The Friday Debate – Good Reviews?

In this age of blogs and citizen journalism, whatever you want to buy, be it a collapsible pogo stick or a potholing holiday in Venezuela, chances are you can read a review online before making your mind up. It used to be that only magazine and newspaper staff writers could publish reviews but, now, all you need are some first hand experience and an Internet connection.
Speaking specifically about games (we haven’t suddenly transformed into pogopotholers.com) how important are reviews to you when decided which games to spend your precious money and time on?


As always, speak your brains in the comments and feel free to help your fellow man with recommendations of magazines and sites that you think provide the most reliable reviews (protip: bit.ly will make your links look much tidier).