Do Game Reviews Have To Be Puerile?
Kotaku, one of my favorite video game blogs, brought up an interesting question: Do Game Reviews Have To Be Puerile? First things first:
pu·er·ile
adj.1. Belonging to childhood; juvenile.
2. Immature; childish.
In my opinion… I’d have to regrettably say… YES. When I want to buy a video game, I’m looking for something to chill me out for a while after work. And all I really want to know from reviewers if its worth my money. Is Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow a good Xbox Live title? Yes! If it sounds good, I rent it for a week, then I buy it. I still want the clever anecdotes that I’m used to from teamxbox and (the now defunct) XBN magazine, but I only want what’s necessary to keep me semi-entertained and 100% informed.
I guess I’m more picky now that I have to actually pay for these games. I’m not trying to sound like a cheapskate, but $50 for a video game can easily go somewhere else, especially FOOD! 
Prose that’s written about games, like the one that Kotaku points out, is a completely different story. It is truely a great read, but I wouldn’t base my purchase on it. It’d be a great supplementary to a mindless review. You can read Turner’s game review of Silent Hill 4 here.
~Spec
