What game review sites do you rely on?

Discussion in 'General Game Discussion and Questions' started by natedogg213, Mar 19, 2011.

  1. natedogg213

    natedogg213 Well-Known Member

    Jan 24, 2010
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    #1 natedogg213, Mar 19, 2011
    Last edited: Mar 19, 2011
    With 50,000+ games in the app store, it is crucial to go to forums like these and speak to gamers about the latest releases. However, it is also nice to have some reliable review sites when looking for games. I have listed a few of the ones I visit below with some comments on them. Please list yours as well. The more information us gamers have, the more confident we can be of our purchases.

    TouchArcade - the thing I love about this site's main page is that they are usually the first to review the hottest games. However, I think that implementing a scoring system would be nice. It seems anticlimactic to "review" a game and not have a score at the end!

    TouchGen - This site tends to focus more on the major releases than the indie games but they have pretty thorough reviews. Because they tend to take a long time to review games, I don't visit as frequently.

    Appspy - I like this site because they review a lot of games. However, they tend to give average games a lot of 4/5 rankings. Still, I visit this site quite a bit because they get their reviews out quickly and have nice video reviews.

    PocketGamer.uk - They probably offer the most critical reviews, and I really like that. Not a lot of their reviews get 8/10 or higher but if they do, you know they are quality

    Gamespot & IGN - useless.

    Slidetoplay (Gamefinder) - great for folks new to iOS gaming because of all the categorization but I tend to disagree with a lot of their reviews.

    Appsmile - Don't like, way to generous on their reviews.
     
  2. lurtz6

    lurtz6 Well-Known Member

    Jan 14, 2011
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    Slave to the public education system
    Right behind you, with the machete raised
    You're forgetting the Best app review site aside from Toucharcade: Slidetoplay! This site is almost entirely reviews, and their reviews are long and focused. I don't like their scoring system, but it is still the #1 app eview site out there.
     
  3. natedogg213

    natedogg213 Well-Known Member

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    I did, that's "Gamefinder"! "Gamefinder by Slide to Play is the app. I used to like the site when I first got my touch but don't frequent it as much now.
     
  4. I tend to use Touch Arcade, TouchGen, and iFanzine the most.

    I never heard of this. Are you referring to STP's app?

    Edit: Oops, posted before seeing the above post.
     
  5. natedogg213

    natedogg213 Well-Known Member

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    I am checking out iFanzine right now. Like the site so far, they have a nice review of Grim Joggers, one of my favorite games from January
     
  6. Stan

    Stan Well-Known Member

    Feb 15, 2010
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    Appspy is my favorite.
    They're straight to the point, and always include the youtube video.
    I've been supporting them since they've had 50 views a video on youtube. :D
     
  7. crex

    crex Doctor of Game of the Week-ology

    Oct 18, 2010
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    I just use TouchArcade.
    But when it slows down around here in the forums, I usually go through my routine of other sites. I always go to other sites in this order:

    Appshopper
    SlidetoPlay
    Pocketgamer
    Appadvice

    Why do you think they call it Appsmile? :D
     
  8. MidianGTX

    MidianGTX Well-Known Member

    Jun 16, 2009
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    I tend not to read any reviews unless someone specifically links me to one for some reason. I know what I like well enough to be able to judge through user feedback on forums alone. If there's a glaring problem it's more likely to be noted by a crowd of people than a lone reviewer.
     
  9. STYJ

    STYJ Well-Known Member

    Feb 12, 2011
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    I read user impressions / user ratings rather than those from reviewers .

    And i second, Gamespot / IGN is just pure badass (shit).
     
  10. Guise

    Guise Well-Known Member

    Jul 10, 2009
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    Appadvice is really good for iOS news and app reviews--some of which are games.

    148apps isn't bad.
     
  11. yemi

    yemi Well-Known Member

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    I dont use review sites because there is alot of bias from alot of websites and thier views arent consistant. I seen some website say Canabalt is best game ever but Dead Space has issues be wary of purchasing it. That right there would lose my trust in a reviewer.
    After seeing the wierd way in judgement , I tend just to use my judgement on videos and descriptions.
     
  12. MidianGTX

    MidianGTX Well-Known Member

    Jun 16, 2009
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    I see nothing wrong with that at all. Some people like Canabalt and don't like Dead Space. You think just because their opinion is different to yours that it's somehow rendered void? Of course it isn't.

    It certainly goes to show that reviews should only be used as guidelines though. Read the info, get the facts and then make your own decision.
     
  13. yemi

    yemi Well-Known Member

    Feb 3, 2011
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    Ok when you quote can you quote the whole paragraph. I said thats the reason I use my own judgement because of past reviews. Also Iam a gamer from old days of nintendo to now. Back then reviewers where pretty tough and pretty consistant. Now reviewers are all over the map with thier " opinions" thats why I say they cant be trusted. Thier "opinions" sometimes dont even stack up to thier other "opinions" . Now you cant even tell if a reviewer likes causal games or hardcore games becuase thier all over the place. Thats when "opinions" become "bias". When they can review 2 games that are almost identical except for different graphics , yet come with 2 different reviews. Well I hope I explained myself better in this post.
     
  14. natedogg213

    natedogg213 Well-Known Member

    Jan 24, 2010
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    Of course there is bias. But you get a lot more consistency from review sites than your typical user. Most legit review sites have guidelines that drive their review score. However, due to the cheap price of apps, they aren't as crucial as console or PC game reviews.
     
  15. MidianGTX

    MidianGTX Well-Known Member

    Jun 16, 2009
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    I apologise, this post makes much more sense. But just thinking Canabalt is better than Dead Space isn't inconsistent on it's own :)
     
  16. yemi

    yemi Well-Known Member

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    I think there should be review site just for casual games and review sites just for hardcore type games. Whenever those 2 genre get mixed in 1 site , there tends to be bad reviews here or there.
    Also if a site does want to mix it up , they should separate thier staff according to what they like. That will decrease the likely hood of bad reviews or opinions.
    Those 2 suggestions will go a long way in improving review site and regain consumer confidence.
    @Natedog ...unless its deadspace do not buy EA games until they prove they can make another great game like it...just a reminder.:)
     
  17. MidianGTX

    MidianGTX Well-Known Member

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    There are some sites that just don't give scores. They write about the facts, so you can get info on how long it is, what the content is, what the controls are like, etc, and they'll list what they like and don't like, but because there's no score they're basically leaving the reader to make their own decision on the game. That way people can't compare scores of games like Canabalt and Dead Space and find inconsistencies.
     
  18. yemi

    yemi Well-Known Member

    Feb 3, 2011
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    Ok name 3 that you trust so I can check them out. Iam always looking for new sites that have fair reviews , if you got info share it!!
     
  19. natedogg213

    natedogg213 Well-Known Member

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    I am not an EA hater. I own Scrabble, NBA Jam and a couple others :)
     
  20. djflippy

    djflippy Well-Known Member

    Mar 9, 2009
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