Many critics of video games feel that they can give a game review better than the game itself. While they may have a basis for their opinions, most people do not believe that game reviews are somehow superior to actually playing the game. If you are one of those people that feels this way, then you may want to reconsider your opinion. There is a difference between having a strong opinion and having a weak one when it comes to reviewing video games.
When a game review is written, the writer generally includes some form of gameplay footage in order to explain what the game is about. Typically reviewers do not include the gameplay footage in their reviews, but they do include mentions of it. Because of this, game reviewers actually do play the game in order to give an honest opinion of it. Video game reviewers do not usually cut away from the gameplay footage in order to give a personal opinion of the game. Sometimes they may put the gameplay footage on a separate cut away to make it easier for the reviewer to critique the game.
Some game reviewers spend a great deal of time just telling you about everything in the game while other reviewers tend to only provide you with enough information to make you decide if the game is worth playing or not. Some critics will give you a lot of information about a game while other reviewers will leave it up to you to figure out on your own. As with any type of review, personal preference will play a big role when it comes to the type of review you want to read. Obviously, those who are serious about playing the game may spend a lot of time reading about the game’s mechanics and what will happen during each play through. On the other hand, those who are only interested in the game for fun may only read about the gameplay.