Will Duke Nukem Forever Get AO Rating? (Hands on Impressions and Screens)

Like many other gamers, yesterday I got hands on with Duke Nukem Forever.  A game which I’ve been waiting for, for over a damn decade.  Was the wait worth it?  Well my first impression is, oh hell yes.

My second impression?  This game ain’t for kids and may very well deserve an AO rating by the ESRB.  Not that I mind, I’m just saying it might be harder for your little brother to get his hands on Duke than he hoped ;-)

We were herded into a small room within the Duke booth at PAX and shown a trailer which I can only describe as pure awesome.  Apparently Duke disappeared, but the alien menace didn’t.  Yet, when they came back for our women . . . Duke wasn’t having that shit.  He’s back and badder than ever . . . Duke Nukem Forever has more tits, ass and foul language than any other game I’ve ever played . . . and it’s about damn time.  But it’s all in fun, there is an equal amount of humor as there is cleavage, and I don’t think I’ve grinned so damn hard while playing a game demo in a long time.  Best part of the trailer?  Duke looks up at a giant naked three breasted alien beast and says, “Hell, I’d still hit it.”  Priceless.

After that it was time for the hands-on  demo . . . let’s get into it.

Duke Nukem Forever starts off where Duke Nukem 3D left off.  After taking a piss (hold RT to piss) and checking out the gameplan … It’s time for Duke to grab a hold of a devastator and take on the final boss from Duke Nukem 3D all over again.  Come Get Some!!

He's Back Baby

Hold RT to Piss!!

You Can Draw on The Whiteboard!!

You can dick around (pun intended) quite a bit in the locker room.  Take a piss, use the shower, drink from a water fountain, draw on the whiteboard, and then finally it’s time to Get Some!!  Up an elevator with a devastator and onto the field . . . this big bad motherfucker is looking a lot better than he did when I fought him years ago in Duke 3D.

Devastate Me

Duke 1 - Cycloid - 0

It’s Good!!

After thoroughly devastating the giant cycloid, the game pans out to see Duke actually playing the game from his own swanky bachelor pad . . . while he’s being blown by two chicks.  Make no mistake, that’s what they were doing, and loving it.

How Was it Duke?

Seriously, How Was The Game?

After they’re done, one of them asks you, “So how was the game Duke, was it any good?”  To which you reply “Yeah, but after 12 fucking years . . . it better be”  Classic.

After that lovely scene you’re thrown right into level 15, and given your own sweet monster truck, which handles pretty well.

Shortly after some driving and turning various aliens into road kill, you pop out of the truck and head forth with only a pistol.

"Damn, Those Alien Bastards Are Gonna Pay For Shooting Up My Ride"

So, out you go into a very Borderlands-esque setting, to kick some ass and chew . . . well you know the rest.  Good news, all the classic Duke 3d weapons are back.  The same shotgun, ripper, RPG, shrinking gun, and devastator were all spotted.  I also picked up a sweet railgun with a scope.  The gunplay felt good and bloody and surprisingly very Duke 3D-like (I’m not sure how they managed that)  Also to note, Duke has an EGO meter instead of a health bar and the max ammo you can carry in any gun is 69 (giggidy)

Scoped and Dropped

I was grinning like a fucking schoolboy the entire demo.  Half at how damn good the game played, and half at how damn unfiltered the whole experience felt.  They aren’t holding anything back. Nothing is bleeped out, nothing is censored.  This is the 21st century Duke baby, tits, ass, booze and all.  “Fuck yeah”, I said to myself … it’s about time.

After it was all said and done (and I picked up my sweet Duke t-shirt and atomic belt buckle) I was talking it over with some other gamers and journos and we all seemed to draw the same comclusion.  This game might be too much for an M rating.  This fucker might actually warrant an AO (Adults Only kiddies) … joining the ranks of Manhunt 2 and the uncensored version of Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude.  To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised. It’s got all the violence and profanity an AO game deserves, plus all the uncensored tits and ass a sleazy fucker like me could ever want.  It’s pure bliss, but it’s not for kids. Let’s se what the ESRB classifies as an AO game.

Contains content that is considered unsuitable for people under 18 years of age, and cannot be bought by anyone below that age. These may include adult video games that shows sex and graphic nudity, extreme violence and blood and gore. As of 2010^[update], there have been twenty-three products which have received and kept the rating. The AO rating is the subject of ongoing, heated controversy due to the extreme restrictions it places on game sales. Games from major publishers that receive an AO rating are often ‘toned down’ in order to gain the lesser rating of M such as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Manhunt 2. Both Sony Computer Entertainment and Nintendo have publicly said that they do not allow AO-rated games on their systems, Microsoft however has not stated whether they allow AO-rated games on their systems.

Does Duke Nukem Forever deserve an AO rating?  I think so, but I wasn’t sure . . . so after PAX I headed out on the town to think it over . . . Duke style.

Come Get Some.

AO or not, you can be damn sure I’ll be picking up a copy of Duke Nukem Forever when it drops sometime in 2011.