Famitsu Flops White Knight Chronicles

As some of you may already know, White Knight Chronicles has just been dealt a massive blow, courtesy of Famitsu. Now, you may not give two figs about the Japanese publication (especially one that gives something like Haze a 37/40), but it still has a major impact on gamers.

Level 5's hotly anticipated RPG received a very average 27/40 score (7/8/7/7), and this isn't a good sign for a variety of reasons. Firstly, being a Japanese publication, one would expect a bit of pro-JRPG bias, and if that's true, WKC may be even worse than that score indicates. Secondly, although Famitsu can be quite erratic, they tend to be a trusted source for RPG reviews. Thirdly and lastly...well, it's just not a great score, no matter how you look at it. This is the type of game where expectations sat in the 36-38 range, and 27 is well below the anticipated level, so RPG fans worldwide are fuming right about now. We haven't had the chance to actually read the text of the review - perhaps they're harping on one or two significant drawbacks that we wouldn't consider to be significant - but suddenly, the hype level for WKC just took a very steep dive. Obviously, this doesn't mean we're going to abandon all hope, but now we're starting to question...what drops this game out of elite status? Heck, why doesn't it even break the 30 barrier? What exactly is wrong with it?

We don't have the answers to these questions just yet, but we'll try to find out the reason behind that Famitsu score. Perhaps it's something that really doesn't appeal to Japanese gamers but really does appeal to the Western crowd. Or...sadly, we could be grasping at straws.

Related Game(s): White Knight Chronicles

12/21/2008 Ben Dutka

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Comments (48 posts)

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GoldenShadow
Sunday, December 21, 2008 @ 9:43:57 PM
Reply

Man that is disappointing. But my hope for this to be a great RPG will still persevere.

0 up, 0 down

Banky A
Sunday, December 21, 2008 @ 11:46:02 PM

Yeah. What will the Xbox fanboys say about PS3 now, after seeing the bad score! lulz.

Mate. Add me (BankeA), I need every Kiwi I can find in this great world of PS3 xD.
Unless your list is full then that is fine.

:P

Last edited by Banky A on 12/21/2008 11:59:15 PM

0 up, 0 down

Tatsujin
Sunday, December 21, 2008 @ 10:18:01 PM
Reply

From what I see, and what I read.. this title is very promising. People, lets not forget they gave Haze such a great score even though it was a complete sh** game. Famitsu, IMO, are just a bunch of people that do what their co-workers do. So, if one dosn't like it, theyll probably all just go with the flow (Which is lame, obviously.) I am buying this game no matter what. It looks promising.

2 up, 0 down

MetalHead09
Sunday, December 21, 2008 @ 10:47:05 PM
Reply

same here. im not to worried about review scores mostly. ive bought plenty of games in the past that i loved but didnt do so well in reviews.

2 up, 0 down

Tim Speed24
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 9:10:44 AM

Same here. I bought 2 games that got sub-par reviews but they were great fun. Dark Sector and Turok were under-rated IMO.

2 up, 0 down

Scarecrow
Sunday, December 21, 2008 @ 11:15:22 PM
Reply

As always I'll wait for a psxextreme review.
If the story mode sucks, at least the online part seems fun.

Sad to see a bad review like that though. Level 5 has always made great games...

4 up, 0 down

Banky A
Sunday, December 21, 2008 @ 11:40:05 PM
Reply

Meh. I have never read a Famitsu review - well I can't read anything properly but English and Maori.
But I am still awaiting this game. An RPG with transformations and combos.. seems like my type of game xD

And I too will be waiting on this site's review to seal my fate (involving this game xD).
Though, knowing my luck, my existence will probably make the game turn out not so good haha. Does anyone ever get that feeling? lulz

:P

2 up, 0 down

Banky A
Sunday, December 21, 2008 @ 11:48:22 PM

And Level 5 games almost always appeal to me xD

3 up, 0 down

karneli lll
Sunday, December 21, 2008 @ 11:52:57 PM
Reply

from what i heard its the online part that caused the low scores, i thought famitsu lost its credibility way back when

Last edited by karneli lll on 12/21/2008 11:53:55 PM

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Wazomba
Sunday, December 21, 2008 @ 11:52:57 PM
Reply

Well no matter what score famitsu gave white knight chronicles im still getting it when it releases in europe as i think the game looks ace

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Fervidus Ludio
Sunday, December 21, 2008 @ 11:55:07 PM
Reply

Well apparently what Famitsu didn’t like was the whole online multiplayer aspect of it, which as it is Japanese gamers are not to fond about online gaming to begin with, other than that they didn’t mention nothing about the single player part of it. Besides, I do not trust Famitsu on their scores. To me they’re only good at breaking news on what new game is coming and to what system, other than that they can say whatever, I’ll still get this game.

Last edited by Fervidus Ludio on 12/21/2008 11:56:19 PM

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Wage SLAVES
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 12:13:13 AM
Reply

Oo man! Im relyin on your Review Ben...

1 up, 0 down

Blaiyan
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 12:42:35 AM
Reply

Meh. I read costumer reviews sometimes for info rarely does it have an impact on what I think. I could careless about so called professional reviews.

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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 12:47:02 AM

Then you'll end up buying some seriously crappy games.

1 up, 0 down

Wage SLAVES
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 12:58:40 AM

I know what your about Ben so Ill take your advise. The reason why most of us come here...but you know that!

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Tatsujin
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 1:03:53 AM

Actually, the way I see it, a billion people can dislike one game, but I can like it... and If I like it, then thats all I need. I don't look for other peoples opinions, because thats exactly what they are. Opinions. Im not saying I don't listen to reviews, because I do. But a reviewer that may find a flaw in the game may be a plus for me, etc.

P.S., offtopic here but did anyone notice that in last months issue, Gameinformer put Killzone 2 in for multi-plat. Ps3, Xbox 360 and PC? Was that a typo?

Last edited by Tatsujin on 12/22/2008 1:06:32 AM

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Wage SLAVES
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 1:12:54 AM

Almost certain about that...gorilla games is owned by Sony. Wiki it.

Sorry...direct answer Sony exclusive.

Last edited by Wage SLAVES on 12/22/2008 1:13:50 AM

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LegendaryWolfeh
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 1:16:40 AM

Yeah it was just a major typo, I remember Ben saying something about it in a comment on a later article.

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Jonnyrage
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 1:37:43 AM
Reply

I still have really good and high hopes for this game . the way im seeing it is quite simple, maybe the japanesse are tired of the same ole JRPG's and famitsu was expecting something new and fresh . i truly believe that for us westerners the game will live up to why we fell in love with JRPG's in the first place.

1 up, 0 down

SHADOW [Moderator]
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 2:40:04 AM
Reply

I think the response to this article is proof that reviews don't really matter that much. If the pre-release hype is strong enough people won't care what the experts say. I think that judging the game soley on this review is stupid but to completely disregard it is pretty stupid too.

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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 10:33:56 AM

Reviews are the ONLY thing that matters to a publisher. The results are always clear from analysts: if a game's review average is a 9 or above, that game sells THREE TIMES as many copies as lower-scored games.

Trust me. Reviews basically mean everything...just ask Free Radical.

Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 12/22/2008 10:34:14 AM

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MetalHead09
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 2:12:26 PM

i have found in some reviews though thats sometimes it loses boig points for something that annoyed the reviewer but i knew that it wouldnt annoy me.

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SHADOW [Moderator]
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 @ 12:36:14 AM

I think that a lot of the time the press coverage surrounding a game (ie: positive or negative) usually foreshadows the final review. We "knew" Haze was going to bomb from the press coverage in the 2 months prior to it release (before that point things had been mostly positive) and that god awful demo. So with Haze I think that negative push in the press had a larger effect then the final reviews. I know it turned me off. (That and the f***ing Korn quote, but that is a different story altogether)

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karneli lll
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 2:57:49 AM
Reply

famitsu gave last remnant a 38/40, i smell bias.Even g4 (or xbox tv ) gave last remnant a very low score.

1 up, 0 down

seismictech
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 @ 12:57:28 PM

are you serious? is there a database i can go to so that i can look up their reviews?

1 up, 0 down

Ultimadream
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 3:29:34 AM
Reply

meh i thought this game looked average by the gameplay footage, the combat is so slow, and no im not compairing to DMC's pace. and you could see the pixels on the monsters...... i just thought it looked average, certainly not an FF contender, like people have been saying.

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crapreviews
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 4:57:12 AM
Reply

Ummmmm.... if im not mistaken im not Japanese. there are a lot of games that i like the same like japanese players and there are tons of games i don't like that they do.

I rather see what some USA reviewers say about this game.... although i've already made my mind up a long time ago that i would be getting this game regardless.

Also if the fact that online play was the big deal for the low scores... than reviewers REALLY need to do separate reviews for single play and online play.

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www
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 6:04:22 AM
Reply

As you said,Famitsu coulda been bias but they weren't thus the score could be relevant,maybe there is a MAJOR FLAW in the gameplay,all we ever get excited about is the trailers,go deep inside and maybe it's just a crappy book with a beautiful cover.
It's sad, i was also waiting 4 this game.

Last edited by www on 12/22/2008 6:04:49 AM

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Riku994
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 6:34:29 AM
Reply

Ben, that adds up to 29. 7x3 = 21+8 = 29.

I still really want this game though, i don't care what these guys say.

1 up, 0 down

cegmp
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 8:18:32 AM
Reply

A little shaken up by the score but still a definite buy. I won't be importing this one though.

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sabitrulz
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 9:17:20 AM
Reply

I knew it......frm all da trailers i downloaded earlier...i figured out dat already.....with dat kinda outdated last gen gfx n a fully FF-XII inspired gameplay it was expected 4 me...anywz doesn't matter 4 me.....busy in playin LBP

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Kiengo
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 10:02:01 AM
Reply

This review is off, it's gotta be.

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shadowpal2
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 10:36:49 AM
Reply

Yea I saw this a week ago and I understand what they were saying. HOWEVER...a 27/40 is like a 7/10 or 7.3/10 - which is OK just not Great/Outstanding etc.

But here's the thing, their review complained only about technical issues. Such as chat being hard to do while walking or moving. The game menu being inefficient. Also the fact that the way to perform an action is rather quite simple. Although people would have love for the third one, Famitsu didn't find it necessary.

HOWEVER - they did praise these 3 things: It's beautiful environment, customizable combos, and memorable/epic battles.

So what is Famitsu saying? Well basically the game itself is awesome - there are just some TECHNICAL issues with it. So...should you get it. OF COURSE!!! Just know that it will be sometimes frustrating to control.

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crapreviews
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 11:23:06 AM

See this is what people need to see instead of just seeing the score and thinking wth. let people know what it is that gave it that score.

By the way shouldn't it be 29/40?

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SHADOW [Moderator]
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 @ 12:39:37 AM

People read? Are you kidding me? people don't know how to read anymore. What do you think this is the stone ages?

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kreate
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 11:31:22 AM
Reply

heh? i kinda told ppl white knights chronicle not enough. but it is sad that it got a 27 out of 40. maybe they are also paid off by microsoft?

is sony finally going to make some rpgs for us?

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br0d1n
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 11:56:29 AM
Reply

Reviews don't mean a lot to hardcore gamers because they know what they like and can make up their own minds about whether or not a game will be fun. They do mean a lot to the industry however because the majority of the money is not coming from the elite crowd but from "the masses," and we all know how that goes....

But I always appreciate a well done, professional review (like I read here), because an objective review (read: not opinion) can be as informative about a game as playing it yourself. Scores matter little to me, only in-depth analysis. Personally I didn't read the famitsu review, and I won't, but the score is certainly a bad omen for a game I was getting excited for.

1 up, 0 down

Naga
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 12:47:02 PM
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I'm not a huge fan of RPGs but this is shocking but I might buy it regardless of score

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WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 2:05:37 PM
Reply

Hopefully Famitsu just failed (again), I won't give up hope until someone more reputable reviews it (PSXE) but yeah that is harsh news cuz I was hoping this would kick SE in the butt. RPG's are struggling this gen because they are trying to reinvent the wheel, just stick to what works!

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Wazomba
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 3:04:36 PM
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Well you never know, by the time the game releases in america/europe level 5 might have sorted out the technical issuses, just guessing tho

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HUSO
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 3:04:46 PM
Reply

bad news for WKC. despite the poor score, i'm sure its gonna sell loads on the first day of release in Japan.

IMO WKC doesn't look much like a traditional JRPG, more like a hybrid western RPG made in japan.

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seismictech
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 @ 12:52:58 PM

that could be an issue with some japanese gamers if they're expecting a JRPG but get a game with western RPG elements.

as a matter of fact, now that i think about it, maybe that's why Famitsu gave it a 27/40! it probably does have western RPG elements of gameplay and therefore don't like it.

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smileys_007
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 3:11:47 PM
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WKC will still sell well, despite the poor score. Trust me! Level-5 always creates a good rpg game!

2 up, 0 down

Dante399
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 4:58:09 PM
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I'll still buy it just because of FFXIII betrayal!
People we need RPGs on the PS3!

1 up, 0 down

LightShow
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 5:58:08 PM
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My trust is in L5. I'll listen to them before I consider famitsu.

Hell, I'd got to G4 before I went to Famitsu...

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Aftab
Monday, December 22, 2008 @ 6:08:48 PM
Reply

Although I know graphics alone don't make a game, those visuals look sweet, especially for an rpg. And at 1080p? It would be a shame if Famitsu's score is any reflection of the truth, but I'll wait for Ben's review, too, before pulling the trigger.

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seismictech
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 @ 12:50:25 PM
Reply

lol i use to use haze as an example as why the ps3 sucked (this is the former me, not the new me, i love the ps3 now) and Famitsu gave it a 37/40? shows how much they know. then again, i guess they're not used to the FPS market (look at coded arms for the ps3) so they might've thought it was awesome because of that.

that's pretty sad that WKC is being dubbed average already, but then again i'm not too worried. i remember two European game publications gave MGS4 an 8/10 and every true metal gear fan would know it's hog wash. i'm sure it's the same thing with this game.

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Deadman
Wednesday, December 24, 2008 @ 9:52:53 PM
Reply

Wait and see what PSM, G4, and BEN rate it listen to the gamers not the media

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