Famitsu

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Cover art for Issue 1 of Famitsū magazine, June 1986, then known as Famicom Tsūshin
Cover art for Issue 1 of Famitsū magazine, June 1986, then known as Famicom Tsūshin

Famitsū (ファミ通? abbreviated ファミ Fami) is a Japanese video game magazine published by Enterbrain, Inc. Currently, there are five versions of Famitsū: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS, Famitsū Xbox, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD. Shūkan Famitsū (週刊ファミ通? lit. "Weekly Famitsū"), the original Famitsū publication, is considered the most respected video game news magazine in Japan.[1][2][3]

Contents

Shūkan Famitsū concentrates on video game reviews, as well as video game industry news. The name Famitsū was originally an abbreviation of Famicom Tsūshin (ファミコン通信 lit. "Famicom News?), the magazine's original name after the Famicom (which was the dominant video game console during the late 1980s in Japan). The first issue was published in 1986. Today, Shūkan Famitsū features multi-platform coverage, with a separate spinoff magazine dedicated to Nintendo's platforms (currently titled Famitsū Wii+DS). Shūkan Famitsū is published every Friday with a circulation of 800,000 per issue.[citation needed]

Famitsū publishes other magazines dedicated to particular consoles. Currently in circulation are:

  • Famitsū Wii+DS, which report on Nintendo-based platforms (currently the Nintendo DS and Wii). The magazine was formerly known as Famitsū 64 and then Famitsū Cube (among other variations of those two names) based on Nintendo's previous platforms.
  • Famitsū Wave DVD (ファミ通 Wave DVD) is published monthly. Each magazine includes a DVD disc (NTSC Region 2) with video game footage. The magazine was originally called GameWave DVD.

Famitsū spin-offs that are no longer in circulation include Famitsū Bros. (which concentrated on video game hints and strategy rather than actual news), Famitsū Sister (which covered bishōjo games) and Famitsū DC (which covered the Dreamcast).

Video games are graded in Famitsū by a panel of four video game reviewers. Each reviewer gives a score from one to ten (ten being best). The scores of the four reviewers are then added up with a possible score of forty.

Though Famitsū reviewers have received notoriety for the harsh standard to which they hold video games,[4][5] recent review scores have generally taken an upswing. Several recent Famitsū scores have been subject to controversy, with accusations that the magazine is raising scores to appease advertisers and the gaming industry, as was the case with its score for Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII.[6] However, it is still extremely rare for a game to receive a perfect score of forty from Famitsū's reviewers. Famitsū Wave DVD does not grade video games.

Only six games so far have received perfect scores. They are listed in chronological order:

  1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998, Nintendo, for Nintendo 64)
  2. Soulcalibur (1999, Namco, for Dreamcast)
  3. Vagrant Story (2000, Square Co., Ltd., for PlayStation)
  4. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2003, Nintendo for Nintendo GameCube)
  5. Nintendogs (2005, Nintendo, for Nintendo DS)
  6. Final Fantasy XII (2006, Square Enix, for PlayStation 2)

Games that received a near-perfect score of 39 include:

  1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1991, Nintendo, for Super Famicom)
  2. Virtua Fighter 2 (1995, Sega, for Sega Saturn)
  3. Ridge Racer Revolution (1995, Namco, for PlayStation)
  4. Super Mario 64 (1996, Nintendo, for Nintendo 64)
  5. Tekken 3 (1998, Namco, for PlayStation)
  6. Cyber Troopers Virtual On Oratorio Tangram (1999, Sega, for Dreamcast)
  7. Final Fantasy X (2001, Square Co., Ltd., for PlayStation 2)
  8. Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec (2001, Sony Computer Entertainment, for PlayStation 2)
  9. Resident Evil (2002, Capcom, for Nintendo GameCube)
  10. Dragon Quest VIII (2004, Square Enix, for PlayStation 2)
  11. Gran Turismo 4 (2004, Sony Computer Entertainment, for PlayStation 2)
  12. Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (2005, Konami, for PlayStation 2)
  13. Dead or Alive 4 (2005, Tecmo, for Xbox 360)
  14. Kingdom Hearts II (2006, Square Enix and Buena Vista Games, for PlayStation 2)
  15. Ōkami (2006, Capcom, for PlayStation 2)
  16. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (2007, Nintendo, for Nintendo DS)
  17. Gran Turismo 5: Prologue (2007, Sony Computer Entertainment, for Playstation 3)

In March of 2006 Japanese Famitsū magazine readers voted on their 100 all-time favorite games. (Full list). The top ten games picked by fans were:

  1. Final Fantasy X (2001)
  2. Final Fantasy VII (1997)
  3. Dragon Quest III (1988)
  4. Dragon Quest VIII (2004)
  5. Machi (1998)
  6. Final Fantasy IV (1991)
  7. Tactics Ogre (1995)
  8. Final Fantasy III (1990)
  9. Dragon Quest VII (2000)
  10. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)

UK trade magazine MCV and Famitsu have an exclusive partnership which sees news and content from each magazine appear in the other.[7]

  1. ^ Thorsen, Tor (2006-03-08). FFXII gets perfect score from Famitsu. GameSpot. Retrieved on 2006-06-09.
  2. ^ Kalpaxidis, Steve (2005-07-01). PS3 To Come Without Bundled HDD?. Advanced Media Network. Retrieved on 2006-06-09.
  3. ^ Quinn, Rodney (2006-03-09). Final Fantasy XII scores perfect 40/40 in Famitsu reviews. Ars Technica. Retrieved on 2006-06-09.
  4. ^ Carless, Simon (1999-08-06). Litigation Time. Gamasutra. Retrieved on 2006-06-09.
  5. ^ Staff, GamePro (2006-03-08]]). Final Fantasy XII Earns Perfect Score From Famitsu. GamePro. Retrieved on 2006-06-09.
  6. ^ Famitsu Digs Into Dirge of Cerberus. 1UP.com (2006). Retrieved on 2007-11-10.
  7. ^ MCV launches daily service. Intent Media (26 February 2007). Retrieved on 2007-03-14.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famitsu"
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