Duke Nukem Forever demo...

[JDR13]

Just finished it.

All I can say is WOW! …but not in a good way. If that demo is representative of the full game, we're totally fucked. >:(

I've heard rumors that the demo is actually an older build. I hope that's the case. If not, there's gonna be a lot of pissed off gamers, including myself.

The mouse control was *terrible*. Very laggy, with different levels of sensitivity for horizontal and vertical movement. That alone completely ruined the experience for me. Even with a crosshair, I had trouble hitting smaller targets. It didn't even feel like modern PC mouse aiming.

Gameplay wise, it was very average. Although the demo is much too short to be able to really judge the gameplay. The graphics are nothing to write home about, but I wouldn't say they're bad. Animations are pretty good. Ran smooth with everything maxed.

There's also a lot of stink being raised over the fact that you can only carry two guns at any given time. I guess it was their attempt to make it feel more realistic, but it just doesn't feel right in a Duke Nukem game, imo.

There's vehicle action (a monster truck) in the second demo level, but it felt completely unnecessary, and isn't fun at all. Overall I think the two levels in the demo were bad choices to show off the game.

Anyways, none of that matters if they can't fix the mouse movement. I was planning on getting the collector's edition, but now I think I'm going to hold off on that.

[DArtagnan]

I tried to warn you….

Still, I'm hoping it doesn't turn out as bad as I think it is, as I gather there are many fans of this franchise still going strong.

[zakhal]

Just finished it.

The mouse control was *terrible*. Very laggy, with different levels of sensitivity for horizontal and vertical movement. That alone completely ruined the experience for me. Even with a crosshair, I had trouble hitting smaller targets. It didn't even feel like modern PC mouse aiming.
I played it through and dont remember any problems. Aiming help was off.


Gameplay wise, it was very average. Although the demo is much too short to be able to really judge the gameplay. The graphics are nothing to write home about, but I wouldn't say they're bad. Animations are pretty good. Ran smooth with everything maxed.
I think graphics was adequate but Im not demanding the best either.


There's also a lot of stink being raised over the fact that you can only carry two guns at any given time. I guess it was their attempt to make it feel more realistic, but it just doesn't feel right in a Duke Nukem game, imo.
I kind of agree. In the old game it was mostly about saving ammo. In the demo I didnt really have that problem because there was always plenty of ammo available. The only resource management was the decision to choose what weapons to carry. But that just leads to running back and fort to switch weapons if you want to use more than few.

Realism that should be saved for som other game than duke nukem. This one should be about gameplay.


There's vehicle action (a monster truck) in the second demo level, but it felt completely unnecessary, and isn't fun at all. Overall I think the two levels in the demo were bad choices to show off the game.
I actually liked it. It was just a short disctraction. I cant remember from duke but the other (even better) 3drealms game shadow warrior had small games like these. They work as long as they keep them small.

Heres a walkthough of the demo. He makes som good points about the gun limitations:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6MjzgTZriw&feature=player_detailpage#t=1055s

[JDR13]

You didn't notice the horizontal and vertical movement speeds being slightly different? It felt like my mouse was suddenly connected to the tip of an analog stick on an Xbox gamepad. I saw a lot of posts about it at the Gearbox message boards.

The demo definitely fell short of Duke Nukem 3D standards, imo. The two levels presented were very bland and linear. Hopefully it's just a bad demo, not a bad game.

[Ergonpandilus]

Feels like mixture of Painkiller and Serious Sam. I liked how the maps where so space and Duke runs almost as fast as in Duke 3D. Hard to say anything else except it the gameplay felt okay, and if the levels are interesting, then why not.

I'm personally going for Balls of Steel edition. :)
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/images/11/feb/dnf.jpg

PS. Mouse felt somewhat better with "Mouse Precision" turned to 1 (as low as possible).

[xSamhainx]

wow, you guys are bumming me out here...

[zakhal]

Just got mail from amazon that they put the balls in mail. Cant wait to get my hands on it. I could use some duke right now.

Might take till next week before it arrives. I wonder if I unofficial version has been released yet.

[JDR13]

Just got mail from amazon that they put the balls in mail. Cant wait to get my hands on it. I could use some duke right now.

So you can't wait to get your hands on Duke's balls? :)

I'm starting a replay of Duke Nukem 3D tonight. Should finish just in time for DNF.

[curious]

above all else put faith or unfaith in devs not a franchise
in this case maybe two negatives, or at least neutrals, will make a positive for me?
by the way is the demo console only or is it available for pc.

[zakhal]

The game is receiving som praise on the forums. Apparently the demo was year old E3 demo or somthing. It seems like we are getting good duke after all. The console versions are not all up to PC btw. But this is PC game anyways.
http://forums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?t=123813
In seriousnress tho… this game lives up to the hype. I played DN3D to death in 96 and after a seriously long wait I feel this game was worth it. So far havn't been able to fault it, runs super smooth, graphics are alot better than many recent games I've played. The gameplay itself feels meaty and not all super light speed like most of todays games.
So far the thing is pretty damn epic. Too bad I have to go back to work.

Som moments from the game.

I absolutely loved the character Jenkins…. escort him a short way, with him running in ahead until he gets caught in an explosion, and Duke turns around and says "Damnit Leeroy!" Hahaha. Excellent!

I was watching little bit of Game Play. I got a crack out of the New Report right before you sign the book. The Aliens went to Duke Burger LOL. That must of been something to see. Pig Cop: "I really hate that Shade Wearing MotherF&%ker!……But…..No one can beat his special sauce."

:rotfl:

So you can't wait to get your hands on Duke's balls? :)

Now where would you get that idea? I just cant stand waiting week or more to get som more of this. But perhaps the unofficial demo becomes available this weekend. :plotting:

[Remus]

No review yet?, many websites still quiet about the game.

[JDR13]

It's not even released over here yet.

I'm still trying to figure out how Europe gets an American game before we do. :-/

[Couchpotato]

Seems more publishers are releasing there games in Europe first. I remember Obsidian saying they make more money on the pc there. Then again there date for new releases is different than the US.

[Moriendor]

I got DN4ever in the mail earlier today/yesterday (depending on time zone... I mean 6/11/2011) but I'm in no rush to install and play. I'm sure it will be better after at least one patch and until then I'm busy finally finishing Drakensang The River of Time + Phileasson's Saga.

[Shagnak]

Oh dear. Just played the demo and it was awful.
The gfx, the gameplay, everything about it. Surely the full version can't be that much of an improvement.
Glad I didn't preorder.

[Remus]

Several reviews were out now but overall they gave the game either mediocre or lower scores.

Pc reviews:
http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/duke-nukem-forever/critic-reviews

X-box:
http://www.metacritic.com/game/xbox-360/duke-nukem-forever

[bkrueger]

I'm still trying to figure out how Europe gets an American game before we do. :-/

Now you sound like Alrik, only the other way around... :lol:

[Couchpotato]

Yes its been given poor reviews for having dated game play and only allowing you to use two guns. I mean that's all that matters isn't it graphics and how many guns you can carry right? The game is just like any other fps but gets a low score just because its not a halo or call of duty. Whatever I had fun playing it and had no problems.

[JDR13]

Yes its been given poor reviews for having dated game play and only allowing you to use two guns. I mean that's all that matters isn't it graphics and how many guns you can carry right? The game is just like any other fps but gets a low score just because its not a halo or call of duty. Whatever I had fun playing it and had no problems.

You "had" fun playing it? Are you saying you've already finished it?

Anyways, I'm not worried about the graphics. It's the level design that concerns me. Is it going to have the large open levels that DN3D had? What about all the secrets and easter eggs? Those are some of the things that made that game special to me.

I'm replaying DN3D now, and I can honestly say that I'm having more fun with it than any modern shooter I've played in recent years. They just don't make games like that anymore.

[Fnord]

Anyways, I'm not worried about the graphics. It's the level design that concerns me. Is it going to have the large open levels that DN3D had? What about all the secrets and easter eggs? Those are some of the things that made that game special to me.
In short, no. The levels are incredibly linear and there is very little room for exploration or secrets.

[JDR13]

In short, no. The levels are incredibly linear and there is very little room for exploration or secrets.

*Sigh*……

Well at least we get to throw poo at things… :disappointed:

[Couchpotato]

Well what do people except most fps are a linear. You move down a map shooting and taking cover.

[Fnord]

These days, yes. But back in the mid 90's, FPSs had more open levels, with plenty of secrets for those who enjoyed exploring them.

[JDR13]

Pretty much, yeah. There are some exceptions (i.e. Painkiller, Serious Sam), but most shooters nowadays are fairly linear, and secrets/hidden levels are a thing of the past.

[bkrueger]

I am playing DNF now and it is fun for what it is (casual arcade game). I like it for the nostalgia factor.

In parallel I am playing DN3D with eduke32 and texture pack (this includes showing monsters as real 3D). I agree to JDR that that is incredibly fun and better than most of today's shooters..

[zakhal]

I played the start of forever and then switched to eduke32 because Ive never tried it with high resolution textures and 3d models. Also I never played the fourth episode. I dont like the 2 weapon limit in new duke but othervice I like it. Seems like there are both haters and those who really like it.

In short, no. The levels are incredibly linear and there is very little room for exploration or secrets.

There are extra rooms that are not part of the main path atleast in the beginning. Lots of small stuff you can see and do in them. Because of them the game didnt feel all linear.

Good

-Jokes (whether you like the style)
-Duke's attitude
-Lots of minigames
-Lots of puzzles
-Driving
-Good level design (i.e Duke Burger)
-Interactive enviroment (i.e microwave oven + popcorns)
-Extra places you can visit that are not on the main path

Bad

-Jokes (whether you like the style)
-2 weapon limit
-main path is linear
-console versions
-no secret places

Please note that we reviewed the game on Xbox 360, but Digital Foundry's Richard Leadbetter informs us that the PC version plays much better. "It's a complete mess on 360 - sub-HD resolutions, hugely obtrusive screen-tear, terrible aliasing, low frame rate," he says. "All of these things can be remedied by playing the game on PC. It doesn't transform it into a good game, but it makes it much easier on the eye and certainly smoother, far more responsive and thus more enjoyable to play."

Comes with the Balls of steel edition:
http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/1333/005bie.jpg

Overall I had more fun with new duke than I had i.e with Bioshock.

User review from somone who played the game through (Recommended by 15 of 17 users):

I got Duke Nukem Forever a couple of days ago and I just beat it this morning. I'll try to give you my insight on what exactly this ancient relic of the past brings to the 2011 era.

Duke Nukem comes back to our PC's and consoles with a dated engine, dated gameplay and especially dated humor. On a gameplay standpoint, it's anything but refined. Most of the guns lack of oomph and are visually unimpressive. Especially the shotgun's almost compressed blast that sounds always the same. Still, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy it. Why? Because you fight hordes of space aliens that blows up just right under your assault, and it's good fun to realize that any gun is good, not only rifles or RPG's. This means that you can actually carry your golden pistol the whole game because it's that useful.

I enjoyed the fact that the levels were very original and well designed. There is, maybe one or two parts in the game that falls in the corridor shooter genre, but most of it is similar to what you've seen in Half-Life 2, without the elegance. That is actually Duke Nukem's strongest point. You won't get bored of the levels presented to you, because there's always some kind of new twist to them. Actually, I'd say that Duke brough something very refreshing in a crowded genre of military shooters that are the prime example of corridor shooters. They should really take a page or two from Duke Nukem Forever's book in term of designing levels and interactivity.

As for the graphics, well, they're not very good. Are they BAD? No, I don't think so. Most indoors levels are okay, with low-but-still-present lightning effects. The only bad looking level is the bigfoot section, which lacks a lot of detail and has really horrible backgrounds. Still, that gameplay part is fun, and that's mostly what matters most.

Duke Nukem Forever comes from an era of stereotypes, one-liners and movie quotes. He has a very immature, crude humor that would appeal to any 12 year old boy and to tell the truth, I was around that age when I experienced my first Duke Nukem rides ( a bit late thought, considering it released a couple of years earlier ). It was with pure delight that I found Duke to be unchanged, ready to party like it's 99 once again.

You'd have to be dead inside or a real grinch to not have a good time with the humor, jokes and one-liners from this game.

So, is Duke Nukem Forever a good game? Yes, it is. When you see it for what it really is ; a flashback to early 90's shooters. I enjoyed my time with the game because I set my mind to the fact that I was experiencing a '' concept '' from 3d Realms Studions. I was experiencing a ride through their ideas from ten years ago, and I'm glad that I did. Every now and then I would stop and say '' man, they thought of that back then? Wow. Great stuff. ''

On the other hand, if you dive in Duke Nukem Forever expecting to find a modern shooter with high-end graphics and heartpumping firefights with headshots, scopes, Micheal-Bay scenes and explosions, well you're going to hate it to death. And if you saw it that way, you'd be wrong. Because we're getting a chance to play something that was buried.

For a current-gen game, Duke falls short. But for an experience coming straight from the past, it's a blast to play. I wouldn't say it's a must-buy, but definitly a rent. And bring friends along, you'll laugh until the credit rolls. Thank you, Gearbox Studios.

8/10.

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/duke-nukem-forever/player_review.html?id=767219&tag=player-reviews%3Bcontinue%3B2

[skavenhorde]

I was interested in this even though I never played the original, but now….meh. I'll save my money for Dead Island.

[JDR13]

I never played the original

You call yourself a gamer? ;)

You should do yourself a favor and try it with EDuke32 (http://www.eduke32.com/).

[skavenhorde]

Thanks for that link. I just might pick the old one up. Jaz got me hooked on Serious Sam so why not Duke Nukem throw Duke into the mix :)

[Thrasher]

I never played/bought the original. It sounds like I should!

[Jaz]

Jaz got me hooked on Serious Sam so why not Duke Nukem throw Duke into the mix :) Sure, why not? I even have a Duke Nukem Atomic Edition nighty* :p. If that's not reason enough for you to fall for the Duke, then I don't know what to do anymore.
I also liked Shadow Warrior, by the way. "Who wants some Wang?"

@Thrasher: Yes, you should. It's evil. And try to get the first two games as well, just keep in mind they were Keen-style platformers.

*The only other video game clothes I own are a Half-Life tee, two Mario mushroom sweatshirts and a Mario mushroom cap. I got a Morrowind tee as part of my preorder package, but it was as astonishingly ugly as most of the ingame clothing, so I donated it. If you're still looking for a birthday present for me: buy me a Mass Effect tee, will you? The one with Garrus calibrating, please.

[Thrasher]

Does the download from GoG work with the community mods like EDuke32?

[skavenhorde]

Sure, why not? I even have a Duke Nukem Atomic Edition nighty* :p.

As they say at the Codex, "Picture or it doesn't exist!" :devilish:

[Jaz]

*sigh*
Used to be a regular t-shirt, but after all those years it looks rather … antique, so I just don't wear it by day. - Yeah, I know it's not quite what you expected.

[Thrasher]

That's no night*ie. ;)

[JDR13]

Does the download from GoG work with the community mods like EDuke32?

Yes.

http://forums.duke4.net/topic/3784-gogcom-version/

[Jaz]

That's no night*ie.
Technically speaking, it's not a nightgown. But it's what I wear at night, so there :p.
And before you get more funny ideas, this is my mushroom cap:

[Thrasher]

Seems like a project. Not sure if I want to play it that badly, yet...

[JDR13]

It's actually very simple. You can get everything you need here (http://hrp.duke4.net/download.php) in one self-extracting archive. Then all you need to do is add the file 'DUKE3D.GRP' from any copy of DN3D (preferably the Atomic Edition).

[Thrasher]

That's straightforward compared to the chaos in the thread.

Thanks!

[Drithius]

Well, the actual game's out. If anyone wants to purchase it and has not yet done so, Newegg currently has it for 40 bucks w/ code: EMCKDJF85.

Quite a few bad reviews out and about however.

[zakhal]

The reviews dont make any sense. Lots of people giving very low scores like 3/10 even though the game is nowhere near that bad. Its like a wave of protest-reviews.

[joxer]

I'll skip it. Some reviewers mention the presence of many QTE, sorry, but that's not what I want.

[zakhal]

Som say the console versions are really awful:
those sites who gave Duke a low score must have been played a console versions, because differences between pc and consoles are night and day.

[JDR13]

Well, the actual game's out. If anyone wants to purchase it and has not yet done so, Newegg currently has it for 40 bucks w/ code: EMCKDJF85.

Thanks for that. I'm in the process right now of calling all the Gamestop stores near me to see if one has an extra Balls of Steel edition. If not, then I'll order from Newegg.

*Edit* Holy crap, Newegg is already sold out of the PC version. >:(

[wolfing]

I'd wait a couple of weeks. With the generally awful reviews from most sites (think the max I've seen is like 6/10), it'll hit bargain bin prices very soon

[Couchpotato]

Beat it had fun playing it and all I can say as everybody on the internet says haters gonna hate. Brought fond memories when I played the first as a teenager. Buy the PC version though from reports the console version has graphic problems.

[JDR13]

So far on Metacritic, DNF has an average score of 57 from 20 game critics, and an average user score of 5.2

Ouch...

[Thrasher]

Too bad. I was hoping for a good new shooter.

[tolknaz]

The game is nowhere near as bad as all the reviews so far say. Its only real weakness is truly horrible level design. You could argue, that this was THE one thing that made Duke 3D so special all those years ago and they completely botched it.

[Thrasher]

Maybe people are just showing their anger over having to wait too long for a game that doesn't meet the expectations they've held ...

[JDR13]

The game is nowhere near as bad as all the reviews so far say. Its only real weakness is truly horrible level design. You could argue, that this was THE one thing that made Duke 3D so special all those years ago and they completely botched it.

I wouldn't say that level design was the only thing that made Duke 3D special, but I agree it was certainly one of its strong points. I'm really enjoying my current replay, and I'm still impressed by those levels after all these years.

I had a bad feeling about the level design of DNF from playing the demo though.

[Moriendor]

Maybe people are just showing their anger over having to wait too long for a game that doesn't meet the expectations they've held …

I don't think that's it. If the game had been released in this state by 3D Realms then, yes, you'd be totally right, but I got the impression that the end of 3DR and the subsequent cancellation of DN4ever put an end to the ever smoldering hype that kept surrounding this game.
Then when Gearbox picked it up and when it was announced that the game would be shipping in just a few months it seemed to me like expectations went from formerly over the top to extremely low because everyone knew that Gearbox wouldn't be able to work wonders in such a short time span.

So all in all I believe that people/reviewers actually went in with pretty low expectations (which the game apparently managed to live up to).
It probably still received a penalty for legacy though (Duke3D was innovative and this game is not).
And then there's also the lemming effect, of course. If one big/popular site (like GameSpot/IGN/PC Gamer) "dares" to slap a 5/10 on it, then you instantly have dozens of lemming sites following suit who would have also been fine with a 7/10 or 8/10 score if the popular site had chosen to give it that score instead.
My gut feeling tells me that under regular circumstances DN4ever would be a typical ~7/10 game => Not too great, not too shabby either, fun while it lasts and... next!

[Remus]

Well, the game would get more notorious reputation after this news, and kills the chance of further sequel :(

The publisher of Duke Nukem Forever has announced that it has fired a third party public relations company that made threats earlier this week to media outlets that posted poor reviews of the newly released first person shooter. The company, The Redner Group, and its head Jim Redner used its Twitter page earlier this week to post this now deleted message, " … too many went too far with their reviews…we r reviewing who gets games next time and who doesn't based on today's venom."

….Meanwhile the poor reviews of Duke Nukem Forever are blamed in part for a downturn in the stock price for 2K Games' parent company Take Two Interactive. Marketwatch reports that the stock price for the company went down 4 percent on Tuesday when the reviews started pouring in.

http://www.neowin.net/news/duke-nukem-forever-publisher-fires-its-third-party-pr-rep

Poor Duke...

[Thrasher]

Whoa! Some hard evidence of corporate blackmail? I hope someone captured this.

[Moriendor]

As a response (http://www.bluesnews.com/s/122751/2k-on-dnf-pr) to this incident, the PR firm has already been fired by 2K Games.2K Games does not endorse the comments made by Jim Redner and we can confirm that The Redner Group no longer represents our products. We have always maintained a mutually-respectful working relationship with the press and do not condone his actions in any way.

[Couchpotato]

I think people who work on a game of were invoked in the production have a right to get pissed off with the reviews lambasting them. Screw political correctness and goodwill. Maybe the reviewers should apologize for there trashing.

[DArtagnan]

The game is very, very poor - and has little but nostalgia and denial going for it.

You don't work on something for so long without releasing it, unless there's a VERY good reason.

It's a cheap tasteless cash-grab, and people expecting something great from it, are simply not using their heads.

[skavenhorde]

*sigh*
Used to be a regular t-shirt, but after all those years it looks rather … antique, so I just don't wear it by day. - Yeah, I know it's not quite what you expected.

Jaz didn't really expect anything other than make a joke (I try those joke thingies from time to time ;)), but your killing me with these clothes…I….must……resist…….urge…..to…..make a mushroom joke………..

Seriously though, awesome. Wish I could buy that for my girlfriend, but she'd look at me and say no way in hell....well I'm assuming that's what she say because she'll say it in Chinese and then tell me that's what it meant. :D

[DoctorNarrative]

I just finished the game. I quite liked it actually. It's not a great game but I would call it a good game. It's main problems are the two weapon limit and some poor level design, which is really a symptom of a half-done game being scrambled together.

The reviews baffle me. Most of them seem to think Duke is supposed to be taken seriously. I watched the giantbomb quicklook and they complain about him calling women babes, saying no one says that anymore. THAT'S THE POINT! Duke is supposed to be satire of stupid 80's action movie heroes, he's not supposed to be some guy you want to be like. Several reviews also mention the "rape" scene being terrible, but if it's terrible here surely ever Alien movie and game were worse? It's a parody of Alien in other words.

Similarly the gameplay is fine. When you see 2's and 3's everywhere it makes you think the game is broken but honestly it's a fun shooter. It does have the style of something from 2004 or so rather than now, but so? 2004 shooters were mostly better than today's anyway. Most of the things I see them bashing Duke for were in Half-Life, all be it done better. They seem to be angry about even the existence of these things though, not their quality.

Anyway I had fun with it.

[Couchpotato]

It baffles me to to see all the low scores from all the reviews. I would give it a 6 or 7 its nothing new but still a solid game.

[DArtagnan]

I'm not sure the problem is that reviewers take the game seriously, but that they have a different sense of humor than the developers did.

Personally, I don't mind the humor - so much as the pathetic failure to adapt ancient gameplay to modern times. Either go with ancient or go with modern.

The two don't mix well unless you smooth out the seams.

[xSamhainx]

I do wish that you'd be more specific, sir.

[Moriendor]

I'm not sure the problem is that reviewers take the game seriously, but that they have a different sense of humor than the developers did.

As far as the DN humor goes, I believe that it just doesn't work as well today as it did back then.

When Duke3D was released it was the perfect time for The Duke as a kind of anti-hero to all the heroes in other games and in the movies of the time. The game was hilariously politically incorrect during a time when it was extremely rare to have "abnormal" games.

But nowadays the kids have played GTA, SoF, Postal, Kingpin etc. and they have watched stuff like MTV Jackass on TV and let's not even get started on YouTube videos and all that garbage you can find on the Intertubes today.

Duke Nukem was a good joke at its time but like any good joke you can't tell it twice. It's not going to have the same effect on the audience. And as we just explored, this is even more true if the joke is firmly embedded into the pop culture of its time.
The Duke has run his time. He needs to retire and not become an embarrassment like his real life buddies Sly and Arnie (yeah "great" idea, Arnie, to consider Terminator 4 :rolleyes:)

[DArtagnan]

I do wish that you'd be more specific, sir.

Are you, by any chance, posting in an intoxicated state? :)

[JDR13]

The humor isn't the problem. The problem is that the game (from what I've seen) just plain sucks compared to the original.

[xSamhainx]

dart - Im just wondering what "pathetic failure to adapt ancient gameplay to modern times. " youre referencing. Any specifics? No mouse-aim or something?


Not starting shit, just genuinely curious

[DArtagnan]

dart - Im just wondering what "pathetic failure to adapt ancient gameplay to modern times. " youre referencing. Any specifics? No mouse-aim or something?


Not starting shit, just genuinely curious

Well, I think the strength of the original game was largely the intricate level design. Kinda like System Shock, though of course in a more simple gameplay embrace.

The original Duke3D (from memory) had HUGE expansive levels - which made exploration worthwhile - and it didn't use the humor as the primary drive, as much as it was just entertaining and fitting underpinning for the basic shooter/exploration gameplay.

From what I've seen of Duke Forever, they kept certain aspects of the first game, but they utterly failed to modernize OR stick to their guns. A succesful modernization would entail humor fitting for the times, and I would probably have included a simplistic level-up system to keep it interesting. I wouldn't have relied on ancient bang-bang gameplay, because shooters have evolved from that point. You need a lot more to impress people these days than interactive toilet paper.

The other approach, and the more realistic one, would be to simply play on the nostalgia factor to its fullest extent. Completely ignore modern concepts like 2-weapon limits and regenerating health, and make it truly challenging and unforgiving. Still keeping the level design and not overplaying the humor.

Well, that's what I would have done anyway.

Not that I think the concept of a modern Duke3D game is a good one to begin with.

[zakhal]

All the original levels were not hugely expensive though. And its still duke if your having fun.

The most respected gaming journalist in Finland with experience of 25 years said he likes duke. Now I dont take the mans word as law but I liked the demo of duke. It wasnt like original but it was fun. And thats what all matters.

[Moriendor]

Well, I think the strength of the original game was largely the intricate level design.

The level size -or actually the openness of the levels and not just the sheer size- was certainly remarkable but if memory serves me right then Duke3D really stood out because of its interactivity.
Interactivity was generally a buzzword of the mid 90s multimedia landscape (remember interactive movies like 'Under A Killing Moon' anyone?) and for a first person shooter, Duke3D offered a whole new level of interaction with the game world.
In other shooters you could push a button here and pull a lever there but in Duke3D you could destroy (parts of) the environment, you could push the button on a coke machine and get an actual coke from the damn machine, you could look at yourself in the mirror and shoot the mirror to pieces if you wanted to, you could shrink your enemies and trample them to death, you could wave $$$ at hookers and make them flash their titties, ... heck, you could do nothing at all and The Duke would still do or say cool things ("What you waiting for? X-mas?" ... *Duke impatiently locks and loads weapon* ... "Come get some!").

That level of interactivity and reactivity was unheard of before Duke3D and at least as far as I can recall it was the major strength of the game.

[DoctorNarrative]

I'm not sure the problem is that reviewers take the game seriously, but that they have a different sense of humor than the developers did.

Some of them certainly did not get it. Watch the giantbomb quicklook for instance. At one point they remark that no one calls women babes anymore. At another point they say Duke would better if he were treated as a parody.

Obviously they didn't get it.

[xSamhainx]

I have a feeling that I'll either totally love or hate this game, I'll wait til it's 5.oo.

Thx for the infos, bros

[zakhal]

Its not a sure purchase for everyone so better wait than take the risk.

[xSamhainx]

yahtzee skewers it (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/3581-Duke-Nukem-Forever-for-real-this-time)

[JDR13]

yahtzee skewers it (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/3581-Duke-Nukem-Forever-for-real-this-time)

Not bad.. there was even a Human Centipede reference. :)

[JDR13]

I finally started playing the full game yesterday, and I'm about 1/2 through right now.

It's actually not *that* bad. I was expecting much worse, but I have to agree with Couchpotato, DoctorNarrative, and zakhal. It's fun for what it is.