- Publisher: 2K Games
- Developer: 3D Realms, Gearbox Software
- ESRB Rating: “M” for Mature
- Genre: First-Person-Shooter
- Pros: Occasionally fun weapons and set pieces
- Cons: Inconsistent; bland gameplay; gimmicks get old, Duke isn't funny; presentation is a mess; load times
More than a decade has passed since Duke last saved the world, and he has been living it up in the meantime. He's a celebrity now with his own casino and strip club in Las Vegas. The aliens still hold a grudge against him, though, and return to blow more crap up and turn our women into creepy pod people once again.
The appeal of Duke Nukem used to be a perverted, immature sense of humor that pushed the "M" rating. He was a bad-ass that swore like a sailor, ripped off movie lines, and went to strip clubs. In the last decade, however, the style of humor Duke favors is no longer shocking. Nudity isn't a big deal. Swearing in games isn't a big deal. Toilet humor isn't a big deal. What we thought was so cool back in the 90's as teenagers because it was so different is rather blasé now. Duke isn't funny anymore. His jokes are old. And, frankly, he is pretty tame compared to what Bulletstorm did earlier this year.
Multiplayer
DNF does have a multiplayer mode which might be the best feature in the whole game. It is straightforward, oldschool deathmatch / capture the flag-type stuff, and works fine. You also get a sort of apartment-thing (kind of like the old 2k Sports games) where you store stuff you earn from playing. You also earn new outfits to wear in matches, which is nifty.
Gameplay
2k Games
You don't actually get to shoot at stuff all that often, and are instead tasked with platforming and driving sections. First person platforming sucks (which is why most games ditched it back on the N64) unless the devs really put an effort into making it decent. That isn't the case here. The driving sections suffer from stiff controls and an overall lack of precision. It just isn't fun, yet the game sticks you with long drawn out sections of driving.
That really is the ultimate problem with DNF - pacing. Everything you do is drown out for way longer than it should be. It changes things up fairly often, but none of it is all that fun and all of it lasts too long. Oh, here's a shooting section with crap controls. Now a platforming sequence with crap controls. Now Duke is mini-Duke, with crap controls. Driving section with crap controls. Turret section with crap controls. Rinse and repeat.
Another gimmick in the game is that you can boost Duke's Ego (rechargeable shield) by interacting with stuff in the game. You can play billiards, look at yourself in the mirror, play arcade games, air hockey, etc. Again, all with fairly poor controls and not fun past the initial "Ooh, interactive stuff" feeling. One funny thing I'll comment on is that you recharge your Ego by hiding. Shouldn't hiding from enemies actually drain your Ego if you were supposed to be a manly macho man?
All in all, DNF is overly long and drawn out and not all that fun. Yet it is still somehow compelling because it is incredibly inconsistent. Some levels are better than others (actually look and play better) while some are awful. You keep playing in the hope that the next level might actually be good.
2k Games
One thing DNF has plenty of is loading. The levels are tiny compared to most games today, yet the game has to load constantly. And these aren't cute little baby load times. They are full on, 30-45+ second load times every time you die that suck out any fun you might be having with the game.
Graphics
Visually, DNF is pretty bad looking. The textures look bad, the lighting is poor, and everything has that shiny "next-gen" look 360 games had back in 2006. The character models are also awful looking. There is nothing sexy about horse faced, dead eyed strippers with square boobs, no matter how much the game want you to think so. Posters and magazines and other items in the world that are probably supposed to be jokes are too pixelated to read. It all just looks ugly.
Sound
The sound is only okay. Okay sound effects. Okay rock music. Awful voice acting.
Bottom Line
This game has been in development forever, and it shows. It is a mishmash of ideas desperately in need of an editor. And every aspect of it, from the gameplay to presentation, feels old and outdated. In 1999, this probably would have been Game of the Year material. In 2011, Duke Nukem Forever just can't keep up. It does have an appeal thanks to its long and storied past, so it is interesting in a historical artifact sort of way, but not anything that is worth paying full MSRP for. Rent it or wait for a price bomba.
