<s>
,	O
known	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
as	O
Bujingai	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Forsaken	I-Application
City	I-Application
and	O
in	O
Europe	O
as	O
Bujingai	B-Application
:	I-Application
Swordmaster	I-Application
,	O
is	O
an	O
action	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
developed	O
by	O
Taito	O
in	O
collaboration	O
with	O
Red	O
Entertainment	O
,	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bujingai	B-Application
is	O
set	O
in	O
the	O
23rd	O
century	O
,	O
about	O
100	O
years	O
after	O
a	O
global	O
catastrophe	O
wiped	O
out	O
a	O
majority	O
of	O
the	O
Earth	O
's	O
population	O
and	O
its	O
entire	O
government	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
story	O
follows	O
one	O
such	O
man	O
,	O
Lau	O
Wong	O
,	O
a	O
sword-wielding	O
exile	O
who	O
returns	O
to	O
Earth	O
to	O
confront	O
a	O
former	O
ally	O
and	O
an	O
army	O
of	O
demons	O
who	O
have	O
taken	O
hold	O
of	O
the	O
titular	O
Asian	O
city	O
of	O
Bujingai	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
graphics	O
and	O
gameplay	O
in	O
Bujingai	B-Application
are	O
visually	O
inspired	O
by	O
martial	O
arts	O
(	O
Wuxia	O
)	O
films	O
of	O
Hong	O
Kong	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bujingai	B-Application
acted	O
as	O
a	O
50th	O
anniversary	O
release	O
for	O
Taito	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Taking	O
two	O
years	O
to	O
create	O
,	O
the	O
development	O
team	O
included	O
Taito	O
veteran	O
Hiroshi	O
Aoki	O
as	O
director	O
,	O
Taito	O
's	O
in-house	O
band	O
Zuntata	O
as	O
music	O
composers	O
,	O
and	O
external	O
talent	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
Cowboy	B-Application
Bebop	I-Application
character	O
designer	O
Toshihiro	O
Kawamoto	O
and	O
Trigun	O
scenario	O
writer	O
Yōsuke	O
Kuroda	O
in	O
their	O
respective	O
roles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bujingai	B-Application
received	O
above-average	O
reviews	O
from	O
press	O
sources	O
,	O
who	O
praised	O
its	O
combat	O
gameplay	O
,	O
visual	O
style	O
,	O
and	O
character	O
designs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Set	O
in	O
the	O
23rd	O
century	O
,	O
Bujingai	B-Application
begins	O
100	O
years	O
after	O
an	O
accident	O
involving	O
an	O
environmentally-friendly	O
energy	O
source	O
annihilated	O
70	O
percent	O
of	O
the	O
world	O
's	O
population	O
and	O
all	O
of	O
its	O
government	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rei	O
has	O
kidnapped	O
the	O
soul	O
of	O
his	O
once-beloved	O
Yohfa	O
and	O
opened	O
numerous	O
portals	O
,	O
allowing	O
demons	O
to	O
overtake	O
the	O
Asian	O
city	O
of	O
Bujingai	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bujingai	B-Application
is	O
a	O
third-person	O
beat	O
'	O
em	O
up/hack	O
and	O
slash	O
game	O
where	O
the	O
player	O
controls	O
the	O
protagonist	O
Lau	O
,	O
exploring	O
different	O
environments	O
,	O
completing	O
minor	O
objectives	O
,	O
and	O
battling	O
numerous	O
enemies	O
and	O
more	O
powerful	O
end-stage	O
bosses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bujingai	B-Application
allows	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
counter	O
an	O
assailant	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bujingai	B-Application
offers	O
the	O
player	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
magic	O
spells	O
ranging	O
from	O
a	O
basic	O
fireball	O
to	O
a	O
powerful	O
whirlwind	O
foray	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
gameplay	O
in	O
Bujingai	B-Application
is	O
visually	O
styled	O
akin	O
to	O
Hong	O
Kong	O
martial	O
arts	O
(	O
Wuxia	O
)	O
films	O
with	O
colorful	O
sword-slashes	O
,	O
spinning	O
aerial	O
jousts	O
,	O
and	O
gliding	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bonuses	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
earned	O
depending	O
on	O
how	O
well	O
the	O
player	O
performs	O
in	O
each	O
level	O
,	O
dependent	O
on	O
factors	O
such	O
as	O
completion	O
time	O
,	O
the	O
amount	O
of	O
damage	O
taken	O
,	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
continues	O
used	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
stylized	O
action	B-Application
points	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bujingai	B-Application
was	O
developed	O
as	O
a	O
joint	O
venture	O
between	O
Taito	O
and	O
Red	O
Entertainment	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
game	O
representing	O
a	O
50th	O
anniversary	O
release	O
for	O
Taito	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bujingai	B-Application
was	O
directed	O
and	O
chiefly	O
designed	O
by	O
Hiroshi	O
Aoki	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
characters	O
were	O
designed	O
by	O
Toshihiro	O
Kawamoto	O
,	O
whose	O
previous	O
credits	O
include	O
the	O
anime	O
television	O
series	O
Cowboy	B-Application
Bebop	I-Application
and	O
Wolf	O
's	O
Rain	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
likeness	O
of	O
Japanese	O
pop	O
icon	O
Gackt	O
was	O
used	O
to	O
create	O
Bujingai	B-Application
protagonist	O
Lau	O
Wong	O
with	O
CG	O
models	O
and	O
motion	B-Application
capture	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bujingai	B-Application
took	O
about	O
two	O
years	O
total	O
to	O
develop	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
first	O
six	O
months	O
devoted	O
to	O
pre-production	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Aoki	O
's	O
goal	O
was	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
game	O
unique	O
among	O
other	O
action	B-Application
titles	O
like	O
Shinobi	B-Application
and	O
Nightshade	B-Application
by	O
implementing	O
intuitive	O
controls	O
,	O
responsive	O
enemies	O
,	O
and	O
faithfully	O
reproduced	O
swordplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kuroda	O
had	O
never	O
work	O
on	O
an	O
action	B-Application
genre	O
game	O
before	O
,	O
but	O
found	O
it	O
the	O
writing	O
relatively	O
easy	O
,	O
creating	O
"	O
a	O
unique	O
game	O
that	O
would	O
appeal	O
to	O
consumers	O
while	O
still	O
including	O
some	O
of	O
 [ his ] 	O
own	O
interests	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
had	O
no	O
particular	O
theme	O
when	O
designing	O
Lau	O
and	O
his	O
antagonists	O
at	O
the	O
start	O
,	O
but	O
gradually	O
focused	O
on	O
character	O
silhouettes	O
;	O
imagery	O
using	O
mythological	O
creatures	O
like	O
the	O
dragon	O
and	O
phoenix	O
;	O
and	O
"	O
beauty	O
of	O
the	O
flow	O
of	O
action	B-Application
during	O
the	O
sword	O
fighting	O
scenes	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bujingai	B-Application
was	O
first	O
announced	O
in	O
an	O
August	O
2003	O
issue	O
of	O
Enterbrain	O
's	O
Weekly	O
Famitsu	O
magazine	O
after	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
about	O
50	O
percent	O
complete	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bujingai	B-Application
was	O
first	O
presented	O
on	O
August	O
28	O
at	O
a	O
50th	O
anniversary	O
commemoration	O
event	O
for	O
Taito	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bujingai	B-Application
officially	O
went	O
to	O
retail	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
December	O
25	O
,	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sources	O
including	O
Computer	O
and	O
Video	O
Games	O
and	O
GamesIndustry.biz	O
issued	O
news	O
statements	O
that	O
Bujingai	B-Application
would	O
be	O
published	O
by	O
Atari	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
in	O
February	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
instead	O
published	O
throughout	O
Europe	O
by	O
505	O
Gamestreet	O
under	O
the	O
title	O
Bujingai	B-Application
:	I-Application
Swordmaster	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critical	O
reception	O
for	O
Bujingai	B-Application
has	O
been	O
generally	O
above-average	O
among	O
both	O
print	O
and	O
online	O
sources	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
have	O
found	O
the	O
combat	O
gameplay	O
enjoyable	O
and	O
rewarding	O
,	O
positively	O
comparing	O
it	O
to	O
other	O
titles	O
in	O
its	O
genre	O
including	O
the	O
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
series	O
,	O
Shinobi	B-Application
,	O
Nightshade	B-Application
,	O
Otogi	B-Application
:	I-Application
Myth	I-Application
of	I-Application
Demons	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
GamesTM	O
summarized	O
,	O
"	O
Spend	O
time	O
mastering	O
the	O
fighting	O
system	O
,	O
powering	O
up	O
your	O
various	O
attacks	O
and	O
revisiting	O
stages	O
to	O
improve	O
your	O
combo	O
scores	O
and	O
the	O
game	O
becomes	O
so	O
much	O
more	O
than	O
just	O
a	O
basic	O
hack-and-slash	B-Application
romp	O
-	O
it	O
's	O
a	O
feast	O
of	O
replayable	O
swordplay.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
's	O
Jeremy	O
Dunham	O
also	O
noted	O
Bujingai	B-Application
to	O
have	O
a	O
simplistic	O
gameplay	O
model	O
beneath	O
its	O
stylized	O
visual	O
presentation	O
,	O
but	O
still	O
celebrated	O
it	O
as	O
"	O
challenging	O
,	O
fast	O
,	O
and	O
easy	O
to	O
learn	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Assessments	O
on	O
the	O
visuals	O
of	O
Bujingai	B-Application
have	O
been	O
fairly	O
consistent	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameSpot	O
contributor	O
Alex	O
Navarro	O
argued	O
that	O
despite	O
not	O
being	O
the	O
most	O
graphically-advanced	O
game	O
available	O
for	O
the	O
PS2	B-Device
during	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
will	O
impress	O
players	O
with	O
Kawamoto	O
's	O
character	O
designs	O
and	O
the	O
protagonist	O
Lau	O
's	O
cinematic	O
flair	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Joe	O
Juba	O
of	O
Game	O
Informer	O
similarly	O
enjoyed	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
character	O
designs	O
and	O
action	B-Application
sequences	O
,	O
discovering	O
within	O
it	O
a	O
"	O
unique	O
sense	O
of	O
style	O
,	O
reminiscent	O
of	O
Hong	O
Kong	O
cinema	O
,	O
 [ permeating ] 	O
every	O
aspect	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
sound	O
design	O
in	O
Bujingai	B-Application
received	O
mixed	O
criticism	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
plot	O
of	O
Bujingai	B-Application
has	O
been	O
almost	O
universally	O
criticized	O
,	O
with	O
reviewers	O
describing	O
it	O
as	O
"	O
near	O
nonexistent	O
"	O
,	O
"	O
barely	O
there	O
"	O
,	O
"	O
weak	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
one	O
that	O
"	O
no	O
one	O
reads	O
and	O
characters	O
no	O
one	O
gives	O
a	O
rip	O
about	O
to	O
make	O
it	O
interesting	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Contrarily	O
,	O
Dunham	O
stated	O
that	O
although	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
storyline	O
is	O
"	O
obviously	O
entrenched	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
cookie	O
cutter	O
mold	O
that	O
powers	O
just	O
about	O
every	O
other	O
action-oriented	O
game	O
and	O
movie	O
nowadays	O
"	O
,	O
its	O
completion	O
"	O
should	O
leave	O
it	O
viewers	O
with	O
at	O
least	O
some	O
form	O
of	O
positive	O
satisfaction	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Media	O
Create	O
sales	O
information	O
shows	O
that	O
Bujingai	B-Application
ranked	O
19th	O
among	O
all	O
video	O
game	O
releases	O
in	O
Japan	O
during	O
its	O
debut	O
week	O
,	O
selling	O
43,116	O
copies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Okumura	O
explained	O
,	O
"	O
As	O
long	O
as	O
the	O
energy	O
of	O
the	O
fans	O
remains	O
,	O
Bujingai	B-Application
2	O
will	O
see	O
the	O
light	O
of	O
day	O
!!	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
positive	O
reception	O
,	O
Bujingai	B-Application
did	O
not	O
receive	O
a	O
console	O
follow-up	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
March	O
31	O
,	O
2006	O
,	O
South	O
Korean	O
film	O
distributor	O
SidusHQ	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
acquired	O
the	O
rights	O
to	O
publish	O
a	O
massively	B-Protocol
multiplayer	I-Protocol
online	I-Protocol
role-playing	I-Protocol
game	I-Protocol
based	O
on	O
Bujingai	B-Application
,	O
developed	O
by	O
Besttoday	O
.	O
</s>
