The problem with Famitsu is that it's a 'japanese' view on games which, for most western people, is a bit unpalitable.
Now, I loved Vagrant story, which also got the perfect 40, but the reason I loved it was very VERY different from why Famitsu loved it.
FFXII I was interested in because of the above, but upon talking to a taiwanese friend of mine who loves FFXII to peices, I essentally found out that he loved it because, despite the relatively weak story, there's tons to explore, ranging into 150 hours with lots of secret bosses and leveling and essentally the FFXI experiance offline.
If this appeals to people, great, but I can't say it's my cup of tea.