Sound Sense

Sound quality in DK is one of those areas that almost makes it, yet fails to impress. Music is well composed and ambient noise adds a lot to the atmosphere, however general weapon and enemy sounds seem somewhat tinny. It doesn't feel as though DK is making use of 44Hz and instead is sticking with the 22Hz that the original Q2 engine provides, however we couldn't confirm this.

Daikatana supports such standards as A3D and EAX to help bring a more involving atmosphere to your ears. Yet sadly, a combination of tinny sounds and sparse atmosphere doesn't help.

The Verdict

Daikatana has been in production for four years and it's easy to see why thanks to the varied episodes involved. The clear problem is in depth, there isn't any and that which does exist is marginal or simply not enough. At the end of the day it's a plain puzzle solving blaster-em-up with a few new tricks thrown in for good measure.

There are times when you can wade through huge areas and see but one or two monsters, there's simply no life to half of the levels and it's a great shame. An excellent game if you enjoy 'point and shoot' style simplicity, against the likes of Half-Life, Sof and even SIN! DK fails to stand its ground.

It's a worthwhile game if you want to be kept occupied or simply go back to the good old days of Co-Op single player. At its height are towering landscapes with intricately detailed levels and monsters, at its lows are small corridors and poorly balanced weaponry. Get DK if only to see what happened over those four years and if you enjoy a good blaster. Don't get it if you crave depth and some sense of interactivity, SOF and Half-Life should more than suffice for that.

by Mark 'KILLZAT' Jackson

Graphics - 7 Sound - 7 Gameplay - 6.5 Originality - 8
Overall - 7 (70%)

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