Daikatana

I recently played through the game for a podcast we do called Quality Assurance, where we look for the good in critically unsuccessful games. What we found was there were a lot of elements that worked, or came close to working. What didn't work was mostly because it was trying too much. It's a fascinating game and worth having a look at. If you're interested in the discussion, just google "Eight and a Half Bit Daikatana" (links aren't allowed in reviews).

Remember to get the fanpatch 1.3 without this patch the games is sh*t with sh*t on. When you have patched the game you have an average game. It's really not worth the trouble there is so many good games on GOG and in general, so why waste time on average games? https://bitbucket.org/daikatana13/daikatana/wiki/Downloads

Yes, we all know what kind of arrogant prick Romero was back in the days. Yes, we all know the long and disastrous developement history of this game. And we all know that the release version was buggy as hell. But ... Daikatana isnt as bad as some people still say, when they confuse their distain for Romero with this underrated gem. Sure, it is NOT what Romero promised, but when you leave all this hype aside, Daikatana is an underdog par excellence. Beatiful levels and texture work, had the first RPG elements in shooter hostory, solid gameplay and with your NPC buddies finally fixed, no more nerve wrecking plotstopper bugs. I still despise Romero for his arrogant behaviour at that time, but I enjoyed Daikatana a lot after i finally picked it up years later for a few bucks. But if you still want to hate this game for no apparant reason ... it's your descision :)

This game isn't just all shades of brown, like other games. Sometimes it's also just shades of green, and nothing else! Welcome to the world of Daikatana, John Romero's self-proclaimed "expert FPS", full of whimsical, juvenile ideas. Having been called the "worst game of all time", Daikatana isn't nearly as bad as some people say it is. Still, it's plenty bad, enough to merit a 1-star review! Daikatana has a weapon called a "Shot Cycler". It's a standard FPS shotgun, only it shoots six bullets one after another, which is not only stupid regarding the accuracy of this thing, it also effectively cuts your ammo count through 6. It has guns that ricochet uncontrollably and hurt you, and also hurt you if you try to use them while in water. It has a grenade launcher which has its effective range equal to its explosion radius, hurting you if you don't take a couple of steps back after shooting it. Notice a common theme? Sorry, John, "The tools the players have also hurt them most of the time" isn't expert, it's just stupid. It's also anti-fun. Daikatana is divided into 4 episodes, each with its own set of weapons and enemies, almost none of which are recycled in other episodes, which counts as a plus. John Romero's "expert FPS" tactics consist of having to circle strafe around the meaty enemies a couple of minutes while trying to take them down, a tactic which works a 100% of the time. You get EXP for killing enemies, unless you use the Daikatana, which absorbs all of the EXP in order to level itself up. It's a useless melee weapon, though, so don't ever do that. Also, you should know that the game is one long escort mission; you have 2 companions, and you cannot finish the level without them. Being a vintage FPS there's no regenerating health here, so if you die you're dead. You're also dead if you saved in the wrong spot, or if your team mates die. There used to be limited saves in this game, though this has since been patched out. Buy for a laugh, at less than 4$!

Gamer bad boy John Romero's vision, post id software days. This game was in development hell forever and was supposed to be the cornerstone of Ion Storm's lineup of games. This game was HIGHLY anticipated and we were all told before it released to "SUCK IT DOWN!" which was what John Romero told the media before it released. The game received very critical reviews, mainly due to the concept having been far too ambitious for the period. It was also dated when it released because I believe they went through 3 different engines before settling on the Quake 2 engine, which would be antiquated by the release date. Much criticism was also given because the mouths of the characters did not move. The game play was tedious and the AI for the team members was atrocious. Level design was weak and very repetitive. Honestly my biggest complain were the sound effects, which were absolutely horrible, especially the ambient water noises. I only recommend to buy this game to understand why this game is considered one of the worst games ever made. For the $1.49 price tag, see for yourself how John Romero fell from grace! It is something you literally have to see for yourself. My words cannot explain it sufficiently in this small review. This is literally a piece of gaming history and the game changed the game development landscape, forever! Not even Deus Ex could save Ion Storm after this colossal flop.