Nobody's saying it's not good, it's just highly unlikely that Bayonetta is the pinnacle of gaming brilliance, a game which you could come back to ten years later and say "Why are there so few games of this quality in the world?".

I know this is a joke post, but it does seem the more anime-like the games are - the more the Western reviewers are willing to bring it down.  Tales of Vesperia is sitting at 79 metacritic.  Seriously, WTF?

I'm guessing this will be in the 80s in Western media.  A little strange, but still has appeal around here.

Eh. Famitsu's rating harshness have dropped off CONSIDERABLY lately, so sadly i'm less impressed then i could be.

Which is funny... because it's not that they HATE western games.  It's just Western games don't fit their taste... or ANYONES taste in Japan.

All it is, is a byproduct of the fact that reviewers have no critical intergirty and instead judge things based on "How much THEY liked them."

Half the time without even their own set criteiria for this.

So, no shit that japanese reviewers don't give western games really high review scores.  Japanese reviewers have different sensibilities and tastes then western ones... and there is no "Critical standard" like there is with... well pretty much EVERY review system from movies to cars.

If more reviews come in and it does turn out Bayonetta is on par with Ocarina of Time and Shadow of the Colossus (what did that get from Famitsu? I'm guessing 37-38), then I will apologise for judging a book by its cover and immediately buy a copy.

Why, then, can Western reviewers greatly enjoy Japanese games? Metal Gear Solid, Final Fantasy, Zelda and Gran Turismo are among the most critically acclaimed franchises of all time, and they are all Japanese.

Western games don't seem to be very successful in Japan, either. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Crash Bandicoot 3 in 1998 the last Western game to break a million in Japan?

I just checked, and it's the best selling Western game of all time in Japan, in 102nd place with 1.45 million sales.

EDIT: I checked what got second place, and it's a game by Rare. Donkey Kong 64, a game starring a Japanese character, is 157th overall.

So perhaps Famitsu is just representing Japan. The followup question to that, of course, would be "Why can Japanese games sell in the West, but not vice versa?"

ANOTHER GREAT RACHET

Didn't know that.  It appears Western games have declined in popularity alot there.  I guess it has to do with the fact that Western games developed the stereotype of Big Tough Hairy Guy Ready to Kill and Blow Up Shit.