'Daikatana' Worlds Worth Wait; Rhythm Required for 'Space Channel 5'

By AARON CURTISS

July 13, 2000 12 AM PT

The PC action game “Daikatana” is the long-awaited adventure title from John Romero, an industry legend who helped launch the first-person genre with games such as “Wolfenstein 3D” and the “Doom” series.

The game endured countless delays before it finally hit shelves this summer, prompting tons of speculation that “Daikatana” was either poised to revolutionize the industry or was such a lousy game that it needed to be reworked time and again.

The answer: Neither.

Although a very good first-person adventure, “Daikatana” is evolutionary rather than revolutionary. It’s powered by the Quake II engine, designed by Romero’s former colleagues at Id Software and one of the most popular game engines for fast-moving adventures. Players who enjoy “Doom” or “Quake” or “Unreal” will feel instantly at home with familiar controls and objectives.

“Daikatana” follows Hiro Miyamoto, a martial arts instructor descended from an ancient metalworker who forged the magic sword that gives the game its name. The sword, it turns out, enables its user to travel through time--a feature an evil businessman has exploited to take over the world. Players guide Miyamoto through time as he searches for the sword in some pretty cool and creepy environments.

The worlds make “Daikatana.” Full of detail and dripping with atmosphere, they truly immerse players in Miyamoto’s world--whether it’s a futuristic Japan, ancient Greece or medieval Norway. The variety keeps players pushing through “Daikatana.”

Over the course of “Daikatana” players pick up sidekicks who can help out and lead the way through confusing levels. But on a game like this I prefer to be responsible only for myself. Keeping others alive--no matter how capable they may be--detracts from my fun.

My only other real beef with “Daikatana” is that my copy stalled in the middle of some levels as the game loaded files. It was distracting and frustrating, particularly if players dash across a threshold as they fight off enemies. The game loads the old stuff when players backtrack and then reloads the new stuff when they move forward. Talk about awkward.

“Daikatana” requires a Pentium 233 with 32 mb of RAM, 200 mb of available hard disk space and a graphics accelerator with at least 4 mb of RAM. The publisher recommends a Pentium II 300 with 64 mb of RAM, 400 mb of available hard disk space and a graphics accelerator with 16 mb of RAM. Multiplayer action requires an Internet or network connection.

“Space Channel 5”

Every one of us at some time or another has been told that we can be anything we put our minds to, right? Baloney. For instance, I’ll never be a “Solid Gold” dancer--and not just because the world’s not ready for me in gold lame stretch pants. See, I was born without a rhythm gene.

So playing a game like “Space Channel 5” for Sega Dreamcast is for me like trying to bust a move in front of the nastiest schoolyard Harpy. There’s no way to win. A game solely for the rhythmically endowed, “Space Channel 5” puts players in the dancing shoes of a leggy, futuristic reporter named Ulala, which is pronounced “Ooh-La-La.”

Seems Earth has been invaded by a troupe of dancing aliens who use a ray gun to “turn innocent humans into hypnotized go-go dancers.” Among the few not turned into zombie hoofers, Ulala must match the alien grooves to defeat them.

That essentially means players tap the direction pad to mimic the alien moves. Up. Left. Down. Right. Sounds simple enough, I know, but the whole routine must be done to the beat. Unfortunately, my Ulala looked more like she was having a seizure than swinging her hips for humanity.

The visuals of “Space Channel 5” rock. And although the game is a pretty bald rip-off of “Parappa the Rapper” and “Um Jammer Lammy,” the soundtrack and the premise make it a great party game. Only one person at a time can play, but it’s a good way to see who among your circle of friends can really shake their groove thing.

“1942”

“1942” for Game Boy Color is the sort of title that takes players back. If not all the way to the dark days of World War II, then at least to the early days of video games. The original “1942” hit arcades in 1984 and offered top-down air combat action that seemed pretty revolutionary at the time.

Now it just seems quaint.

But the fun remains.

Players pilot a P-38 on an attack run to Tokyo. The skies swarm with what appear to be Japanese Zeros. The controls don’t get any simpler than they are in “1942.” Up. Down. Right. Left. And shoot. Lots of shoot.

Terrain scrolls gently below the P-38, although it’s pretty uninteresting. Lots of ocean. The green enemy planes are sometimes tough to see against some of the background, but bad guys are for the most part easy to see and tough to nail.

The worst thing about “1942” is that very few enemy planes actually fire at players. So many of the early missions get tedious for players with any coordination. A password system makes it possible to resume the game, which is great.

Aaron Curtiss is participating in a management training program, where he currently serves as assistant to the senior vice president of advertising.

He has no financial dealings with the companies he covers. To comment on a column or to suggest games for review, send e-mail to aaron.curtiss@latimes.com.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Essentials

1942

* Platform: Game Boy Color

* Publisher: Capcom

* ESRB* rating: Everyone

* Price: $30

* Bottom line: Vintage

Daikatana

* Platform: PC

* Publisher: Eidos Interactive

* ESRB rating: Mature