Regarding reviewers, I found Quinns to be a good bellwether for me. Matt as well. That’s the thread that landed me here. Also, with them, I could generally tell if I would disagree, due to how they explained games.
Paul I always enjoyed as a presenter, but his taste didn’t predict mine well. Neither aligned nor contrary, just uncorrelated. And I couldn’t get a good sense of games when he was solo. I left his Isle of Skye review as a hard pass but later discovered it’s a top 10 for me. Tom and the others as well; I’ve been led astray by enthusiasm.
Rahdo, as mentioned, does a great job helping me know if I’ll enjoy something. His own preferences are meaningless to me, too much of a care bear and too focused on 2p experience. But his format gives a great feel for what really happens on the table - that and his talent for narrating his every thought. I rarely turn to him, though, as the format is so long.
Islaythedragon and spacebiff are both excellent text based predictors for me. If they give a thumbs up or down I’m about 90% likely to end up on the same page. I don’t think islaythedragon is still active though?
Definitely prefer reddit for crowd research. Bgg, as we all know, limits your audience to the fans. But also reddit voting buttons are helpful to know if a post is a common opinion or a fringe opinion, while forums are more about who is talking the most/loudest.
I do like Bitewing’s blog, which was recently brought up. Also an account on Instagram called TwoMexicanMeeples. They both do a lot of coverage of older, less popular games and unearth some real treasures. Neither is perfect, Bitewing really likes light, push your luck, schadenfreude stuff and will float it very high on his list. MexicanMeeples loves Suchy and I don’t. But I get a lot of items for research by seeing what they love.
Ah, MexicanMeeples also does a weekly “keep or cull” feature, revisiting bought games to see if they hold up and making the call. I wish there was more coverage like that, how games age and how they hold up as new product comes out. Most reviews are a snapshot in time and an early impression.