Can we trust user reviews for video games? This is the question posed in the Games Inbox.

Have you ever come across the game Splatoon Raiders? Trust me, the user reviews for this game are a bit confusing. It's ranked as the seventh best game of all time, but I highly doubt it's better than The Last of Us or any of the Zelda games.

Personally, I've never put much faith in user reviews. Sites like Metacritic can be unreliable, especially since they include reviews from lesser-known websites. And let's not forget about the fanboy wars that often occur in the user reviews.

People either give a game a 10 or a zero, with no in-between. It's the same on other sites as well, except for Steam, which seems to have more reasonable scores due to a larger number of voters. So, it's safe to say that I won't be relying on user reviews for my game recommendations.

Speaking of games, I was thrilled to hear that Capcom is already talking about a sequel to Pragmata. But let's be real, it'll probably take years for it to actually come out. I remember when sequels used to come out every year, but now we have to wait for what seems like an eternity.

I won't spoil anything, but I will say that the game set itself up nicely for a sequel. I'm hoping for more variety in terms of enemies, weapons, and hacking puzzles. And wouldn't it be cool to have a co-op mode?

Although, I can see how that could lead to some frustration with a less-than-stellar teammate. Moving on to new game releases, I must say, August is looking pretty bleak. I understand that it's not the most popular time for game releases, but with the way the schedule is looking this year, you would think some companies would have moved some of their September releases to August.

Unfortunately, the list of games for August isn't much better than July's. And with so many games coming out in September and October, some of them are bound to flop. But let's be honest, they kind of dug their own grave with poor release planning.

I recently read an interview with Shigeru Miyamoto where he gave advice for making games. He suggested basing it on a hobby that you're interested in. This got me thinking, if you were to ask a Western developer for advice, they would probably give you a more technical answer and a list of games for inspiration.

It's no secret that Miyamoto isn't a fan of Western games, with the exception of Pac-Man. And I believe this is why his games (and Nintendo in general) are so imaginative and unique. He's not trying to copy or follow trends, he's simply making what he thinks will be cool.

Of course, not every game is going to be a hit, but I think if more developers played fewer games themselves, they might come up with more interesting ideas. Lastly, I have to share my recent experience at a game store. I went to CeX and saw that they were selling a used copy of Mario Kart World for £60.

And get this, I found the same game brand new at Currys for only £65. It's no wonder that second-hand game stores are struggling to survive. With prices like that, there's no competition.

But hey, at least I got to experience that new game smell at Currys. Have you ever come across the user reviews for Splatoon Raiders? Some people seem to trust them, but the recent ranking of the game as the seventh best of all-time has left many confused.

Personally, I haven't played it, but I highly doubt it's better than legendary titles like The Last Of Us and any of the Zelda games. I've never really put much weight in user reviews, especially on sites like Metacritic where they include questionable sources and often turn everything into a green score. It's just a bunch of fanboy wars, with people either giving low scores based on imagined slights or inflating scores because they love the company behind the game.

It's pretty obvious when you look at the scores and see that half of them are either a perfect 10 or a dismal 0. This trend seems to occur on other sites as well, with only Steam having more sensible scores due to a larger number of voters. All that being said, I have my doubts about Splatoon Raiders being the best Nintendo game ever.

I'll stick to reading regular reviews for my gaming advice, thank you very much. Moving on, I was thrilled to hear that Capcom is already talking about a sequel to Pragmata. But let's be real, the timeline for game development these days is crazy.

They're already fast-tracking a sequel, but it probably won't be released until the next decade and the PlayStation 6. It's mind-boggling to think that just a few years ago, we were getting sequels every year and waiting three years for a new game was considered a long time. I won't get into spoilers, but the game definitely set itself up for a sequel and I'm curious to see where they take it.

I think the main thing they need to focus on is adding more variety – more enemies, weapons, and complex hacking puzzles would be great. And I've also been toying with the idea of a co-op mode, although I can see it causing some frustration with teammates. Now, onto the release schedule for new games.

As expected, August is not a busy month for game sales. Who wants to stay indoors and play games when the weather is perfect for outdoor activities? But given the unusual release dates this year, you'd think at least one company would have the foresight to move a September game to August instead.

I have to say, I'm not particularly excited about any of the games on the list for August – it's not much better than July and that's quite disappointing. I have a feeling there will be a lot of flops in September and October, as they're all too closely packed together. But I can't say I have much sympathy, as they're just blindly walking into the meat grinder.

I found Shigeru Miyamoto's advice for making a game to be very interesting – basing it on a hobby you're interested in. I feel like if you asked a Western developer for similar advice, they would give more technical tips and probably suggest a list of games to use as inspiration. It's clear that Miyamoto has never looked to Western games for either fun or work.

The only non-Nintendo game I've ever heard him speak positively about is Pac-Man, which he apparently loves. It's hard to find evidence of him liking anything else since. I think this is a major factor in the quality and creativity of his games and Nintendo as a whole.

He's not trying to follow trends or copy what others have done, he's just coming up with ideas and creating things that he thinks will be cool. They may not always be perfect, but I believe if more developers played fewer games, we'd see more interesting and unique titles. Lastly, I was browsing in a physical game shop recently and saw a used copy of Mario Kart World for £60.

I was shocked to see that the same game was being sold brand new, sealed, with that new game smell, for only £5 more at Currys. It's no wonder second-hand game shops are struggling to compete when there's such a large price difference. Overall, it's been over a decade since GameCentral started delivering exclusive gaming news and reviews, and they continue to do so to this day.

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