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kain_kusanagi on 05 November 2012
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GameOver22 said:
kain_kusanagi said:

Look at it this way.

I hate sushi. I've tried it many times, but always hate it. I like cooked fish dishes, but I don't like sushi.

Stay with me.

If I wrote a review for a sushi restaurant, should I let my hate of sushi effect the review? No, I shouldn't even write the review. I should hand it off to someone else who at the very has nothing against sushi. My opinion of any sushi restaurant would be that the food is terrible, no matter how much that same sushi is loved buy sushi lovers. What point would my review of a sushi restaurant even serve?

Now back to games.

If a reviewer doesn't like Halo games, why would his review be taken seriously? It's not that his opinion or taste in games is invalid. It's that his dislike of the game series makes the opinion worthless to the reader. A review should include the reviewers opinion, but it shouldn't get in the way of informing the reader about the pros/cons that only an unbiased mind can conclude. A Halo hater is always going to hate the latest Halo game. Nobody needs a review like that.

Halo 4 is not a bad game therefor it should not be considered garbage by anyone other than those who hate it's style like I hate sushi. And just like I shouldn't rate sushi a Halo hater shouldn't review Halo 4.

I agree with the sentitment, but I don't think there is any such thing as an unbiased mind. I struggle with the idea that someone who dislikes something can't or shouldn't review it. It depends on the audience you are writing for. Personally, I think reviews should be more skeptical and intended for an extended audience. Point black, a Halo review should not be written for a Halo fan since they are going to buy the game anyway. It should be written for the people who are unsure about the purchase and need some further information. In some cases, this might include people who dislike past Halo games.

What I mean by "unbiased mind" is that the reviewer should already dislike the thing before they begin. That's why I gave the example of my distaste of sushi. Lots of people love sushi so my opinion of it only applies to me and is not helpfull for someone looking for a good sushi bar.

 Sushi is very popular so it isn't is shit even though I hate it. Halo is a very popular series so the series isn't shit. Halo 4 is getting a vast majority of very good reviews so it isn't shit even though a few reviewers, who obviously just don't like the type of game that Halo is, dislike it. So I ask, what's the point of a hater reviewing that which they hate? The answer is that it is as useless as a review from a blind fanboy tossing out praise as if it's better than sex.