Daikatana

Really not sure why Daikatana would be on this site other than as a monument of infamous gaming history. Daikatana has become synonymous with everything that was wrong with game development in the 90s. Over the top, Xtreme attitude marketing, endless delays, and in the end, an FPS that is brown, ugly and boring. That's the problem with Daikatana, it's a bad game, but not bad enough to be hilariously bad like Big Rigs: Off Road Trucking. It's just a frustrating mess with terrible weapons and embarrassing companion AI. Also, the black character is named Superfly Johnson? Why not just call him Stepin Fetchit and be done with it?

I bought this at release in the big box back in 2000 (I was 19) and after playing it for two weeks I became frustrated and got rid of it. I then went on to enjoy Deus Ex and Anachronox. Fast forward to about 2008 and I'm so incredibly nostalgic for my teen years that I end up tracking down all kinds of stuff I remember from then. Even stuff I didn't like. Like Daikatana. To be honest I didn't really hate Daikatana or consider it crap. It was just frustrating and not as interesting as other games out at the time like Deus Ex, Half-Life, Thief, Diablo 2, Unreal Tournament, Anachronox, and etc... But as a 20-something and drunk on nostalgia and the good feelings I get from memories dredged up by things from my favorite decade of life, I ended up loving Daikatana like it was an underdog or hidden gem. It's minor design and gameplay problems actually give it a niave charm. The unique setting and story remind me of a time when sci-fi and cyberpunk dominated the settings of most action games. I like the soundtrack. I like the colorful setting. The whole game feels like it was based on a 90's comic book that never existed. Plus, I love 90's comic books. Yes,.. my love of the game is based on happy memory association of a lost time. Just like how I watched The Phantom Menace right after I graduated high school with my brother and despite me not liking it at the time I now like to watch it every summer just for the warm fuzzy euphoric memories it brings back. "Why five stars?" you ask? Why not? Who cares? I love this "bad" game. Plus I just love shooting green energy balls at those robot frogs while running through what looks like a mountain dew factory that is leaking everywhere. Funtastical!

It's just that the videogame industry is pitiless. There's no room for second place. Settings are varied as the action is set in different times from Antiquity to the future. The first enemy you encounter is a toad, which sets the tone of a somewhat unvoluntarily funny FPS. I liked this game in some strange way, I did not enjoy it less than its contemporaries. I think it's worth trying for one's culture. At $50, I would understand your disappointment. At $6, there's nothing to say.

That said, it's not terrible. It has fun moments, some of the weapons are really ingenious and fun to use. Most of the levels are well designed, it's just that you can tell they were basically ported from the Quake 1 engine, and they suffer for it. The absolutely most irritating thing about the game is the babysitting of the stupid companions - and make no mistake, you'll be doing it all the way through the game. Daikatana might have merited three stars had it not been for the companions. Four if the plot had been in any way interesting (the time bending nature of the Daikatana was a neat way to tie in levels that had no logical relation to one another, but that's it). I recommend giving it a go, and seeing the parts that were good, contemplating what might have been, and then forgetting about it like the rest of the world has.

I know I am one of minority guys in here, but I expected much worse than what I've actually been through. Yes, sidekicks are stupid and sometimes annoying as hell. You have to wait for them to catch up with you even in the plain field where nothing stands between you and your lovely asian beauty and that "bald, strong, little bit outlaw, but deep within his heart he is generous black guy" cliche. Gameplay itself is a bit repetitive especially after your Daikatana gained maximum level. And battles are hard and also annoying often. But, even so, the idea within this game could have unlimited potential considering the age of its birth. The 4 different world have their own characters, and using different weapon is just fun. (Even though many of these weapon won't be used because of its ineffectiveness.....) If you'd asked me if I can suggest this game to anybody I know, I say "definitely not." But, hey! I know people in this website are sharing our common passion of exploring the gaming experiences. For that point of view, I think getting this game won't be "that bad" choice for you. It's $5.99 anyway.