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Platform

Dreamcast

 

Genre

Action

 

Publisher

Sega

 

Developer

Atlus

 

ESRB

M (Mature)

 

Released

Q1 2000

 

 

- Decent graphics

 

 

- Slow gameplay

- Not enough variation

 

 

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Maken X

Score: 5.5/10


While FPSs are good fun, some games have tried to take that perspective and transform it into a hack and slash game. What has almost always been left out in these ventures is the fun. While first person shooters have fast action, a huge arsenal of weapons, and a myriad of multi-player modes, sword swinging affairs in the first-person have traditionally been slow, uneventful experiences that are more of a chore than a game. Maken X is by no means an exception to this, while it has some very nice visuals, the game doesn’t escape the weak points of its brethren in the genre. Helping to finish tanking the experience, Maken X has one of the worst story lines to come along in years.

 

Maken X Review   Maken X Review   Maken X Review

It’s pretty much expected that the Dreamcast will pump out some very good graphics. Maken X fills the bill nicely, with detailed environments, spiffy lighting-effects, and well-designed anime-like characters. It’s a shame that the actual game plays out so poorly, as the visuals are very nice and may be over looked because of the weak gaming experience.

The gameplay is where Maken X just falls apart. It is tortuously slow, as the enemies run relatively predictable patterns, the combat is slow, and the sword hacking is tedious. Players can possess the bodies of certain fallen enemies, and characters that they meet throughout the game. While refreshing things briefly by introducing new weapons into combat, the new character gets boring quickly. Helping to round out the weak gameplay is an equally weak story. It is such a generic, good versus evil, "do the right thing" styled plot. Polishing off this terrible story is that the devil is the main villain.

 

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But helping to drag the game right into the depths of terrible gaming is the atrocious voice acting. The voice work here is a good example of why so many gamers clamor for subtitles. So they have to read a bit, no big deal, but it sure beats dealing with bad voice acting. Even worse is that the samples of the

dialogue have way too much reverb, and it sounds like everyone is talking in the bathroom. The sound effects and music are also uneventful, making the use of ones stereo a must, just to get some good tunes into the room.

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Maken X is such a slow, tedious experience that it will put many to sleep. The funny thing is that if it was a third person, over-the-shoulder perspective, things were sped up a little, and the game was setup as a more straightforward action title, it would probably have been pretty good, but as it stands it’s a disappointing experience.

Reviewed by Mr. Nash

(September 1, 2000)

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