Monster Hunter 3 – like many of Japan’s most hotly anticipated games of recent, has received a perfect 40/40 from Weekly Famitsu. It is the 11th game to do so in the magazine’s 20-year history.
“The maps and monsters have been completely remade, making things fresh,” one Famitsu reviewer said, praising the game for its mix of old and new content. “The classic Monster Hunter feel grabs you the more you play. Old and new mix equally here, and it’s been refined, deepened, and brought to unimaginable heights.”
Another agreed. “Although everything here is new, the Monster Hunter atmosphere is unchanged,” he said, going into the newly introduced underwater exploration. “Underwater hunting is a little bewildering at first, but once you get used to it, the whole hunting process is a little more fun.”
Many have speculated that Famitsu has been easing its reviewing standards in recent years. Throughout the first 17 years of Famitsu’s publication – from its first issue in June 1986 through 2003, it only gave perfect scores to four games.
Famitsu has given out seven perfect scores in the six years since, including Dragon Quest IX which received its 40/40 only days ago. By comparison, IGN.com has given perfect scores to only four console games in its 13-year history (they rate handheld games on a different scale).
