Duke Nukem Forever

Duke Nukem Forever for PC, PS3 and X360 is another installment of the action FPS from the Duke Nukem franchise, developed by Gearbox Software – previously the game has been developed by 3D Realms. The groundwork of the gameplay remained unchanged, however.

Gameplay

This is an FPS, based on quick and spectacular elimination of space invaders – both “old friends” such as hogs in Octabrain uniforms, and some completely new enemies. Duke Nukem Forever is also not short on bosses. The clashes with them were diversified, as compared to the prequel, which is apparent in, for example, the spectacular finisher moves, killing the powerful creatures. During the game, players traverse diverse locations, starting from cities, through canions, deserts, to industrial areas. Sometimes the player has to walk through locations, other times different vehicles can be used. There also are (obviously) occasions, where Duke has to repel waves of enemies with powerful stationary guns.

Mechanics

This time, Duke has an ego bar, instead of a health bar. However, it works identically – making the protagonist die after depleting the bar, but the solution works great for the atmosphere. Such tough guy as Duke simply cannot be physically harmed; the enemies can only humiliate him. As in case of most modern shooters, the health is regenerated in-between fights.

The available arsenal contains a couple of new weapons. There are pistols, shotguns, and machine rifles, as well as the Devastator gloves that shoot missiles, known from the first game, the Shrink Ray, which shrinks enemies, and remotely controlled Pipe Bombs. Among new doomsday devices are sniper rifles, which allows more accurate fire over long distances. As befits Duke, the weapons have great power. Exploding enemies, shot-off limbs, headshots tearing heads off shoulders, and the kind, are very standard here.

As in case of the 1996 Duke, much attention was paid to the interaction with the environment. Nowadays, crushing walls and shattering windows are nothing extraordinary, however, not in many games can you write something on a whiteboard with a marker.

The developers definitely wanted to stick to the humor of the original, which bought the love of millions of fans in 1996. Hence, the game is full of churlish jokes full of testosterone. As always, Duke will always bring salvation to attractive women, who are rather common in the game. The protagonist is definitely more talkative than last time – he is voiced by the brilliant John St. John, known from Duke Nukem 3D.

Last updated on 07 June 2011