Maken X:     Rating: 6.7

Maken X puts you into a completely bizarre world through which you battle via a diverse cast of characters, whom you possess via "brain jack." Brain jacking is like a hijack, a carjack, a brain jack. Between levels, you meet various characters in cinematics scripted with the game's graphics engine. You can choose to brain-jack these characters, and should you do so, you can use their specific abilities in the levels that follow.

Control consists of strafing controls, lock-on functions, and a charge-up attack. You can also jump and duck. Your game experience, minus the cinemas, usually consists of walking hallways and slashing people. It's pretty standard, except that the enemies all have fairly different attacks,so your approach to each one has better be different. Something you won't find in Quake III or Unreal Tournament any time soon is the "jump over your opponent and slash him in the back of his head" move. HOT!

While control is alright, it can sometimes be hard when you find yourself surrounded by enemies. The problem is that people used to the usual mouse/keyboard combo will find the DC controller inappropriate for games like this. The biggest problem is when you want to back up and pivot at the same time, something that is impossible with the analog controller alone. Instead, you'll turn around and then back up, or vice versa. Either way, that move sucks with a controller, and that's a shame, because it keeps Maken X from being that good. But, this game is a very unique and rich experience that gets more interesting every time you play it through with different characters, which results in different endings.

The graphics in Maken X HOT! It is a technological beast that renders high-resolution environments with high-polygon-count characters, without a stop in the action. Maken X assumes different forms, depending on the character who has been brain jacked. Each defeated enemy leaves behind an ampule, which, when you pick it up, enhances your stats.