So if I play a game/see a movie/watch a tv show/read a book and I dont like it, regardless of how well-put-together it is, I should give it a good rating anyway? Because other people agree it's great?
No, you're missing the point. A review is for the audience, it's not to stroke the ego of the reviewer. That is, it's more important to provide a solid and useful resource for potential buyers than it is to scream from the rooftop that everybody else is wrong.
So, if a reviewer can tell a product is quality, but hates it, then they should consider passing it along to someone else to review. Obviously, it's okay to hate something, and it's okay to say that. But even in hating something, a reviewer owes it to their audience to be intellectually honest about it's overall quality.
For example:
"I want this to be a great game... I can feel the polish, and it's a technical marvel. It's beautiful from beginning to end. I know many people will love this game, and many will consider it a masterpiece. But... I just couldn't connect with it. For all its polish, it felt soulless to me, just a bit empty inside. I didn't like the characters, and didn't understand their motivations, and the story rang false. Which is a shame, because I know there is a great game in there somewhere, but I just couldn't find it. Whether that's my mistake, or that of the developers, will be up to others to decide. I feel uncomfortable giving this game a numeric review, because any number I assigned it would feel wrong... the games obvious merits earn a score I just don't feel comfortable giving it, because at the end of the day, I hated it."
That is an honest review [of an imaginary game]. It shreds the game without lying about it, or ignoring it's clear good points. Personally, I'd say that reviewer should have passed the game along to another reviewer.
Like I said, I hate platformers. But that doesn't mean I'd give them all a 1/10 even if I hate them. What good does that do anybody? I realize we live in 2016 where people love to scream vulgarities into cameras and post it on youtube, but ultimately, a good reviewer is there as a resource.
Sure, you can oversimplify the issue and twist my words and pretend I'm saying reviewers should lie if they hate the game, but clearly, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying a reviewer should have the intellectual integrity to recognize that even a game they absolutely hate can be good, and vice versa - even a game they love can be janky and broken. And they need to ensure their reviews reflect that intellectual honesty. It's okay to hate a game everyone else loves, and it's okay to say that. But that doesn't make it a 1/10 game... it just means you didn't like it. There's a difference.
A reviewer can only be giving their own opinion, of course, but they should be looking out for their audience when they do so. It's no different from film. Genre films [say, horror], are best reviewed by those already familiar with the genre who love horror films. That creates useful reviews for the potential audience [horror film lovers]. Having the New York Times trash some genre horror flick because the reviewer doesn't like horror films doesn't really do anything but waste everyone's time. Likewise, if someone hates open world games, or hates [fill in the blank], maybe they shouldn't be reviewing them in the first place if they can't separate their own dislikes from their audience's.