It's like you're taking a game with XYZ qualities or ABC flaws and talking about none of them, choosing instead to use the review as a mouthpiece for some crusade, and in the process possibly scaring potential buyers away, who could've found a good time with the game.

I enjoyed Last Light and would easily give it an 8 out of 10 and was hoping to continue the story here on GOG. Yeah I'm a bit irritated at the sudden reversal, but I'm not going to take it out on a game on another platform with a pointless review.

Well people are angry and are trying to vent their anger.
And some do say that the games are good and they are only there because of the epicstore.

Well, it still makes more more sense than putting your game on a store for pre-orders and then removing it 2 weeks before release.

and that's the point.

not buying the game is one 'punishment' for actions of company with which we disagree. then there is review bomb is ensure the company receives even less sales so they will rethink their actions with current product and future one.

What? People on the internet using inappropriate ways to vent anger? No way! Next thing you'll tell me there's porn to be found online.

It does,if it hurts as they don't have many other ways so,it does make sense.

They make use of the free market to smear a company they dislike, nothing odd so far. Steam might wanna do something about review bombing on their platform though since that sends a signal to other publishers and developers. However, such restrictions would end up with Valve/Steam being called fascists and/or commies by the same review bombing people.

Now that's a pickle.

On a game level it makes no sense. On a developer level, it can certainly have an impact. Eg, the backlash against Beamdog altering the pre-existing content of Baldur's Gate certainly contributed to their decision to not do the same with subsequent re-released "EE" games (Icewind Dale, Planescape Torment & NWN). Conversely, if they did "do something", you'd also quickly see developers themselves erecting all sorts of "every cluster of valid negative reviews are 'really' unfair review bombs" straw-men to censor valid criticism and 'play' their own review scores upwards. Example - "Don't bother buying X game from this dev. Aside from the fact this game has game-breaking bugs, the previous Y game in the series has been abandoned with still existing unfixed game-breaking bugs". Dev: "Help! We're the victim of hate! Please delete this unwelcome honesty, uh, I meant 'protect' us from 'review bombs' which 'unfairly' mention other games..."

Likewise for devs who want all the free publicity of a cheap sequel riding off the back of a pre-existing established franchise, yet simultaneously don't want the new dumbed down game to be judged vs old ones as to whether they fit into that franchise. Example - "We the developers of Deus Ex: The Fall believe it's highly unfair for anyone to expect a Deus Ex game to be Deus Ex-ish and want all such reviews that mention any previously released Deus Ex game deleted". For all their faults, Steam have done the right thing in not allowing devs to control their own negative reviews under the guise of 'countering unfair review bombs' when more often than not, as the saying goes - "there's no smoke without fire"...

The consumer wishes to express disdain for an action.

Review bombs game/linked games to issue.

Press cover the review bombing.

Publisher/Dev/Investors take notice of review bombing.

Whether or not it should be done is not really that relevant, the point is normally to send a message which gets people's attention. Which it does and has.

unless they are marketing shills.

Is this review bombing due to it being on epic games store? What a bunch of butthurt hypocrites.
I hope lot more games get locked to that store.

I think it's down more to the game being up for pre-order on steam for months, only to be swiped away a few weeks before release more than anything else.