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The Japanese video game magazine Famitsu assigns scores to video games by having four reviewers each give a score from 0 to 10 (with ten indicating the best game). The scores of the four reviewers are then added up for a maximum possible score of 40. From the twenty seven games awarded with a perfect score as of 2021 , three are for the Nintendo DS and five are for the Wii. The PlayStation 3 also has five games with a perfect score and the Xbox 360 has four, with both consoles having two titles in common. The others are for different platforms with only one title each. Franchises with multiple perfect score winners include The Legend of Zelda with four, Metal Gear with three, followed by Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy with two.

As of 2021 , every game but three with a perfect score are either published and/or developed by a Japanese company, nine of them being by Nintendo, five by Square Enix, three by Sega, three by Konami, two by Namco, two by Sony Interactive Entertainment and one by Capcom. The only three completely foreign games to achieve a perfect score are The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim by Bethesda Softworks, Grand Theft Auto V from Rockstar Games and Ghost of Tsushima by Sucker Punch Productions. Other foreign games that have achieved near-perfect scores are Grand Theft Auto IV, Red Dead Redemption, L.A. Noire and Red Dead Redemption 2 – all four of which came from Rockstar Games; Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 – all from Activision, although published by Square Enix in Japan; Uncharted 4: A Thief's End and The Last of Us Part II, from Naughty Dog; and Gears of War 3 from Epic Games. (Kingdom Hearts II is a joint effort between Square Enix and the U.S.-based Buena Vista Games.)

Perfect review scores[]

As of 2021 , twenty-seven games have received perfect scores from Famitsu.

Perfect Famitsu Cross Review scores (chronological)
Title Release System Producer Notes
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 1998 Nintendo 64 Nintendo [1]
Soulcalibur 1999 Dreamcast Namco [2]
Vagrant Story 2000 PlayStation Square Co. [2]
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker 2003 GameCube Nintendo [2]
Nintendogs 2005 Nintendo DS Nintendo [2]
Final Fantasy XII 2006 PlayStation 2 Square Enix [2]
Super Smash Bros. Brawl 2008 Wii Nintendo [3]
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots 2008 PlayStation 3 Konami [4]
428: Shibuya Scramble 2008 Wii Sega [5]
Dragon Quest IX 2009 Nintendo DS Square Enix [6]
Monster Hunter Tri 2009 Wii Capcom [7]
Bayonetta 2009 Xbox 360 Sega/PlatinumGames [8]
New Super Mario Bros. Wii 2009 Wii Nintendo [9]
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker 2010 PlayStation Portable Konami [10]
Pokémon Black and White 2010 Nintendo DS Nintendo [11]
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword 2011 Wii Nintendo [12]
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 2011 Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 Bethesda Softworks The first western developed game to receive a perfect score.[13]
Final Fantasy XIII-2 2011 Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 Square Enix [14]
Kid Icarus: Uprising 2012 Nintendo 3DS Nintendo [15]
Yakuza 5 2012 PlayStation 3 Sega [16]
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle 2013 PlayStation 3 Namco-Bandai [17]
Grand Theft Auto V 2013 Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 Rockstar Games The second western developed game to get a perfect score[18]
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain 2015 Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One Konami [19]
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2017 Wii U, Nintendo Switch Nintendo [20]
Dragon Quest XI 2017 Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 4 Square Enix [21]
Death Stranding 2019 PlayStation 4 Sony Interactive Entertainment [22]
Ghost of Tsushima 2020 PlayStation 4 Sony Interactive Entertainment The third western developed game to get a perfect score[23]

Nearly perfect review scores[]

As of 2021 , fifty games received a near-perfect score of 39 (in which one of four reviewers gives the game a "9" while the other three give "10s").

Nearly perfect Famitsu Cross Review scores (chronological)

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" 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 has 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).

Famitsu Best Hit Game Awards (1986–2004)
Number Year Game of the Year Platform(s) Ref
1st 1986 Dragon Quest Famicom [60]
2nd 1987 Dragon Quest II Famicom [61]
3rd 1988 Dragon Quest III Famicom [62]
4th 1989 Final Fantasy II Famicom [63]
5th 1990 Dragon Quest IV Famicom [64]
6th 1991 Final Fantasy IV Super Famicom [65]
N/A 2004 Monster Hunter PS2
Famitsu Awards (2005–present)
Ceremony Year Game of the Year Platform(s) Ref
1st 2005 Kingdom Hearts II PS2 [66]
Resident Evil 4 GCN / PS2
2nd 2006 Final Fantasy XII PS2 [67]
Pokémon Diamond and Pearl NDS
3rd 2007 Monster Hunter Portable 2nd PSP [68]
Super Mario Galaxy Wii
4th 2008 Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G PSP [69]
5th 2009 Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies NDS [70]
6th 2010 Monster Hunter Portable 3rd PSP [71]
7th 2011 Monster Hunter 3G 3DS [72]
8th 2012 Animal Crossing: New Leaf 3DS [73]
9th 2013 Monster Hunter 4 3DS [74]
10th 2014 Yo-kai Watch 2 3DS [75]
11th 2015 Splatoon Wii U [76]
12th 2016 Pokémon Sun and Moon 3DS
13th 2017 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Wii U / Switch [77]
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age 3DS / PS4
14th 2018 Monster Hunter: World PS4 / Xbox One / PC [78]
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Switch
15th 2019 Pokémon Sword and Shield Switch [79]
16th 2020 Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch [80]

Readers' 100 all-time favorite games[]

In March 2006, Famitsu readers voted for their 100 all-time favorite games.[81]

Famitsu readers 100 all-time favorite games

References[]

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