a score of 32/40, consequently receiving the magazine's "Gold" award. The remake Maken Shao received an identical score of 32/40 from Famitsu, which praised the overall gameplay and varied character choice. The game received above-average reviews internationally according to the review aggregation website GameRankings. In an import review, Edge Magazine said that it was only the game's lack of multiplayer and level design that kept it from contending with the likes of GoldenEye 007, saying that it was otherwise a good Dreamcast game for adventure players. In contrast, Lee Skittrell of Computer and Video Games felt it was not worth purchasing other than by those "desperate" for an action game due to the many faults he found. James Mielke of GameSpot called Maken X a strong addition to the Dreamcast library and a good game in its own right, IGNs Anoop Gantayat felt the game should be rented rather than immediately bought due to his own complaints, while website GameRevolution said that Maken X was "one of those games that could have been great." Eric Bratcher of NextGen said of the game, "There are redeeming elements, but they just don't resolve into anything exciting. We suggest waiting for Half-Life [Counter-Strike]." GamePro, however, stated, "While this game doesn't fit neatly into any category – action, fighting, adventure, or role-playing – anyone who likes the idea of a pulse-pounding, arcade-style slasher with sweet graphics will enjoy hacking it up with Maken X." Nerys Coward of Official Dreamcast Magazine praised the story, calling it "theatrical and intriguing", while in contrast Gantayat felt the storytelling was "poor" and faulted Sega's translation for further effecting it. Edge Magazine noted the story's prominence set Maken X apart from equivalent first-person games of the time. Skittrell was highly critical of the story segments as "boring [...] and far too long", but said the story was entertaining. Game Revolution praised the unique choice of the Maken as protagonist along with the variety of endings. The English voice acting was panned by multiple critics. Coward described the gameplay as highly enjoyable, praising the variety of playable characters but faulting the controls as stiff. Edge praised the combat options and refreshing change from standard combat in other first-person games, noting the variety offered by character abilities but criticizing the lack of multiplayer options. Mielke called the gameplay "pretty standard" aside from enemy variety and character options, and noted the light