I finally did it!

I agree with you on the gamers prespective rol.

I just find that the really big hyped games are becoming like hollywood blockbusters.

What I mean is the pressure on the sites is too much for them to give  anything but a glowing review for said game.

So how do you distinguish the good from the  bad?

Even taking it to a different level us bloggers are getting as bad.

I mean if you support a particular console you will go to hell and high water to defend it and its exclusives.

I do not disclude myself of been guilty of that on ocassions.

(Dont know if that word disclude is legit but I like it.)

The hollywood blockbusters line isn't very good, since movie reviewers have tons of integrity and will slam the shit out of any movie they want to, regardless of it's budget or status. If you look at the Oscars and the movies that get represented, it would be the equivalent of games like Demon's Souls and Scribblenauts being top contenders for GOTY instead of Uncharted 2 and MW2.

You hit the spot on the head there ok.

major hype for the most part = letdown.

More so than a single review, I like to see the total at Metacritic.

Peter Griffin...the fictional cartoon character from Family Guy?