Valve tinkers with Steam user reviews

Valve has shaken up Steam user reviews to better reflect how a game plays in its present state.

In isolation, Steam reviews are uniquely baffling, but en masse they give a decent idea of quality (or how badly the developer has upset the internet). Trouble is, an aggregate score born of release-day fury is hard to change as the game is patched up. Some might call that deserved; Valve disagrees.

The solution is twofold. New reviews are listed more prominently, reducing the emphasis on top-rated reviews of a game in an earlier state. Second, the overall review score displayed on the Steam Store page is now calculated over 30 days instead of the game's lifetime. The full review history is still preserved, preventing nefarious meddling, but old posts are bumped to a 'Most Helpful' tab.

Here's the fine detail for you. I give it 4 stars.