First 3DS game reviews have hit Japan

Yesterday we showed you the 3DS launch games for both the US and UK, but in Japan the system goes on sale in just a couple days. It’s not surprising that the first reviews ever for 3DS games would accompany the Japanese launch, and said critiques were supplied by Famitsu, the biggest gaming magazine in Japan.

Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs: 6/6/6/6, 24 points
Samurai Warriors Chronicle: 9/9/8/8, 34 points
Nintendogs + Cats: 10/9/9/10, 38 points
Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracles: 8/8/8/8, 32 points
Puzzle Bobble 3D (aka Bust-a-Move Universe): 6/6/6/6, 24 points
Ridge Racer 3D: 8/8/7/9, 32 points
Shanghai 3D Cube: 7/7/7/5, 26 points
Super Monkey Ball 3D: 9/8/8/7, 32 points
Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition: 9/8/8/9, 34 points
Winning Eleven 3D Soccer (aka Pro Evolution Soccer): 8/8/8/8, 32 points

In case you’re confused about those scores, Famitsu uses a four-man review system, and combines thescores. A totalof 40 or 39 are pretty rare, though they've been popping up more frequently in the last few years. Nintendogs + Cats got the highest scoring with 38, which isn’t too surprising as the original Nintendogs earned the fifth perfect score in Famitsu history. Samurai Warriors, Super Street Fighter, Pro Evo, Ridge Racer, and Super Monkey Ball fared well, though we were a little surprised to see Layton only recieve a 32.

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Bust-a-Move and Combat of the Giants were bringing up the rear, and even though those scores aren’t technically below average, historically Famitsu hardly ever gives less than a 20 to any game, so take that with a grain of salt. Obviouslyyou should wait until next month to get the only definitive opinions on these games (ours), but it’s always interesting to see the early response.

Feb 23, 2011