<s>
Maken	B-Application
X	I-Application
is	O
a	O
first-person	O
hack	B-Application
and	I-Application
slash	I-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
developed	O
by	O
Atlus	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Concept	O
work	O
began	O
during	O
the	O
middle	O
of	O
production	O
on	O
the	O
Persona	B-Application
2	O
duology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Featuring	O
staff	O
from	O
the	O
Megami	B-Application
Tensei	I-Application
franchise	O
including	O
artist	O
Kazuma	O
Kaneko	O
and	O
composer	O
Shoji	O
Meguro	O
,	O
development	O
took	O
approximately	O
two	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
enhanced	O
remake	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
,	O
was	O
published	O
by	O
Atlus	O
in	O
Japan	O
in	O
2001	O
and	O
in	O
Europe	O
by	O
Midas	O
Interactive	O
Entertainment	O
in	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Maken	B-Application
X	I-Application
is	O
a	O
first-person	O
action	B-Application
hack	B-Application
and	I-Application
slash	I-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
where	O
players	O
control	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
characters	O
wielding	O
a	O
sentient	O
sword	O
dubbed	O
the	O
Maken	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
divided	O
into	O
"	O
Event	O
Scenes	O
"	O
,	O
cutscenes	O
related	O
to	O
the	O
story	O
;	O
and	O
"	O
Action	B-Application
Scenes	O
"	O
,	O
the	O
gameplay	O
segments	O
;	O
and	O
the	O
world	O
map	O
used	O
to	O
select	O
levels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
the	O
remake	O
Maken	B-Application
Shao	I-Application
,	O
gameplay	O
remains	O
mostly	O
the	O
same	O
,	O
but	O
with	O
several	O
added	O
mechanics	O
and	O
a	O
shift	O
to	O
a	O
third-person	O
perspective	O
focused	O
behind	O
the	O
back	O
of	O
the	O
character	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Maken	B-Application
X	I-Application
is	O
set	O
in	O
a	O
near-future	O
version	O
of	O
Earth	O
,	O
described	O
as	O
"	O
five	O
minutes	O
"	O
into	O
the	O
future	O
,	O
the	O
limit	O
of	O
precognitive	O
vision	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
world	O
of	O
Maken	B-Application
X	I-Application
,	O
the	O
spirit	O
is	O
a	O
scientifically-proven	O
concept	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
PSI	O
,	O
which	O
arises	O
from	O
a	O
separate	O
dimension	O
and	O
is	O
the	O
source	O
of	O
emotion	O
and	O
sensation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Given	O
the	O
default	O
name	O
"	O
Deus	B-Application
Ex	I-Application
Machina	I-Application
"	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
developed	O
ostensibly	O
as	O
a	O
means	O
of	O
treating	O
mental	O
illness	O
,	O
but	O
is	O
in	O
fact	O
a	O
weapon	O
for	O
the	O
Blademasters	O
to	O
defeat	O
the	O
Sangoki	O
as	O
it	O
has	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
destroy	O
a	O
person	O
's	O
Image	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
concept	O
for	O
Maken	B-Application
X	I-Application
arose	O
while	O
Atlus	O
was	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
way	O
through	O
developing	O
the	O
Persona	B-Application
2	O
duology	O
(	O
Innocent	B-Application
Sin	I-Application
and	O
Eternal	B-Application
Punishment	I-Application
)	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Producer	O
Kouji	O
Okada	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
creators	O
of	O
Atlus	O
 '	O
Megami	B-Application
Tensei	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Longtime	O
Megami	B-Application
Tensei	I-Application
artist	O
Kazuma	O
Kaneko	O
acted	O
as	O
art	O
director	O
and	O
character	O
designer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
director	O
was	O
Katsura	O
Hashino	O
;	O
having	O
worked	O
as	O
a	O
planner	O
on	O
multiple	O
titles	O
since	O
Shin	B-Application
Megami	I-Application
Tensei	I-Application
If	I-Application
...	I-Application
,	O
Maken	B-Application
X	I-Application
was	O
his	O
debut	O
as	O
a	O
game	O
director	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
of	O
the	O
development	O
team	O
were	O
directly	O
carried	O
over	O
from	O
the	O
second	O
Persona	B-Application
2	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Atlus	O
staff	O
were	O
beginning	O
to	O
feel	O
limited	O
by	O
the	O
scope	O
of	O
the	O
Megami	B-Application
Tensei	I-Application
universe	O
,	O
so	O
when	O
they	O
were	O
shown	O
the	O
specifications	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
console	O
,	O
they	O
immediately	O
decided	O
to	O
create	O
something	O
new	O
for	O
that	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Okada	O
later	O
said	O
that	O
Atlus	O
 '	O
main	O
desire	O
when	O
creating	O
Maken	B-Application
X	I-Application
was	O
to	O
develop	O
something	O
new	O
after	O
making	O
role-playing	O
games	O
for	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
company	O
's	O
lifetime	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Speaking	O
in	O
an	O
interview	O
,	O
Okada	O
and	O
Kaneko	O
referred	O
to	O
the	O
development	O
period	O
for	O
Maken	B-Application
X	I-Application
as	O
quite	O
turbulent	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
the	O
team	O
had	O
tried	O
development	O
with	O
the	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
proved	O
more	O
versatile	O
and	O
powerful	O
than	O
expected	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first-person	O
perspective	O
combined	O
with	O
sword-based	O
action	B-Application
was	O
chosen	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
unique	O
feel	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
3D	O
elements	O
had	O
been	O
included	O
in	O
earlier	O
Atlus	O
titles	O
,	O
Maken	B-Application
X	I-Application
was	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
Atlus	O
used	O
both	O
full	O
3D	O
visuals	O
and	O
full-motion	O
3D	O
CGI	O
cutscenes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
also	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
the	O
Megami	B-Application
Tensei	I-Application
team	O
had	O
attempted	O
development	O
of	O
a	O
game	O
outside	O
the	O
role-playing	O
genre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
narrative	O
element	O
carried	O
over	O
from	O
the	O
Megami	B-Application
Tensei	I-Application
franchise	O
was	O
a	O
system	O
of	O
choices	O
based	O
on	O
morality	O
that	O
influenced	O
the	O
ending	O
;	O
while	O
these	O
elements	O
had	O
been	O
thoroughly	O
explored	O
in	O
Megami	B-Application
Tensei	I-Application
,	O
the	O
team	O
felt	O
the	O
themes	O
still	O
had	O
potential	O
and	O
so	O
used	O
it	O
in	O
Maken	B-Application
X	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
similar	O
set	O
of	O
circumstances	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
wide	O
use	O
of	O
stereophonic	O
sound	O
across	O
the	O
whole	O
game	O
when	O
it	O
was	O
initially	O
planned	O
only	O
for	O
action	B-Application
sequences	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Maken	B-Application
Shao	I-Application
:	I-Application
Demon	I-Application
Sword	I-Application
,	O
known	O
in	O
Japan	O
simply	O
as	O
Maken	B-Application
Shao	I-Application
,	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Atlus	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
title	O
's	O
added	O
"	O
爻	O
"	O
character	O
,	O
an	O
archaic	O
Chinese	O
symbol	O
,	O
was	O
used	O
as	O
it	O
represented	O
two	O
"	O
X	O
"	O
characters	O
,	O
showing	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
status	O
as	O
an	O
evolved	O
version	O
of	O
Maken	B-Application
X	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
was	O
faced	O
with	O
restrictions	O
with	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
hardware	O
,	O
but	O
was	O
able	O
to	O
have	O
more	O
creative	O
freedom	O
than	O
his	O
work	O
on	O
Devil	B-Application
Summoner	I-Application
:	I-Application
Soul	I-Application
Hackers	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
his	O
work	O
,	O
Meguro	O
was	O
unable	O
to	O
contribute	O
to	O
the	O
Persona	B-Application
2	O
duology	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
despite	O
his	O
previous	O
involvement	O
with	O
Revelations	B-Application
:	I-Application
Persona	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Meguro	O
returned	O
to	O
compose	O
for	O
Maken	B-Application
Shao	I-Application
,	O
remixing	O
many	O
paces	O
and	O
adding	O
additional	O
musical	O
elements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
album	O
of	O
remixed	O
tracks	O
from	O
the	O
game	O
by	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
guest	O
musicians	O
,	O
Maken	B-Application
X	I-Application
Remix	O
Soundtrack	O
L'Image	O
,	O
released	O
by	O
Avex	O
Mode	O
on	O
January	O
19	O
,	O
2000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Maken	B-Application
X	I-Application
album	O
,	O
which	O
became	O
fairly	O
rare	O
in	O
the	O
years	O
following	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
was	O
later	O
re-released	O
by	O
Atlus	O
on	O
iTunes	B-Operating_System
on	O
June	O
1	O
,	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Released	O
alongside	O
it	O
was	O
a	O
mini-album	O
of	O
new	O
and	O
remixed	O
music	O
from	O
Maken	B-Application
Shao	I-Application
,	O
titled	O
Maken	B-Application
Shao	I-Application
Mini	O
Soundtrack	O
and	O
released	O
to	O
celebrate	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
tenth	O
anniversary	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Maken	B-Application
X	I-Application
was	O
first	O
announced	O
in	O
November	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Maken	B-Application
X	I-Application
was	O
published	O
by	O
Atlus	O
on	O
November	O
25	O
,	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Atlus	O
 '	O
earlier	O
Megami	B-Application
Tensei	I-Application
titles	O
were	O
aimed	O
fully	O
at	O
the	O
Japanese	O
market	O
,	O
Maken	B-Application
X	I-Application
had	O
been	O
designed	O
from	O
the	O
outset	O
to	O
have	O
an	O
international	O
appeal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Maken	B-Application
X	I-Application
was	O
eventually	O
released	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
April	O
25	O
,	O
2000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Maken	B-Application
Shao	I-Application
was	O
first	O
announced	O
in	O
February	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Maken	B-Application
Shao	I-Application
was	O
published	O
by	O
Atlus	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
June	O
7	O
,	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
its	O
European	O
release	O
,	O
DC	O
Studios	O
both	O
converted	O
Maken	B-Application
Shao	I-Application
to	O
PAL	O
region	O
hardware	O
,	O
and	O
localized	O
the	O
game	O
into	O
English	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
published	O
as	O
Maken	B-Application
Shao	I-Application
:	I-Application
Demon	I-Application
Sword	I-Application
by	O
Midas	O
Interactive	O
Entertainment	O
on	O
June	O
27	O
,	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
version	O
was	O
later	O
re-released	O
by	O
Midas	O
Interactive	O
Entertainment	O
on	O
the	O
European	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	I-Device
on	O
February	O
27	O
,	O
2013	O
as	O
a	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Classic	O
title	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Titled	O
Maken	B-Application
X	I-Application
:	O
Another	O
,	O
the	O
story	O
followed	O
a	O
similar	O
path	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
manga	O
was	O
collected	O
into	O
two	O
volumes	O
and	O
released	O
under	O
the	O
title	O
Maken	B-Application
X	I-Application
:	O
Another	O
Jack	O
by	O
Enterbrain	O
on	O
December	O
25	O
,	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
novelization	O
titled	O
Maken	B-Application
X	I-Application
:	O
After	O
Strange	O
Days	O
,	O
written	O
by	O
Akira	O
Kabuki	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
ASCII	O
Media	O
Works	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
April	O
2000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Japanese	O
Dreamcast	B-Operating_System
Magazine	O
gave	O
Maken	B-Application
X	I-Application
scores	O
of	O
9	O
,	O
9	O
and	O
7	O
out	O
of	O
10	O
from	O
three	O
critics	O
,	O
placing	O
it	O
among	O
the	O
issue	O
's	O
highest-scoring	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
remake	O
Maken	B-Application
Shao	I-Application
received	O
an	O
identical	O
score	O
of	O
32/40	O
from	O
Famitsu	O
,	O
which	O
praised	O
the	O
overall	O
gameplay	O
and	O
varied	O
character	O
choice	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
received	O
above-average	O
reviews	O
internationally	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
review	B-Application
aggregation	I-Application
website	O
GameRankings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
an	O
import	O
review	O
,	O
Edge	O
Magazine	O
said	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
only	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
lack	O
of	O
multiplayer	O
and	O
level	O
design	O
that	O
kept	O
it	O
from	O
contending	O
with	O
the	O
likes	O
of	O
GoldenEye	B-Application
007	I-Application
,	O
saying	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
otherwise	O
a	O
good	O
Dreamcast	B-Operating_System
game	O
for	O
adventure	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
contrast	O
,	O
Lee	O
Skittrell	O
of	O
Computer	O
and	O
Video	O
Games	O
felt	O
it	O
was	O
not	O
worth	O
purchasing	O
other	O
than	O
by	O
those	O
"	O
desperate	O
"	O
for	O
an	O
action	B-Application
game	I-Application
due	O
to	O
the	O
many	O
faults	O
he	O
found	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
James	O
Mielke	O
of	O
GameSpot	O
called	O
Maken	B-Application
X	I-Application
a	O
strong	O
addition	O
to	O
the	B-Operating_System
Dreamcast	I-Operating_System
library	O
and	O
a	O
good	O
game	O
in	O
its	O
own	O
right	O
,	O
IGNs	O
Anoop	O
Gantayat	O
felt	O
the	O
game	O
should	O
be	O
rented	O
rather	O
than	O
immediately	O
bought	O
due	O
to	O
his	O
own	O
complaints	O
,	O
while	O
website	O
GameRevolution	O
said	O
that	O
Maken	B-Application
X	I-Application
was	O
"	O
one	O
of	O
those	O
games	O
that	O
could	O
have	O
been	O
great.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
GamePro	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
stated	O
,	O
"	O
While	O
this	O
game	O
does	O
n't	O
fit	O
neatly	O
into	O
any	O
category	O
–	O
action	B-Application
,	O
fighting	O
,	O
adventure	O
,	O
or	O
role-playing	O
–	O
anyone	O
who	O
likes	O
the	O
idea	O
of	O
a	O
pulse-pounding	O
,	O
arcade-style	O
slasher	O
with	O
sweet	O
graphics	O
will	O
enjoy	O
hacking	O
it	O
up	O
with	O
Maken	O
X.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Nerys	O
Coward	O
of	O
Official	O
Dreamcast	B-Operating_System
Magazine	O
praised	O
the	O
story	O
,	O
calling	O
it	O
"	O
theatrical	O
and	O
intriguing	O
"	O
,	O
while	O
in	O
contrast	O
Gantayat	O
felt	O
the	O
storytelling	O
was	O
"	O
poor	O
"	O
and	O
faulted	O
Sega	O
's	O
translation	O
for	O
further	O
effecting	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Edge	O
Magazine	O
noted	O
the	O
story	O
's	O
prominence	O
set	O
Maken	B-Application
X	I-Application
apart	O
from	O
equivalent	O
first-person	O
games	O
of	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Coward	O
praised	O
the	O
"	O
slick	O
and	O
glitch-free	O
"	O
environments	O
,	O
while	O
Gantayat	O
gave	O
unanimous	O
praise	O
to	O
both	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
graphics	O
and	O
its	O
character	O
designs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mielke	O
gave	O
particular	O
praise	O
to	O
Kaneko	O
's	O
character	O
designs	O
,	O
and	O
like	O
Coward	O
noted	O
the	O
environments	O
as	O
being	O
free	O
of	O
glitches	B-Error_Name
and	O
running	O
smooth	O
while	O
maintaining	O
quality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
its	O
release	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
Maken	B-Application
X	I-Application
reached	O
#6	O
in	O
gaming	O
charts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
sales	O
of	O
around	O
66,000	O
units	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
the	O
best-selling	O
new	O
Dreamcast	B-Operating_System
release	O
of	O
the	O
week	O
,	O
selling	O
through	O
nearly	O
73%	O
of	O
its	O
shipments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
total	O
sales	O
as	O
of	O
2004	O
have	O
reached	O
over	O
70,800	O
units	O
,	O
ranking	O
as	O
the	O
50th	O
best-selling	O
Dreamcast	B-Operating_System
game	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Maken	B-Application
Shao	I-Application
entered	O
Japanese	O
charts	O
at	O
#2	O
,	O
coming	O
in	O
behind	O
Phantasy	B-Application
Star	I-Application
Online	I-Application
Ver	I-Application
2	I-Application
and	O
ahead	O
of	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
port	O
of	O
Shin	B-Application
Megami	I-Application
Tensei	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Total	O
sales	O
for	O
Maken	B-Application
Shao	I-Application
in	O
Japan	O
during	O
2001	O
stand	O
at	O
just	O
over	O
40,000	O
units	O
.	O
</s>
