Do reviews matter?

So recently I have been seeing a lot of articles here and there asking if reviews matter anymore. Well I guess the answer would ultimately depend on who you ask but it can go both ways. What you need to keep in mind is that a review is nothing more then a opinion. As such it may differ from your view on a particular game as the thoughts of the reviewer may not necessarily match the thoughts you would have on a particular aspect of a game.

Now all that said reviews can certainly be helpful. For instance should you find a reviewer that you know shares your likes and dislikes about gaming you could easily depend on said reviewers opinion. However even though reviews can in some cases be helpful I also think its important not to rely on them to much either. I can't tell you the amount of games on my favorites list I would have never played if I had relied solely on reviews. The Xenosaga games are a good example. Major complaints even by those who gave the games a good score were that there were far to many cut scenes however I found them quite enjoyable. It's examples such as this that I feel prevent reviews from being the end all be all.

One thing I think reviews could do without is the numbers. I fail to understand them. Often I have found myself reading what seems to be a glowing review only to get to the end see the score of 7.5 and find myself wondering if I had missed something. I think its unnecessary to have a number at the end of a review. There is just to much room for error with numbers being added to reviews. In my opinion(yes a opinion in a article about reviews which are nothing more then glorified opinions ironic no?) the words presented by the reviewer should be enough to either convince or prevent a reader from purchasing a game.

All in all if you take anything away with you after reading this be it that reviews are a double edged sword. While they may be able to help you they are not the holy grail and remember if you are in doubt you can always rent a game and you never know you may come away with an all new favorite.