http://www.gamesarefun.com/gamesdb/editorial.php?editorialid=8
This is a really good editorial worth the read.
This is a really good editorial worth the read.
Suffice it to say, hype basically poisons the review pool. Reviewers (or sometimes their bosses/editor in chiefs) can consciously or subconciously feel obligated to the people hyped about a game and the company doing the hyping to give it a good score. I think we can all remember seeing countless reviews of major titles that say something like "Overall, GameX didn't bring anything new to the table. It's got slow load times, the story isn't that great, and the music leaves something to be desired. But it is an excellent title with solid gameplay. 9.5/10"