The reviews are something I wouldn't use to evaluate an item. First I thought, the site doesn't need them and I don't need the clutter. I didn't need them before, and that is what I am used to now. I get the kind of early report on items, from the board, and are able to interact if I have any questions.
Newcomers may get some benefit from them, and I'm sure Sideshow gets alot of benefit from them. Really, they get a great deal of insight from both the positive and negative reviews. A good marketing excercise. That they choose to post, some or partial, reviews is more an offshoot from having more direct feedback. Feedback that they probably weren't getting from dedicated critical forums, such as this. I'm sure the negatives are looked at closely, though many people arent going to bother sending in negative reviews if they aren't going to be included on the site. As usual, you have to give something a try to see how it works or evolves. They can always srub it if it no longer serves its purpose.
