Bayonetta has become the first Xbox 360 title to receive a perfect score in Famitsu, a 40 out of 40.
This puts the game in a very rare category that only 11 other games have ever achieved, from the predominant and most respected videogames magazine in Japan. Other games that hold this high honor include The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64), The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GCN), Final Fantasy XII (PS2), Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3), Soulcalibur (DC), Vagrant Story (PS1), Nintendogs (DS, and no that’s not a typo), Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii), Dragon Quest IX (DS), Monster Hunter Tri (Wii) and the Japanese only 428: F?sa Sareta Shibuya de (Wii, PS3, PSP).
However this score does NOT apply to the PlayStation 3 version of Bayonetta, as the game was knocked by the reviewers for containing framerate issues and slightly murkier graphics. These problems were slight, but enough to make a difference and effect the score, as they made certain scenes (like the fall from the giant clock tower) less impressive. Thus the PS3 version received a still-high score of 38/40. Near perfect, but not perfect.
Bayonetta will be released in America on in January of 2010 on Xbox 360 and PS3.
Don’t forget to check out our Bayonetta characters list.
And in case you were curious, here is the list of near-perfect scores that Famitsu has given to certain games throughout the years.