"It wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be."

Everyone reading this review probably knows the hype and drama that surrounded the PC version. I'm not really going to dive into this very much. If you're new to the internet, do some research to get a better understanding. To those of you who aren't new you are probably laughing that this was even made. In some ways, I suppose it's rightfully so. The PC version didn't live up to most peoples hype and v1.0 gold release of Daikatana was filled with many bugs. So, for people to fathom the idea that the game was also still released on the N64 platform is probably laughable.

Nonetheless, I loved the PC version and picked this game up relatively cheap online. I wasn't expecting much, because even John Romero's words were, "The N64 version was abysmal. 'nuff said." Maybe he never sat through it... I don't know? All I know was I was not disappointed. It's not the greatest game ever made, and it's certainly not in the same league of Goldeneye in terms of N64 FPS'.

The game play is pretty straightforward and the game is relatively short. I was able to complete it in about 3 days off-and-on spending maybe 2-3 hours a day on it. So, an average of sometime around 8 hours worth of game play. And that's counting a first time play through.

The real flaws were the cut scenes only having music. They are really detailed and high resolution... it really pushes the N64 to it's limits. As a result, the frame rate can suffer at times during the cut scenes.

The music is simple MIDI tunes. Some are pretty good, but others just keep looping and I doesn't bother me because I grew up with this via Wolfenstein 3D and other older games that re-looped 30 second MIDI tracks... but, if someones walking by you might get a few gripes.

High resolution mode for in-game play is worthless IMO. The frame rate gets too choppy at times.

The one level I had a hell of a time with was Episode 3, Level 2. The wizard was a pain and I could never legitimately finish that level. I ended up skipping it. The bosses afterward are pretty easy for the most part and can be killed via simple circle-strafing techniques.

Overall though, for a cheap thrill it wasn't bad. I'd give a 7/10. I'd play it again.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/29/11

Game Release: John Romero's Daikatana (US, 07/31/00)