Difficulty in Madden/NCAA Reviews

[btemp]

The last couple years I've opted to wait before purchasing Madden and NCAA, waiting for reviews and user feedback. The one difficulty is that reviews that come out initially for these products are always very suspect. Part of this is the lack of incentives for objective or informed game reviews (here's looking at you Diablo III) as well as the immediacy of improvements on the game while disappointments take more time to manifest (a problem with pass defence will initially be displaced by a flashy new feature).

A great example of this is OS's review of NCAA 12, which scored an 8.5 (great):

http://www.operationsports.com/revie...all-12-review/

My point isn't to call anyone out, but to wonder if there is a better way for consumers such as myself to read reviews, short of being always sceptical, and if there is constructive criticism we can offer OS.

Curious to hear your thoughts.

[liberaluser]

The best way to evaluate a review for a yearly released sports title is to be familiar enough with the product to know what YOU think is deficient and what it would take to get you to buy again this year or the next. If the game gets a high score with hundreds of words devoted to new features but basically plays the same in the final analysis, you know to skip.

So TLDR; don't look at the numbers or the flashy back of the box gimmicks but instead look at the underlying message to see if it seems worth it based on your preferences.

[HolyCrap]

Its kinda like when you get a new girlfriend. Everything is great because shes different and has all these great qualities...but 6 months in after things arent so hot and heavy, you start to see flaws and character defects.

Like when Madden comes out everyone is stoked cuz its different but after 30 games one starts to see the holes and the glitches that are still there or new ones arise. Thats why people are usually stoked at first then cool off later.

Maybe this year will be different and the positives will outweigh the lingering flaws.

[IWWROCKS]

Best review you can get is the one you create yourself.

You can read for days about other peoples opinions and it's always going to be subjective. I never let that put me off a game. Best thing to do in my opinion is a) try the demo. That'll give you an idea of if you like it or not albeit on a limited scope. b) rent the game. Try the full game yourself and then decide if it's worth buying. I gurantee you can rely on your own opinion to be right