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Duke Nukem Forever
North American cover art
Developer(s)3D Realms Additional work by:
Publisher(s)2K Games
Designer(s)George Broussard
SeriesDuke Nukem
EngineModified Unreal Engine 2.5
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Genre(s)First-person shooter, science fiction
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Duke Nukem Forever is an action first-person shooter video game for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 that was developed by 3D Realms and finished by Gearbox Software. It is a sequel to the 1996 game Duke Nukem 3D, as part of the long-running Duke Nukem video game series.

Intended to be groundbreaking, Duke Nukem Forever became infamous in the video game industry and its name became synonymous with vaporware due to its severely-protracted development schedule; the game had been in development since 1996. Upon its release in June 2011, Duke Nukem Forever received mixed reviews from critics.

Plot

The game takes place about twelve years after the events of Duke Nukem 3D. Duke is now a worldwide icon, and has achieved great fame from his heroic deeds. After sampling a video game based on his past heroics (the game Duke plays is actually a revamped version of the final level of Duke Nukem 3D), he arrives on the set of a talk show for an interview. On his way to the show, Duke witnesses a news broadcast on a nearby television screen announcing that aliens have once again invaded. Unlike previous encounters, the aliens initially appear peaceful and at first seem to pose no harm to the humans of Earth. Duke's talk show appearance is cancelled to allow television stations to cover the alien invasion, and he retires to the "Duke Cave".

There, he receives a call from the president and General Graves of the military. The president orders him to not harm the invaders, and adds that he is in diplomatic talks with the alien overlord. Duke obliges this request, but remains uneasy about the whole situation. However, before he can even leave his chambers, he is attacked by hostile aliens. Duke is forced to disobey the president's orders and fight his way through the alien hordes in an effort to save Earth yet again. While fighting through his casino "The Lady Killer", Duke witnesses the aliens abducting women including his two live-in pop star girlfriends. General Graves tells Duke that the women are being held in the Duke Dome, and that is obvious to him that the aliens are not peaceful and have a vendetta to settle with Duke. He also warns Duke that the aliens are using the Hoover Dam to power a wormhole so more aliens can come through. Nukem travels to the Duke Dome, using a wrecking ball to damage the building to gain access. Inside he finds swarms of Octobrains as well as the missing women who have been impregnated with alien spawn (Duke's girlfriends die after giving "birth" to alien babies). Duke finds the Alien Queen in control of the Dome and kills her, shortly before being severely wounded and blacking out.

Duke then travels to the Hoover Dam in his "Mighty Foot" monster truck; after battling through the dam he finds his old friend Dylan, mortally wounded. He tells Duke that the Cycloid Emperor is at the dam, and that the only way to shut the portal down is to completely destroy the dam. Before dying, he gives Duke his demolition charges and wishes him luck. After navigating through the bowels of the dam Duke places the explosives and destroys the dam, the currents carrying him away. Though he nearly drowns, Duke is revived after an EDF soldier performs CPR on him and awakens to find the portal gone. The President, who was also at the dam, rages at Duke for ruining his plans to work with the Cycloid Emperor and that he has ordered a nuclear strike at the site of the dam to wipe out the remaining aliens and intending to leave Duke there to die. However the Cycloid Emperor emerges and kills the President and his security detail. Duke manages to kill the Cycloid Emperor, and is rescued by Graves just as the nuclear bomb explodes.

The game ends with an EDF satellite surveying the detonation area and listing Duke Nukem as "KIA", to which Duke replies off-screen "What kind of shit ending is that? I'm alive, and coming back for more!". At a press conference later on, Duke announces that he is in the running to be the 69th President of the United States.

Gameplay

Duke Nukem Forever is an action-oriented First Person Shooter. Players take control of Nukem as they navigate through a series of levels which take place on Earth and beyond. The game allows players to interact with various in-game objects, including urinals, water coolers and whiteboards which allow players to draw their own images. The gameplay is similar in some respects to the First Person Shooter games of the late 1990s and early 2000s, with each level culminating in a boss battle in which Nukem has to fight and kill a large, significant alien.

Unlike in the previous games, Nukem can only hold two weapons at any one time in a manner similar to the Halo series, although pipe bombs and laser tripwires are considered inventory items and as such are not limited by this restriction. Items that have an effect on Nukem can be picked up by the player; these items consist of are steroids, beer, and a holoduke. Steroids increase the strength of Nukem's melee attacks by a great deal for a limited time. Beer makes Nukem much more resistant to damage, but blurs the screen. A holoduke creates a hologram of Duke Nukem that looks and acts in a very similar way to Duke, but often says slightly twisted versions of his one-liners. While the holoduke is in effect, Nukem becomes invisible and the AI characters do not recognize his presence. The jetpack also returns, but only in multiplayer.

Instead of the health system featured in previous Duke Nukem games, in which health would be depleted when Nukem was injured and would only increase upon finding a health pack, drinking water from fountains/broken fire hydrants or using the portable medkit special item, Duke Nukem Forever employs a system involving an "ego bar". The ego bar depletes when Nukem is attacked; once it is fully depleted, Nukem is susceptible to damage. If the player avoids further damage the ego bar is restored, as is Nukem's health. The player can increase the size of the ego bar (thus increasing the amount of damage Nukem can take) by interacting with certain items throughout the game (for example, a mirror), and by defeating bosses. The game employs a saving system that is solely based on checkpoints.

Development

Main article: Development of Duke Nukem Forever

Originally in development under 3D Realms, director George Broussard, one of the creators of the original Duke Nukem game, first announced the title's development in April 1997, and various promotional information for the game was released between 1997 and 2008. After repeatedly announcing and deferring release dates, 3D Realms announced in 2001 that it would be released simply "when it's done".

In May 2009, 3D Realms was downsized for financial reasons, resulting in the loss of the game's development team. Statements by the company indicated that the project was due to go gold soon with pictures of final development. Take-Two Interactive, which owns the publishing rights to the game, filed a lawsuit in 2009 against 3D Realms over their failure to finish development. 3D Realms retorted that Take-Two's legal interest in the game is limited to their publishing right. The case was settled with prejudice and details undisclosed in May 2010.

On September 3, 2010, after 14 years, Duke Nukem Forever was officially reported by 2K Games to be in development at Gearbox Software. It was originally confirmed to be released on May 3, 2011 in North America, with a worldwide release following on May 6, 2011. This has however been delayed by a month to June 10 internationally with a North American release on June 14. On May 24, 2011, it was announced that Duke Nukem Forever finally went gold after 15 years. After going gold the launch trailer for Duke Nukem Forever was released on June 2, 2011.

Marketing

Duke's First Access Club is joined by using a code, obtained from either the pre-order of the game, the Borderlands Game of the Year Edition, or Borderlands on Steam (if bought before the club was announced), on the Duke Nukem Forever website. Members are granted access to wallpapers, the demo, concept art, artwork, podcasts (which are added often), the theme song, and screenshots.

E-mails were sent asking members to "please help obtain the most accurate up to date information for your First Access profile." Members were then prompted to choose their preferred platform of choice for the Duke Nukem Forever demo by May 15, 2011. It then stated that "users that currently live in a territory where the demo may not be supported on console will automatically be defaulted to the PC Steam option." Gearbox sent a second e-mail to First Access Members in conjunction with a video showing that the Duke Nukem Forever demo was released on June 3, 2011.

A special limited Collector's Edition was available upon release called "Balls of Steel Edition" for all platforms. This version includes a five-inch bust of Duke Nukem, a 100-page hardcover artbook following the development of the game, postcards, sticker, a comic book, playing cards, dice, poker chips and foldable papercraft, and with every item being marked with the Duke Nukem Forever logo. Another edition called the "King Edition" was made available exclusively for pre-order from EB Games in Australia and New Zealand. It comes with the bonus "Ego Boost", "Big heads", exclusive extra in-game T-shirts, Duke Playing Cards and Duke Bubblegum.

Two themes, avatar items, and a gamerpic pack are available for download for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 systems. The premium theme for the Xbox 360 showcases the inside of Duke Burger during the alien invasion. The avatar items for said system include Duke's outfit, his throne, the Freeze Ray, a Pigcop mask, and a pet Octobrain while the gamerpic pack features "babes, aliens, and the King himself." The official Duke Nukem Forever website hosts the free PlayStation 3 theme, which includes three wallpapers and an icon set.

2K Games launched a website titled "Boob Tube" to promote the game. The website features videos and features to download. On May 19, 2011, a flash game was released via the website titled Duke Nudem where players have to shoot targets against a cpu bot 'woman' of their choice, and if successful will have a part of clothing taken off the girl until she is topless. However if the player loses the actress will act as though Duke has stripped naked.

Originally set for release in Australia on June 10, 2011, the game was made available for sale a day early on June 9 from all retailers due to street date being broken.

"Duke's Big Package"

In North America, video game retailer GameStop had promised exclusive in-game content for customers pre-ordering Duke Nukem Forever. The exclusive content, known as "Duke's Big Package" would allow the player from the start of the game to access "Big Heads," and "Ego Boost," and custom in-game T-Shirts. GameStop stated that a code printed on the final receipt at the time of release could be activated over Xbox Live, The Playstation Network, and Steam.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings(PS3) 50.82%
(X360) 47.83%
(PC) 45.40%
Metacritic(PC) 58/100
(PS3) 56/100
(X360) 50/100
Review scores
PublicationScore
1Up.comF
Edge3/10
Eurogamer3/10
Game Informer6.75/10
GamePro
GameSpot(PC) 3.5/10
(X360) 3/10
GamesRadar+6/10
GameTrailers5.4/10
IGN5.5/10
PALGN5/10
PC Gamer (US)80/100
Joystiq

Duke Nukem Forever has received mixed reviews from critics, with most of the criticism directed towards the character of the protagonist, the game's clunky controls on consoles, shooting mechanics, and overall aging and dated design. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the PlayStation 3 version 50.82% and 56/100, the Xbox 360 version 47.83% and 50/100,and the PC version 45.40% and 58/100. Eurogamer gave it 3/10 noting that "your time and money would be better spent reliving iconic past than bearing witness to this gruesomely mangled resurrection." IGN gave the Xbox 360 version 5.5, saying, "It's a muddled, hypocritical exercise in irritation with solid shooting mechanics and decent encounter design." Australian gaming website PALGN gave the Xbox 360 version 5/10 stating that "Duke Nukem Forever is a miracle. It's also a poor game, saved only by its humour and nostalgic value." Russ Pitts of the Escapist gave the game two out of five stars, stating: "If you are stuck on a deserted island with only this game to play, go fishing instead. Worth playing so that you may be able to say that you did, but otherwise imminently forgettable and not worth your time." The New York Times called the game "shockingly, embarrassingly bad. Not ironic bad. Not campy bad. Not even fascinating bad. Just bad, as in unpleasant to play and watch."

Destructoid gave the game a 2/10, saying "Nobody should think kindly of such a miserable, lifeless, grotesque little game." 1up gave the game an F, saying "Most adults will roll their eyes (or perhaps sneer in disgust) at the game's attempts at humor, and it reeks of the developers trying too hard, something that as every teenager will tell you, is totally uncool bro." GamePro gave both console versions of the game three stars out of five, stating "Like reuniting with a close friend after many years apart and then discovering how they've gone nowhere with their life, Duke's return is a sad engagement that makes you wish you have left the past where it belongs. GameSpot gave the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions a 3/10 and the PC version a 3.5/10, saying: "Given its storied development history, you might be inclined to grab a copy of this train wreck. Avoid the temptation... This game takes an icon and turns him into a laughingstock. Except, no one's laughing." GamesRadar gave the game 6/10, stating that "Duke Nukem Forever’s world-record development time has produced an ugly, buggy shooter that veers back and forth between enjoyably average and outright boring, with occasional surges of greatness along the way". "Kotaku", in a precursor to their review, offers " is misogynistic in the worst sense of the word: like a drunk uncle, a leering stranger, a repeat sex offender."

Not all critics gave the game a poor score, however. PC Gamer gave the game 80/100, noting that "years of anticipation will spoil Duke Nukem Forever for some," adding, "There’s no reinvention of the genre here, no real attempt at grandeur... Check unrealistic expectations at the door and forget the ancient, hyperbolic promises of self-deluded developers," and concluded, "Don’t expect a miracle. Duke is still the hero we love, but struggles to keep up with modern times." Game Informer, while disappointed in the game concluded "I’m glad Gearbox stepped up and finished this game, but after hearing about it for 12 years, I have no desire to relive any of it again. I’m now satisfied in my knowledge of what Duke Nukem Forever is and ready to never talk about it again. Welcome back, Duke. I hope your next game (which is teased after the credits) goes off without a hitch." GameMarshal.com concluded that ".. the graphics, physics, and just about everything else in Duke Nukem Forever belong in 2003". And while they didn't experience the reported technical issues and thought that the game was satisfactory, they recommended to "... save yourself a headache and just pick up a PC copy when it goes on sale".

The PR firm responsible for the game's publicity, The Redner Group, reacted to these reviews in a statement on the corporation's Twitter account. This comment appeared to threaten to withdraw access to review copies of future titles for reviewers who had been highly critical of the game. Jim Redner, head of the firm, later apologized for and retracted this comment, and the original tweet has been deleted. Despite the apologies, publisher 2K Games has officially dropped The Redner Group from representing its products.

References

  1. ^ Robert Purchese. "Gearbox delays Duke Nukem Forever". Eurogamer.
  2. George Broussard (September 3, 2010). "Duke Nukem Forever Hands-on Preview (comment from [[George Broussard]])". Retrieved February 11, 2011. Triptych Games which continued the game for us through all of 2009 and into 2010 with Gearbox.randy its not 16-17hrs its 9!!! Triptych is made up of 9 3DR employees who refused to let the game go and we found a way through the legal maze to keep them working on the game and to keep the game alive. They have been the development force for the last year that's made the game possible. What you see coming from PAX right now is what we originally made at 3DR with polish and additional work by Triptych and assistance from Gearbox {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  3. Hackersho, Yu Yu (September 3, 2010). "''We now know that Gearbox started working on the game year ago''". Gameinformer.com. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
  4. "Duke Nukem Forever Interview with Gearbox Software". AusGamers.com. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
  5. 2K Games and Gearbox Software announced today what will be a landmark date in gaming history... "Press Release: Duke Nukem Forever Set to Kick Ass and Chew Bubblegum". DukeNukem.com. January 21, 2011. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
  6. "Duke Nukem Forever PC system requirements posted". New Game Network. 3 May 2011. Retrieved 03-05-2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  7. Jessica Citizen (September 4, 2010). "Duke Nukem Forever confirmed!". Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  8. Jeff Cork (January 21, 2011). "Exclusive: Duke Nukem Forever Has A Release Date". GameInformer. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  9. Andy Robinson (March 24, 2011). "Duke Nukem Forever delayed again (really)". Retrieved March 24, 2011.
  10. Gearbox Twitter (May 24, 2011). "Duke Nukem Forever gone gold". Retrieved May 24, 2011. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  11. "Duke Nukem Forever, the Long Awaited Launch Trailer". June 2, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  12. "Duke Nukem's First Access Club E-mail Hints Upcoming Demo Arrival". Game Focus. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |but Matty D is still smoking on the best author= ignored (help)
  13. Chris Pereira. "Duke Nukem Forever Demo Coming on June 3". 1up.com.
  14. "Balls of Steel Edition of Duke Nukem Forever CONFIRMED!". Forums.2kgames.com. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  15. JC Fletcher. "Duke Nukem Forever 'Balls of Steel' Edition: Is this some kind of bust?". Joystiq.
  16. Andy Chalk. "2K Announces Duke Nukem Forever Balls of Steel Edition". The Escapist.
  17. "Duke Nukem Forever: King Edition "exclusive" at EBGames – PS3 News | MMGN Australia". Ps3.mmgn.com. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  18. Elizabeth Tobey. "Deck out your 360 and PS3 with Duke Nukem Forever Goodness". 2K Games.
  19. "Shoot Targets to Get Duke Nukem Girls Topless". Kotaku. May 18, 2011.
  20. "Duke Nukem Forever Breaks Street Date". Kotaku. June 9, 2011.
  21. "Dukes Big Package" (PDF). GameStop. June 14, 2011.
  22. "Code Redemption Instructions". GameStop. June 14, 2011.
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  24. ^ "Duke Nukem Forever (Xbox 360) reviews at". GameRankings. June 14, 2011. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  25. ^ "Duke Nukem Forever (PC) reviews at". GameRankings. June 14, 2011. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
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  30. ^ "Duke Nukem Forever Review for PC, 360, PS3 from 1UP.com". 1UP.com. June 14, 2011. Retrieved June 14, 2011.
  31. http://www.next-gen.biz/reviews/duke-nukem-forever-review
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  33. ^ Reiner, Andrew (June 14, 2011). "Duke Nukem Forever review: 12 Years In The Making..." Game Informer. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
  34. ^ Template:Cite url=http://www.gamemarshal.com/reviews/20110619203557/duke-nukem-forever-review.html
  35. ^ Reparez, Mikel (June 14, 2011). "Duke Nukem Forever review". Future Publishing. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
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  38. http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/220392/review-duke-nukem-forever-360-ps3/
  39. "Duke Nukem Forever Review HD". GameTrailers. June 16, 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
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  41. ^ "Duke Nukem Forever". PALGN. June 11, 2011. Retrieved June 11, 2011.
  42. ^ "Duke Nukem Forever". PC Gamer. June 11, 2011. Retrieved June 11, 2011.
  43. Nelson, Randy (June 10, 2011). "Duke Nukem Forever review: Fail to the King, Baby". Joystiq. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
  44. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/reviews/8949-Duke-Nukem-Forever-Review.3
  45. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/18/arts/video-games/duke-nukem-forever-is-released-after-14-years.html?_r=1
  46. http://www.destructoid.com/review-duke-nukem-forever-203658.phtml
  47. http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/220392/review-duke-nukem-forever-360-ps3/
  48. "The Problem With Releasing Duke Nukem Forever After All These Years…". Kotaku. June 17, 2011. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
  51. "Duke Nukem Forever PR company threatened reviewers, got fired". International Business Times. June 17, 2011. Retrieved June 17, 2011.

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