Doom, Wolfenstein, and Quake co-creator John Romero says that he “supports” a remake of 2000 shooter Daikatana. Developed at Ion Storm, after Romero parted ways with id Software, Daikatana struggled commercially and critically. Now, Romero says that he would be willing to “consult” on a hypothetical remake, while also discussing his upcoming FPS game, built in Unreal Engine 5, his future Doom WADs, and his relationship with id co-founder John Carmack.
Designed by Romero, Daikatana takes place over a variety of time periods, each with different enemies, weapons, and environmental aesthetics. Though it’s become an infamous part of gaming history, having played it from start to finish, I would personally argue it’s nowhere near as bad as its legacy might suggest. Now, as John Romero releases his autobiography, Doomguy, the legendary FPS designer discusses the role he would serve if Daikatana were to be remade.
“I feel that Daikatana, if remade, could be an exciting game,” Romero says, “more so than the original. Personally, I would consult but not do the remake myself as I’m very busy with other games. I would not remake Daikatana myself, but I support a remake.”
Romero also says that a new game in the Commander Keen series, which helped propel id Software to success before the creation of Wolfenstein 3D and Doom, “would look very different from the originals,” adding that it would “be lots of fun to make that with Tom [Hall, Commander Keen and id Software co-developer.]”
In a lengthy Q and A, Romero also talks about his relationship with id Software co-founder and id Tech creator John Carmack. Though the two worked closely together on Wolfenstein, Doom, and id’s various, earlier projects, Romero parted ways from id Software during the development of Quake.
“We could have stayed working together if we did things differently at the start of Quake,” Romero says. “John and I have talked about it recently and the options we came up with are in the book [Doomguy].”
Though Romero explains he “can’t say anything” about his upcoming, in-development shooter, it is being developed at his own studio, Romero Games, and built using Unreal Engine 5. Romero also reaffirms that Sigil 2, the sequel to his unofficial fifth episode of Doom, will be released on Sunday, December 10, 2023.
Romero also says that, if he were to change anything about the original Doom, he “would have spent extra hours making E1M8 and extending E1M4.” E1M8, also known as the Phobos Anomaly, is the final level in Doom’s first episode, wherein players fight the two Barons of Hell. E1M4, Command Control, is one of the largest, most sprawing levels in Doom’s first episode.
All this Doom talk, it’s bound to get you in the mood for some of the best old games that still run on PC. Alternatively, you might want to try some of the other best zombie games, if you miss blasting all those former humans with the super shotgun.