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Daikatana Goes Gold!

CaptainCarrot writes: "And this time they mean it! Here's the story at Gamespot. There's even a demo you can download. (102.4 MB - not for the faint of heart.)" The demo is over a hundred megs. I'm 23, and I remember saving up money for a 40MB hard drive and a 2400 baud modem. Anyway, congratulations to John and the rest at Ion Storm.

20 of 206 comments (clear)

  1. My Thoughts On Daikatana by idealego · · Score: 5
    OK I've played Daikatana for a little while now. It's actually not anything like what I was expecting. IT'S WORSE!!!@#$%!#%!

    Oh no! armies of mosquitos are attacking me! shoot the blue stuff at them! oh no I'm out of ammo! hit them with the sparking fist! Damn their hard to hit, oh no more mosquitos. Where's your deep woods when you need it?

    Romero "Ok guys we need something that will scare people shitless in the first moments they spend playing our new masterpiece, any suggestions?"
    Programmer "MOSQUITOS! Armies of Mosquitos!"
    Romero "Holy shit I know that would scare me!"
    Romero "Man with armies of mosquitos in Daikatana how can people not be impressed"
    Programmer "Oh Oh I know! A sparking fist!"
    Romero "Wow! we could make people run around and punch the armies of mosquitos with a sparking fist!"
    Romero "Ok now get to work bitches! With armies of mosquitos and a sparking fist this is gonna be the best game of 1997 umm I mean 2000"

    -idealego

    1. Re:My Thoughts On Daikatana by Uksi · · Score: 5

      Man, armies of crappedy-ass FPS players whining and whining and whining on Slashdot, getting their posts moderated up.

      It's pretty easy to shoot the mosquitos, same goes for the frogs and keep moving while battling the alligator. Turrets can be taken out by simply shooting the control panels at a distance, the turrets won't even touch you.

      There are secrets that can make your life much easier, such as the wraithorb (invisibility) near the bridge where a shitload of mosquitos come out and there's that huge bird/whatever that drops a megashield if you kill it.

      Then you have a something walking/zombie monster, I killed it too fast for me to see what it was. I paused playing the game when I got to the next save gem, so I can't tell you more.

      But, damn, people, PUT SOME SKILL into your playing and beat at least three or four levels before you bitch and moan about Daikatana the worst game released!

      For 3dfx AMD K-6 3dNow! users, go into your config.cfg and daikatana.cfg files and change the line that says 'set gl_driver "opengl"' to 'set gl_driver "amd3dgl"'. You'll get DAMN GOOD performance. The game is running sweet here with a VooDoo 2 and AMD K6-2 450. Users without AMD, but with 3dfx chipsets, might want to use 'set gl_driver "3dfxgl"'.

      I mean, come on, can we see some effort being put into this game instead of "download the demo real quick, get killed and pissed real quick, post to slashdot as soon as possible to get post moderated up."

      Grr.

  2. Kind of ironic by dragonfly_blue · · Score: 3
    Kind of ironic that when they first announced Daikatona, a 40 MB hard drive probably seemed huge!

    lol just kidding of course.

    --
    Free music from Jack Merlot.
  3. A bit late. . . by SMN · · Score: 4

    April Fools was - by my watch - a full 21 days ago. Besides, that prank's old already - no one will fall for it _again_!

    -----
    Why can't we see others' karma anymore?

    --
    -- Imagine how much more advanced our technology would be if we had eight fingers per hand.
  4. The Ion Storm Lesson by Skyshadow · · Score: 3
    There is a valuable lesson to be taken from Ion Storm: Hot-shit programmers may think they're always right, but they're not.

    As amusing as it has been to sit around and watch Ion Storm disintigrate while the coders played dueling egos, it does make the point that maybe, just maybe, management isn't quite as useless as Dilbert would have us believe.

    As for Daikatana: Why bother? A game based on an ancient engine featuring "quests" like "find the key" just doesn't push my buttons anymore.

    ----

    --
    Every year during my review, I just pray the words "slashdot.org" aren't mentioned.
  5. List Of Mirrors by idealego · · Score: 3
    Your results my vary but this is what I got in KB/second, N/A means either the file wasn't there when I checked or I couldn't get on.

    190K http://ftp1.gamespy.com/pub/fileplanet/gamedemos/a ction/dkdemo.exe
    114K ftp://ftp.gameaholic.com/pub/games/action/daikatan a/demo/dkdemo.exe
    36K ftp://209.247.108.212/pub2/daikatana/demopatch/dkd emo.exe
    13K ftp://ftp.zdnet.com/gs/action/daikatan/dkdemo.exe 10K ftp://ftp.avault.com/demos/dkdemo.exe
    7K ftp://ftp2.3dgamers.com/pub/3daction/00archives/da ikatana/releases/dkdemo.exe
    7K ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/pub/3dfiles/games/dkdemo.exe
    N/A ftp://ftp.telepac.pt/pub/3dfiles/games/dkdemo.exe
    N/A ftp://ftp.epix.net/pub/3dfiles/games/dkdemo.exe
    N/A ftp://fileplanet.gil.com.au/gamedemos/action/dkdem o.exe
    N/A ftp://mirror.aarnet.edu.au/pub/3dfiles/games/dkdem o.exe

    -idealego

  6. DaiKatana.. wrong spelling by Lycestra · · Score: 3

    They used the wrong spelling. They should have used "Dai Kata naa" or, "sure are large shoulders, aint they",
    or maybe "Dai Kitanai", which is poor grammer for "very dirty".

    I could go on.

    --
    Lycestra
  7. Wow.. this is AWFUL by Teman+Clark-Lindh · · Score: 4

    At first I thought, oh, this might be good..
    hehe. boy, was I ever wrong.

    There are 2 kinds of enemies. Ones on the ground, and ones not on the ground. Some of them have different models, but that really isn't important.
    Then you get to a boss.. And run out of ammo.

    The guns are all as lame or lamer than Unreal 1. They went totally overboard with the partical effects, so you get distracted cuz it is raining hard are you are firing the 10 trillion bright green bouncing sparks gun.

    Deathmatch reminds me of doom.. Low detail levels, and LAG! The sword sucks in HTH.

    These guys are gonna get slaughtered. This is the "Blood 2" of the year 2000.

    -Teman

    --
    There's no mystical energy field that controls my destiny. It's all a lot of simple tricks and nonsense.
  8. A Slap in the Face from Romero by Wag · · Score: 3

    Got the demo, started to play, hit F2 for quicksave and a message stating, "No gems to save game" pops up. WTF?! No gems!? Get outta here!

    Has Romero been living in a cave these last few years? He must have noticed all the uproar about these types of games that don't offer an unlimited save game option.

    This is just more proof that Romero doesn't give two shits about anyone, even the folks he's trying to sell the game to.

  9. Problems Installing Demo? by Agar · · Score: 4

    I read on a couple of boards that there may be installation glitches with the 100MB download.

    After running the .EXE file (DKDEMO.EXE?) to install, you may get an error that says "Insert next disk." Installation then aborts.

    If this occurs, rename the file to DKDEMO.ZIP, extract the files to a temp directory using WinZip (or whatever), then run SETUP.EXE from the temp directory.

    Hope this helps...
    ------

  10. Vaporwave coalescing is so existential... by ruin · · Score: 4
    ROS (mournfully): Not Daikatana. I don't believe in it anyway.

    GUIL: What?

    ROS: Daikatana.

    GUIL: Just a conspiracy of gaming magazines, you mean?

    ROS: I mean I don't believe it! (Calmer.) I have no image. I try to picture it arriving in stores, at Babbage's perhaps... or EB... a sales clerk to point it out... its shiny red box... playing it for a day or a fortnight and then uninstalling it... That would be the logical kind of thing. ...But my mind remains a blank. No. It can't be real.

    GUIL: Yes... yes... (Rallying.) But you don't believe anything til it happens. And it has gone gold. Hasn't it?

    ...

    (just another of the wierd things that pop into my brain)

    --

    --
    share and enjoy
  11. *Not* coders at Ion Storm by delmoi · · Score: 3

    Actually, from what I've heard most of the coders hated it there, so much that they have had mass exoduses of programmers on more then one occasion. In fact Romero disliked the 'coder centric' Attitude of JohnC at id, and that's one of the reasons that he left to start his own company, where design, not code, would rule.

    And look where it's gotten him.

    Meanwhile, Carmak and ID continue to dominate the industry. Along with epic mega games, where Tim Sweeny, one of the head coders, gets a lot of say on what goes on.

    --

    ReadThe ReflectionEngine, a cyberpunk style n
  12. Re:Yet another Windows/x86 only game :-P by DrEldarion · · Score: 3

    Honestly, though, who *WOULDN'T* go for that 90% of the market? The whole reason they're making the game is to make money... by going for the area with the highest amount of users, they can get the most money with the least effort.

    -- Dr. Eldarion --
    It's not what it is, it's something else.

  13. Daikatana! by drwiii · · Score: 5
    Wow, I never thought a 3d game could look this good!

    screenshot

  14. My daikatana logbook by kirkb · · Score: 4
    1. Spend 8 minutes downloading (cable. woo hoo!)

    2. Spend 3 minutes installing.

    3. Start first game. Find mosquitoes. Kill mosquitoes. Find frogs. Get poisoned by frogs. Die.

    4. Start second game. Kill mosquitoes. Kill frogs. New map loads. Kill more mosquitoes. Get mowed down by pop-up machinegun turret.

    5. deltree c:\games\daikatanademo

    6. Feel pity for the daikatana development team, knowing that the 15 mintues of my life that has been wasted on this game pales in comparison to the combined DECADES that they've squandered.

    --
    Slashdot: come for the pedantry, stay for the condescension.
    1. Re:My daikatana logbook by Uksi · · Score: 3

      Of course, if you actually used a little bit of brain and noticed that all turrets have a control panel next to them that you can blow up from a distance, you wouldn't even see one pop up.

      Smart gamers evaluate Daikatana: top-rated posts on this story.

  15. Re: Spolied cutting edge cryin' by Cebert · · Score: 3

    You're joking right? Engines don't make the game. The content does.
    This "eww it's not cutting edge!" whining crap from modern gamers is getting pretty old.
    Quakeworld Team Fortress, even with the threat of cheating,
    is still more entertaining to, not just myself, but to a GREAT MANY people
    despite having a 4+ year old engine. There are people who,
    god forbid, still enjoy playing Doom on a LAN with their buddies.
    Nevermind the myriad of folks who enjoy a fun game of Super Mario now and then using the NESticle emulator now and then.
    While flashy effects and slick textures make for good show, if you get bored of it quickly
    because the game is no fun, then what's the point? It will ALWAYS be
    the content that matters. Wether Daikatana has this or not...remains to be seen. ;P

    --
    -- www.bteg.com | bleh.n3.net | hac47.dhs.org
  16. Perliminary analysis of DK by Temporal · · Score: 3

    I remember, way back in the day, when John Romero left id Software. He said, (not exact quote) "There comes a point whene it is time to stop worrying about the technology behind a game and start working on the content." When I heard that, I thought "Wow, at least someone in the industry knows what they are doing.

    At the time, I got the impression that he was talking about making a game with a story. Or an least something different. Well, that there demo has a whole two paragraphs of story, and it doesn't even make sense. Also, it is quite clear that you don't need to know the story to play the game.

    Basically, to make your own Daikatana, take Quake 1 or 2 (they are pretty much the same), add some nifty graphics enhancements and a perdy user interface, and make all the monsters *real* small so that they are impossible to hit.

    I actually would rather play Quake 1. The reason being the monsters. In the first few levels of the Daikatana demo, you fight:

    • mosquitoes
    • frogs
    • small but deadly gun turrets that pop out of the ground and shoot you before you realize that they are there.
    All of these things are small. Small is just a pain in the ass. The fact is that they are so small that you can have your crosshairs lined up perfectly and still miss because your gun is offset slightly to the right (because you are holding it in your hand). The fact that you don't get much ammo just makes it worse. Imagine trying to punch a flying mosquito to death.

    Basically, Daikatana looks like the same old thing. Shoot the monsters, get through the map. I admit that I didn't play very far, but any writer knows that you are supposed to do something special at the beginning of any story to get the audience interested. I saw nothing special, except a funny window titled "program error".

    For a well-done FPS, see Half-Life.

    ------

  17. Re: Spolied cutting edge cryin' by Spiv · · Score: 3

    Hear Hear!

    Whenever I read a games mag review which says something like:
    * Graphics: 4.5/5
    * Sound: 4/5
    * Gameplay: 2/5
    * Overall: 4/5

    I feel a little saddened. I'd personally be willing to completely discard fancy graphics and sound in my games if it meant better gameplay. I still think Tetris is fun. I still think Wizardry VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant is fun. I still think Doom is fun. I still think Zork, yes Zork is fun. Defender of the Crown on the C64 is fun.

    Yes, some of those had cutting edge graphics. I don't have anything against them - but I just don't consider them essential, or even important, to a game being any good, except perhaps where "atmospherics" matter. But who cares how dark and forboding a level of Bloodthirsty Let's Kill'em All Rampage 3D is, if the playability is shite?

    These days, you'll often find Zangband sitting on tty2 of my box at home.

    If a game is pretty to look at, and sounds cool, then fine... but you may as well be watching TV (or replaying your Matrix DVD for the umpteenth time).

    I know this is a rant, but I just yearn for the good ol' days, y'know? :)

    -Spiv.

  18. I want the past 5 hours of bandwidth back! by sigemund · · Score: 3

    John Romero, you owe me 5 hours of bandwidth and 2 hours of gaming back! This is honestly the worst game I've played since "Scarab" (a lame-ass Egyptian robot-style game from about 3 years ago).

    I really, really wanted to love this game, I really did. I figured that "Hey, Romero's been panned in the media and is considered to be one of the biggest jokes of the gaming world" . . . It would be so fitting, so great if he silenced all critics and released a bad-ass game.

    Back when the multiplayer-only demo came out, I was very excited. The game was mediocre, at best, but there was so much potential. It looked pretty cool . . . nice visuals, powerful weapons, fast-paced action . . . this could be something good.

    Over a year later I can say one thing . . . this isn't something good . . . this must've been designed by "HeadGames" (makers of masterpieces like "Extreme Paintbrawl" and "Swamp Racing"). I've read all the short reviews by other /. ers and said to myself "aw hell, I'm sure it's better than they say it is . . . they're just pilin' on Romero". . . well, after 5 hours of downloading, I wanna jump on that pile too!

    The graphics were, um, interesting, to say the least. The machine I'm using (not mine, that's why it has Windows on it :) is sluggish for gaming, and its graphics card sucks. But, I can still run Quake 3 or UT very well and enjoy those games heartily. When I first started up the "Single Player" game, I was treated to a dense haze of green streaks that I could hardly see through (are we near Cheyrnobyl or something?). I disabled those (something crashed . . . iosomethingorother.exe) and played again . . . it was SOOOOOOOO slow. . . rebooted, turned to lowest settings . . . still SLOOOOW . . . stuff popped out of nowhere . . . I felt so lost.

    I don't suck at FPS . . . I can whoop it up at Quake 3 and I'm especially good at Single Player mode in games like System Shock, Unreal, Quake 2, etc. I got raked in this game . . . like the US Men's soccer team . . . just bitch-slapped hardcore. As I grabbed my weapon (wtf is this thing?) and headed down the green river (how come *EVERYTHING* in this is green . . . I thought I'd get hurt when I jumped in . . . radioactive) I was attacked by some flying creature that looked like it came from Pokemon. As I figured out these giant flying things, I was conftonted by these jumping frogs that pissed me off to no end . . . I'd shoot them, and they'd lunge at me and poison me . . . wtf!?? Die you little bastards! And where the hell did this crocodile come from? What I really want to know is only one thing . . . WHY ARE THEY ATTACKING ME? Why not just live peacefully . . . can't we all just get along? Oh yeah, how come they just kinda appear all the sudden? Just *POOF*, I'm getting hurt . . . still can't see the little prick though!

    After playing single player for about 40 interminable minutes, I decided to fire up MP . . . this is the worst multiplayer I've ever seen . . . I'd rather play C&C: Sole Survivor!!!! I'd just die all the sudden and not have a clue as to who killed me, or from where 'cause I didn't see anyone . . . they just appeared . . . John, can you say it with me . . . LAG . . . L-A-G . . . good boy!

    After a couple games of that horrible torture, I came back to post . . . I saw all the negative reviews and tried to like this game again. . . I saw a few people defending the game . . . I figured, sure, why not give it another go . . . it deserves it . . . I'm sure it's much better after one or two tries . . .

    I assure you folks, it ain't!!!

    If you want to experience bad-game design, pick this up NOW. Although you may wanna just save 30 bucks and get "Extreme Paintbrawl" instead. The BUILD engine gets a better fps anyhow, and I'm sure you'll get more fun from it than this crud.

    I WANT MY BANDWIDTH BACK!!! I COULD'VE BEEN DOWNLOADING MORE PORN - ER . . . I MEAN STOCK ANALYSIS

    Bad games suck
    John Romero, you suck
    War id Software
    I'm OUT!!