involved in the process, which he stated was a positive experience. The localization was handled cooperatively by Atlus and the American branch of Sega, who acted as the game's publishers. The game's international release was announced in February 2000. One of the points Atlus was concerned about for the international version was the use of Nazi imagery for some enemies. Due to what were described as "cultural points that could be harmful", the game's graphics were altered for the international release to avoid controversy. The gameplay remained unchanged between versions. Kaneko described the voice recording as the most difficult part of the localization. Initially scheduled for release in March, the game was pushed forward into April for unspecified reasons, although it was speculated that it was due to that month already boasting several game releases. Maken X was eventually released in North America on April 25, 2000. In Europe, the game was released on July 7 of that year. Maken Shao was first announced in February 2001. Prior to its official announcement, there was speculation that it was a sequel to the original game. Maken Shao was published by Atlus in Japan on June 7, 2001. It came with both standard and limited editions, with the limited edition having exclusive cover art. For its European release, DC Studios both converted Maken Shao to PAL region hardware, and localized the game into English. It was published as Maken Shao: Demon Sword by Midas Interactive Entertainment on June 27, 2003. This version was later re-released by Midas Interactive Entertainment on the European PlayStation Network on February 27, 2013 as a PlayStation Classic title. Adaptations A manga adaptation written and illustrated by Q Hayashida was released between January 2000 and November 2001 by Kodansha. Titled Maken X: Another, the story followed a similar path to the original game. The manga was collected into two volumes and released under the title Maken X: Another Jack by Enterbrain on December 25, 2008. A comic anthology was published by Kodansha in March 2000. A novelization titled Maken X: After Strange Days, written by Akira Kabuki and published by ASCII Media Works, was released in April 2000. Reception In Japan, the game received high scores from critics. The Japanese Dreamcast Magazine gave Maken X scores of 9, 9 and 7 out of 10 from three critics, placing it among the issue's highest-scoring games. Famitsu gave the game