My biases

I was doing some reading and saw that some sites do (or did) build a factor for reviewer slant/style into the final score. I don't do scores here at Post-Launch Reviews, but it did make me think a bit about my biases, and I realized I haven't talked about them extensively here before. So read on to learn about how biased I am!

Well, actually, it's mainly two biases. 

I'm not being paid to do these reviews. I don't have a rigid pattern or guideline I use to choose games. The reason I started this site was because I played a lot of games and figured I could do something with that. This means I buy games that catch my interest, not games I think I should review.

My main bias is that I buy and review games that I already think I'll enjoy. My favourite fiction tends to be science fiction with some fantasy and horror, and I gravitate towards games with those kinds of themes and stories.

Not only that, I want to enjoy the games I play, so my outlook tends to be optimistic. If you've been reading for a while you might remember a few games I recommended that were reviewed poorly elsewhere. Off the top of my head, Legendary is one example. I've also reviewed a few games I wanted to like but just couldn't finish, like Dragon Age: Origins. So sometimes my conclusions are less objective and diverge with the consensus because of personal preference. I never claimed to be objective but a reminder can't hurt.

My secondary bias is that I'm a little prejudiced against indie and mobile games.

I've played a lot more AAA than indie or mobile games because I find that a lot of smaller games have too narrow a focus for my taste. I have reviewed some indie games very positively, but if you look at the ones I got into the most, you'll notice a trend: they have a larger scope and more depth than your stereotypical retro sidescrolling plaformer. Examples: Minecraft, Trine, The Banner Saga.

If you ever disagree with one of my reviews, remember that I'm biased, but so are you. We're allowed to disagree!