After repeated delays, Eidos Interactive and Ion Storm have finally shipped Daikatana, famed designer John Romero's first game since his work on id Software's original Quake. We snapped a number of screenshots from the game's first episode, which is set in a futuristic Japan. The shots show off all but one of the weapons a player will pick up, as well as the first sidekick the player will partner up with, the burly Superfly Johnson.

　　Daikatana has been the object of close public scrutiny throughout its four-year development period. In that time, a lot of gamers have abandoned hope for the game's success, as evidenced by the general sentiment generated in countless Internet discussion forums concerning the game. As such, we've made a concerted effort to set aside any preconceived notions of what the finished game will be like, which left us feeling more curious than anything else upon first playing the retail version of Daikatana. The game plays very quickly, and its graphics look better than those of the demo released just a few weeks ago. The game appears to cater to experienced first-person-shooter fans, as the game starts off quite challenging at the standard difficulty setting.

　　Otherwise, Daikatana alludes directly to John Romero's previous projects Quake and Doom. From text messages informing you that you've acquired whatever weapon you walked over, to the way your character's eyes ignite when you put in the invincibility cheat code, it's clear that Daikatana was designed to hearken back to the glory days of classic first-person shooters.

　　Daikatana's most attractive feature is that it takes place in four entirely different settings, each with its own unique weapons and challenges. Look for GameSpot's full review of Daikatana next week, in which we'll assess the overall effect of the game.