Players have never been able to offer too much detail in terms of reviews on the PlayStation Store, but that may be about to change.
In aReddit post(first reported byEurogamer), user cusman78 noticed he was able to add a written review forHelldivers II.
Users in the comments got together and realized cusman78 wasn’t alone. It seems PlayStation has been offering select fans the opportunity to leave written user reviews on thePlayStation Store.
Previously, users were only able to leave a rating of 1-5 stars on a game. However, the inability to add detail to a review has been missing for years, despite platforms like Steam and the Xbox Store including the option for years.
As of this writing, it’s an incredibly specific number of people who are able to tackle reviews. Based on the comments on the Reddit post, it sounds like players are chosen by how many hours they’ve spent with a game rather than outright ownership.
The other caveat is ownership, as it seems reviews are only being allowed for users with digital copies. As one player explained, they received an invite to reviewFinal Fantasy VII Rebirthbut were unable to leave a review as they owned a physical copy of the game.
It’s a good first step towards a little more transparency around game reviews, which sounds crucial given how hot-button the PlayStation Store has been recently. Helldivers II made headlines when it was review bombed followingcontroversy regarding PSN Accounts. Allowing (or even requiring) added context will make it easier to understand those reviews or explain why a game was review bombed in the months and years to follow to unaware gamers.
The reviews as they are aren’t perfect, though. The reviews don’t display how much time a user has spent in a game, which can be a huge detriment. After all, you wouldn’t give the same weight to the opinion of someone who spent 10 hours in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth as someone whospent over 100 hours, would you?
Reviews are rolling out on an invite-only basis at this time, with invites being sent to the e-mail associated with the PlayStation Store account. PlayStation itself has not mentioned or announced the Reviews program as of this writing, so there’s no indication as to when the feature will be more widely available.
