Japan Review Check: Peace Walker, Super Street Fighter IV
The reward, as always with Famitsu, is not without controversy. The magazine has often been accused of inflating scores on big-name console releases in recent years -- nine out of the 13 games to get perfect 40's in the mag came out 2005 or later. That trend isn't particularly news any longer -- in fact, it was considered a big surprise when Final Fantasy XIII didn't score a 40 last year. However, gamers worldwide have pointed out that Konami's rather massive merchandising effort for Peace Walker is toeing the line of media ethics in new ways -- from including mags like Famitsu and its rivals as items in the game to featuring Hirokazu Hamamura, president of Famitsu publisher Enterbrain and the magazine's former editor-in-chief, prominently in its Japanese advertising campaign. For those who believe that Japan's game media is a corrupt lapdog owned by the nation's game publishers, this score will do nothing but provide further ammo for their convictions.
Hamamura wasn't in the review crew for Peace Walker, but he might as well have been, considering how overexcited the review text was from the rest of Famitsu's staff. "Single-player is constantly thrilling -- nothing is more addictive," said one. "Co-op, meanwhile, is a whole new experience. Having partners nearby reduces some of the intensity of the experience, but creates a very strong sense of kinship between players. The story and visuals that run between both modes is very endearing as well. It's definitely a new evolution for MGS." The closest anyone came to saying something negative about Hideo Kojima's latest: "Some of your action repertoire has been removed, which can be jarring at first, but it's just a matter of getting used to it."
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This week's issue of Famitsu magazine, the biggest and most well-known game rag in Japan, is noteworthy for featuring a perfect 40/40 review score, the 13th time that's happened in the 24-year history of the publication. The lucky recipient? Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, of course, which comes out for the PSP April 29 over in Japan.