I'm one to stay away from Japanese games, however high the hype may be. First and foremost I don't know Japanese so buying a game would be stupid as I wouldn't even understand it. If all Jap games were like Ni no Kuni, or translated to English and sold in England, then I would probably have a pile of them in my room somewhere.
Disregarding a game because of the region it came from is ridiculous. I am sure you mean games in Japanese however, in which case I suppose I agree for now until I progress further in Japanese classes. Literally the only game in Japanese I have is Rhythm Tengoku, but I am thinking of importing both Ouendan games and Densetsu no Starfy 3. None of these require reading to fully appreciate the game, except for maybe the latter but it's perfectly suited for someone like me because the writing is easy to understand...from what I saw, at least.
I tend not to read reviews, but then again I barely get things when they're release anyway, only Pokemon games which I already love so it doesn't matter much cause I'll like them no matter what. Usually I'll wait till some of my friends have it before I buy things.
I read reviews, but I don't use them as a base for a purchase. I do read them for references, however, because they give me the information I need provided they're not factually wrong. I also read them for entertainment purposes from time to time, especially of games I'm currently playing.
I avoid reviews of AAA games though, or games that are guaranteed to have high scores just for the sake of money. For example, I wouldn't read a Halo 4 review because I already know what I'm gonna expect anyway, but I would read a Donkey Kong Jungle Climber review because it's an obscure and kind of a niche game.
That's true (also they tend to affect your view of things, you read a lot of bad reviews for a game, you're less likely to like it), but then how do you decide what to buy?
Videos, reading information on it, recommendations, trailers, impressions, etc if it's a game I'm unfamiliar about. Of course, a review provides most of these already, so I think it's best to read different reviews. I also know a forum that has impressions to note if I want a game.
If it was negative all around, then I'd avoid.