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01/07/00 - Shambler's overall view of Daikatana:
An interesting way to do this, since this isn't a review, is as a question and answer session. This is not a strict review, it is my own view based on completing the released single player game, and may be ammended in the future.
1. Did you enjoy Daikatana??
Yes. Overall I really enjoyed it, had a lot of fun and was inspired by much of the game. There were some sections that disappointed me, and a few bugs that really angered me, but for the majority of the game it was genuinely enjoyable.
2. What do you think of your long-time support for Daikatana now you've played it??
Justified: The reasons why I was supporting Daikatana hold true in the final game (see Q 5. below), and though the bugs and poorer sections were disappointing, the overall quality and enjoyment of the game justifies my support it.
3. What do you think of your decision to make a level review site for Daikatana??
Entirely justified: Assuming the editor is convenient, Daikatana should be excellent for custom maps, especially single player (in fact I think it's better as a mapping tool than as a game). As I was discussing recently, Daikatana is not the best FPS game around or forthcoming, but it is the best new game for SP maps - I'm pleased I could see that over a year ago and start a review site on that basis. I don't know if any will get made but I know that the potential is definitely there.
Ammended: I've since shut down that review site but am still ready to review Daikatana levels here.
4. How much potential does Daikatana have for single player levels??
The most ever?? The huge amount of diversity in the choice of four episodes, and the rich design features and effects give it arguably more single player mapping potential than any other FPS game. There's so much to chose from, and when I played through DKT, ideas for maps were flowing thick and fast - and I'm not even a mapper. Furthermore, many aspects people dislike about the game can be left out of custom maps. All it needs is for mappers to give it a try.
5. What were the best aspects of Daikatana??
Huge amount of variation and diversity, strongly themed and distinctive episodes, smooth and comfortable control and physics, very characterful and stylish weapons, fun gameplay, some very well designed maps and great architecture, awesome music in E2 and E3, strong atmosphere in many places, interesting design touches and some good effects, cool, original and detailed skins, some funky and unusual monsters, clear story that's well implemented throughout the game, occasional subplots, tactical interest of using sidekicks, stats and Daikatana power add novelty, good exploration and secrets in places, rich features and inspiration for custom maps, stylish and tasteful menus and HUD.
6. What were the worst aspects of Daikatana??
Extremely buggy - including gamestopping bugs, some sections of the game and maps are noticably poorer than the general standard, some map designs are poorly used, some textures and skies are very blurry/faded/crude, effects aren't used consistently, monster and sidekick AI and combat tactics are generally poor, combats are often noticably easy after Episode1, dialogue is cheesy and has illogical gaps, lack of demo recording and editor.
Ammended: Slow level loading times, poor quality cutscenes, lack of big, tough, scary monsters. .
Ammended: Note that many of the more serious problems have been fixed in the patch.
7. What were the main improvements you'd suggest??
Daikatana wasn't fit to release in it's current state. I understand the release pressures Ion must have faced, but for the benefit of the game, it should have been kept for several months for beta-testing - particularly since the flaws were so noticable. Firstly to fix all the bugs, serious or otherwise, secondly to ensure the obviously weaker areas of the game were improved, and thirdly to include demo recording and the map editor.
8. What do you think about the reviews and public response to Daikatana??
I haven't read any reviews and I do not intend to. But I have seen the general scores Daikatana has been given, and the fairly negative response to it. This response and scoring does not correlate to the quality and enjoyment in the game, therefore I suspect there are other likely explanations of people responding in this way: 1. They are influenced by irrelevant factors such as Romero, "bitch" advert, development time, team troubles, etc. 2. They have unrealistic expectations of the game (comparing it to Half-Life, UT, for example), and have not approached the game on it's own merits. 3. They have a pre-disposed bias against the game and set out determined to trash it. 4. They are too scared to go against the general negativity and give the game a fair review.
I would recommend that players do not trust reviews nor the overly negative public reponse, and instead approach the game with an open mind, take it on it's own merits, and judge for themselves. If there's one thing I dislike about the overly negative response, particularly in review scores, it's that it will have put off many players who would enjoy Daikatana, but who now won't try it because of the influence of reviews / ratings. This is a great pity, as not only will the reviewers have betrayed journalistic integrity and Ion Storm by misrepresenting Daikatana, they will have deprived gamers of enjoyment they would have otherwise had - and that is just contemptible.
Ammended: The problem of the bugs is more serious for the game than I've made out - given I can download the work-around saves easily, and I can see the qualities of this game beyond just playing it through once. But for players without easy access to work-arounds and who just want to complete the game once, game-stopping bugs are a severe problem. How should reviews reflect that, and balance a couple of severe bugs with the general goodness in the game?? Maybe that's another explanation for the overly negative review scores.
9. Where do you think Daikatana fits into the FPS gaming world??
It fits in as a fun and interesting, though rather unpolished, sci-fi / fantasy single player game, a jack-of-all-trades for diverse styles and themes, and a feature-packed starting point for many potential custom maps.
10. Would you recommend Daikatana to other players??
Yes. I'd recommend the boxed version to players who can put up with some difficulties with bugs and the related work-arounds, and assuming the patch fixes the major bugs, I'd recommend a patched version without reservation - as long as Daikatana is approached with an open mind, it's worth any player giving it a try.
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