Gah! Japan is toying with us

Anybody else heard about Peace Walker’s Famitsu review in Japan?

40/40? Famitsu — long ago guarded against rewarding its highest score to any but the most flawless games — has sold out. As has the entire nation, Hideo Kojima, and Konami.

If you think that games journalism is corrupt and terrible in the states, the situation is worse in Japan. Famitsu is the uniquely most popular gaming mag in Japan and it’s accelerating in dumping out its 40/40 ranking. Not a single Famicom or Super Famicom game won it, and yet 4 were handed out in 2009 alone. Fine, so Japan has a thriving and thrilling games industry. I get it. But does Peace Walker — yet another Metal Gear game! — stand up to Zelda: the Ocarina of Time?

And don’t get me started about Hideo Kojima. I respect this man — he made MGS, Policenauts, and Snatcher, the subject of our upcoming podcast. But placing in-game ads for Doritos, Axe, Mountain Dew, and Famitsu Magazine is just tacky, if not a complete conflict of interest. You should enjoy your deification in Japanese culture, but you have to keep working at it. Abusing your authority like this is shameful.

As for Konami and the citizens of Japan: go for Peace Walker if you want, but see through the hype. Make and play some good games. You can’t will them to be good.