How Do Dragon Quest’s Famitsu Scores Stack Up?

@chronomasakari: I loved FF XII too, until I got to the part where you fight the two goddamn palette swap dragons practically back to back, and the second one just randomly attacks you for no reason and has no significance to the story whatsoever and is way harder than the first one and GRRRRR. That part was BS.

Dragon Quest VIII got a 39/40 and it didn't fare so well in the U.S. ANd personally it wasn't all that appealing. I think that the series has a dated battle system that bores many. Especially with the likes of Kingdom Hearts, and other RPGs with more ACTIVE battle systems.

dagundam

What?! DQ 5 is 36/40?!! Those jerks didnt give it a 40/40 like it should have gotten?!


I'm now going to go be angry everywhere as I let Famitsu control my brain and don't form my own opinion!

@Leanid: I have a few choice words to say to you. Thank you. I'm glad to have seen FINALLY someone who realizes that the reviewers are not some all powerful deity that declares good games good and bad games bad. Honestly, I've played quite a few games that reviewers or the general crowd have HATED the bejesus out of, sometimes finding they were wrong (and finding a gem where others found trash), and sometimes finding they were right. Oddly enough, reviewers ARE real people, and can make mistakes. They also are paid to have an opinion... so you might want to beware of their opinion unless you find they have similar tastes in video games as you.

Thanks for restoring my faith in the internet. XD

@Chinpokomon: Hating on DQ7 is hip now, eh?

I loved the hell out of it. From the quaint beginnings to a quest that really did span the whole world in it's entirety... it was a big, awesome game. I've seen open world games with less than 10% of the ambition of DQ7.

Which reminds me; I've been meaning to replay DQ7 again sometime soon...

Sugoi

You know a magazine's gone downhill when they rate the worst DQ game better than the best, 7 being the worst and 6 being the best... maybe.

AlucardsQuest

@AncientUnknown1: They were waiting for FFVIII to come out.

mintycrys is HOT for Bayonetta

when something is really really good i think the hate exponential for that game gets blown through the roof.

Vintage

Are you saying it's not the best one ever made? DQ9 on the DS seems like a perfect storm, and this game takes everything they learned with DQ8 and makes it better. It will probably be my favorite game of all time!

HalcyonX12

@chronomasakari: I feel the same for FFXII. I guess people thought of it as too much like an MMO and maybe too ahead of its time. But I loved playing it. I need to get back to finishing it sometime.

Tye-The-Czar

dragon quest 7 for PS1 is seriously the worst RPG I have ever played

@chronomasakari: I'm pretty sure that the hate wagon belongs to FINAL FANTASY X-2.

@LetItRane: I think gamers just look into numbers too much. Why would 10 ever denote a perfect game in the first place? It's just a number that says "this game is bloody brilliant" and that's that.

A reviewer can also omit scores (like here in Kotaku) and say "this game is bloody brilliant" but that's just a lengthier way to go about it and still represents the view of a single reviewer. One that doesn't like to hand out scores but a single reviewer nevertheless.

That's why Metacritic is so lovable - taking all those numbers from a variety of sources (each with their own agendas, motives, and possible corruption) and spewing out an unbiased average with links to the actual reviews to read more.

I can understand why Kotaku loathes scores but just choosing not to give one doesn't really add any credibility. The pros and cons dished out here are valuable information, sure, but I'd be damned to trust them alone, just as I'd be damned to trust Famitsu's 40/40 alone.

@beril: Yeah, I really loved VII, much more then VIII (that I never completed actually), which was as close as we've got similar to Chrono Trigger since the beginning of the 3D games era.

I really liked the way they used cliché settings and made good use of it.

@AncientUnknown1: What you say is true, but the other factor is that the internet makes people's opinions shriller and more hyperbolic, so what would have been simple annoyance back in 97 becomes screaming fanboy rage today.

Mr. Fluffykins

@beril:
I guess I'm just more of a graphics whore, and therefore, more of a FF Fan.
FFIX came out around the same time, and was much prettier, IMO.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_IX

Chinpokomon

@N●Gage Croal: It says since they started their 40/40 reviews, so presumably it came out before that.

Eh, never mind apparently loads of people have already said this. Can't say I like this new commenting system a whole lot =(

Huh. Really? They consider 5 and 6 the worst of the bunch?

That's actually pretty surprising. Which is actually the best then? From what I've been hearing it sure isn't 9.

Superlocke

@Leanid: How are you a "hardcore" gamer? Do you sit on a chair of nails when you play? Do you cut yourself and make yourself bleed while playing a game? There is nothing "hardcore" about sitting around pushing some buttons.

You are probably a traditional gamer. But hardcore gamer? No.

Ferkner

@chronomasakari: It's more a sign a of the times that FFXII got more hate than previous releases. When FFVII released there weren't as many gaming blogs or gaming message boards to give haters a voice. Sure some existed, but they certainly were not as big as they are now nor as capable of shaping the gaming zeitgeist.

In short, there were just as many haters for FFVII back in '97. They just weren't voicing it on the web like they are now.

AncientUnknown1

anyone else feel they've been giving out out perfects too easily lately? or is everyone else on board with the whole "2008 is the best year in gaming ever!"

Randy Michael Rodriguez

DQ4 got a 37, not a 38.

THECapedCaper

@chronomasakari:

I doubt it, you seem to be suggesting that the scores are why people don't like a game, rather than the game itself.

drag

@N●Gage Croal:

It says so in the post:

"Since Famitsu has been doing its 40 out of 40 reviews, the DQ titles have been rated:"

drag

@Asbestos_Underwear: Thats true for most games with perfect from any major review outlet

@Suave: I do believe MGS4 is the masterpiece of the series and probably earns a perfects 10. I also loved FF12. Was it perfect? Maybe not, but I found it amazing and much better than some of the other FF games.

@Chinpokomon: I really don't understand why Enix didn't even bother to make this on the N64.
I did like the saving the world one island at a time. It was a wasted opportunity.

@Chinpokomon: I actually really enjoy DQ VII. The game was immense and the class system, even though it was entirely too big, ensured that you would always have something new even at the end of the game. The story was slow though, but honestly, that is kind of trademark DQ.

Junpei_Iori

I Know did end...........

@Suave: " Final Fantasy XII (of all FFs, the worst one's a 40?)"

Says the guy with a Baltheir avatar. :p

Seriously though, I don't think you can call it the worst. I'd much rather play XII than I-III any day.

@Chinpokomon: Personally, I loved how DQ7 gave DQ a different feel. You ain't a hero, you're a fisherman's son. You live in a tiny world, which you help expand. Plus, most of the scenario have pessimistic endings, which I tend to like.

But I want to unsee the horrible CG cut scenes.

@Riktor: I think every dragon quest since 6 has seen a lot of delays, especially 7. So it should still be the best game in the series since DQIV by that logic

beril

FF12 scored the highest too if I recall correctly and we all know how many people hated that game.

Of course I friggin loved it but still FF12 has the largest hate wagon, by that extension DQ9 will have it as well.

chronomasakari

@Chinpokomon: Apart from the cg cutscenes there was really nothing wrong with the graphics in DQVII. I found the it very charming and very dragon quest like, and the monster animations are amazing. From a technical viewport it's not any worse than a lot of other PS1 RPGs like Xenogears and Breath of Fire 4, a lot of people didn't like the style though.

It's also pretty interesting that no one seems to be complaining about the graphics in the DS remake wich is nearly identical to DQVII, while the hardware is more powerful than the PS1.

beril

@Showmeyomoves!: But I have had the great privilege of playing, and enjoying, each one of those fine games. Why, those three games are near the top of my "favorite game ever" list, with MGS4 only being edged out by Halo 3. I have no problems with perfect scores for the games mentioned--I even agree with it!

I think Famitsu just went the same route that EGM did when it decided that a 10 didn't denote a perfect game, but a game that was the best in its particular category. In this case, they felt like DQ IX is the best RPG out there (or handheld RPG, if you look at the home consoles and handheld consoles as being separate as Game Informer does).

For those who REALLY dislike the straight 10s, just remember that a reviewer isn't supposed to agree with anyone. This is what they thought, now go make a decision for yourself.

LetItRane

If your only complaint about 7 was the "rotate the screen" top view 3D backgrounds being fake 3D which I guess is because the characters were 2d sprites I don't see how using real 3D makes it fake but whatever either you didn't really play the game that long to have a real opinion on it or your just a graphics whore(don't mean it in a bad way) which I can understand even at its time it wasn't anything special, personally I beat 7 bonus dungeons included in less time and with less grinding than it took me to beat 8 and finish all the bonus dungeon bosses so to each is own I guess. You can go back on forth if 7 or 8 is better but if you only shoot down 7 because of the graphics go back and give it a shot its slow at first but it is truly a fun game.

MarissaMelpomene

There's been a steady trend over the years for game mags to start padding scores. It's something that was an outright travesty a few years ago here in the states and to think that it wouldn't reach a mag like Famitsu would just be a fallacy. As game reviewers and makers start getting closer and closer, the reviews will keep inching up.

Granted, it is a matter of personal taste but in the long run more people are going to drink the Kool-Aid if everyone says it's awesome.

SleepyRogue

Oh great, here we go again. Yet more comments about how My Tastes > Your Tastes (or Famitsu's in this case). Of course people will make long posts explaining why their opinions are right and other people's opinions are wrong, and they'll actually believe it.

They're review scores, not the fucking word of God. Blah blah blah, their quality is declining, blah blah blah, they're selling out, blah blah blah, they're not for real gamers anymore, etc.

As hardcore gamers why the hell do we care about review scores anyways. If we're hardcore we should be expected to know about the game, or try for ourselves to see if we like it. A single magazine written for a Japanese audience in a language most of us can't understand isn't going to change whether we like it or not. And remember, they're opinions, not facts.

Leanid

@Asbestos_Underwear: It all comes down to taste. The average FPS, for example, will get a much higher rating here than in Japan.

Showmeyomoves!

@N●Gage Croal: I think you just debunked the whole system.

@Suave: There is no such thing as a 'perfect' game, so by your logic, no game deserves to get a 10/10 (which is basically what this is: 4 people giving it a 10/10).

Also, if there WAS such a thing as a perfect game, MGS4 and SSBB would be pretty damn close to it (never played FFXII, so I can't speak for that one).

Showmeyomoves!

You have to remember that reviewers have changed over the years for Famitsu...so technically "amitsu thinks the newest Dragon Quest IX is the best one ever made" doesn't apply 100%

djricekcn

Pretty easy to see the steady decline of jouranalistic intergrity. I don't expect Kotaku to be much better. They'll love Brutal Legend and tell everybody to buy it whether it turns out to be fun or not because Tim Schafer made it.

OpinionMan

@Suave: Just because some people don't agree with Famitsu's review score doesn't mean they've sold out. Out of 2.4 million sales some people are bound to not like the game.

Grind_Axis

DQ VII was awful.
Seriously, did any of you guy play that?
The fake 3D *rotate the screen* top view
The "would have been pretty 10 years ago" CG cut scenes.
The island after island no-end-in-sight grind.

DQ VIII was quite lovely though :)
Looking forward to picking up DQ IX soon ;)

Chinpokomon

@N●Gage Croal:
I'd assume it wasn't given the # out of 40 reviewing system when it came out unlike the rest.

@Suave: XII isn't my favorite, but I would argue that XII probably is the best Final Fantasy, except maybe in the music department. The writing alone is leagues ahead.

@Lacan: You'd have a point if a perfect score meant the game was perfect. But it doesn't. Especially with Famitsu, a perfect score just means that what the game does well, is done so well than any possible negatives are meaningless. The game is the pinnacle of fun.

Where's DQ1?

Famitsu's been sellin' out bad for years now... It really used to be the pinnacle of prestigious gaming reviews, but Dragon Quest IX at a 40/40?! I mean, I've been hearing some really mixed reviews AT BEST from the Japanese gaming community.

And I mean come on, let's look at Famitsu's last few 40s for an accurate frame of reference. Final Fantasy XII (of all FFs, the worst one's a 40?), Metal Gear Solid 4, and... Super Smash Bros. Brawl?!! These aren't perfect games!! Not by a long shot. And with a rating criteria out of 40 possible points, that's exactly what they're saying when they assign that rating to a title... it's a "perfect" game. You've got more 39s that should be 40s than you know what to do with.

Come on, Famitsu. Whoever's payin' you for this shit, have some self-respect. You basically used to be the Cannes of Gaming, the cream of the crop... and now you might as be no better than IGN. Way to sell out big time, guys... way to sell out big...

The numbers in the photo and the numbers for the totals don't add up for IV. Should be a total of 37, if my eyesight serves right.

I'm not sure if giving the maximum note to a game is a good thing, there are always room for improvement somewhere.

I don't trust review numbers anymore.

rich8606

That's silly. I like DQV the most because it's not so ridiculously hard!

Is it just me, or has Famitsu been handing out more 40 out of 40's in recent years? I don't really pay a lot of attention to the magazine, since I'm too lazy/poor/etc to get a subscription that I couldn't read if I wanted to, but I was always under the impression that perfect scores were incredibly hard to get from them, yet this generation I can think of about 3 or 4 games that got perfect scores. Possibly just coincidence, but I doubt it.

I have the distinct feeling the game will be perceived as less than perfect outside Japan.

Other perfect Famitsu scores usually converted to an average of 85-95 on Metacritic, so this will be an interesting thing.

Will DQ9 go with the trend of other perfect Famitsu scores, or will it go with the trend of other JRPG scores.

That actually sounds about right. Except for Dragon quest one and two. Those sucked. It took a dip around 6. Then VIII was fantastic. If there's a DS game better than Dragon Quest VIII in the Dragon quest franchise, then I can't wait.

I'm glad that although Square knows people will buy millions and millions of copies, regardless of whether it really deserves a buy, they put a legitimate effort into it and actually made an extremely polished game that's worth playing. Not just another one through the grinder.

Monolith

I think there is a margin of error, based on the anticipation for this game. it was delayed... how many times? I think that's most games anticipation x3. I'll say it is actually a 37/40. minus one point for each anticipation point.

Gee wiz has this game ever gotten a lot of coverage. Not complaining; just an observation.



I really wish reviews would start using the entire 10 scale, this isn't school. If I saw a game get a 5 right now, that would be simply awful, although it should be average.

Kotaku's review style is by far my favorite, although I think a simple buy/rent/borrow/avoid type rating to go along with it would top it all off; its that closer description that seals the deal between friends.

@dagundam: Just throwing away an entire section of a genre just because it doesn't let you mash a button to hack'n'slash or hold your hand (like Kingdom Hearts) is unbelievably dumb.

@chronomasakari: You know why so many peoples hated FFXII? Because people are generally shit-heads without taste...and brains.

FFXII is the fecking shit; I put it down as the best since VI...The best FF in more than a decade. I just with I could play Zodiac International.

djfakt

I wonder how much money Square Enix paid to Famitsu this time... just take a look at Amazon Japan to see how happy the Japanese gamers are with this game.