Reviews almost never dissuade me from buying games, because I know what I like and even if something gets slammed, I know what I'm in for and plan on enjoying it. Every once and a while though reviews can persuade me to buy a game I had no intended to. Reading the review of the new PoP game made it something I must buy. It sounds incredible. It leaves behind soooo many gaming mainstays to try and create something more fluid, beautiful, articulate, relaxing and flowing. Combat is rare, death is impossible, button mashing is replaced by calm well timed combos that have to be felt rhythmically. The experience of playing the game is the purpose of playing, beating it is not the priority. This sounds like something I must have and must reward, and that really surprises me.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/934/934108p4.html

PoP looks so damn beautiful. 1 week to go.

Wasn't happy with the change to self shaded. Not a very good chance I will be buying this.
Plus I haven't been very impressed with Ubisoft lately.

POP is my must have have game saw the gameplay and graphics are just jaw dropping, idcare how i get dis gem,even if i have to kill a cat to get this game i will...

A 9.4 from IGN UK, too. It wasn't so much the review that made me want it, but the screenshots at the bottom of the page.

:O!!!

^ *gulp* that game is so beautiful

My wife is a manager at Barnes and Noble books and for whatever reason she gets a discount at gamestop and some other odd places that I guess the corporations have agreements with, don't know how that works. But in about a week she gets a big christmas discount, 40% off. So I'll probably pick this game up then.

I guess this is going into my "get once I finally get a PS3" game list.

:D I needed to find my 4th and final game for the christmas time and here it is!

My only issue with the reviews is that they seem to have too close of a cut off between when a game does and does not have lasting appeal. Machina and I were talking recently, and Mirror's Edge was lambasted by reviewers in general for not having nearly enough lasting appeal and replay value to warrant the price (at least that's what I got out of IGN's review), but PoP is barely better. Mirror's Edge's story I've been told is around 6 hours, and PoP is around 8. Now my issue is that you can play Mirror's Edge again on hard mode, while I have heard of no such option in PoP. So to me, Mirror's Edge should get a better score as far as value goes.

This rant aside, the game is beautiful, looks like a lot of fun, and is next on my list of PS3 games to get.