Skyrim the first Western game to receive perfect score in Famitsu

Skyrim (despite its technical hiccups) has been lauded by gamers and critics as one of the year’s best. Certainly the game’s greatest honor was getting a 10/10 from us, but also Elder Scrolls V has the rare feat of breaking new ground with reviews. Skyrim is now the first Western developed game to ever earn a perfect 40/40 in Famitsu, Japan’s biggest gaming magazine.

Famitsu has been an institution in Japan for decades, and even in foreign countries the magazine is known to those looking for breaking news on Japanese-developed games. The periodical is famous for being stingy in general with perfect scores, which happens when all four reviewers of a game give it a 10. Though in the last five years or so the publication has been slightly more giving with the 40s, only a handful of games have had the honor. And until now they were all Japanese titles.

Other titles from the west have come close before with games like LA Noire, Black Ops and Gears of War 3 getting 39/40, as the magazine stepped up its coverage of non-Japanese releases in the last few years. After those close calls, Skyrim now joins the ranks Ocarina of Time, Metal Gear Solid 4 and Nintendogs (?) in Famitsu history. We just wonder how long it’ll be before the next foreign title gets the honor.

Source: Andriasang

Henry Gilbert

Henry Gilbert is a former GamesRadar+ Editor, having spent seven years at the site helping to navigate our readers through the PS3 and Xbox 360 generation. Henry is now following another passion of his besides video games, working as the producer and podcast cohost of the popular Talking Simpsons and What a Cartoon podcasts.