We don't want to sound preachy here, but we've come to the conclusion that there are things as gamers, which we should all stop doing. Right now. Without going all hippy-drippy on your ass, we reckon if we all have a go at refraining from a few of the following eight things it'll make the games world a better place for everyone. Less arguing, less anger, less hatred, less endless moaning,fewer disappointments... okay we're asking a lot here we know. Just give it a chance, eh?
Stop getting excited about licenses
We do this all the time. Exhibit A: Superman Returns. The movie: A thoughtful superhero film dealing with issues of self-belief, spirituality and the damaged nature of the human - and not so human - soul. The game: A somehow ever-dreary chore that even made fighting a robo-beast the size of a skyscraper into a dull exercise. Exhibit B: Transformers: The Game, which you should already know is a rather good device for avoiding insomnia.
What's most disappointing, though, is that we let ourselves believe that this time it might be different. However, the nature of a licensed game is that it's created under intense pressure, to crazy deadlines, and is focused squarely on the mainstream audience and their open wallets. Sometimes, things go right - GoldenEye, for example-but good movie-licensed games are in the minority. So let's all stop wishing these games were anything other than the conveyor belt-produced, consumer-targeted merchandise they almost always are.
Above: Transformers: The Game hardly lives up to its exciting license - but why are we surprised?
Stop ignoring reviews
Few things frustrate us more than hearing gamers complain about buying acrappy game. The whole Internet has just dissected and analyzed the reasons why it was uttergarbage not more than a week previously, but they still went out and wasted their money. We don't have to agree with a review (and hey, sometimes we have to use them too!) We don't even need to like what it says. But just reading it gives us a sense of the game's good and bad points, its plotting, the type of action to expect.
It's a reviewer's job to argue both sides - unless a game is utterly irredeemable - and offer evidence, examples and conclusions from their first-hand experience. Of course, if that isn't happening then it's a fault with the review, not the game. But at least if you've read a well-written review you can make an educated decision. So don't expect any sympathy if you still walk out with a stinker when 500 reviewers just spent 500 words describing how awful it is.
