When you’re excited for any sort of product, whether it be a game, piece of software, or heck, even something like a car, do you fervently read previews as if they’re going out of style? Chances are you do, not because it’s common (though I’m sure it is), but because it’s informative and can give you a helpful heads-up long before that product’s launch.
Are previews of any sort truly that useful, though? Ars Technica’s Ben Kuchera posted a lengthy rant of sorts that tackles the worthiness of previews, and though he’s looking at things from a gaming perspective, the same points he makes can apply to other areas as well. The funny thing about previews is that most often, they’re delivered to an editor/reviewer long before the product’s launch, and are shown at some sort of event, rather than being completed in the comfort of their own homes.
Admittedly, the problem with this is more likely obvious if you happen to be such an editor or reviewer that gets treated to such previews on a regular basis, but picture a TV commercial for a console or PC game. In it, the gameplay always looks amazing, as do the graphics. But as you’re not actually playing it, you’re essentially being spoon-fed what the developers (ahem, marketing) want you to see.
You wouldn’t purchase a car based on a commercial, but rather a test drive, because the commercial is nothing more than a preview and doesn’t deliver effective enough information. The same can be said for game previews, because unless the editor actually had hands-on experience with it (this doesn’t happen often, at least until right before launch), then just how useful is the preview at the end of the day?
They’re useful because they’re enjoyable, and that’s pretty much what it boils down to. But what is unfortunate is when a game is hyped up beyond imagination, and then launches to a fall flat on its face. One example of this is Daikanata, as the Ars’ picture hints at. That game had unbelievable hype, and the previews were all positive. Then upon launch, gamers hated to even admit they played it! For the record, I didn’t mind Daikatana, but it’s hard to argue that it didn’t come even remotely close to living up to its hype.
How much credence do you put into previews, if you read them at all? Are they useless, or useful, despite the PR spin?
Even the worst games have a moment or two of bliss, and when you have the ability to cherry-pick what sections are shown to the press, it’s easy to create the illusion of quality. A ten-minute section that shows off a cool moment, a speech about what’s coming from the developer, and a USB drive filled with screenshots prepared by PR, and the preview is basically written for a lazy writer.