It is well documented that review-bombing has resulted in Starfield being the lowest-rated Bethesda title of all time. But why is there hate against certain games and why do fans feel that they need to become like sheep in following what other fans do? Why go to the length of slating a game so much as to try and ruin its long-term reputation?
Why do these idiots insist on review-bombing?
While Starfield is not without its flaws, the amount of so-called fans who have jumped aboard the bandwagon to lay scorn at its door is nothing short of ridiculous. One negative review on Steam even stated that the game didn’t support the Sony PlayStation…
This is the level of intellect of people who are leaving negative reviews. No doubt this was a PlayStation owner who was simply bitter that the game wasn’t available for his console and decided to trash Starfield on Steam in a pathetic attempt to feel better about it.
But it gets better. Another user on Steam decided to leave a review after six minutes of gameplay. That’s right, six whole minutes. And after this overwhelming time spent on Starfield, decided the game was nothing more than a ‘Bethesda Loading Screen Simulator’.
Related: New PlayStation Feature Highlights the Review-Bombing Issue – FandomWire
Well unfortunately they weren’t the only ones. But while some of the negative reviews were genuine for things that fans had issues with; loading screens, various bugs, etc. some just felt the need to become part of what can only seen as a blight on the gaming industry.
Let us not forget that Starfield wasn’t the first game to be subject to increased negative reviews, Fallout 76 was absolutely slaughtered to within an inch of its life upon its release. And yes, it wasn’t a great game but so-called ‘fans’ saw fit to trash it just because they saw other people doing it and thought, this will be funny.
Not sure what they find so funny about people spending years developing a game for little to no thanks and having some basement-dwelling idiots decide to follow the herd en masse, and tear into the game. Most of these clowns probably aren’t able to think for themselves, hence the necessity to follow a trend.
Read Also: Starfield Is Now The Worst Reviewed Bethesda Game on Steam
If you don’t enjoy a game, that’s fine. No one expects all gamers to enjoy every game, we all have differing opinions and tastes on what we like. Remember studios appreciate honesty and constructive criticism. It’s how issues can be addressed in future updates.
We appreciate that some people want to send a message to the studios for them to look into any grievances they may have with a game but submitting a 0/10 review just because you feel like it, isn’t the way to go about it.
Honesty is the best policy when it comes to reviews and if you felt that the game was that bad, then leave it a score of 1/10 or 2/10. To give it a zero return is just playing to the crowd and showing that you can’t even think for yourself on something as simple as how much you enjoy a game.
There is no place for review-bombing in the community and the sooner people realise that, the better. Don’t forget that for some people, this is their livelihood and we’ve seen all too much recently, how studios worldwide have been having to reduce their workforce.
But it is not like the people who are review-bombing care about anybody other than themselves, and certainly, it is clear by the disregard that is poured into the inane reviews left on Steam or Metacritic.
Unfortunately Review-bombing isn’t a New Trend
Review-bombing certainly isn’t a new trend and it was highlighted by Valve around 6 years ago when Firewatch and GTA V were both subject to it. Valve noted that review-bombing was an issue because criticism wasn’t directed towards the game itself, but more towards external factors.
Examples were issues with what a company CEO may say on social media, a developer’s political stance or simply that a game simply wasn’t developed for a certain platform.
When this disturbing trend emerged, Valve decided to try and tackle it by adding Histograms to Steam pages. By doing this it would accurately the ratio of positive to negative reviews over the life span of a game.
If there was a significant spate of negative reviews for a time period identifiable from the graph, then it would be clear that the game was subject to review-bombing.
Thankfully Steam is currently still regarded as the best review system the gaming community has and they have maintained the integrity of their review process, despite the unnecessary attacks by the so-called ‘fans’ in the community.
Review-bombing and Console Wars
You could say that review-bombing goes hand in hand with the console wars. The bad blood between console owners has been synonymous for years and unfortunately, it has developed into a level of bitterness that is unwanted in the gaming industry.
Many fans will remember the light-hearted rivalry between Sega and Nintendo which started around thirty years ago and maybe to a lesser extent, is still ongoing today. Sonic and Mario battling it out to see who was the greatest protagonist was fun, without any bitterness.
Fast-forward and we have the veritable Clash of The Titans between Sony and Microsoft and the rivalry could be described as poisonous at points. PlayStation fans are all too happy to trash the Xbox, its games and the Xbox fans themselves. Likewise, the Xbox fans are just as happy to give back on this.
And do you know what, the PC gamers are just sitting on the side lines watching all the drama unfold in front of them. Safe in the knowledge that they have a superior platform to experience the best of what gaming has to offer.
But what are your thoughts on review-bombing and console warring? Have you felt the need to jump on the bandwagon and slate games such as Starfield? Or do you have more intellect and can think for yourself, without following the crowd? Get in touch, drop us a comment and let us know your thoughts.
Follow us for more entertainment coverage on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
