It’s pretty hilarious how much reviews and review scores matter to everyone.
One of Simon Parkin’s points in this piece is that a journalist has a “natural inclination to want to say something, anything, that will distinguish his/her copy and opinion from everybody else.”
Giant enthusiast sites like IGN and Gamespot seem to be the biggest offenders when it comes to review insanity. The editors have their fingers on the trigger for publishing their reviews, and some even pay to get exclusives. Then they brag about it.