| mZuzek said: A review isn't supposed to "protect the consumer", it's just the opinion of a guy who played it. |
Yes, a review must inform the consumer critically and objectively; that would be its purpose.
When I said, in the opening post, not to trust reviews too much, it's because the system has changed compared to the past.
In the past, when print magazines were sold, we, the magazine buyers (you and I), were the ones paying; we were, in effect, the reviewers "real employers". If a reviewer gave you their opinion without critical analysis, and steered you toward a bad purchase, you wouldn't buy that magazine again and move on to something else. So there was an emphasis on criticism, as objective as possible.
Today, we, the consumers, are no longer the "employers" of online magazines, which are free; their employers, the ones who pay, are those who provide the advertising moneys and the review codes—namely, the developers and publishers themselves, who have an interest in promoting their product. In your opinion, can we still speak of objectivity in this context?
I generally appreciate reviews on VGChartz, like the one on Silksong, because they appear more genuine and objective than many other sites.
Sorry for the long rant, but this discussion is much broader and doesn't concern Silksong specifically, so I won't dwell on it.
Last edited by JimmyFantasy - on 31 October 2025
