I am in the market for a new game but struggle a bit to decide which one! Most of the reviewers on youtube I find obnoxious, trying to hard to be funny and often not really useful. How do you decide? Especially if you cannot play the game beforehand?
I take a very long-winded approach. I try to find a copy of the rules online, and then read through it (which is the first thing I would do if I had gone out to buy the game).
Then, instead of watching a review, I try to find a play through video to see how it plays out. The video isn’t completely devoid of colorful commentary or random banter, but it does give me a realistic expectation of how long the game truly takes.
I generally know whether I’d appreciate a game or hate it from reading the rule book. The video just saves me the cycle of buying, trying, and returning if I’m on the fence.