The Japanese video game magazine ''

Famitsu , formerly , is a line of Japanese Video game journalism, video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly f ...

'' reviews video games by having four critics each assign the game a score from 0 to 10, with 10 being the highest score. The scores of are then added together for a maximum possible score of 40. , thirty games have received perfect scores from ''Famitsu''. ''Famitsu'' was first published in 1986, and gave its first perfect score in 1998 to '' The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time'', released by

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...

for the

Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on June 23, 1996, in North America on September 29, 1996, and in Europe and Australia on March 1, 1997. As the successor to the Super Nintendo E ...

. Nintendo is the

publisher Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...

with the highest number of perfect scoring games with ten total, followed by

Square Enix is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, video game publisher and entertainment conglomerate. It releases role-playing video game, role-playing game franchises, such as ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', and '' ...

with five,

Sega is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...

with four and

Konami , commonly known as Konami, , is a Japanese multinational entertainment company and video game developer and video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo. The company also produces and distributes trading card ...

with three. Nintendo is additionally the developer with the highest number of perfect scoring games with eight total, followed by

Kojima Productions is a Japanese video game development studio founded in 2015 by Hideo Kojima, creator of the ''Metal Gear'' series. It is the spiritual successor to a production team inside Konami also known as Kojima Productions originally founded in 2005. The ...

and Square Enix with four each. The console with the highest number of perfect-scoring games is the

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...

, with seven total. Four of the perfect-scoring games on PlayStation 3 were also released on the

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...

, which is tied with the

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...

for the second-highest number of perfect scores at five total. Video game franchises with multiple perfect scoring games include ''

The Legend of Zelda is a media franchise, video game series created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo; some portable installments and re-releases have been outsourced to Flags ...

'' with five, ''

Metal Gear is a Media franchise, franchise of stealth games created by Hideo Kojima. Developed and published by Konami, the first game, ''Metal Gear (video game), Metal Gear'', was released in 1987 for MSX, MSX home computers. The player often takes con ...

'' with three, and

Dragon Quest previously published as ''Dragon Warrior'' in North America until 2005, is a series of role-playing video games created by Japanese game designer Yuji Horii (Armor Project), character designer Akira Toriyama (Bird Studio), and composer Koi ...

, ''

Final Fantasy is a Japanese fantasy Anthology series, anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi which is owned, developed, and published by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fanta ...

'', and

Like a Dragon , formerly known outside of Japan as ''Yakuza'', is a video game franchise by Sega. It incorporates elements of the action-adventure, beat 'em up, and role-playing genres. Each installment is typically a crime drama, with plot lines inspired ...

with two. Of the games to receive perfect scores, only three were either published and/or developed by a non-Japanese company – '' The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim'', ''

Grand Theft Auto V ''Grand Theft Auto V'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the Grand Theft Auto, ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2008's ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', and ...

'', and ''

Ghost of Tsushima In folklore, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or non-human animal that is believed by some people to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely, from an invisible presence to translucen ...

''.

Reviews

Perfect scores

, thirty games have received perfect scores from ''Famitsu''.

Near-perfect scores

, fifty-four games have received a near-perfect score of 39.

Lowest scores

The lowest score ever given out by ''Famitsu'' is 12 points out of 40. Only three games have received this score: '' Shura no Mon'' (

Kodansha is a Japanese privately held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha publishes manga magazines which include ''Nakayoshi'', ''Morning (magazine), Morning'', ''Afternoon (magazine), Afternoon'', ''Evening (magazine), Eveni ...

, PlayStation, 1998), ''Pachinko CR Daiku no Minamoto-San GB'' (

Telenet Japan was a Japanese Video game developer, video game and software developer founded in October 1983 by Kazuyuki Fukushima. The company had several video game divisions including: Wolf Team, Laser Soft, Renovation Game (Japanese publishing division), ...

, Game Boy, 1998), and ''Pro Golfer Saru'' (

Namco Bandai Games is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game video game publisher, publisher, and the video game branch of the wider Bandai Namco Holdings group. Founded in 2006 as it is the successor to Namco's home and arcade video game ...

, Wii, 2008). Additionally, few games have received under 15 points; among the more recent of these are ''Ookuki'' ( Global A Entertainment, PlayStation 2, 2008) receiving 13, and '' Appleseed EX'' (

, PlayStation 2, 2007), ''Beijing 2008'' (Sega, PlayStation 3, 2008), and ''Galaxy Blaster'' (RCMADIAX, Nintendo 3DS, 2017) receiving 14.

Awards & accolades

''Famitsu'' Awards

''Famitsu'' administers the ''Famitsu'' awards. Video games receive a number of different awards in categories like Innovation, Biggest Hit, Rookie Award, Highest Quality, etc. One or two "

Game of the Year Game of the Year (GotY) is an award given to a video game by various award events and media publications that they feel represented the pinnacle of gaming that year. Events and ceremonies British Academy Games Awards (BAFTA Games Awards) ...

" awards are granted as the top prize. Top prize winners are determined by a combination of critical and fan review scores as well as sales figures. They also give an "Excellence Prize" to other games that don't receive the top prize. Prior to the formal establishment of the ''Famitsu Awards'' ceremony, ''Famitsu'' had been publishing annual lists of "Best Hit Game Awards" since early 1987 (for games released in 1986). The following titles were "Game of the Year" winners in the "Best Hit Game Awards" (between 1986 and 2004) and the ''Famitsu Awards'' (from 2005 onwards).

2006 readers' poll

In March 2006, Famitsu readers voted for their 100 all-time favorite games. * ''

Super Mario Bros. is a 1985 Platformer, platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It is the successor to the 1983 arcade game ''Mario Bros.'' and the first game in the ''Super Mario'' series. It was origi ...

'' (1985, FC) * '' Spartan X'' (1985, FC) * ''

Gradius (video game) is a 1985 side-scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Konami for Arcade video game, arcades. It is the first installment in the Gradius, ''Gradius'' series. The player maneuvers a spacecraft known as the Vic Viper that must defe ...

'' (1986, FC) * ''

'' (1986, FCD) * ''

Dragon Quest (video game) titled ''Dragon Warrior'' when initially localized to North America, is a 1986 role-playing video game developed by Chunsoft and published by Enix for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was originally released in Japan in May 1986 and by Nin ...

'' (1986, FC) * '' Pro Baseball: Family Stadium'' (1986, FC) * ''

'' (1987, FC) * ''

Dragon Quest II ''Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line'', titled ''Dragon Warrior II'' when initially localized to North America, is a 1987 role-playing video game developed by Chunsoft and published by Enix for the Nintendo Entertainment System as ...

'' (1987, FC) * '' Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord'' (1987, FC) * '' The Hokkaido Serial Murder Case: The Okhotsk Disappearance'' (1987, FC) * '' Pro Baseball Family Stadium '87'' (1987, FC) * '' Super Mario Bros. 3'' (1988, FC) * ''

Final Fantasy II is a 1988 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Family Computer as the second installment of the ''Final Fantasy'' series. Like other ''Final Fantasy'' sequels, the game is set in its own world, and does not follow ...

'' (1988, FC) * ''

Dragon Quest III ''Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation'', titled ''Dragon Warrior III'' when initially localized to North America, is a 1988 role-playing video game developed by Chunsoft and published by Enix. It is the third installment in the ''Dragon Que ...

'' (1988, FC) * '' Best Play Pro Yakyū'' (1988, FC) * ''

Tetris ''Tetris'' () is a puzzle video game created in 1985 by Alexey Pajitnov, a Soviet software engineer. In ''Tetris'', falling tetromino shapes must be neatly sorted into a pile; once a horizontal line of the game board is filled in, it disa ...

'' (1989, GB) * ''

Mother A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of ges ...

'' (1989, FC) * ''

Ys I & II is an action role-playing game compilation released by Hudson Soft and NEC for the PC Engine CD-ROM² in 1989 and TurboGrafx-CD in 1990. It consists of enhanced remakes of the first two ''Ys'' games by Nihon Falcom for the PC-8801 home computer ...

'' (1989, PCE) * ''

Super Mario World ''Super Mario World'', known in Japan as '' is a 1990 platform game developed by Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The player controls Mario on his quest to save Princess Peach and Dino ...

'' (1990, SFC) * ''

F-Zero is a series of racing games published by Nintendo, developed by Nintendo EAD and other third-party companies. The first game was released for the Super Famicom in Japan in 1990. Its success prompted Nintendo to create sequels on subsequent co ...

'' (1990, SFC) * '' Final Fantasy Legend II'' (1990, GB) * ''

Final Fantasy III is a 1990 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Family Computer. The third installment in the ''Final Fantasy'' series, it is the first numbered ''Final Fantasy'' game to feature the job-change system. The story r ...

'' (1990, FC) * ''

Final Fight ''Final Fight'' is a series of beat 'em up video games by Japanese publisher Capcom, which began with the arcade release of '' Final Fight'' in 1989. Set in the fictional Metro City, within the '' Street Fighter'' universe, the games focus on ...

'' (1990, SFC) * ''

Super Monaco GP is a Formula One racing simulation video game released by Sega, originally as a Sega X Board arcade game in 1989, followed by ports for multiple video game consoles and home computers in the early 1990s. It is the sequel to the 1979 arcade gam ...

'' (1990, MD) * '' Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II'' (1990, FC) * '' Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen'' (1990, FC) * '' The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past'' (1991, SFC) * ''

Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese developers Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima, and Hirokazu Yasuhara for Sega. The franchise follows Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battle ...

'' (1991, MD) * ''

SimCity ''SimCity'' is an open-ended city-building video game franchise originally designed by Will Wright. The first game in the series, '' SimCity'', was published by Maxis in 1989 and was followed by several sequels and many other spin-off ''S ...

'' (1991, SFC) * ''

Final Fantasy IV titled ''Final Fantasy II'' in its initial North American release, is a 1991 role-playing video game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The fourth main installment of the ''Final ...

'' (1991, SFC) * '' Tengai Makyō II: Manjimaru'' (1992, PCE) * ''

Romancing SaGa ''Romancing SaGa'' is a 1992 role-playing video game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Famicom. It is the fourth entry in the ''SaGa'' series. It was subsequently re ...

'' (1992, SFC) * ''

Shin Megami Tensei ''Megami Tensei'', marketed internationally as ''Shin Megami Tensei'' (formerly ''Revelations''), is a Japanese media franchise created by Aya Nishitani, Kouji Okada, Kouji "Cozy" Okada, Ginichiro Suzuki, and Kazunari Suzuki. Primarily developed ...

'' (1992, SFC) * '' Puyo Puyo (video game)'' (1992, MD) * ''

Super Mario Kart is a 1992 kart racing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The first game in the ''Mario Kart'' series, it was released in Japan and North America in 1992, and in Europe the following yea ...

'' (1992, SFC) * '' Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride'' (1992, SFC) * ''

Final Fantasy V is a 1992 role-playing video game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square. It is the fifth main installment of the ''Final Fantasy'' series. The game first appeared only in Japan on Nintendo's Super Nintendo Entertainmen ...

'' (1992, SFC) * ''

Street Fighter II is a 1991 fighting game developed and published by Capcom for arcade game, arcades. It is the second installment in the ''Street Fighter'' series and the sequel to 1987's ''Street Fighter (video game), Street Fighter''. Designed by Yoshiki O ...

'' (1992, SFC) * '' Ogre Battle'' (1993, SFC) * '' Torneko's Great Adventure: Mystery Dungeon'' (1993, SFC) * ''

Street Fighter II Turbo ''Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting'', marketed as ''Turbo Street Fighter II Champion Edition'' in the United States and released as in Japan, is a 1992 fighting game developed and published by Capcom for Arcade video game, arcades. It is the t ...

'' (1993, SFC) * '' Seiken Densetsu II'' (1993, SFC) * ''

Final Fantasy VI also known as ''Final Fantasy III'' in its initial North American release, is a 1994 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the sixth main entry in the ''Final Fantasy'' ser ...

'' (1994, SFC) * ''

Virtua Fighter is a series of fighting games created by Sega AM2 and designer Yu Suzuki. The original ''Virtua Fighter (video game), Virtua Fighter'' was released in December 1993 and has received four main sequels and several spin-offs. The highly influential ...

'' (1994, SAT) * '' Mother 2'' (1994, SFC) * ''

Tokimeki Memorial is a dating simulation series by Konami. It consists of eight main games in addition to many spin-offs. The games are notable in the dating sim genre for being highly nonlinear. Their nickname amongst their fans is the contraction ''TokiMemo'' ...

'' (1994, PCE) * '' Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem'' (1994, SFC) * '' Kamaitachi no Yoru'' (1994, SFC) * ''

Virtua Fighter 2 is a 1994 Fighting game, fighting video game developed and published by Sega for Arcade video game, arcades. It is the second game in the ''Virtua Fighter'' series and the sequel to ''Virtua Fighter (video game), Virtua Fighter'' (1993). Created ...

'' (1995, SAT) * ''

Chrono Trigger is a 1995 role-playing video game by Square. It was originally released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as the first entry in the ''Chrono'' series. The game's development team included three designers that Square dubbed the "Dr ...

'' (1995, SFC) * '' Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation'' (1995, SFC) * '' Tactics Ogre'' (1995, SFC) * '' Tokimeki Memorial: Forever With You'' (1995, PS) * '' Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer'' (1995, SFC) * '' Tokimeki Memorial: Forever With You'' (1996, SAT) * ''

Sakura Wars is a Japanese steampunk media franchise created by Oji Hiroi and owned by Sega. It is focused around a series of cross-genre video games. The first game in the series was released in 1996, with five sequels and numerous spin-off titles bein ...

'' (1996, SAT) * ''

Resident Evil ''Resident Evil'', known as in Japan, is a Japanese horror game series and media franchise created by Capcom. It consists of survival horror, third-person shooter and first-person shooter games, with players typically surviving in environments ...

'' (1996, PS) * '' ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Green'''' (1996, GB) * ''

Final Fantasy Tactics is a 1997 tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square for the PlayStation (console), PlayStation. It was released in Japan in June 1997 and in North America in January 1998 by Sony Computer Enterta ...

'' (1997, PS) * '' Tales of Destiny'' (1997, PS) * ''

Grandia is a series of role-playing video games developed by Game Arts and published over the years by Entertainment Software Publishing, Sony Computer Entertainment, Ubisoft, Hudson Soft, Enix, Square Enix and GungHo Online Entertainment. Games in the ...

'' (1997, SAT) * ''

Final Fantasy VII is a 1997 role-playing video game developed by Square for the PlayStation. The seventh main installment in the ''Final Fantasy'' series, it was released in Japan by Square and internationally by Sony Computer Entertainment, becoming the first ...

'' (1997, PS) * '' Metal Gear Solid'' (1998, PS) * '' Machi'' (1998, SAT) * '' The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time'' (1998, N64) * '' Sakura Wars 2'' (1998, SAT) * ''

Resident Evil 2 ''Resident Evil 2'' is a 1998 survival horror video game developed and published by Capcom for the PlayStation (console), PlayStation. The player controls rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy and college student Claire Redfield, who must escape Raccoon ...

'' (1998, PS) * ''

Xenogears ''Xenogears'' is a 1998 role-playing video game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square for the PlayStation (console), PlayStation video game console. It is the debut entry in the larger ''Xeno (series), Xeno'' franchise. ...

'' (1998, PS) * ''

Final Fantasy VIII is a 1999 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation console. It is the eighth main installment in the ''Final Fantasy'' series. Set on an unnamed fantasy world with science fiction elements, the game follo ...

'' (1999, PS) * '' Valkyrie Profile'' (1999, PS) * '' Shiren the Wanderer 2: Shiren's Castle and the Oni Invasion'' (2000, N64) * ''

Tales of Eternia ''Tales of Eternia'', known as ''Tales of Destiny II'' in its original North America release, is an action role-playing game published by Namco as the fourth main title in their '' Tales'' series. Initially released for the PlayStation in Novem ...

'' (2000, PS) * ''

Dragon Quest VII ''Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past'' is a 2000 role-playing video game developed by Heartbeat and ArtePiazza, and published by Enix for the PlayStation. The game was produced by Yuji Horii, who has presided over the ''Dragon Qu ...

'' (2000, PS) * '' Super Robot Wars Alpha'' (2000, PS) * ''

Final Fantasy IX is a 2000 role-playing video game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square for the PlayStation (console), PlayStation video game console. It is the ninth game in the main ''Final Fantasy'' series. The plot focuses on a wa ...

'' (2000, PS) * '' Sakura Wars 3'' (2001, DC) * '' Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty'' (2001, PS2) * '' Dynasty Warriors 3'' (2001, PS2) * ''

Final Fantasy X is a 2001 role-playing video game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square for PlayStation 2. The tenth main installment in the ''Final Fantasy'' series, it is the first game in the series to feature fully 3D computer gra ...

'' (2001, PS2) * ''

Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing games developed and published by Square Enix (originally by Square) and owned by The Walt Disney Company. A collaboration between the two companies, it was conceptualized by Square employees, Japanese gam ...

'' (2002, PS2) * ''

Tales of Destiny 2 is a Japanese action role-playing game, co-developed by Wolfteam and Telenet Japan, and published by Namco. It is the fifth main entry in the '' Tales'' series of video games, and a direct sequel to 1997's '' Tales of Destiny''. It was release ...

'' (2002, PS2) * ''

Sakura Wars 4 is a cross-genre video game developed by Red Entertainment and Sega AM1, Overworks and published by Sega for the Dreamcast. The fourth main installment in the ''Sakura Wars'' series and the last for Sega home consoles, it was released in March ...

'' (2002, DC) * '' The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker'' (2002, GCN) * '' Final Fantasy X-2'' (2003, PS2) * '' Dynasty Warriors 4'' (2003, PS2) * '' Grand Theft Auto: Vice City'' (2004, PS2) * ''

Gran Turismo 4 ''Gran Turismo 4'' is a 2004 sim racing video game developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It is the fourth main installment and the sixth overall in the ''Gran Turismo'' series. It was ...

'' (2004, PS2) * '' To Heart 2'' (2004, PS2) * ''

Dragon Quest V ''Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride'' is a 1992 role-playing video game and the fifth installment in the ''Dragon Quest'' video game series, second of the Zenithian Trilogy. Originally developed by Chunsoft and published by Enix Corpor ...

'' (2004, PS2) * '' Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater'' (2004, PS2) * '' Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King'' (2004, PS2) * ''

Tales of Rebirth is a Japanese action role-playing game published for the PlayStation 2. It is the eighth main entry of Namco's '' Tales'' series of video games. The game was developed by Namco Tales Studio and published by Namco. The game was released for the P ...

'' (2004, PS2) * ''

Monster Hunter is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fantasy-themed action role-playing video games, beginning with first installment '' Monster Hunter'' for the PlayStation 2, released in 2004. Titles have been released across a variety of pl ...

'' (2004, PS2) * ''

Resident Evil 4 ''Resident Evil 4'' is a 2005 survival horror game developed and published by Capcom for the GameCube. Players control the special agent Leon S. Kennedy on a mission to rescue the US president's daughter, Ashley Graham (Resident Evil), Ashley ...

'' (2005, GCN) * ''

Kingdom Hearts II ''Kingdom Hearts II'' is a 2005 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix in collaboration with Disney Interactive Studios, Buena Vista Games for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The game is a sequel to ''Kingdom Hear ...

'' (2005, PS2) * ''

'' (2005, PS2) * '' Animal Crossing: Wild World'' (2005, NDS) * ''

Tales of the Abyss ''Tales of the Abyss'' is an action role-playing game developed by Namco Tales Studio. It is the twelfth main title in their '' Tales'' series and was released in celebration of the series' 10th anniversary. Originally released for the PlayStat ...

'' (2005, PS2) * '' Monster Hunter Portable'' (2005, PSP) * '' Monster Hunter G'' (2005, PS2)

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Famitsu scores Lists of video games by reception or rating