On January 29, 1996, a little game by the name of Duke Nukem graced the world of gaming in all it’s testosterone-fueled glory. It was violent, over-the-top, filthy, and embodied all that was 80s & 90s. Duke Nukem 3d raised a stink back in the day, with it’s violence, sexual content, and language. Ironically, the origins of our ass kicking hero was far more humble. So to celebrate the occasion, lets take look back at Duke Nukem’s legacy, and see how our hero has grown over the decades.
Just a heads up: this won’t be covering the console exclusive Duke Nukem titles. While technically part of the franchise, I’ve never considered them to be true Duke games. To me, they’ve always been Tomb Raider knock-offs, but that’s just my opinion. Anyways, on with the retrospective!
Duke Nukem (1991)(Video)
Best Aspect? Simplicity is the name of the game when it comes to Duke Nukem. All it is as follows: kill robots, find keys, fight episode boss, repeat. Considering the technological programming at the time, you really couldn’t do a whole lot then, but at the same time you really didn’t need much with Duke. He’s just there to kill stuff, and to save the world!
Worst Aspect? Age. Duke Nukem has aged horribly since 1991. While it has plenty of nostalgia going for it, it is immediately apparent that it’s over 2 decades old at this point. On top of that, our titular hero & villain were really just blank slates, despite having an incredibly basic background. The graphics certainly didn’t help things, as even by early 90s it looked old. If you’re playing through this series backwards, you’ll be in for a world of whiplash when you get to this game.
Duke Nukem. A relic from a bygone age, and while I’m not the biggest fan of it now, it deserves it’s place in history all the same. Next game!
Duke Nukem II (1993)(Walkthrough)
Best Aspect? For one thing, the graphics! While still very dated by today’s standards, it’s very improved over the basic look & feel of the original game. Duke looks more intimidating when compared to the tiny sprite in the first game. The enemies looks better as well, and seem more lifelike (Lifelike at the time, at least). The levels are great as well, and because of the improved graphics, there’s more detail to them. You’ve got prisons, lava-filled caverns, and alien dens to traverse & blow up. Duke Nukem II also marks the first inclusion of music into the franchise, and while it sounds hokey nowadays, it’s still awesome to listen to as you defend the Earth from alien scum. Duke even has a small variety of weapons to pickup, ranging from his basic blaster, to rockets, to a laser that pierces targets, and a flamethrower that can double as a jetpack. They have a limited capacity, but you can pickup refills scattered in containers around the map.
Worst Aspect? Once again, age is Duke Nukem II’s biggest flaw. All of the problems in the first Duke Nukem game can be found here. In defense, however, it’s aged far better than it’s predecessor. The graphics are definitely improved, gameplay is a little more varied, and Duke’s character is fleshed out a little more, but only just.
Duke Nukem II. An improvement over it’s originator in many different ways, and reinforces what made 2d platforming so great on the PC way back in the day. Definitely recommended. Next game!
Duke Nukem 3d (1996)(Walkthrough)
However, I must dispel a myth about Duke Nukem 3d. Mainly, the fact that this game isn’t 3d! The engine that was used was instead 2.5d, or 2 ½d if you wanted to be a little more derogatory. Instead of using a real 3d engine, a bunch of 2-dimensional layers were placed down on each other, giving the illusion of 3d graphics. It worked quite well back in 96, and to a small degree the illusion still hold up today (Despite it’s issues).
Best Aspect? Despite being a game that’s now 20 years old, it has aged remarkably well. Despite it not being true 3d, there’s still a surprising amount of detail to everything from levels to enemies, and the atmosphere still feels fresh & exciting. Enemies are varied, ranging from mutated pig cops (Hehe, pigs) to psychic Octobrains, and it’s fun to kill everything in sight, except for the human Babes, cause if they die, foes will teleport in to kill you. Duke himself is another bright point, as he is now a fully fleshed out (Yet still basic) character. Jon St. John’s voice also adds to the character, as he provides the right amount of humor & badass with each line spoken. The selection of weapons are pretty awesome as well, ranging from the standard pistol & shotgun, to the wacky Shrink Ray & Freezethrower. Duke also has a nice selection of items as well, ranging from a portable medkit, to steroids that increase Duke movement speed to ridiculous proportions. The pop culture references have aged surprisingly well also, and while one or two of them are dated (The O.J. Simpson jokes were relevant then, but are rather basic nowadays), you can easily identify where said references came from.
Worst Aspect? If you’ve read my Top 10 Games post from September of last year, you know that I hold this game in high regard. It’s also doesn’t help the fact that I’ve met Jon St. John, the voice of Duke, numerous times when he appeared at Connecticon. With those two things, you think I wouldn’t have anything to criticize, but there are some small things I can nitpick. There’s some levels that are designed weird (Especially in the 2nd episode), enemy spawns sometimes were odd, and due to the semi-fake 3d graphics, enemies didn’t sync when you looked up or down at them. There’s are other small things I could gripe about, but I won’t waste your time with them.
Before I go onto the next game, I want to talk about the extra content. First coming from 3d Realms was the Atomic Edition of Duke Nukem 3d. In addition to fixing some bugs from the main game, this expansion added a new episode (The Birth), a new gun (Microwaver), and a few new enemies (Pig Cops in tanks, an alien guard, and the aquatic Alien Queen). Apart from that, 3d Realms was done with Duke.....in a sense. Shortly after the Atomic Edition’s release, they began work on perhaps the most infamous title in the franchise, but that didn’t stop other companies from getting in on the action. Two companies in particular were known for their work, Sunstorm Interactive & the infamous Simply Silly Software. Sunstorm would go on to release two classic packs, the patriotic Duke it Out in D.C., and the hokey & cheery Duke Caribbean: Life’s a Beach. Simply Silly Software would release Duke: Nuclear Winter, but that would become famous for all the wrong reasons. There were other groups that were putting out plenty of unauthorized packs as well, but those releases tended to focus more on the multiplayer aspect of Duke Nukem 3d rather than the singleplayer.
Duke Nukem 3d, an absolute classic among a sea of 90s shooters. If you want to find out what made gaming so good on the PC in the 90s, it wouldn’t be wrong to start with this gem among gems. Next game!
Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project (2002)(Walkthrough)
Best Aspect? For starters, the graphics are improved! Manhattan Project forgoes the 2d presentation of it’s forbearers, and instead utilizes full 3d graphics. They haven’t aged quite as well as Duke Nukem 3d’s engine, but they still look pretty good for an early 2000's game, and still provide plenty of atmosphere. Despite the enemies being just mutants & robots, they provide plenty of old-school feel, and are a blast to kill. The pig cops are back in full force (Some are decked out in riot gear, others feel like the classic DN3d pig cops), but you’ve also got mutated roaches, rats, alligators (Who are Asian, by the way), flies, and all sorts of robotic foes, not the least including the mecha-babes. Duke’s arsenal will feel very familiar as well, as DN3d staples like the pistol, shotgun, pipebomb, and RPG make a triumphant return, but new weapons including a reverse mutator gun (Which also shorts out mechanical units), a BFG like electrical cannon, and even a secret thunder gun that blasts everything off screen (You have to unlock this, but it’s definitely worth it). In addition to looking for keycards, you’ve also have the added mission to rescue one babe per level in each episode. It varies the gameplay within, despite what I’ll be saying below. Also, the old-school style platforming is a treat, especially with how modern games were in the early 2000s. It’ll feel like you’re playing an old-school Duke Nukem game, for better or for worse.
Worst Aspect? While the transformation from 2d to 3d definitely changed the feel of things, the gameplay is remarkably similar to Duke Nukem 1 & 2. Despite the inclusion of rescuing babes, things become repetitive rather quickly, maybe even more so than the games that Manhattan Project is emulating. Apart from that, my only other complaint would be Duke’s language. We’ve got the return of Jon St. John, and he still provides an awesome voice for Duke, but I don’t know if it’s just me, but it seems like he almost never swears. Apart from saying “Ass” every once in a while, the only other swear word he says is “Fuck”, but even then it’s only in one line, and it’s censored as well.
Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project is an awesome blast from the past. If you preferred Duke Nukem in an older playstyle, or have a nostalgic itch you need to scratch, I definitely recommend this title. Next game!
Duke Nukem Forever (2011)(Walkthrough)
Best Aspect? How about the fact that the game finally came out!? Yes, it’s got problems. A lot of problems! Despite that, Duke Nukem Forever has a bunch of good things going for it as well. Graphically, DNF is superior to everything that’s come before it. There’s a depth to the levels, characters, and enemies that hasn’t been seen in previous Duke Nukem games. Levels feel realistic, enemies are alive, and the various NPCs don’t come across as place holders. DNF’s arsenal is great as well, as it’s a mix between the familiar & new (New weapons include an alien missile launcher & expander). Old alien foes return, but new ones appear as well (Alien fighters are particularly deadly). The pop culture references return in force, and are far more current (At least they were in 2011) than the references in Duke Nukem 3d. However, the star of this game is Duke himself. Once again heading the role is Jon St. John, and this may be his best performance yet! This game’s incarnation of Duke is far more vulgar & filthy than anything before, and he revels in his macho-ness & badassitude. The action is pretty good too, as there are many set-pieces that let you vent your frustration on the invading aliens. Vehicles make an appearance as well, and while they’re only used in some levels, the areas they are used in are a blast, not the least of which was Duke’s monster truck. If you are standing in front of it, then it’s just time for the grim reaper to meet you.
Worst Aspect? Well, how about the fact that it took 14 years to make!? I understand that 3d Realms wanted to stay cutting edge when it came to graphics, and thus they changed things up whenever something new came to the scene, but pick something & stay with it! Also, while I said that the graphics were improved over previous Duke Nukem games, it still felt dated when compared to the graphics of 5 years ago. Some of the aliens & NPCs felt & moved stiff at times, textures were sometimes meh, and you occasionally get the feeling that there could have been more done. Gameplay felt far more like a console shooter than a PC shooter. You couldn’t save the game yourself, as checkpoints replaced that. You could only hold 2 guns (A later expansion expanded this to 4 guns), your inventory & items you could pickup were very limited. Even Duke’s health was very console oriented, as it was regenerating instead of pickup items to heal yourself. You can definitely tell what 3d Realms/Gearbox Software were trying to go for. Ugg!
Duke Nukem Forever. Definitely deserving of criticism & hate, but maybe not as much as it received (And still receives today). If you can get past it’s faults, you’ll find DNF to be an over-the-top & fun experience. Recommended, but cautiously recommended.
Duke Nukem 3d: 20th Anniversary World Tour (2016) ***
(For the purposes of "Best Aspect", I'll strictly be talking about the new content for the most part)
Best Aspect? For starters, the 3d rendering that was included was a great touch. Kind of like the Halo Anniversary edition from a few years ago, there are the original graphics included, along with a modern texture & lighting update. You can still tell that the game comes from the mid 90s, but with the new textures/lighting applied, things look far more better than they did before, and it finally deserves the title of "3d". Lighting comes across as more realistic as well, and it's more convincing that ever before. I should note that this isn't applied to just the new episode, but instead is used in all of the episodes, and can be toggled in game on the PC by using the C key.
Secondly, the new episode, titled "Alien World Order", is a blast! While it can be short (I beat it in around 2 hours), the levels themselves are fantastic. Original level designers (Including the iconic Levellord himself) were brought in to create new places to kill aliens. On top of these new levels, they all take place in a different part of the world. Amsterdam, Russia, and Egypt (Where a Serious Sam secret lies) are just a few of the places the Dukester wages war. They're all designed quite well, and feel far more organic than most modern FPS levels are to this day. The Egypt level is my favorite, as it lampoons an iconic sci-fi from the 90s, but I won't spoil it for you. You're just gonna have to play the game to find out what it is.
A minor good point (Connected to what's above) would be the inclusion of some new in-game content. We're given a new alien to fight in the form of the Firefly. Carrying a wicked flamethrower, the Firefly can shrink itself so Duke has a harder time hitting it, and when it dies it has a chance of dropping it's weapon. Known as the Incinerator, this device roasts aliens like like a pig at a barbecue. It's got a bit of an arc, and hitting aerial foes takes a little bit of work, but one shot can burn most enemies to a crisp!
A final positive point would be the return of John St. Jon & Lee Jackson! The original voice of Duke Nukem has return for another go around in his old stomping grounds, and it's wonderful to hear from him. He returns to re-record all of his old lines, and spares some time to speak some new ones. It is a little weird to hear Duke speak when older sound effects go off (More on this in a sec), but I appreciate his voice all the same. This also applies to Lee Jackson, the original composer of Duke Nukem 3d! Mr. Jackson came back to create some all new pieces for Alien World Tour, with 7 original pieces & 1 revision to blast through your speakers. Mixing with the new levels & Duke lines, and it turns into a wonderful cacophony of badass noise!
Worst Aspect? I honestly only have small gripes with the World Tour. While there were renewed lines from Duke himself, the original sounds didn't get any updates. If anything, the original sounds come across as dated. By comparison, the sounds in prior edition still sound great. Hearing the new duke lines at the same time as the aliens grunt their old sounds comes across as confusing. The only other thing I can remember playing through "Alien World Order" is how difficult some fights can be. Even playing on the 3rd difficulty, some encounters seemed to be stacked against the player, and the end result was death more than victory.
Duke Nukem 3d: 20th Anniversary World Tour. It might be a little aggravating that the Megaton Edition was taken off Steam for this, but there's still plenty of fun to be hand. For a 20th anniversary celebration, this was quite wonderful. Definitely recommended!
And this concludes the birthday celebrations. Duke Nukem 3d, you made our childhood awesome, and you continue to be awesome to this very day! Here’s a glass in your honor. In the meantime I’ll see you next week when the first piece of proper material for this blog. Until then, kick ass & chew bubblegum, but never run out of bubblegum!
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Apologies for the rush job. I admit that this post was a little last minute, and as such might not be as good of quality as some of my other posts. Hope you don’t mind!
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(Updated on 10/14/2016, 7:39, Eastern Standard Time)
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