Famitsu review scores (4/21/15) - Xenoblade Chronicles X

Check out the review scores from this week's Famitsu.

[Geobros]

I was waiting better score for X...

[bouzebbal]

Review score is nothing without the review itself.
these articles are so irrelevant. What can i use a row of numbers for?
Even if it gets zeros this game is on top of my list this year.

[Geobros]

I agree with you, score is not so important but for the majority of gamers take a look at it. I wouldn't be so upset with 34/40 but look the text, Puzzle & Dragons has better score than Xenoblade....

[bouzebbal]

"but look the text, Puzzle & Dragons has better score than Xenoblade...."

One more reason not to believe review scores. Puzzle dragons might be good, but we all know the principe it was born over 20 years ago.
i know for sure X will be a much better experience for me, same say casual gamers are so much looking forward to puzzle and dragons for exactly the same reasons.
i go after the tastes, not after review scores and people's subjective opinions.
in the case of famitsu the score is even more irrelevant since there is no text to stand by the grade.

[vishmarx]

legitimately surprised .
i expected 10s across the board given its history and being a jrpg and all
though im sure people will come up with reasons why reviews dont matter.
i still remember fans flashing that 92 metacritic at every single discussion that xeno 1 got though

[Neonridr]

@vishmarx - so now 8's and 9's aren't good scores? Wow. So when a Sony game get's 8's people cry out saying that the games are still good at that score. Hell I remember people defending Driveclub's 6's that it got saying that scores like that are polarizing meaning you either liked it or hated it.

[Griever]

So why check those reviews out in the first place if they are so inaccurate? Are they only reliable when they meet your preconceptions and expectations. Ever considered that the game might not be up to the standards of the reviewer or the hype before the release? Just think for a moment and you might see a bias there.

Review scores are helpful for making purchase decisions. We would be buying a lot of junk, regretting it and losing a lot of money without review scores. Yes, we can think for ourselves and make up our own minds like many would say but we are not always correct so it is often wiser to consider other people's opinions and advice when making a decision.

@Neonridr

He never said that those are bad scores. He was just surprised and the same is true for me too. Given the amount of hype the game has been getting, the supposed length of game, the supposed amount of content, the size of the world, being a successor to widely lauded Xenoblade and being a JRPG, many were expecting it to get perfect scores at least from the Japanese media where they appreciate and love JRPGs. It is just surprising.

[ShinMaster]

Maybe if the game had color
http://dengekionline.com/el...
http://dengekionline.com/el...
And characters didn't look creepy
http://dengekionline.com/el...
it would have a higher score.

[Articuno76]

Keep in mind that all four of Famitsu's reviewers play every single game that for review that comes out in a given week. Naturally that means they only dabble in each game, especially bigger, longer games. The end result is their review scores are evaluations of their first impression than the game as a whole.

Also keep in mind that Famitsu don't write reviews. Of the games that get reviewed each week, at best they give you one paragraph each on maybe a couple of them. In other words: most scores don't even have reasons, even in bullet point form, backing them.

Dengeki Online is better for reviews. But their reviews have no scores... and they don't appear to be reviews so much as game wide overviews.

[roboshort]

I searched around online at some Japanese sites and it seems they docked it for having a lot of cut-scenes. However, my guess is the game has too much freedom. RPGs with more linear/confined storylines tend to be more popular in Japan. Anyway, it is just one magazine. You shouldn't put too much weight on it unless your feelings toward games tend to be the same as theirs. Also, I read Dengeki's review and they gave it a really good review, but they did not score it.

[Magicite]

In our language that translates as 8,5 so its pretty great, but yeah, we would expect 9/10 at least I guess.

P.S. Reasons XCX lost points:

Cutscenes are too long and numerous, game systems are not well explained.

[NoctisPendragon]

Aww this game has Cutscenes :( .

Ok ok i stop , i won't talk about being forced to watch those faces in numerous cutscenes .

[3-4-5]

WAit..

So they take the time to tell us a great story, and even provide us a nice animated movie to go along with it and we complain ?

* How many Star Wars fans would complain about getting " More Story.....More Details" ?

* That "downgrade" is on a person by person basis then.

I personally, love cutscenes IF it's from a game I like and a world that is worth caring about.

* XCX seems to be that game, if Xenoblade Chronicles 3DS is anything to go by.

[Big_Game_Hunters]

Losing points for cutscenes in a JRPG. Its the new "too much water"

[Articuno76]

TBH I'm happy about the cutscenes. I was worried the game would be mostly repetitive quests in an overly large map with almost no story context holding it together.

[Concertoine]

Well persona 4 was a 33, so i'm good :D

[pivotplease]

Not the best comparison considering persona cutscenes encompass all of the sim gameplay, but I am also among those that prefers some lengthy cutscenes in my JRPGs. Bring it on.

Sorry you meant the score. I thought you meant hours of cutscenes. If anything it probably has more. But wow persona 4 deserves 10s across the board in my opinion.

[themonado]

Well, it IS Famitsu. They gave Nintendogs a perfect score. But it's all a matter of opinion. Besides, XCX only scored 2 points less than the original

[pivotplease]

I swear famitsu scores games with a dart board. Or perhaps even a ouiji board. Hard to say.

[N4g_null]

It's still good. No problems. The game is huge! It is possible that they do need more documentation though. I hope Noa fixes that.

[randomass171]

I thought Famitsu was infamous for giving Sonic 06 a positive score. :U

[Gamer1982]

8.5 is respectable scores. But why should you cares if scores are low or not? Will it justify your purchase? Will you not buy it because some site scored it low?? I base my buys on gameplay videos and playthroughs as a review and scores are a persons own opinion on a game.

[3-4-5]

9/9/8/8 is a good score from them.

* I've played plenty of 6/10 & 7/10 games that I truly loved.

Probably half my N64 collection was 7/10 games but they were really fun.

[_-EDMIX-_]

"Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China (PS4/XBO) – 9/8/8/9"

....I see. sure bud.

[3-4-5]

And...just because they rate it good or bad doesn't mean it is either way....it's up to the person.

So go ahead and "sure bud" all you want, not sure what point your trying to prove with that.

[LAWSON72]

I take what the JP market takes as quality with a grain of salt especially Famitsu. They have very different taste than the west.

[kevnb]

did you see what they gave Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China?

[kakashi81]

That's pretty good in my book.

[R00bot]

No way X got a lower score than Puzzle and Dragons, and the same score as Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China.

They need to finish the game probably, I wonder if they even got their Doll license? After all, the game is 300 hours to finish roughly... There is no way they accessed all the content and value it has to offer.

[benji101]

It is just some peoples opinions. Famitsu is consistantly confusing with review scores.

[Griever]

Xenoblade Chronicles X is not the same genre as Puzzle and Dragons so there reviews are not comparable. Both of them were rated according to their respective genres and their standards. The difference in score only means that Puzzle and Dragons is a very good puzzle game and X is a good JRPG.

[KingKelloggTheWH]

They don't have to play ALL the content, tons of content in game is just repetitive quest. If you have to play them all for reviews then it would likely lower scores.

[DeusEx-Machina]

In case anyone wonders, the original Xenoblade scored '9/9/9/9' by famitsu in 2010.

But without any comments from the reviewer(s), a review score offers fairly little insight. So be careful when drawing any conclusions.

[FullmetalRoyale]

Yep. I'm not here to say someone's opinion isn't valid, but I find the contents of the review to be significantly more important than the number at the bottom.
I'm an individual, and I know what I like. Knowing someone docked points for Wolfenstein requiring you to push a button to pick up ammo is important, because it doesn't bother me. I can pretty much size up how I'LL like a game based on the written text.

Some people just cry if a game gets a "great" score, and isn't lauded as the Jesus Christ of games, though. That's their prerogative.

[benji101]

Famitsu is not worth trusting for review scores. They gave Assassin’s Creed Unity (PS4) – 9/9/10/9 [37/40]
they gave ground zero a 38..both games are fine but did not score so highly in the west.
They gave Kid icirus uprising a 40...... I mean it is OK...

[Neonridr]

can't wait to play X.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Nope, cancelled my pre-order.

[DeusEx-Machina]

Good. Considering the amount of comments you spent hating on this game, that copy would have been a wasted on you anyway.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@DeusEx-I mean...you probably should have just crossed the bridge! lol

Whats funny is its a joke and even if I really, really liked this game and was getting it day 1....I would still likely make that joke.

(I'm still getting the game too bud) and "hating" I'm sorry but you Nintendo fanboys have real issues, my concerns for the game are legit and I never stated I wasn't getting it or even that I hated the game, merely that I question if the team can pull off a open world game considering they've never done one before...

Mind you...I stated this regarding The Witcher 3 as well as I OWN THE SERIES ON PC!

I'm sorry but you need to understand what is "hating" and what is a legit criticism.

I own most of the games by the series director, still getting this game, have stated this about other series etc.

If that is hating to you, its only proves JUST how much of a fanboy you are, if I"m not saying its PERFECT and REVOLUTIONARY then its clear I MUST be hating!!!

[Neonridr]

@EDMIX - legit concerns yet the game still gets 2 - 9's and 2 - 8's on famitsu? Why don't we wait for the general consensus, I could see this game scoring between 8-9 which is still considered a great game.

[DeusEx-Machina]

@edmix
Good grief. I wouldn't have thought you would get all sensitive over a snippy comment.

Yes, I agree. All concerns are legit; As all concerns are subjective.

It's true I didn't get your joke at first instance, but the true irony in this is that I meant my comment only half serious too.

Anyway I called you a 'Hater', you called me a 'Fanboy'. Guess we're even. :)

[Blacklash93]

The complaints from the actual content of the reviews I've been hearing are 'too many movies' and 'gameplay systems not explained enough'.

Nothing particularly concerning, especially if you've played and liked Monolith's past works, it seems.

[N4g_null]

Interesting... too many movies huh... yet I wonder what the order got?

[kowan]

The Order got a 30/40. 2 7's and 2 8's from the four reviewers. A fitting score.

[N4g_null]

Ok thanks kowan. Is it possible that this game is simply too big? Something tells me I'll be playing this for 3 years till the next home console comes out.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Xenosaga series legit had some EPIC cut scenes, some of them went on for like 30 minutes or more at a time lol. I'm not surprised that this game does that too, but in a good way. I actually liked what they did with Xenosaga's cut scenes.

[Der_Kommandant]

I'm sorry but all Famitsu scores are a joke.

[BigDuo]

It simply depends on the game. Some times Famitus gives fair scores just like any other reviewer out there,but other times they give higher scores to games that don't seem to deserve it. Of course, western reviewers are just as guilty of this. Quite frankly, there isn't a sole reviewer everyone is always going to agree with on any game anyway. Personally, I've never been one to rely on Famitsu's scores.

@scissor_runner

The Order was given a 30/40 from Famitsu. (7/7/8/8)
Bloodborne got a 36/40. (9/10/9/8)

[DiscoKid]

I don't understand why people are making a big deal about a less than perfect score?

[DialgaMarine]

Because it's a Nintendo title. If anything made by Nintendo get's less than perfect, the fans get into a total uproar, because how dare anyone question the unquestionable god that is Nintendo, amiright? I guess they honestly can't stand the idea of BloodBorne receiving more praise than X. What's really sad is the fact that most Wii-U owners (the few that there are) probably won't buy it, just like with the first Xenoblade.

[marloc_x]

No uproar here:) I am going to REALLY enjoy Xenoblade Chronicles X..

[darkstar18]

umm im a nintendo fan and i could care less what anyone gives this game for a score, besides they gave this game a great solid score and i cant wait to play it day one MY GOTY RIGHT HERE!!

[jholden3249]

That's blanketing fans into one category don't you think? I see Sony fans that legit flip out over GTA getting a 9/10, so don't pretend this is just a Nintendo fan issue.

And this has NOTHING to do with Bloodborne. In fact you're the first person in this entire comment section to even mention that game. Nobody cares about Bloodborne. Out of the 6 million video games in existence why would you think that particular game is what is upsetting people? Or are you stealth trolling, trying brag that your beloved console has a highly praised game? Because that's what it seems like to me.

And i'm not sure where you get your facts but the original Xenoblade sold well over 1 million copies. A JRPG, that wasn't even localized until the last year of the Wii's lifespan AND was limited in stock and exclusive to GameStop in NA, and it sold over a million copies. So I'm not sure what you're referring to when you say that nobody bought it.

Just like every other Nintendo ignorant. You incorrectly, mindlessly spout cliches without having facts to back it up.

[higgins78]

Fight! X didnt receive 'perfect' scores...game cancelled, Wii U cancelled, Nintendo cancelled, videogames in general cancelled. Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition received 9's across the board. Must be one of the finest games this gen, right? Fact is - as stated previously, scores are nigh on impossible to determine without the actual review. That AND reviews are opinion pieces. That AND look at this publications past history with reviews. That AND - perhaps most importantly, make up your own minds...that goes specifically to those Wii U/Nintendo trolls hiding under the bridge.

[callahan09]

I have had no confidence in Famitsu reviews since they gave Demon's Souls 29/40 (6/7/7/9) and Quantum Theory 31/40 (8/8/8/7). What a joke.

[Big_Game_Hunters]

Good score, don't really care though because its famitsu.

[KaladinStormblessed]

What's wrong with 9/9/8/8?! That's a good score...and Maybe the game just isn't as good as everyone thinks it is? We'll all find out when it comes out.

[mamotte]

According to Famitsu, is as good as Bloodborne, since they have the same score. But they're not better than... Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition.

[ftrain]

Bloodborne got a 36 so it scored better than X

[kowan]

What a shallow way of doing comparisons. Those games are of different genres and thus should never be compared to each other. Puzzle and Dragons could have been a great puzzle game, thus the high score. You can NOT compare that to Xenoblade. Is Xenoblade a puzzle game that you can access anytime through a mobile or a handheld platform? No.

[masa2009]

Given how obsequious Famitsu can be with big titles, I expected a bit better.
Same score as the Assassin's Creed 2D spinoff, wow.
Japanese culture is such that they rate even higher on average than western sites (which is saying something), so it's hard to separate good from great.

[mamotte]

Plot twist: Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition is released in America and we all got addicted to it.

[themonado]

I really don't understand what the problem is. It's a 34/40. The original Xenoblade got a 36/40 and is my favorite game of all time. I'm certainly not worried about this game being great.

[LOL_WUT]

Got to love the comments in here saying the review/scores don't matter but praise anyone else who gives them a 10/10. ;)

[LiViNgLeGaCY]

So excited for this game!! :D

[Blacklash93]

All the complaints from the review:

- Game is a time-sink and requires commitment.
- Dialogue tempo is "slow" (they probably mean stilted and laggy conversations, not uncommon in RPGs).
- Many cut-scenes, and pretty long ones. Feels like a movie, they said.
- Gameplay systems lack explanations.

Just presentation and tutorial issues. Frequent and long cut-scenes are also no surprise if you've played Xenogears, plus it doesn't even apply to non-story free roaming and questing.

Their complaints have pretty much nothing to do with gameplay, and they praise the story. Nothing to sweat over, if you ask me.

[DeusEx-Machina]

Great to hear.

People who enjoyed the previous games pretty much wont be bothered by these 'issues'. In some cases quite to the contrary actually.

[JacketsNest101]

Sounds like they are reviewing it as the Japanese that they are and are strictly reviewing it for Japanese gamers. Japan's gaming culture is not about timesinks, mobile platforms are the big dog over there. Here in the west though, a long game can still do just fine. Mobile gaming isn't as big over here, and as such there isn't really a stress on making games digestible in small bites. I foresee the western publications giving this a higher score for the simple fact that there's less of an aversion to long, time consuming games outside of Japan. I agree, this review is nothing to worry about and the parts that the West care a lot about (i.e., story, gameplay) got really good reactions. We just need to wait until E3 so that we can finally get a release date for this thing. Just under 2 months left, now.

[Bobby Kotex]

Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition (3DS) – 9/9/9/9
Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U) – 9/9/8/8
Assassin’s Creed Chronicles: China (PS4/XBO) – 9/8/8/9
The Swapper (Wii U) – 9/8/7/8
Operation Babel: New Tokyo Legacy (PSV) – 8/8/8/7
Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved (XBO/360) – 7/8/8/7
Little Inferno (Wii U) – 8/7/7/8
White Robe Love Addiction (PSV) – 8/8/7/6
Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend – Blessing Flowers (PSV) – 8/7/7/7
Radio Hammer (3DS) – 7/7/7/7
Super Toy Cars (Wii U) – 7/7/7/5
Nashi-jiru Action! Funassyi no Yukai-na Ohanassyi (3DS) – 6/7/6/5

[gerbwmu]

I want it to be critically acclaimed because I love Xenoblade Chronicles and I want this to succeed in every way possible so we have an opportunity for more RPG's from MonolithSoft and Nintendo in general but 8.5 is a good score and I know I will enjoy this game.

Hopefully we get a western release date at E3

[JacketsNest101]

They would be remiss in not giving us a release date at E3.

[BigDuo]

Sadly, I don't expect Xenoblade X sales to perform well in Japan. Xenoblade 1 only sold around 80k copies in its first week, then it took 6 months later for its sales to be a 161k copies by the end of 2010. Currently, Wii U's install base in Japan is still below 2.3 million, so this game really needs to help drive hardware sales. However, Nintendo's biggest flagship IPs on the home console - Mario Kart and Smash Bros - failed to do that on Wii U. Most people that bought those games already owned a Wii U. To make matters worse, the home console market over there is still in rough shape.

At least we are grateful that a sequel to Xenoblade even exists and its localization is confirmed, so we won't have to beg Nintendo about it.

[JacketsNest101]

The lack of a market for the Wii U is simply due to the dominance of the mobile market in Japan. People just don't want to sit in front of their TV anymore to play video games.

[BrandanT]

In all fairness, I remember the Xenoblade getting an 8.5 on gameinformer.

[hkgamer]

seems like a good score.
probably could have gotten a better score if the characters didnt look so fugly.

[WelkinCole]

Its a score without any explanation.

If it has too many movies then that is a plus for me.

If i own a Wii-U I would definitely get this game regardless of what the reviewers say either good or bad.

[Wonderful101]

This game is a 10/10 in every way.

[ChickeyCantor]

" Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition (3DS) – 9/9/9/9
Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U) – 9/9/8/8"

Lawd Japan.