Daikatana

Utilising id Software's Quake 2 engine (since eclipsed by Quake 3, released last fall),Daikatana's graphics are sharp and serviceable but lack the cutting-edge special effects of recent games. Gameplay follows the standards set by Romero's Doom and Quake designs and rarely deviates from "shoot first, ask questions later."

Daikatana's enormous amount of content offsets its graphical and gameplay shortcomings--there's simply a lot of game to uncover. Players assume the role of Hiro Miyamoto, on a mission to uncover the secrets of a mystical sword called the Daikatana. Over the course of 24 large levels, Hiro travels through four time periods--futuristic Japan, ancient Greece,the Dark Ages, and near-future San Francisco--each featuring completely new weapons, artwork, music, and enemies. Many Daikatana levels feature impressive architecture, particularly in the Greek and Dark Ages episodes. However, most of the splendour goes to waste as there isn't much to do besides knocking off a handful of bad guys. Weapons are explosive and plentiful; the variety of weaponry and enemy creatures keeps the action frantic despite the one-dimensional gameplay.

Daikatana's one innovation is the inclusion of computer-controlled sidekicks, feisty Mikiko and burly Superfly Johnson, who can accept player commands. Players use the keyboard to issue simple commands such as to attack, get, and retreat . The sidekicks add to the story line, but weak artificial intelligence often complicates gameplay. It's tough to be a hero when your lackeys accidentally shoot you or have trouble navigating a door.

Daikatana's epic single-player game should keep players busy for many hours, and a wide assortment of multiplayer modes, including deathmatch, capture the flag, and cooperative play, extend Daikatana's shelf life even further. Though Daikatana can't possibly live up to the hype, its fast-paced carnage should please old-school first-person shooter fans looking for a modern-age Doom. --Doug Radcliffe

Years later, Usagi Miyamoto has indeed taken his late father's place as the Official Weapons Forger to the Shogunate Mishima. Unfortunately, Mishima rules his prefecture with an iron fist and a bloody sword. He demands that Usagi create for him a weapon powerful enough to crush the Ebihara Clan--a growing league of farmers, artisans, and warriors dedicated to overthrowing the brutal Mishima regime.

Unbeknownst to the greedy Mishima, Usagi Miyamoto has spent the past 15 seasons roaming the world in a quest for materials to build his all-powerful sword. From Haitian voodoo priests, to dark Celtic sects, to Malaysian Dream tribes, Usagi has cultivated a vast template of mystic secrets for his sacred Daikatana. He does not intend for the valuable weapon to go to the bloody hands of Mishima. However, when the spectacular sword is finished, Usagi realises he has forged not only a time-wandering device, but also the ultimate weapon of universal destruction. Help him bury it forever before he commits ritual seppuku.