yup, I almost bought Driveclub over Horizons 2. Thank you metacritic

First, I decide what game do I want to buy months and months before the release. The day the review embargoes are lifted, I go to Metacritic to see the overall score. Even if the game is 79 or lower, I'll just look for more individual reviews (IGN, Polygon, Edge, CVG, Gamespot, etc) and give them a quick read. If it's a game I've wanted for a long time, I'll just buy it, ignoring the Metascore and the user score. I can say Metacritic doesn't affect my perception of the game.

Now, if I'm in mood of buying an used game, I will check the metascores and compare it with other games I'm tempted on buying. I'll even read a few individual reviews. If I see one of them is worth a buy, I'll get it.

Yup, skipped Alien: Isolation as I wasn't sure I would like I 20 hour hide-and-seek game. I still plan on picking it up eventually though, once it gets sub-$30.

It has changed my expectations but it has probably never effected my purchase. As I've said time and time again, there were games with amazingly high scores in genres that I loved (ie: Bioshock, The Last of Us) that I just couldn't force myself to love or finish and there are games with horrible scores (ie: Bulletwitch, Blades of Time) that I couldn't stop playing.

I know what I like.