Famitsu review scores round-up: Dynasty Warriors 9, Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet, Gal Metal, more

News by Cory Arnold Contributor

Published on Jan. 30, 2018

The weekly reviews scores from Famitsu are out. Dynasty Warriors 9 and Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet are the biggest names on the list, but Gal Metal has also been gaining more and more attention.

It's time to see what the biggest publication in Japan thought of them as well as AER, Gundemoniums, Heroes of Monkey Tavern, Leap of Fate, Shu, and World to the West.

If you're not accustomed to the Famitsu scoring system it's quite simple: four reviewers (rather than just one) all play the same game and give their own score on a scale of one to ten. The four scores are added up for a maximum score of 40.

As such, perfect 40/40's are not common. Since the magazine started in 1986, only 25 games have ever been awarded a 40/40 from Famitsu, the most recent being Dragon Quest XI.

The latest entry in the long-running Dynasty Warriors series has taken it's boldest move since the transition from the first game's one-on-one fighting to the hack-n-slash format the series has come to be known for. Dynasty Warriors 9 is a fully open-world title. Will the new format revitalize the series?

Speaking of new gameplay directions, Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet drops the sword in favor of guns and a blend of the third-person shooter and role-playing game genres, living up to its name. Despite a new combat direction and darker theme, multiplayer and dating mechanics from previous entries return.

Meanwhile, Tak Fujii (Ninety-Nine Nights, Blades of Time), has concocted a motion rhythm game for Nintendo Switch called Gal Metal which is like a metal version of K-On!! with aliens. After aliens invade your town and force you and a girl to swap bodies, you become a drummer in an all-female band which is working to stop the aliens.