Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Famitsu For Beginners

Posted by Zonk on from the strange-and-mysterious dept.

Via Kotaku, a post on the forums at the selectbutton site that may interest you. Famitsu is the gaming bible for a lot of people, but not all of us have the language skills required to follow it. Many more are confused by what's seen as 'buying review scores', a practice that's more about the realities of the magazine's role than about corruption. From the article: "What Famitsu is -- and you wouldn't know this unless you've held a heavy issue in your hand on a tired Friday morning -- is straightforward (if not entirely honest) PR in a pretty, meaty, high-quality bundle. It's an advertisement feast. If the western concepts of 'journalistic integrity' are distorted and twisted within its pages, they're done so very lovingly. Because, you see, that degree of over-thinking really doesn't exist here. You can cry 'viral!!!!!!!!!!!!' and 'TEH PAID!!!!!!!!!!' all you want at Famitsu's features and articles. However, you can't change that it's a hell of a thing to look at on the train on Friday morning, or at lunch on Friday afternoon; it provides stimulating topics of conversation (for geekos) over Friday dinner." So, as Kotaku's Luke Plunkett says '[This is] why we all ignored the scores they gave Sonic, but paid attention when games like Blue Dragon and Lost Planet won them over.'

36 comments

  1. huh? by Swimport · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    What good is a magazine i cant read? Am i suppose to just look at the pictures?

    1. Re:huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      In Japan (and pretty much any magazine Zonk reads), looking at the pictures is sufficient.

    2. Re:huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      duh lern 2 speek jap-gab, u lern plenty plenty engrish now do jap-gab esey enuf eh?

    3. Re:huh? by Yusaku+Godai · · Score: 1

      You could always stop whining about it and learn Japanese. It's not *quite* as hard as everyone says =P

      In all seriousness though, the text in Famitsu isn't all that worthwhile anyways. The main reason to pick up Famitsu is to ogle at exclusive pretty pictures from games that won't be out for a while yet. Which I think may also be the main point of this story.

    4. Re:huh? by Swimport · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      My Grandfathers didn't fight in WWII so I could learn Japanese. They fought so they Japanese would learn English.

    5. Re:huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you're going to reduce WWII down to trivialities, it would be more appropriate to say that your grandfathers fought so that we wouldn't have to learn Japanese. It was never the USA's intent to conquer Japan -- they reacted defensively. Being able to learn Japanese is just one of the many wonderful freedoms you enjoy today.

    6. Re:huh? by triffid_98 · · Score: 1
      My great grandfather didn't fight in the Spanish American war so that I could learn Spanish...but then he didn't live in southern California.

      My Grandfathers didn't fight in WWII so I could learn Japanese. They fought so they Japanese would learn English.
    7. Re:huh? by Yusaku+Godai · · Score: 1

      I hope you're not just joking, because this post would be funnier if you weren't.

    8. Re:huh? by Swimport · · Score: 1

      Funnier cause Id be a stereotypical "ignorant American"?

    9. Re:huh? by Yusaku+Godai · · Score: 1

      Well, yes. I'm not saying that not being bilingual makes you ignorant. But dismissing the idea of learning a foreign language is certainly nearsighted, if nothing else. Also, you forgot an apostrophe.

    10. Re:huh? by toejam316 · · Score: 1

      That may be true that its not hard to learn Japanese. It IS hard to learn Japanese and retain it for more than a day or so. Hell, the only Japanese I can remember is your a idiot, your a pervert, whats your name, my name is and how to count to 99. maybe a few other tidbits I cant recall. and thats in Romanji. Theres also Katakana, Hiragana and the other forms you need to know. Romanji is just plain ol' english text. Just think about that, its alot for the adverage english speaker to take in.

  2. Which is better? by HappySqurriel · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Which is better, a company which openly accepts money in exchange for better reviews/hype or a company which (behind closed doors) exchanges better reviews for money; because that is (pretty much) what print game magazines all are.

    With a few exceptions, you will notice that many magazines have a tendency to give higher reviews to games that have "invested" in several issues worth of full page advertizements.

    1. Re:Which is better? by WormholeFiend · · Score: 2, Insightful

      This is not limited to gaming magazines.

      IMO they should drop all pretense and instead of reviews, have in-depth descriptions of games.

      Hardly anyone believes reviews anymore anyway, and rely on fellow gamers' opinions on forums

    2. Re:Which is better? by AKAImBatman · · Score: 1

      This sounds a lot like Computer Shopper to me. Before the Internet (and pricewatch.com) hit it big, CS was the best way to solve all your computer needs. The issues were easily hundreds of pages long, with pretty much nothing but advertisements. There were one or two token articles, but you really bought it for the advertisements. It was great! :)

      --
      Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
    3. Re:Which is better? by Cadallin · · Score: 1

      True about few exceptions, but the ones that did exist are sorely missed. I miss the Russell Snipe/Johnny Wilson Computer Gaming World. It had real integrity and was a quality read. The late Nineties was really a painful period in the games industry, Sony and the 3D revolution cost us much more than anyone is willing to acknowledge. Scorpia, one of the very first female Gaming Journalists was fired due to orders from Ziff-Davis higher ups.

    4. Re:Which is better? by Whitemage12380 · · Score: 1

      A lot more people may put faith in reviews than you think, unfortunately. I hate to say this, but there are a lot of people out there that aren't as smart as you. Man, I do totally agree with you, though... The internet (among other things) would be a much cleaner place if the stupid review system was dropped in favor of pure description. Then you don't get opinions of people who have different tastes than you, which are completely meaningless.

    5. Re:Which is better? by ClamIAm · · Score: 1

      With a few exceptions, you will notice that many magazines have a tendency to give higher reviews to games that have "invested" in several issues worth of full page advertizements.

      Are the results of your research available online? They're not? Oh.

  3. Don't know about the validity. by kinglink · · Score: 1

    But it makes sense. If it is true it answers a lot of questions but raises one last one. Why the fuck do American news media keeping posting their scores? It really does sound like a hype rag.

    Personally Famitsu has had decent ratings for a lot of games, however they tend to have higher then normal ratings, which means higher then IGN, which is higher then gamespot (though gamespot has little basis so it's not as good as IGN according to me) which is higher then .... you get my point. Over inflated ratings doesn't exactly inspire confidence in my book.

    Personally I'd like to see someone back up the (original) post but then again it's a forum post so who knows, especially when the guy talks about his cred being because he "eats" with the guy? But it is some very damning information and personally one of the reasons I think I'll start passing when the topic of famitsu scores come up.

    Though I hope this information starts getting main stream attention because it's very interesting if nothing else.

    1. Re:Don't know about the validity. by badasscat · · Score: 2, Interesting

      But it makes sense. If it is true it answers a lot of questions but raises one last one. Why the fuck do American news media keeping posting their scores? It really does sound like a hype rag.

      It is really no different than EGM in any way other than being a) physically bigger, and b) published more frequently. Their "journalistic standards" are no better or worse, their reviews no more or less bought and paid for. Which is to say the NY Times they ain't, but neither are they paid shills.

      There's no real meat to Kotaku's "story". What it seems to be is the cynical ramblings of a jaded gamer. No real harm there, I guess; we've got plenty of people here who think EGM gives "courtesy scores" to big games too (and they probably do).

      I think the problem is westerners - who don't generally understand the language - go around calling Famitsu things like "the gaming bible", which put it on a pedestal. It is no bible. It is simply a magazine that writes stuff about games. But that pedestal we put them on means any time they do something the slightest bit weird, like, say, giving a game that everybody else seems to think sucks straight 8's or 9's, there's a massive look of bewilderment here. They're human and subject to human foibles like anybody else. They're also just as easily swayed by hype as any of the gaming press here.

      What is impressive about Famitsu is just how prolific they are. EGM struggles these days to put together an 80 page pamphlet in a month. Famitsu does about 250 pages in a week. And they also put out system-specific monthly magazines, which borrow staffers from the weekly version. That's pretty amazing, and it makes them worth paying attention to if for no other reason than their obvious dedication to gaming. These guys (and girls) eat, drink, sleep and shit nothing but video games, 24 hours a day.

    2. Re:Don't know about the validity. by apoc06 · · Score: 1

      anyone care to discuss the difference between courtesy scores and something on a more grand scale like say the whole neverwinter nights2 debacle? perhaps within the confines of a certain culture or even genre the game takes on higher meaning, and thereby more flaws can be overlooked.

      NWN & NWN2 appeal to certain core demographics that can appreciate the game and the potential that lies within. the reviewer sits with the disc for a few hours and writes about what the disc presented across his monitor at that time. he cares alot less about the potential mods, and the new more powerful tools at his disposal. whereas the core audience takes that into account as well. the community weighs the tools greater than the general populous. the general populous being those that may get the chance to sit down and only care about whether the first 2-3 hours are worth the money spent buying the game.

      on the other end of the spectrum, zelda fans were up in arms that the gamespot review of the wii version of zelda twilight princess did not fall in line with the rest of the internet reviews. should gamespot have given zelda:tp a higher "courtesy" score? after all this was a zelda game, and with few exceptions... all zelda games deserve at least a 9, right?

      for gamers that love all things nintendo, zelda DOES deserve a 9. to finally get a decent game with new controls after waiting years and years for this installment deserves a 9. to get a zelda with non cel-shaded graphics just like they asked nintendo for following TLoZ:WW deserves a 9, right? you cant give less than a 9 to the company that finally gave you the zelda fix youve been waiting over the span of two consoles, and however many years for.

      gundam games, dynasty warriors games... chromehounds... they all have a specific demographic that appreciates the games more than the general audience. in their eyes those games deserve higher ratings than they get.

      im playing devils advocate here, but would it be fair for them to give a genre fan-score? EX. the world thinks this game deserves a 6, but if you like this series and games like it, then the game is an 8. that wouldnt solve much. i dont think people should pick sides. the internet is vast enough to offer more than one opinion. if anything we should stop putting as much weight on the larger gaming sites and more weight on specific reviewers. find one that likes the exact same games as you do, and follow his specific opinions much more closely.

  4. Enlighten Me... by Omestes · · Score: 3, Insightful

    How did this end up on the front page? All I got from this is that "Japan has a big gaming magazine, that is biased, but Kotaku and Zonk like it. You should read it, but you probably don't speak Japanese". I think this is the worst front page story I have seen on /. in my umpteen years of sifting through drivel.

    So what is the news? Japan has paid for review magazine like the US (and rest of the world), but people expect this and don't complain?

    Wow.

    --
    A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government. -edward abbey
    1. Re:Enlighten Me... by soliptic · · Score: 1

      Heh, yes, agreed. Hell, I had to read it about three times just to begin to understand it. "Via Kotaku, a post on the forums at the selectbutton site that may interest you" - still, I suppose it puts you in the right 'Engrish' frame of mind.

    2. Re:Enlighten Me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's not on the front page, dude.

  5. the first one i guess by stoolpigeon · · Score: 1

    n/t

    --
    It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
  6. Ahh yes... by JimXugle · · Score: 1

    But does it come in Esperanto?

    --
    -jX

    Don't you just love politics? It's like a comedy of errors.
  7. In soviet russia... by westcoast+philly · · Score: 1

    the biased japanese game magazines read YOU!

  8. So, basically... by Guppy06 · · Score: 1

    It's like how Nintendo Power used to be?

    1. Re:So, basically... by Whitemage12380 · · Score: 1

      Sounds about right- hopelessly biased reviews, but most entertaining magazine in existence. My brother has most of the old copies- those things are so fun to read, even now, because of all the cool stuff it has inside, even if just for the sake of advertising. Particularly, the extensive and graphical maps fascinated me as a small kid.

    2. Re:So, basically... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I still have, somewhere, the thirty or so issues with the Legend of Zelda (SNES) comic in them. Ditto for the Mario World comic, though that one isn't nearly as entertaining. I wonder if I could get anything on ebay for them...

  9. Here's your enlightenment by Mille+Mots · · Score: 1

    /. is on the take from a big gaming magazine published in Japan!

    Heh.

  10. nononono by toejam316 · · Score: 1

    Nue Jerundo Jin Desu. Poster-San wa Baka desu.

    1. Re:nononono by NekoYasha · · Score: 1

      >>1 is not entirely stupid. 'Kay the article might be a bit boring... (The rants of a new user. Please note he is not a Japanese.)

  11. Cosmo for games? by rtechie · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Call me crazy, but isn't Famitsu just Cosmopolitian magazine (or any of those other women's magazines that are 90% advertising)? Most of the "content" of the magazine is ads, and the "articles" and "reviews" are thinly-disguised ads. Famitsu is so popular in Japan in part because of the general Japanes fetish for magazines, and partly because the are MUCH bigger whores than then Western gaming press. It's a lot cheaper to put together a magazine if all of your content is submitted by advertisers. The comparison to GameSpot or EDGE isn't correct, Famitsu is more like "Official Playstation Magazine" or Nintendo Power.

    Now maybe you WANT 250 pages of ads, but I doubt it.