Although Xenoblade Chronicles X still has an unspecified and nebulous 2015 release date over in the west, in Japan, it releases this month. This means that Japanese media has already started to review the game, chief among them being Japanese magazine Famitsu, which has awarded the game scores of 9, 9, 8, and 8, for a total of 34/40 (translating to 8.5/10).
This might seem to be a lower score than expected from one of the most massively hyped games of the year, but there are several things to consider- Famitsu’s scores over the last few years have grown increasingly meaningless and random, and there is also the fact that they have almost never reflected popular western reception of a game either. For instance, consider that Demon’s Souls or the original Xenoblade Chronicles both got average reviews in Famitsu- and then contrast that with their reception over here, in the west.
Whether or not Xenoblade Chronicles X is another game in that line of games with differing western and Japanese reception, remains to be seen. But in the meanwhile, it’s not like 8.5/10 is a score to scoff at.