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New Duke Nukem Forever Screens – Come Get Some

Garrett Hartman — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 03:33:59 +0000

Duke Nukem Forever comes out this May and although it took over 12 years, many expected it to take forever. I can’t say I’m not excited, as these screens KICK ASS!

Hopefully the demo comes soon.

Want to see the screens? Click the thumbnails below.

COME GET SOME!

Gearbox: Making Pigs Fly, Robots Dance, and Why They’re Just Getting Started

Dave Oshry — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 20:33:19 +0000

On Friday, September 3rd, Gearbox Software dropped a bomb on the gaming world when they announced that they had shown up to PAX 2010 with Duke Nukem Forever. So naturally, Ripten cancelled all of our appointments so we could talk to some of the men who are bringing back Duke.

I had already played the demo that Friday, but it was not until Sunday that I got to sit down with Gearbox and talk to them about it. I was ushered into a small room with Mikey Neumann, creative director at Gearbox; also present was Markus Wilding, Global PR director for 2K games. Markus was helpful in answering a few questions and giving some insight, but I’m pretty sure he was just there to make sure I didn’t stab Mikey and run off with the game.

Mikey and Markus gave me some great insight into Gearbox, 2K, Duke, and even a little bit of Borderlands . . . I also got the chance to speak with CEO Randy Pitchford later on that day.

DO: First of all, I just want to say thank you, thank you , fucking … thank you. Words can’t express . . .

MN: Haha, you’re welcome sir.

DO: How in the hell did you manage to keep this under wraps for so long?

MN: Man, it’s crazy how many people knew about this and were able to keep it quiet . . .

DO: Yeah, because we all kind of knew that it was coming, but nobody could fucking confirm it!!

MN: Honestly, at Gearbox, everyone is so busy that there’s no time to even leak this kind of info. It’s been a crazy year watching this game come together into a game you can actually play through all the way. I think everyone has kind of lived through the shock of playing it at PAX . But we’ve had a year of being in shock from it. You’ve gotta trust the people you work with and you’ve gotta be able to trust the people in charge not to fuck that up, and I think we did pretty good.

DO: Oh yeah, so when did this whole thing come together, how did the transition go from 3D realms shutting down, to you picking it up, to 2K getting behind you. I mean, who spearheaded that, was it Randy … ?

MN: Oh yeah. I definitely think Randy Pitchford was at the center of that. I mean, he’s the one link between everybody. We have a great relationship with Take-Two and 2K, they’re awesome (Markus nods), and Borderlands was hugely successful for all of us, so it was kind of a no-brainer to work with them again. So, we kind of put the feelers out there to see what would happen. We said, “Lets talk to George (Broussard) and 2K and see if we can get everyone on the same page because we’ll all benefit, right?” If this doesn’t happen, then everyone kind of loses, the gamers especially. We can all profit and all be friends if we made this happen and it was really a no brainer I think. After that it all just came together.

DO: So how much of an actual transition was there? How much of the game is their game (3D Realms) and how much of the game is your game?

MN: Well, I don’t think we’re adding a whole lot content-wise because after 15 years there is plenty of content. I mean, there’s a lot, a lot of game there. It’s funny that we’re only playing 15 minutes at PAX, that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of this game. But yeah, Gearbox is really good at producing and putting games together and pacing them and making sure all the story works. So I think mainly in that capacity we really came in and fit it all together as a complete game as opposed to a series of vignettes and cool moments.

DO: So was the game almost done at 3Drealms?

MN: Heh, well I dunno. We definitely fit it all together … I don’t have a lot of specifics offhand, but for us it was really an exercise in taking a bunch of awesome stuff and fitting it together into one really cool game.

DO: How much game are we looking at here? 20+ hours?

MN: Oh man, it’s a lot, probably a lot more than games you’ve played lately if that says anything . . . I’m not gonna get into specifics, but it’s longer than most of the games you can pick up on shelves right now.

Read on as we talk about what a thrill it is to be bringing back Duke, and why Gearbox is the right developer to do it.

<<<< GOTO RIPTEN | GOTO PART II >>>>

Gearbox: Making Pigs Fly, Robots Dance, and Why They’re Just Getting Started (III)

Dave Oshry — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:38:09 +0000

DO: How much collaboration has there been between all the companies that have worked on this game? I noticed a few extra names in there during the trailer and in the demo.

MN: Right, we brought in some side companies to help with the production. Because there’s a lot of factors to getting that all put together, and you need a lot of people to make a game this big. I think that’s a lot of the reason the game never came together over all these years, you’ve got all these creative people like Allen Blum, but making a next gen game takes a lot of grunt work. So, we’ve got a lot of people helping out.

DO: Well, who are these other companies? For people who may not know these other companies.

MN: Markus you want to answer that one?

MW: Well the 3DRealms logo is there out of respect. Triptych is a company that was actually formed by 3drealms that was also working on the game that is part of the Gearbox family now, they live on the 10th floor. (In the same building as Gearbox) The only other one is Pirhana, and we’re not talking abut what they do, right now. But they’re … they’re involved.

DO: Very interesting … (I stroke my non-existent beard)

MN: (Laughs)

DO: Very cool, so what are some of the best fan reactions you’ve seen since setting this booth up, after you dropped this bomb on us Friday morning?

MN: Well, you know Wired Magazine has been doing this, “Vaporware of the Year” thing for a long time. And they gave Duke Nukem Forever the award like five times or something, then they finally gave it the lifetime achievement award so they wouldn’t have to do that anymore. So Randy had the guy from Wired in yesterday … and I heard he had tears I his eyes.

DO: Wow …

MN: I mean, I can’t confirm that, but that’s what I heard (Randy later confirmed this to me … sorta) I mean, that’s a lot of life to live with this thing and never have it happen. If you’ve been writing articles about a game for over a decade, then to finally see it, it’s understandable. I’ve seen a lot of people who are just overwhelmed by the whole thing just actually being a reality.

DO: Oh yeah, I mean I literally could not stop fucking grinning the whole godddamn time I was playing the demo (I mimic myself holding a 360 controller while grinning like an idiot)

MN/MW (Laughter)

MW: My favorite moment was Friday at 10:01 am when they opened the gates, and we were just standing here watching people walk by and just stop and do double-takes, and go, “What the fuck … is this for real? Is this a joke?”

DO: Yeah I saw two guys walk by and one guy hits his friend and points at the booth and goes, “Holy shit, what the fuck, does that say Duke Nukem forever!?”

MW: Yeah, so they started to line up not knowing anything, and the first group to go in, we show them the trailer, and then we’re like … “So you wanna play the game maybe?” And they were all like, “Haha yeah right whatever.” And we were like, “No, we’re serious, go next door and fucking play it.” Then they were all like, “What the fuuuuuuuccckkk.” I talked to the first guy who went through and I told him, “Dude, you’re the first person in the world outside of Gearbox and 2K that has played this game” He was almost in shock.

DO: So, When it’s Done is now 2011. It’s definitely 2011? No more pushbacks?

MN: It’s 2011. Gearbox and 2K don’t do the pushback thing, when we say a date, we mean that fuckin’ date.

Read on as we talk about the possibility of Duke getting an AO rating and why Duke Nukem Forever is a true Duke Nukem game

<<<< GOTO PART II | GOTO PART IV >>>>

Gearbox: Making Pigs Fly, Robots Dance, and Why They’re Just Getting Started (IV)

Dave Oshry — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:37:43 +0000

DO: So, a few other gamers and I talked after the demo and actually thought this game might deserve an AO rating. I mean, is that possible? Would you support that if the ESRB decides to go that route? I personally think it would still sell very well.

MW: Well, it’s definitely going to be at least M rated. And we believe it should be M rated. I mean, you can do a lot in an M rated game these days. While with an AO we could still sell a lot of copies, we really want to get it into the hands of as many gamers as possible.

DO: Absolutely, but do you think you’ll have to cut anything in order to achieve an M rating?

MN: Well, I dunno, we’ll see what happens with the ESRB when it happens. But this will probably be the game that’s closest to AO that we’ve ever done.

DO: So it’s riding the line pretty hard?

MN: (Laughs) That should be the tagline of the game. “Duke Nukem: Riding the Line Pretty Hard.”

MW: That’s what she said!! (Laughter)

DO: Duke looks a bit different as well, what have you guys changed about Duke himself?

MN: That’s definitely been a constant back and forth. You have to embrace the 1996 reality that Duke lives in, but you have to update him enough for a modern audience so they aren’t just turning it away. We have to make him actually cool instead of just pretending to be cool. That’s something Brian Martel really spearheaded at Gearbox; the subtle changes. Bringing him into 2010, so many subtle changes, we could probably do a whole book on them. But at the end of the day, I think he’s still the same old Duke to everyone.

DO: President Obama recently said …

MN: Wow, a question just started President Obama. (laughs)

DO: Oh yeah. President Obama recently said that the return of Duke Nukem is the real reason he’s ended combat operations in Iraq. He said, and I quote, “Duke’s got it covered” … Care to comment?

MN: Haha, I voted for him! I wouldn’t be surprised honestly, everyone else has commented on it … I think everyone is kind of jumping in on it.

DO: Yeah, well it’s funny because the first people who broke the story weren’t from the gaming community, it was the fucking Wall Street Journal.

MN: Yeah, it was them and Variety right?

DO: Yeah, and they don’t care about games … It just shows how big of a deal this is.

MW: They were so keen on it, they broke the fucking embargo. They ran the story two hours before the official press release went out, and it’s been crazy ever since.

DO: Wow, so if this is wildly successful, which I think its obviously going to be … what’s next for Duke?

MN: We just announced Duke Nukem forever, what the fuck do you want!! But if fans want more, I’m sure we’ll deliver. Lets get this one out the door first. It’s been kind of a long time coming. Baby steps. People have already asked me about DLC and I’m like, “Really!?” It’s just funny, they haven’t even played this yet, and they’re talking about DLC.

DO: Well, that’s today’s gamer.

MW: Well, what I think is very cool, and I’ve played through the entire game, is that it’s so very much Duke Nukem. You can’t just make a first person shooter and slap a Duke logo on it. This game is so very much Duke in everything it does. All the one liners, all the interactivity,.

MN: Yeah, it’s hilarious. I’ve seen people go the entire 15 minutes of demo time just drawing on the whiteboard and I’m like, “Noooo, you’re going to miss the actual game!!” My advice to everybody has been just skip the damn whiteboard, you’ve only got 15 minutes!! But we did have sort of a silent contest here to see who would draw the best penis on the whiteboard. This one guy drew like this giant anatomically correct one, it was kind of mesmerizing, we were like, “what the hell . . .”

MW: It’s something Duke would do.

MN: When he’s “Riding the line”

(laughter)

MW: The attention to detail is so enormous, like you can actually change the colors of the markers you draw on the whiteboard wit.

MN: And that’s all part of duke. Its part of the identity of Duke, you can Xerox your ass and stuff . . . it’s all just part of Duke

Read on as we discuss why Borderlands and Duke Nukem represent everything Gearbox wants to be as a developer, and why Randy pitchford got a group hug at the gearbox panel

<<<< GOTO PART III | GOTO PART V >>>>

Gearbox Announces: “We Own Duke Nukem”

Garrett Hartman — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 23:09:21 +0000

In a stunning bit of PAX 2010 news, Gearbox Software has announced that they have bought the rights to the Duke Nukem franchise. This is a huge development considering the finally completed and long awaited Duke Nukem Forever is poised for a release sometime next year.

It seems that Gearbox CEO and ex-3D Realms employee Randy Pitchford spearheaded this effort and will now carry the torch for Duke into the future. Everyone is behind Randy and Gearbox and it wasn’t a hard sale. To quote Pitchford, “I didn’t buy it from them, they sold it to me.”

Since Gearbox has purchased the Duke Nukem IP, they’re now in charge of all subsequent games in the franchise. Great news for the Duke in a weekend full of news. Fans can now expect Duke Nukem games … forever (or for the immediate future at least).

Ripten also had a chance to sit down with Randy Pitchford as well as Mikey Neumann (Creative Director) to talk about all things Duke, and what it means to have Gearbox bringing him back. Check back in to Ripten.com to read the full interview soon!!

Mikey Neumann (Left) Ripten's Dave Oshry and Randy Pitchford (Right)

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

Dave Oshry — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 17:48:00 +0000

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.

3D Realms Dev Keeps Duke Nukem Forever Fans Holding On, Ten Years and Counting

Chad Lakkis — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 12:48:47 +0000

The lights are still on, and we ain't admittin' to shit.

Duke Nukem Forever is like a really bad joke that people just can’t help themselves from telling on occasion, and considering the fact that 3D Realms Developer, George Broussard, wouldn’t confirm fan suspicions in a thread titled “DFN Cancelled?“on the company’s official forum, I’m unfortunately having to tell that joke to you right now.

Yes, it would seem that Duke Nukem Forever, is still alive and kicking. According to Broussard, fans should continue to hold on to hope (and their nearly ten year old pre-order slips), because of the “two facts” he shared in response:

“We haven’t said anything. This forum is still open.”

Well alright then! No official response and the ability to pay your hosting bill on time. That’s good enough for me. They just bought themselves another ten years!

Nintendo Explains Minimal 3DS First Party E310 Announcements

Brandon Fenty — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:00:43 +0000

The 3DS is an amazing piece of hardware, no one can deny that. But without a quality game lineup, it will be hard to convince people to buy it. Nintendo announced a strong lineup of third-party games last week at E3, but outside of Kid Icarus and a few other ports, their first party lineup was a bit lacking.

Luckily, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has laid to rest fears that this signals a departure from first-party games:

“In terms of our own internal software development, we will be devoting much of our resources to support Nintendo 3DS. From our historical perspective, since we thought it is obvious that first-party software lineup needs to support the new platform to expand its installed base, we did not emphasize that in our [E3] presentation. We will of course introduce quality first-party software.”

Iwata also confirmed that Nintendo is already developing titles internally. With the 3DS confirmed to ship by the end of March 2011, let’s hope that this means a well-rounded lineup for launch!

Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project Dated, One Liner Filled Launch Trailer Released

Bryce Wilson — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 05:15:48 +0000

In a recent Xbox360Achievements post, it was revealed that Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project, a PC to Xbox LIVE Arcade port, had finally received a release date after being bounced around in the shape of rumors for ages.

Set to hit the marketplace on Wednesday 23rd of June 2010, the title will set you back 800 Microsoft Points, and feature all the levels, weapons, and zaniness from the PC original. Xbox 360 players will also be able to unlock a Jetpack and Duke Nukem Logo T-Shirt for their avatars to wear. To coincide with the announcement, Duke Nukem 3D on the Xbox LIVE Arcade has been slashed to half price and will now only cost gamers 400MSP to download. Click here to add it to your queue.

Along with the plethora of information above, prepare your brains for a sensory overload of explosions, destruction, and classic Duke Nukem one liners, as you watch the below trailer that was also released today.

New Duke Nukem Screenshots Pop Up… On Facebook

Demi Adejuyigbe — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:40:44 +0000

You know, for a cancelled game, we keep seeing more and more of Duke Nukem Forever. And in the weirdest places, too- first, someone leaked footage of the game on YouTube back in May, and now we’ve got two more screenshots courtesy of the Duke Nukem Forever fan page on Facebook.

The screen shots don’t show much we haven’t seen before- a giant boar with disgusting abs and a bunch of spikes in his back wading through the water as a giant wormhole forms behind him in the sky. You know. Whatever. Same old song and dance. It is a bit disheartening though- to see a game that went through a 12 year development cycle, only to be canceled. You can see the second image after the jump.

[via destructoid]

Duke Nukem Forever footage

Sam Naylor — Sun, 10 May 2009 09:09:25 +0000

You’ve probably heard by now that Duke Nukem Forever creators 3D Realms have shut down. It was a sad day for PC gaming fans, as it was these guys who pioneered PC games back in the day, along with Epic and Id software. as a result, this video has been leaked out by one of the developers, and Destructoid managed to nab it before YouTube took it down.

It looks fantastic, especially the animations of the baddies. Totally over the top and ridiculous, exactly what a Duke game should be. By the way, the video might be a little NSFW, since one of the trademark Duke strippers appears around the 0.49 mark. This game had better get made.

Why You Won’t See Duke Nukem Forever at E3

Dylan Duarte — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 02:29:46 +0000

Even though “development is swimming along nicely,” 3D Realms has no intentions of showing Duke Nukem Forever at E3. Hit the jump to find out why.

“It’s just that we view E3 as irrelevant nowadays. In fact, I wasn’t even aware it was coming up.”

That’s a quote from 3D Realms chief Scott Miller. E3 may not be as “relevant” as it used to be, but it’s still relevant enough that I wouldn’t call it “irrelevant.”

And he wasn’t aware that it was coming up? How is it even possible to work in the industry and let something as big as E3 slip your mind? Again, not as big as it used to be, but still plenty big.

Source: Next Gen

Duke Nukem Forever – Dallas Business Journal Confirmed 2008 Release Shot Down

Chad Lakkis — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 21:06:38 +0000

The Dallas Business Journal ran a story on February 7th about Garland Texas based 3D Realms, confirming a late 2008 release date for the much anticipated pop culture phenomenon that is Duke Nukem Forever.

The piece stemmed from an interview with 3D Realms head, Scott Miller, conducted by the Dallas Business Journal’s Web Editor Stephen Webster, who later wrote the article which broke the release date in question.

This later prompted the following response from Miller:

“Quite simply, they are lying bastards and they know it.”

Al-righ-ty then, and what would you call a company that teases a games release for nearly ten years? I’m not saying, I’m just saying. While, “lying bastards” may be a bit harsh, it ultimately seemed that the reporter, an admitted fan of the series, got his facts mixed up.

The paper, which adamantly stood behind their report initially, but has since removed the confirmed release date, and a recently released audio file of the conducted interview confirmed that there was in fact a mis quoting of words by Webster. When asked about the Duke Nukem Forever game, Miller stated the following:

“It might make this year. We can’t make any sort of official announcement. We’re pushing for this year. Frankly, I think we’re going to miss it by just a by a few months… “

In closing, there is no official release date for the game as of yet, and another ten year wait may not be out of the question. Sit tight.

Source: bizjournals.com

Return of the King: Duke Nukem Forever Trailer [Video]

Cavin Smith — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 18:04:30 +0000

Why waste time pontificating when we could just deliver you the goods? Duke Nukem certainly wouldn’t. If you want to hear some thoughts on the long-awaited sequel, see our editorial below. For the trailer itself, just click on through!

[gamevideo 16775 nolink]

One-minute-eleven mostly of Duke pumping iron is a bit disappointing, but the fact that it looks real-time at least shows that the 3D Realms staff isn’t sitting around gazing at their navels all day. It’s nice to see the aliens and pigcops, too (even if only for a split second), but we just thought they’d have even more to show us after all these years. Of course, they could just be saving all the gameplay details for the PC Gamer cover issue, so it looks like we’ll have to wait until that hits shelves to get anything significant out of this.

Duke Nukem Forever: How Can it Blow Us Away?

Cavin Smith — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 17:49:10 +0000

Over ten years in the making, Duke Nukem Forever has the potential to be a bloated, confusing mess of worn-out ideas and half-hearted attempts. Overambition is the enemy of any game designer (just ask Peter Molyneux or Yasumi Matsuno). Yet, even when the main goal at this point is to just hurry up and get the product out the door, there are still a few ways that the game could capture our hearts and minds all over again.

The first thing they need to do is give us the most interactive environments this side of a Kojima game. Remember how we obsessed over the way ice cubes melted when the first hands-on previews of Metal Gear Solid 2 hit the web? With this much development time under their belts, Broussard and company better have a crazy amount of detail in their game.

It was always a hallmark of the series in the first place. Being able to go into a bathroom and flush the toilet (plus getting a health boost for it) was pretty crazy stuff back in the time of Duke Nukem 3D. Shadow Warrior continued the tradition.

What’s changed since then? Not as much as you’d think, to be honest. Many of the most high-profile first-person-shooters out there still feature remarkably static environments, save the odd exploding barrel or flipped vehicle. The rare exception would be, of course, Half-Life 2 and its unforgettable Gravity Gun, which allows you to pick up or manipulate almost any object in the world.

The reluctance to make more interactive environments might come from a fear of letting the player control too much of the experience, resulting in unforeseen glitches or ways to ruin the way the game is played . Even HL2 must occasionally fall into the trap of creating tight, scripted sequences intended to keep the player on track.

DNF will hopefully break this mold, but even if it doesn’t, we’d probably just settle for some tactile wackiness. Let us grab breasts, let us go gambling in the casino, let us tear down a building with our bare hands. That’s all we ask!

Broussard’s claimed before that Forever would be one of the best action games ever, and the only way to accomplish that is to either provide the player with the freedom to shape their environment or give them the most memorable set pieces they’ve ever experienced. Both would be nice, of course, but one could imagine the nightmare that would cause for play-balancing. Maybe that is what they’ve been doing all of these years…

Regardless, I hope 3D Realms lays it on thick. Just make the whole scenario as nutty as humanly possible. Duke Nukem doesn’t need a good story, but he needs a crazy one that’s going to allow for all sorts of over-the-top sequences nobody’s seen before. How about riding an atomic bomb Major Kong-style as it rockets towards the ground, all the while dual-wielding rocket launchers and blasting pigcops out of the sky as they attempt to thwart your effort to blow up a major alien stronghold.

There’s no need for rules or regulations to apply in Duke’s world, because he can do whatever the hell he wants.

Which is another thing I want from Duke Nukem Forever, just let Duke Nukem be as “Duke Nukem” as he wants to be. The more I look back at what I’ve written so far, the more I realize that what I’m asking for is a Duke Nukem game — everything that made the original game so much fun amped up to 11. Keep Duke’s ass-kicking, lack-of-bubble-gumming, wise-cracking attitude and all that it entails.

My concern is more about whether we’re going to be getting Duke Nukem Forever 2008, or if we’re merely getting Duke Nukem Forever ’97 in the year 2008. As great as the old tropes were, we don’t need similarly old concepts that ignore all of the advances and changes made to the genre (and, really, games in general) since the late nineties.

There have been impostors over the years (Serious Sam), but it’s time for the king to reclaim his throne. Duke Nukem Forever may end up being a pile of ass, but we should be willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. No amount of awesome graphics or multiplayer features are going to make DNF a great game. No, they’d merely make it a good one. What’ll make it great is the Duke’s style, and more than anything, that’s what needs to stay the same.

2007, This is Duke Nukem Calling

Dan Landis — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 02:59:12 +0000

Ten years and counting, should have been titled “Duke Nukem: Taking Forever”

Hello, this is 2007 speaking. Oh, Duke Nukem! Long time no see, my friend! What’s that you say? You’re going to drop by tomorrow? Ha ha ha! That’s a good one! You’ve pulled that one on almost every year before me — but I’m not falling for it.

Well, 2007, it looks like this may not be a prank after all. George Broussard, over at the official 3D Realms forums, let loose the news that a trailer for the long-awaited Duke Nukem Forever is set to bring the Internet to its knees.

“Tomorrow, Wednesday the 19th, around noon CST, we will release the first teaser trailer from Duke Nukem Forever.”

To quench our thirst for the Duke’s appearance, he offered this screenshot (click to enlarge):

Now don’t get me wrong. This is exciting news, but after 10 years of development and the legendary dispute as to whether or not the game even exists, the trailer needs to explode my face off.

With all this build-up, I have a feeling we’ll all be walking away with blue-balls. How could ANYTHING possibly live up to that much hype and anticipation? Let’s hope 3D Realms gives us the sugar… baby.