Duke Nukem 3D

The Good
Duke Nukem's third outing may have been the king of first-person shooters, and it is the one that had many people become interested in the franchise. But for me, it started way back around the early Nineties when they were simple platformers, and they were not made by 3D Realms. I liked playing the Duke games, so when 3D Realms took control of the franchise and turned it into a first-person shooter, I didn't give a shit. All I cared about is that it had Duke in it.

Duke Nukem 3D can be considered a stand-alone game as it doesn't follow on where the sequel left off. However, the setting remains the same. While Duke is out cruising his ship, someone blows it up but Duke manages to propel down just before it crashes into a skyscraper somewhere in Los Angeles. Later, he finds out that the same aliens responsible are abducting women and using them for their evil intentions.

There are thirty levels in the game, spanning three episodes. Duke goes around each level blasting many types of enemies, and unlocking doors with three different keycards, in order to get to the exit. The enemies include Pig Cops, Enforcers, Sentry Drones, Protozoid Slimers, and Octabrains. In my opinion, the Octabrains are the most disturbing one I have seen. Not only do they look hideous, but they make disturbing noises as they try to seek your out or you put a bullet through them.

Duke3D introduces a number of firsts, as far as the FPS genre is concerned. You can use security monitors to either spy on enemies or find out what's ahead of you, crawl through vents to access hidden areas, interact with the environment, and use jet-packs to get to hard-to-reach areas. You will also see women attached to pods in most levels, and they will all say “Kill Me” when you try to interact with them. I found it very amusing that since they are crucial to the alien's plot, putting them out of their misery will result in enemies appearing out of nowhere. The game also has cut-scenes that normally appear at the end of each episode. Most of them are excellent, but are rather gory to look at. That, and the nature of the game itself, caused Duke3D to be rated 18+ in most countries.

Each level represents a real-life location. In the first episode, for instance, you start out in a movie theater and then goes on to a gun shop, a prison, and the location of San Andreas fault. In the third, you get to explore a Japanese restaurant, a L.A. transit system, a radio station, hotel, and a stadium. I'm sure that there are other locations that you can visit, but I'm not listing every one of them. It was fun for me to explore the many locations in the game, to see what I could do and see.

In Duke3D, as well as future Duke games, Duke is voiced by Jon St. John which also did a number of characters in other games. He is perfectly suited for the role, and has thousands of lines that are worth listening to. I found that the only way to keep him talking was to use my RPG or Devastator, so that he can say things like “I am going to put the smack dab on your ass” and “You guys suck”. The highlight is jet-pack all the way to the top of the map and switch it off so Duke falls such a great distance, and hearing him make a falling sound then make another one has if he has been kicked in the groin.

There are many more items to get besides the jet-pack, including first-aid kits and steroids; and one of my favorites is the HoloDuke. I know that this item is used in multiplayer games as decoys (I remember using it in a MP game myself, but it didn't work.), but I used the cheat to give me all items, and see how many HoloDukes I could have at once. I had about ten of them, and it is quite funny to see them (try to) follow your every move. Watching enemies put a bullet in these decoys instead of you is also entertaining.

Although this game has “3D” in the title, there are no 3D graphics in it. It is just a fad that companies used in the Nineties in an attempt to sell first-person shooters. Like Wolfenstein 3-D four years earlier, all the graphics are in 2.5D, including the enemies and backgrounds. Almost everything is chunky, and the only way you can get real 3D in the game is to download the High Resolution Pack and play the game in Polymer mode. With the HRP, the earth and moon in episode two never looked so good.

Duke Nukem 3D is set sometime in the future, so you will hear laser gun sounds when most of the enemies fire at you. The sound effects are great. The one I like is the Pig Cop squealing after you killed him. The background sounds provide some atmosphere to the game. In the street levels, for instance, as you explore the surroundings you hear the sound of a helicopter flying past, while in episode two, the normal “door opening” sounds are modified to sound space-like.

The Bad
As soon as you each the final level of episode three, you come face to face with the Cycloid Emperor in the stadium. Considering that you have to go through an entire level to meet the boss in the previous episodes, I think the developers were too lazy to design this last level in such a way that Duke has to walk a long distance to reach the stadium. Also, it's ironic since Duke3D is an adult-only game, we don't get to see him have sex after he defeats this last boss. (Though the sound effects suggest that he does.)

The Bottom Line
So, Duke Nukem 3D is a brilliant first-person shooter that introduces new gameplay mechanics. These include looking at security monitors, crawling through vents, and blowing up objects in the game's many levels. Each level's soundtrack is excellent, as well as the numerous sound effects. Sure, there were a couple of platform games before the game's release. However, Duke3D isn't a continuation of the story from the second game. Anyone who loves first-person shooters should get this game, but it would be a bonus if they find the Atomic Edition.

The Good
Duke Nukem 3D was full of original ideas - besides the descent graphics with a great new game engine, great sound effects and music, the gameplay was definitely a perfect 5. At first, the Duke voice. Before Duke Nukem we never saw games, where the main character would talk to himself and the player, especially in such a cool way Duke did. When playing this game, you always felt like your playing this not by yourself, but in a gang of friends. Another thing - the humour. The weapons were all very cool and original, but some monsters, like the Pig Cop for example, are very humorous some times. According to the games plot, these are mutated police officers, which leads us to a skeptic reference to what the developers think of cops (funny ain't it?). Besides those, there are the Assault Commanders, which fly shooting rockets at you and say Dukes quotes like "Suck it down.", and there are Assault Enforcers - reptilian-like aliens with cool costumes, an awesome chaingun for a right hand, and a nose ring, and these guys can even crap on you! Its hilarious! Some interest is also gained when doing stuff you mostly can't do in other FPS games - between battles, Duke can do stuff which is a good way to make a man feel better or make him relax - such as going to the toilet and saying in the same time "Ahh, much better!", playing billiard, or even going to the strip club, handing money to strippers and in the same time saying "Shake it baby!" while they shake their melons. Besides kick-ass weapons like The Chaingun Cannon, Duke Shotgun, Shrinker, Freezer and others we also have plenty of cool items to use, such as a Jetpack, Nightwision goggles, Steroids to make us run like lizards, and some else... In any means - this game is a perfect in any aspect of it.

The Bad
It actually should be a shame to write something bad about this game for a gamer, and that's why i have nothing bad to say about it. Only thing which could be a slight problem here are repetitive level designs, but this happens very rarely.

The Bottom Line
Duke Nukem 3D is the first game which i personally could call a Doom-killer, because it just is one! Its a true mans game, with so many fun in it, that you can't take all the humour in the game by yourself, and you just gotta show it to your fellow gamers after you discovered it. This is a game where anyone would find its place. At least every male player would, because its a true mans game!

The Good
Ah, Duke Nukem 3D. What can I say that has not already been said about this classic? I remember discovering it thanks to my older brother playing it on his computer. Back then, I already found the game to be very fun but now that I have reached adulthood, I only now have started to fully appreciate the greatness of this FPS masterpiece. There is a lot I want to talk about, so let's get started.

Gameplay-wise the game could be considered a complete clone of DOOM. You go from point A to B, collect keys and kill everything in sight. Of course, Duke3D won't be as great as it is if the gameplay was that basic. The first thing you will notice about this game is its awesomely detailed and varied levels. Duke3D mostly takes place in real-life locations like city streets, bars, restaurants and even a huge cargo ship. Really, if you can think of any real-life location, it will probably be in the game. Not only that, but every level is huge and filled to the brim with detail. Let's take Duke3D's iconic first level. It takes place in a Hollywood cinema. Outside, you will find a mock up of the Hollywood Walk of Fame and inside you will find the ticket counter, the main room (with a movie playing), the editing room and even a bathroom. In other words, every location feels like a real location and they all have plenty of secret rooms. You will really enjoy exploring the levels and after completing one, you will feel plenty of satisfaction as well as curiosity of what the next level will be.

There is also a ton of interactivity in the levels of Duke3D. Pretty much every object can be either activated or destroyed. See a toilet? Go take a leak (and gain some health) or just flush it if you have already answered nature's call. Faucets can be turned on and drank from in order to slowly restore your health. Cracked walls can be blown up revealing secrets or just a big gaping hole. Clocks, television screens and windows can be broken. Buttons and terminals can be activated to open hidden doors. If you enter a strip club, you can give the chicks a tip and they will show off their boobs in all their sprite glory! Yeah, shake it, baby!

I already talked about the variety in Duke3D's levels but the same can be said about the game's enemies and weapons. For example, you will be facing flying octopuses with huge brains, green slimy facehuggers and of course the pig cops, which have now become a stable in Duke games. And then there are the weapons and my god, are they all awesome to use. You have typical FPS weapons like the shotgun, pistol and rocket launcher but you also get original stuff like the freeze gun, shrink ray and (my favorite) the devastator. Which is basically a double barreled machine gun shooting little rockets for massive damage. Fuck yeah!

And then there's the game's humor. Duke3D is a game that does not take itself too seriously. If you go into a bathroom, chances are you will find a alien there taking a dump. Enter a bar and enemies will be watching TV or playing pool because yeah, aliens like to take a break from things as well. And finally, there is the true star of the game, Duke Nukem himself!

If you don't know Duke Nukem (you must be born after 1996, I believe), he is basically a huge tribute to the 80s action heroes portrayed by actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Jean-Claude Van Damme. He is a wise-cracking, ultra-violent and larger than life beefcake who either shoots things or makes comments on whatever he encounters or does in the game. Blow aliens up and he will shout "blow it out your ass." Get a new weapon and he says "Groovy." By far my favorite Duke quote is when he encounters a Duke Nukem II arcade machine and says "hmm, don't have time to play with myself," closing followed by jamming a fucking pipe bomb into the alien queen's vagina and saying "time to abort your whole freaking species" before blowing her the fuck up. He is also pretty well-aware of being in a video game. Do not control him for thirty seconds or so and he will tell you things like "what are you waiting for, Christmas?" or he will start whistling his famous theme song while cracking his knuckles.

The Bad
Music wise, the game doesn't have many memorable songs. There is of course Duke Nukem's awesome signature theme song Grabbag and the great level complete music track, but those are pretty much the only noteworthy tracks in the game. The music consists mostly of techno or rock like tracks that do not really stand out compared to the great in-game action and light-hearted atmosphere.

I also find it a bit of a shame that you cannot save the women you find entangled in alien vines or pods. You can only kill them, much to the dislike of Duke himself. I wish that you could save them and that they would give you something like ammo or health. Now, they are just there, begging you to kill them. And if you do kill them, aliens will spawn to your location as payback, even if you kill them by accident.

And as you may expect by now, Duke3D has little story whatsoever. It basically consists of Duke Nukem saving the world from yet another alien threat by hunting the invaders down on Earth, in space and on the moon. Save the world, get the girls, and that's it.

The Bottom Line
What can I say? Go get this game, now! Especially if you are like me, who prefer games that are meant to be fun and entertaining. Games that play and feel like games rather than attempting or pretending to be Hollywood movies (I am looking at you, Call of Duty). Duke3D is an over the top roller-coaster ride that feels extremely satisfying from start to finish and just begs for a few more playthroughs just to relieve the joyride all over again. And in case you do get tired of the main game maps, then go online and download many of the hundreds of mods and map packs freely available. So stop reading this review and come get some!