Duke Nukem Forever

aka: DNF
Moby ID: 51862

Windows version

Not the game we were waiting for, but good enough

The Good
I wasn't too disappointed about the graphics, although they were somewhat dated as the game ran surprisingly well on my crappy laptop.

Initially the game allowed the player to carry only two weapons. Eventually, an update would allow the player to carry four with the expanded inventory setting. This was a significant improvement.

The Bad
Sudden surges in game difficulty meant that there were times when you got your ass kicked in seconds, even on "piece of cake" mode. Piece of cake, my foot.

I also thought they were trying to be funny, and their attempt at shock value didn't quite work out as planned either. A lot of the jokes just weren't funny, and I know my comedy. You cannot be funny by trying, that is rule #1 of Comedy 101.

Communicative failures meant things like exiting the whiteboard "action" may leave you stuck. It would've been better if they had included the "exit" key with the key functions display that pops up whenever you use something.

The elevator is a horrible example of the above. For many, getting past this point will be a matter of trial and error.

Speaking of trial and error, latter stages of the game will invariably have you dying multiple times in order to progress. Getting cornered by Octabrains and having your ass handed to you within seconds is not everybody's idea of a fair game. Especially at the easier skill settings.

The Bottom Line
Duke fans will want this game. It is quite playable, even replayable, and on the whole it isn't bad - it just needs a whole lot of work.

by Dave Billing (24) on April 2, 2012

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