Reviews and wishlists are coming to the Epic Games Store

In context: Although the Epic Games Store (EGS) has been a controversial fixture in the PC gaming world, it continues to truck along relatively uninhibited. However, Epic hasn’t completely ignored its detractors — one of the main complaints surrounding the EGS relates to its lack of features relative to other digital distribution platforms, such as Steam or GOG Galaxy.

That’s a fair complaint, and it’s one Epic has started to address as of late. Just last month, the company announced a storefront overhaul and improved search tools, both of which have rolled out today. Now, Epic has unveiled some of the other core features coming down the pipeline, including wishlist functionality, an updated library view, and — perhaps most importantly — review scores.

The wishlist feature is self-explanatory (though the early preview looks a little barebones), and the updated library view is nothing too special. It’s just Epic’s way of bringing the library’s grid view in line with the updated storefront. See a glimpse of the new grid below.

So, the first two features are relatively basic, but the impending introduction of reviews to the EGS merits some additional explanation. Above all else, the lack of user reviews is arguably the biggest feature-related complaint Steam faithfuls have leveled at the EGS in its current form.

However, Epic’s upcoming review integration will not necessarily silence those voices. Unlike Steam, which relies on both “Curators” and users to discuss and review games, the EGS’ review system will rely solely on data provided by review aggregator OpenCritic.

This means that, when you visit a game’s store page on the EGS, you’ll see a list of review excerpts (with individual star, number, or word scores) from various games media outlets. You’ll also see a percentage that shows what portion of overall critics recommend the game.

Epic did not elaborate much on its review system, but we are curious to find out whether or not the gaming giant will bring user reviews to its platform down the line. There’s certainly nothing wrong with a critic’s opinion (we review plenty of products ourselves), but a user’s thoughts can sometimes be more reflective of a game’s quality over time; particularly in today’s age of constantly-changing “live service” titles.