Reviewer review

[Garnfellow]

Psion's tastes seem to be pretty close to mine, especially at the extremes of the spectrum -- if he really likes or hates a product, then there's probably a 90% that I will, too.

I also like the John Cooper reviews, if only for making me feel better about my own obsessiveness.

Ken Hite, in his Out of the Box column, is probably the most entertaining game reviewer out there.

 

[Elodan]

None make me want to buy a product but I tend to give JoeGKushner's reviews more weight as he seems to have the same taste I do.

 

[Garnfellow]

For me? Not a one. The thing that draws me to a product is when 15 people jump in and say, "Oh, my GOD is this a great product! It's got this and this and this and this! You oughta see this thing!" If a product is good enough to freak out a bunch of different people at once, it's worth me taking a look at. Otherwise, I'll probably regret the purchase later.

You know, I have actually found this to be a /terrible/ way to buy things, even when it's the (fairly) discriminating tastes of EnWorlders creating the buzz.

It's an internet thing, I guess -- it really doesn't take much to create the appearance of a big splash, and it’s too easy for me to get swept up in the rush of enthusiasm. More than once, based on a series of stellar raves on EnWorld, I have immediately ordered a new game book -- only to find, several dollars later, that the book just doesn't work for me.

(And often, a month or so after my misguided purchase a thoughtful review will appear that clearly points out why Book X was never really the one for me.)

And on the other hand, some of my favorite books -- like Monster's Handbook or Anger of Angels -- never really seemed to enjoy a huge initial EnWorld chatter. In both cases, it was a nice review that piqued my interest.

 

[fusangite]

As a retired politician, I believe strongly in "dance with the one that brung ya" so I have to vote for Teflon Billy. Besides, having lived with him, I can detect what the reviews really mean when he writes in code.

EDIT: I forgot to mention his taste is actually good and he understands systems. But, realistically, even if that weren't true, I'd still vote for him.

 

[Davelozzi]

All of the staff reviewers have their merits, though Psion's tastes and reviewing style seem to work best for me. But unless everyone is screaming about how great a product is, I generally need to have some interest in it before I'll even start reading the reviews.

 

[rounser]

, even when it's the (fairly) discriminating tastes of EnWorlders creating the buzz.

I'd say that ENWorlders are much more susceptible to hype than non-online gamers...the forums are a hype-generating machine.

 

[tmaaas]

I starting to follow Crothian's reviews, mainly because I'm tending to look at a lot of PDFs lately (lack of shelf space).

 

[DaveStebbins]

I like all the staff reviewers, I feel I can trust every one. In the end, I have to be interested in a product before I even read reviews. Reviews are therefore very instrumental in my decision to buy or not buy a book. I'll read them and say to myself "I didn't know the product focused so much on that, I was hoping it would be more about this." If I'm not sure, I'm more likely to pass, so in that sense, reviewers are very helpful.

I try to avoid the "wow, this is great!" hype as much as possible, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't occasionally get caught up in it and buy something I might normally pass over (usually, the hype only makes a difference if I'm right on the fence about a product, then it can push me over).

Ramble over.
-Dave

 

[Nightcloak]

If I ever need a second opinion on a book, I usually check and see if Psion has done a review on the product. He does two things that work well for me:

1. He explains his likes and dislikes well. Even if I (rarely it seems) disagree with him on a point, I can evaluate the product based on his description and make an educated decision.

2. He has a knack of "speaking to the DM" in me and convey the useful information I need. The essential facts I would want to know and find useful.

...

/heart-warming moment

But really, I enjoy all the reviewers here and wish to give them all kudos for taking on such work for our benefit. There has been many times a reviewer has pointed out something about a product that has made the difference between me buying it or not. My 3E library is filled with more quality products than previous editions thanks to the work of the reviewers here. It is the huge benefit I receive from their work that encouraged me to finally stop lurking and start posting and get involved here.

Thanks guys!

/heart-warming moment over

 

[Speed-Stick]

Hopping on the Psion Fanclub bandwagon. Normaly I check a few sites and see what the average score is, but Psion's reviews seem to be on target nearly all the time. Nothing is really better than paging through a book in the store though.