RipTen Videogame Blog » Duke-Nukem-Forever

The RipTen End of the Year Awards (2011)

Ripten Staff — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 03:30:21 +0000

You should have acted. They’re already here. The gaming world told of their return. E3 was merely a delay… ’til the time after PAX opened. When the scribes of RipTen would spill their own thoughts. Behold!!

Let’s get the fanboy nonsense out of the way first.

These are the best games of the year, by platform:

The Gears of War series is synonymous with the Xbox 360. If Master Chief is the faceless hero of the Xbox fanbase, then Marcus Fenix and company are the gritty, brutal, excellently detailed faces of it. We’ve given each iteration of the Gears series a perfect score because the quality of the games that Epic releases never cease to impress the hardened Xbox fanboys and newcomers alike. The graphics, gameplay and over the top attitude of Gears of War 3 is what makes it the showpiece for Microsoft’s gaming console, and the best Xbox 360 exclusive.

Nathan Drake is a man on a mission. A mission to prove that each chapter of the Uncharted series can push the PS3 to its limits and impress even the most jaded of console gamers. Naughty Dog not only excels at creating the most jaw-dropping visuals for the Playstation platform, but also tells stories that make us fall in love with their characters each and every time. They’ve once again succeeded at crafting an immersive world filled with action, adventure and intrigue that will keep us coming back to the wild world of Uncharted every single time.

Geralt of Rivia. A man’s man. A ladies’ man. CDProjekt’s adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s tortured protagonist is something literary fans dream of. A world torn from the pages of books beyond anything you could ever imagine. So richly detailed and magnificent to behold in every way that it puts games produced by legendary publishers to shame on a budget infinitely inferior. A game that improved upon its predecessor in every way. The deep and branching quest narrative combined with fluid combat and breathtaking visuals not only made The Witcher 2 one of the best RPGs of the year, but its rig-breaking technical requirements rewarded only those most dedicated to PC gaming. The world needs more developers like CDProjekt, and more games like The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.

All we ever wanted since Nintendo revealed its motion controlled console was to swing our swords in the land of Hyrule. Twilight Princess gave us a taste of true motion controlled swordplay, but we wanted something entirely new. Luckily, the legendary Shigeru Miyamoto did not let us down. When Skyward Sword finally arrived on the Wii, it came with rich visuals, picture perfect controls and a story that made us fall in love with The Legend of Zelda all over again. A worthy successor to the Zelda franchise in every way, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword might be the best reason to own a Nintendo Wii yet.

Did somebody say Miyamoto? You betcha. We were all sad to learn that Super Mario 3D Land wouldn’t launch alongside the Nintendo 3DS, but when it finally arrived, we let them slide. A near perfect combination of Super Mario Brothers 3 and Super Mario 64, 3D land had something for everyone. Not only did it make great use of the 3D visuals and 3DS controls, but it has difficulty levels to challenge hardcore fans and please casual gamers alike. Is Super Mario 3D Land the best reason to own a Nintendo 3DS? It’s certainly one of them.

Nobody has pushed the envelope in mobile gaming quite like Chair Entertainment and Epic Games with Infinity Blade. Unmatched visuals and addictive gameplay provide a true console-quality experience on a mobile platform. With Infinity Blade II, everything was taken to the next level and we were once again floored by what these developers have made possible on a mobile platform and what the Unreal technology is capable of.

However, some of the best games of 2011 were download-only.

These are the year’s best downloadable games:

They changed the name to Iron Brigade, but that didn’t take away from one of the best downloadable titles of the year. Trenched was the first game to truly blend elements of Tower Defense and Action successfully. Not only that, it had tons of loot drops to further enhance your mechs and the full game was able to be played cooperatively with up to three other players. Combine those features with Double Fine’s signature comedic writing and you have an XBLA title to remember.

More of the same? Not exactly. Q Games not only added plenty of new content to their microbial sized shooter, they also added competitive multiplayer which made the game even that much more addictive and challenging. Rescuing survivors from puzzling alien innards has never been this much fun, and few PSN exclusives are this addicting. This is a game every PSN user should own, as well as pretty much everything else Pixel Junk.

The kid probably wouldn’t care if he got this award. Too busy rebuilding the bastion he’d be. What makes Bastion the best downloadable game of the year? Besides the fact that it was great on XBLA, PSN and PC, there was damn near nothing bad anyone could say about it. A perfect blend of hack n’ slash RPG gameplay topped off with tight controls and a story told by the coolest narrator this side of the calamity, Bastion is game that’s impossible not to like. Throw in a visually stunning world that comes together piece by piece and plenty of achievements for the hunter in all of us, and you’ve got the clear winner of downloadable game of the year. The kid should be proud.

We’re just getting started. Up next? The best games of the year, by genre:

Duke Nukem Forever DLC Parodies Team Fortress, Call of Duty and More

Dave Oshry — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 06:30:54 +0000

Duke Nukem Forever is no laughing matter. Well… ok, it sort of is.

After a prolonged development the game was released to abysmal reviews. However, the guys at Gearbox haven’t given up on trying to bash us over the head with parodies of other games. Oh joy.

Anyhow, the new multiplayer DLC, the “Hail to the Icons Parody Pack” will add:

Three All-New Modes. Freeze Tag provides some of the most fun team gameplay in Duke Nukem Forever. Players cooperate to freeze and shatter their opponents in succession for huge point streaks and combos. See who can hold on to the babe the longest in Hot Potato and play free-for-all Duke style in Hail to the King.

Call of Duke – Duke engages in modern combat in a war-torn city. Foes don’t stand a chance against the Duke when he spams the map with the N00b T00b.

Sandpit – Players take the role of mini-Duke in a giant sandbox with two bases at either end made out of children’s toys. This map features Sticky Bombs.

Inferno – Time machine engage! Duke does combat in a hellish landscape of lava and teleporters. Who turned on the 16-bit graphics, and more importantly, where did this DFG come from?

2Forts1Bridge – Hats? Duke loves hats. Give him a minigun and take down all comers.

The DLC will be available on October 11th. It’s free for First Access Club members and $10 for everyone else.

RipTen Review: The AssKickers (PC)

Ripten Staff — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:17:08 +0000

By RipTen Contributor Thomas Beekers

I’m a huge fan of beat-em-ups, and of indie PC games, yet I completely missed retro 2D beat-em-up The Asskickers, from independent French studio AGO Games. That was until The Redner PR Group did a clever bit poking fun at Duke Nukem Forever and it got coverage on various gaming sites. Checking out the game’s website, and discovering this to be an old-school, retro beat-em-up, I purchased it in a heartbeat.

The Asskickers clearly wears its influences on its sleeve. The opening area has Chuck Norris and Streets of Rage (“Bare Fists tournament”) posters on the background wall to indicate its irreverent sense of humor and gameplay style. Even before that, you select one of three main characters to play, with different strength, speed, and toughness stats. The three main characters are the average fighter Alex, the fast Diane, and the bruiser Marcus, roughly following the Adam/Max, Axel, and Blaze prototype from Streets of Rage.

The game doesn’t take itself seriously at all, as you would expect from a game called “The Asskickers.” The enemies are yuppie and business stereotypes. The story is as non-existent as it tends to be in other classical beat-em-ups, a simple “this is the bad guy because we told you so”, which is all you need to know. The writing is uneven, possibly with a lot lost in translation from French, so you’ll bump into lines about “kicking your ass so hard it’ll think it fought in Vietnam!”

The controls are really simple, with an attack, jump, and pick up button. The game lacks a tutorial, and it’s worthwhile to look at the control description before jumping in. For instance, I didn’t realize immediately that pressing down and the pick up button drops weapons after you’ve picked them up. Beat-em-ups always have simple controls; the complexity comes from what happens with a combination of buttons. In The Asskickers, you can do basic punch/kick combos, jumping attacks, grabbing enemies to fight them, and special moves by holding the attack button or double-tapping a direction and attacking.

There are six levels in the Asskickers. The game introduces new enemies with every new level, and while the first ones have basic attacks, it does a good job introducing more powerful enemies with varied attacks, such as SWAT cops who can block and charge with their shields or businessmen with phones that can resurrect enemies you beat and teleport to avoid your attacks. Each of the bosses is unique: some are closer to regular enemies but more powerful versions; some play like minigames, such as a drunk boss you can’t hit directly but have to drop chandeliers on. After beating each boss, you enter a minigame where you rack up points by spanking the boss as much as you can. Yes, I am dead serious.

What’s the first thing you’ll notice when you load up The Asskickers? That it looks like crap. There’s nothing wrong with the retro look, and the basic style is simple but not bad. But when I started fighting, I winced at the awkward and slow animations. Then the music blasts in, and with its level of quality, a thought forces itself up: this looks and sounds (in music and effects quality) like a Newgrounds game, like something someone lovingly crafted as a flash game. That’s not very good, but its forgivable for an indie.

Then comes the only question that really matters for beat-em-ups. Does it play well? And the answer is no, not really. The biggest problem is hit detection. You have to align yourself pretty dead on to hit an enemy, and oddly enough you can not jump over standing or prone enemies. Then, to make it worse, if you grab an enemy your only options are to let go or punch him. If you punch an enemy normally, you’ll hit any enemy in your range, but if you hold and punch an enemy, you can hit only him. That means grabbing an enemy is not just completely useless, it’s actually dangerous to do as enemies will swarm on you without you being able to hit them. The enemy AI uses the hit detection to its advantage, with enemies avoiding you in annoying ways.

The special moves are uneven too. One is executed by holding the attack button, but The Asskickers is made in a way where you have to constantly keep moving or enemies will position themselves on both sides and attack you. You very rarely have time to use the charged up attack. The other special move, which is a quick bash forward for extra damage, is much more useful. Both attacks drain energy, which recharges by consuming energy drinks or stringing together combo attacks. I never ran out.

Surprisingly, even with grabbing enemies and the charge up attack being annoyances rather than helpful tools and the hit detection being weird, it’s not actually a difficult game. I’m a pretty obsessive beat-em-up player, so I’m used to some difficulty, but honestly the only difficulty in The Asskickers is getting used to its weird style. If you move methodically and only use jump-attacks, combo punches, and the special charge attack and cater your attack style to your enemy, it’s a breeze. This is truest of the Marcus character. He walks slowly, but because of the finicky hit detection, this is an advantage rather than a disadvantage as he’s easier to position right. Considering he punches harder and can take more hits, the fact that his only disadvantage is an advantage is a big balancing problem.

And balancing is only one of its problems. It has some weird quirks and bugs. For instance, there is a fat man who has a jump attack, and while executing it he is invulnerable, and stays invulnerable until he gets back up. Here’s more clear “this isn’t right” bugs: if you try to pick up an item but get interrupted by an attack while doing so, you can’t pick up that item anymore, ever. If you’re not using widescreen, the game doesn’t letterbox, instead if just cuts off the sides. Enemies can then flee offscreen, and certain bosses become unbeatable, so it’s basically unplayable on non-widescreens. And finally, while its system requirements are light and it runs well. I have to hope it starts whenever I boot it up, half the time it just freezes.

It’s a fairly short game at six levels. There are no saving options but it saves for you at the end of every level. I finished it in normal, which was way too easy, thinking I could replay it in hardcore. Well forget about it, hardcore just means you have no continues and start with less lives. Considering I ended the game with 10 or so lives and never using a continue, why would that constitute an extra challenge? This is an absolutely bizarre impediment to replay value. Classic beat-em-ups like Streets of Rage increase the enemy speed, strength, numbers, and even AI as you up the difficulty; all this game does is let you play exactly the same game but with no continues. A little extra value can be had from a survival mode (which was fun but there’s not a lot of it) and a time attack mode (which was frustrating as you can’t be methodical about it).

There is a co-op mode which includes team attacks, but I didn’t get any of my friends to play it with me, as I’d like to keep my friends.

Once I got over the frustration and played the game in the methodical fashion it needs to be played, I enjoyed it about as much as I enjoy a quick Newgrounds game. Frustration with controls and hit detection will be enough to turn away most players, so give the demo a try before purchase. The game launched at a frankly bizarre 14.99 EUR/USD, and I pity anyone who paid that much for it. I still paid a bit much at 7 EUR/USD. It is currently 5 EUR/USD, and is frankly worth about half that.

As a fan of beat-em-ups and with a dearth of them on Windows/Mac, I really love the intention of this game, and really wanted to like it, but I just can’t. Honestly, with the recent final release of the free and vastly superior Streets of Rage Remake, fans of classic beat-em-ups should just get that. Wearing your influence on your sleeve is OK, but with this game, the Streets of Rage posters are breaking the B-movie rule of “never reference a better work than what the viewer is watching”.

Here’s the rundown:

+ Cool concept

- Poor execution

- Muddy mechanics

- Overpriced

Duke Nukem Forever DLC Gets First Details and Screens

Chris Carlson — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 04:00:17 +0000

Gearbox has shed some light on the first content pack for Duke Nukem Forever.

The “Hail to the Icons Parody Pack” will arrive this fall for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. The add-on includes four new multiplayer maps (each with a new weapons) and three new multiplayer modes. The content will also be free to all First Access Club Members who registered their membership before the game launched.

The Parody Pack includes:

Call of Duke – Duke engages in modern combat in a war-torn city. Foes don’t stand a chance against the Duke when he spams the map with the N00b T00b.
Sandbox – Players take the role of mini-Duke in a giant sandbox with two bases at either end made out of children’s toys. This map features Sticky Bombs.
Inferno – Time machine engage! Duke does combat in a hellish landscape of lava and teleporters. Who turned on the 16-bit graphics, and more importantly, where did this DFG come from?
2Forts1Bridge – Hats? Duke doesn’t need no stinking hats. Give him a minigun and he’ll beat off all comers.

Gearbox is also hosting Multiplayer Dukematches at their headquarters in Novato California on Thursday, August 4th. These matches will give you hands on time with the new DLC. Those interested should visit the 2K Blog.

Buy Nvidia 3DVision – Get Duke Nukem Forever Free

Dave Oshry — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 19:00:25 +0000

I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that Duke Nukem Forever is an awesome game and that this is just an excuse to get down with the Duke. However, Nvidia 3DVision is awesome and you should buy it now because it comes with free shit. And yes, by shit I mean Duke Nukem Forever. Ok, DNF isn’t THAT bad, but it’s certainly not worthy of 3DVision, even though it does obviously look much better on PC and in 3D.

But I digress, here’s the details:

For a limited time, NVIDIA 3D Vision wireless glasses kits include a free copy of Duke Nukem Forever. You can purchase the 3D Vision Duke Nukem Forever special edition today for $149 (USD MSRP) at these North American etailers: TigerDirect.com, Newegg.com and NCIX.

Or, look for the 3D Vision Duke Nukem Forever special edition bundle at your local retail store.

What are you waitin’ for, Christmas? Go Get Some!!

Yeah, I’m getting tired of those one-liners too…

Duke Nukem Forever Coming to Mac This August

Sam Naylor — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 20:40:34 +0000

Duke Nukem Forever will be coming to Mac after a 14 year and three month wait in August.

You can pre-order here in the US, but if that’s not your sort of thing you can just download the demo here for PC. If you don’t have a PC (though why would you? Macs are renowned for their gaming prowess) just stop complaining and wait until August. You’ve waited 14 years, can’t you wait another month or two?

According to Gearbox it will also have Steam support:

Gearbox Rewards Extremely Patient Duke Nukem Fan

Matthew Sims — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 19:55:31 +0000

10 years ago, a man by the name of Slash000 preordered Duke Nukem Forever at his local Gamestop. Little did he know then that it would take a full decade for the game to come to fruition and by a development team that was barely in existence in 2001. Luckily this gentlemen held on to his ancient preorder slip and Gamestop honored it, as per good business practices.

That isn’t the interesting part, however; Gearbox got wind of this old ass preorder and decided to bestow all sorts of swag to this lucky individual as per their general practice of rewarding awesome people with awesome shit.

The original Gamestop receipt

Here’s what Slash000 got delivered right to his doorstep courtesy of Gamersmint. Might want to break out the reading glasses. This is a long list.

Duke Nukem Forever PC Balls of Steel Edition #10, Signed by the Development Team
Duke Nukem Headshot, Signed by the Development Team
Logitech G19 Keyboard with GamePanel LCD Screen (Supported by Duke Nukem Forever PC)
Duke Nukem Forever Titty City Pint Glass
Duke Nukem Forever Titty City Shot Glass
Duke Nukem Forever First Access Club Shot Glass
Duke Nukem Forever First Access Club Mouse Pad
Duke Nukem Forever Belt Buckle
Duke Nukem Forever “Steroids”
Duke Nukem Forever Mini-Lithographs
Duke Nukem Forever gamerART Aluminum Mouse Pad
Duke Nukem Forever Hoody
Duke Burger T-Shirt
Hail to the King! T-Shirt
Come Get Some T-Shirt
Gearbox Swag Bag

Let’s hope this doesn’t start a new trend of people preordering vaporware just to hope that it will materialize in ten years and they can get free stuff. On second thought, that’s just stupid.

Nvidia Builds Bad Ass Duke Nukem PC Mod For DNF Launch

Aaron Alexander — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 14:30:14 +0000

At the Duke Nukem Forever launch in Dallas, the fine folk at Nvidia unveiled an awesome PC modification in honor of the game. The build featured dual 3D enabled screens, GTX 580 SLi GPU’s and one “kick-ass” cooling system.

Project: Hail to the King

The project was presented to Randy Pitchford, president of Gearbox Software. Nvidia conducted an interview with the man himself, and also captured some footage of this kick-ass PC mod. Check it out below;

The people at Nvidia never cease to amaze me, but is this monstrosity better than the Keg-Puter they showed off at the CES?

Let us know your thoughts on this absolute monster of a rig in the comments below, and be sure check out our review for Duke Nukem Forever.

RipTen Review: Duke Nukem Forever (PS3)

Aaron Alexander — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 17:00:33 +0000

I don’t even know what the fuck is going on right now. I’ve just come off a 10 or so hour binge with what seemingly is Duke Nukem Forever… you know, the game that has been in development for over a decade? Though it’s hard not to dwell on that fact, I can’t help but feel the last few days have been some kind of weird fever-dream. To be quite honest, the 14 year wait has done no favors for Duke (aside from sales derived from it’s legend). You can tell this is a game stuck in the mindset of the 90′s – from the one-liners, to the classic feel of online Duke-match, Duke Nukem Forever is an old ass game. Will Duke deliver on his 14 year promise? Or will he toss us to the side like a fat chick who won’t put out? read on to find out.

Unfortunately for people excited about Duke’s latest adventure, it’s the latter. Don’t get me wrong, Duke Nukem Forever can still be an enjoyable experience, but from the get-go it’s very apparent that this isn’t the return to glory that Duke fans were hoping for. Both gameplay and visuals are very middling by today’s standards, and while some will argue not to compare it to other modern video-games, it still costs $60. Duke Nukem Forever at it’s core, is simply a basic first person shooter with loads of interactivity in the environments. While some interaction is mundane, like squeezing soap out of a dispenser or drinking out of a water fountain, other actions can improve Duke’s “Ego”, which is a fancy way of saying “life meter”

Guess what I sketched on his book. Starts with a P

By doing “Duke-Like” things within the Environments, you will receive an additional chunk to your Life meter, ultimately allowing Duke to soak up more damage before dying. “Duke-Like” things include looking at Porn, shooting hoops or doing weights to name a few. The Ego system is arguably the only thing Duke Nukem Forever truly does right, and should Gearbox choose to continue the Duke Franchise, it should definitely become a core principle. The real meat of Duke Nukem Forever obviously is it’s shooting, and when I say 13 years has done no favors for the game’s development, the combat makes it very apparent. Like in the previous games, you’ll be fighting an array of invading Aliens, from the infamous Pig Cop, to the absolute gargantuan Cycloid’s. Of course, to kill these bad boys, Duke will need a varied Arsenal, right? Not exactly. I earned the trophy for finishing the game with Duke’s handgun, and let me say, that it was no challenge. The only time you’ll need the heavier weaponry is during boss fights, as they can only be damaged with explosives. However, for the grunts of the Alien forces, I found myself sticking to the Pistol/Shotgun combination. You’re given chances to diversify with weapons like the Freeze ray or the Ripper, but they rarely feel more useful then the aforementioned combo, and more like small gimmicky distractions. Also, unlike Duke 3D, you can only carry two weapons at a time now, who the fuck came up with that idea? Some pussy in green power armor?

The problem with the combat doesn’t just come with the lack of interesting weapons however, it just doesn’t feel satisfying, or fun. Pig cops will enrage after a certain amount of damage taken, dropping their currently held weapon, and charging at you like a wild bull. The animations make it a damn chore to even keep your aiming reticule over the pig, as the movement is choppy, unclear, and lacks a sense of dynamic movement. Holding down L1 (or left trigger on the Xbox version) will zoom your aim, however not in a way you’ve come to expect from modern day shooters. The zoom function chops half your weapon model off, and pulls in your field of view toward the enemy. It actually doesn’t help the combat, and while I’m not suggesting that Duke should adopt the typical “aim down the sight” trend, it sure as hell would have worked much better what’s presented here.

"Morningwood" Get it?

As I said, though Duke Nukem Forever lacks modern features in some departments, it certainly chooses to adopt the “Two Weapon Max” trend popularized by Halo. If you’re used to Duke3D, this change will feel quite weird when starting out with Forever. Though as you keep playing, it feels natural in relation to the map design. If you come across a Railgun, you know instantaneously that a long range shooting scenario is about to occur. Aside from the two weapons Duke can carry at any given time, he also has access to four different items which all have various effects on gameplay. The classic Pipe-bomb returns, gibbing any unlucky Alien who comes close to it’s detonation. Duke can also drink Beer, or pop some Steroids. Beer will increase Duke’s resistance to damage for a short amount of time, making boss battles less of a grind-like chore, whilst Steroids will shrink Duke’s ego (among other things), in exchange for the ability to run around like a maniac punching anything he comes across into pink mist.

Aside from being armed with Weapons, Duke’s also armed with his ingenious insults and witty remarks, or at least that’s what Duke thinks. Most of the remarks left me frowning with disbelief, or literally face-palming. Duke often throws out insults to other video-games, which feel especially weak considering the referenced games are indeed better then Forever. When offered Master Chiefs armor, Duke replies with “Power Armor is for pussies”, or when solving puzzles that involve pipes, Duke remarks “I hate Valve puzzles”. Though it’s definitely not insidious or disrespectful, given the state of DNF, it feels out of place and desperate. It’s not only the bad and outdated jokes that induced face-palming, the load-times are long enough for a complete power-nap. Alright, that’s an exaggeration, but when you’re forced to sit for 40 seconds reading stale tips like “Avoid bullets” or “Don’t fall off cliffs”, it makes it a little more tedious than it should be. If you have a capable PC, definitely get Duke on that platform, just to avoid turning 80 before the game loads.

Duke Nukem Forever – One Liner Outtakes (Video)

Dave Oshry — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 20:40:46 +0000

In case you’ve been living under a rock, Duke Nukem Forever was released today after 14 years in developer hell.

Well, Jon St. John, the voice of the man himself has been hard at work recording one liners for years. However, it seems there are a few outtakes that were cut from the final game…

“Oh no you di’int!”

This is pretty good but nowhere near as good as Mega64′s Doug Huggem parody:

Look for our Duke Nukem Forever review… when it’s done.

Duke Nukem Forever Release to Set Record – Guinness World Record

Garrett Hartman — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 16:30:45 +0000

Duke Nukem Forever’s release tomorrow (June 14th) will break records, though likely not sales records. The people at Guinness are set to recognize tomorrow’s release as the end to the “Longest FPS Development Period” in the Guinness World Records 2011 Gamer’s Edition.

DNF, the sequel to Duke Nukem 3D, was originally announced back in Spring 1997 and after 14 years of development, which saw the death of creators 3D Realms, it has definitely more than earned this distinction.

Congrats Duke and a special shout out to Gearbox for finally getting the job done! Have a Guinness on me.

New Video Game Releases: 6/13 – 6/19 – Come Get Some

Garrett Hartman — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 19:58:27 +0000

The King is back… All Hail the King! Duke Nukem represented all that was good about America in the 90′s – steroids, hot women, and kicking ass (not to mention chewing gum). Yet, as the King ruled the 90′s with Duke Nukem 3D, it was the promise of the hyped sequel that never came, Duke Nukem Forever, which has captured our attention for so many years. A game that stayed in and out of development for more than fourteen years. Retooled and reworked multiple times, surviving the demise of creator 3D Realms.

This is a day I thought I’d never see and will likely pinch myself the upon receiving my copy. Duke Nukem Forever finally releases for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC this week! Perhaps motivated by Duke’s return, Alice returns with her twisted version of Wonderland in Alice: Madness Returns for the PS3, Xbox and PC.

Other notable releases include the long awaited Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D for the 3DS, the breathtaking Child of Eden for the Xbox 360 and the multiplatform movie tie-in of Michael Bay’s Tranformers: Dark Side of the Moon.

Pick of the Week: I have to admit that Child of Eden looks great and I am looking forward to getting my grubby mitts on it. However, being that I’m an old school gamer who was old enough to play Duke Nukem 3D upon its release in ’96 and waited 15 years for the sequel, I really have no choice. COME GET SOME - Duke Nukem Forever baby!

PlayStation 3

Alice: Madness Returns
American McGee’s Alice
Duke Nukem Forever
Duke Nukem Forever: Balls of Steel Edition
Golden Axe II (PSN)
Magic: The Gathering — Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012
Outland (PSN)
Record of Agarest War Zero
Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Xbox 360

Alice: Madness Returns
American McGee’s Alice
Child of Eden
Duke Nukem Forever
Duke Nukem Forever: Balls of Steel Edition
Magic: The Gathering — Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012
Record of Agarest War Zero
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Wipeout: In the Zone

Wii

Transformers: Dark of the Moon Stealth Force Edition
Wii Play: Motion

Alice: Madness Returns
Duke Nukem Forever
Duke Nukem Forever: Balls of Steel Edition
Magic: The Gathering — Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012

3DS

Balloon Pop 2
Cubic Ninja
Deca Sports Extreme
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
Pinball Hall Of Fame: Williams Collection
Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Autobots
Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Decepticons

PSP

NADA

E3 2011 – The Confirmed Games List

Matthew Sims — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 15:46:54 +0000

This list is the most up to date list available (thanks to IGN) and focuses exclusively on games that have been 100% confirmed. While not every game that will be at E3 is on the list, these are the ones that have been promised to the public. Don’t be surprised at the scant offerings by Nintendo, they’ve been very secretive about their booth and announcements so it’s likely we’ll see much more come E3.

2K Games

BioShock: Infinite (PC, PS3, X360)
Duke Nukem Forever (PC, PS3, X360)
The Darkness II (PC, PS3, X360)
XCOM (PC, PS3, X360)

2K Sports

NBA 2K12 (PS3, X360)

505 Games

Backbreaker Vengeance (X360)
Michael Phelps: Push the Limit (X360)
Supremacy MMA (PS3, X360)
Wrecked: Revenge Revisited (PS3, X360)

Activision

Prototype 2 (PC, PS3, X360)
Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure (PS3, Wii, X360)
Spider-Man: Edge of Time (PS3, Wii, X360)
X-Men: Destiny (DS, PS3, Wii, X360)

Modern Warfare 3 (PC, PS3, X360)

Bethesda Softworks

Prey 2 (PC, PS3, X360)
Rage (PC, PS3, X360)
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PC, PS3, X360)

City Interactive

Combat Wings: The Great Battles of WWII (PS3, Wii, X360)
Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 (PC, PS3, X360)

Codemasters

Bodycount (PS3, X360)
F1 2011 (3DS, PC, PS3, PSP2, X360)

D3 Publisher

Ben 10: Galactic Racing (3DS, DS, PS3, Wii, X360)
The Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon (PS3, X360)
White Knight Chronicles II (PS3)

Deep Silver

Dead Island (PC, PS3, X360)
Dead Island (Special Edition) (PC, PS3, X360)
Risen 2: Dark Waters (PC, PS3, X360)

Devolver Digital

Serious Sam 3: BFE (PC, PS3, X360)

Disney Interactive Studios

Cars 2 (DS, PC, PS3, Wii, X360)
Disney Universe (PC, PS3, Wii, X360)
LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (3DS, DS, PC, PS3, PSP, Wii, X360)
Phineas and Ferb: Across the Second Dimension (DS, Wii)

Electronic Arts

Battlefield 3 (PC, PS3, X360)
Battlefield 3 (Limited Edition Physical Warfare Pack) (PC, PS3, X360)
FIFA Soccer 12 (PC, PS3, X360)
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (PC, PS3, X360)
Madden NFL 12 (PS3, PSP, Wii, X360)
Madden NFL 12 (Hall of Fame Edition) (PS3, X360)
Mass Effect 3 (PC, PS3, X360)
NCAA Football 12 (PS3, X360)
NHL 12 (PS3)
Need for Speed: The Run (3DS, PC, PS3, X360)
SSX (PS3, X360)
Star Wars: The Old Republic (PC)
The Sims 3: Generations (PC)

En Masse Entertainment

Tera (PC)

Focus Home Interactive

A Game of Thrones: Genesis (PC)
Of Orcs and Men (PC, PS3, X360)
Rotastic (PC, PS3, X360)
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Testament of Sherlock (PC, PS3, X360)

Game Mechanic Studios

High Flyer Death Defyer (Android, iPhone)

Gameforge Interactive

Star Trek: Infinite Space (Webgame)

Gazillion

Fortune Online (Webgame)
Marvel Super Hero Squad Online (PC)

Ignition Entertainment

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron (PS3, X360)

Majesco

BloodRayne: Betrayal (PS3, X360)
Camping Mama: Outdoor Adventures (DS)
Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic (3DS)
Face Racers: Photo Finish (3DS)
Hulk Hogan’s Main Event (X360)
Mind ‘n Motion (X360)
Nano Assault (3DS)
Pet Zombies in 3D (3DS)
Take Shape (X360)
The Hidden (3DS)
Zumba Fitness 2 (Wii)

Microsoft

Forza Motorsport 4 (X360)
Gears of War 3 (X360)
Gears of War 3 (Epic Edition) (X360)
Gears of War 3 (Limited Edition) (X360)

MonkeyPaw Games

BurgerTime World Tour (PC, PS3, Wii, X360)

Most Wanted Entertainment (MWE)

Defenders of Ardania (PC, PS3, X360, iPad)

Namco Bandai

Ace Combat Assault Horizon (PS3, X360)
Dark Souls (PS3, X360)
Inversion (PS3, X360)
Ridge Racer Unbounded (PC, PS3, X360)
Soulcalibur V (PS3, X360)

Nexon

Dragon Nest (PC)
Vindictus (PC)

Nintendo

Super Mario 3DS (3DS)
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)

Nival Interactive

Prime World (Android, Webgame, iPhone)

Paradox Interactive

Crusader Kings II (PC)
King Arthur II: The Role-Playing Wargame (PC)
Magicka (PC, X360)
Sword of the Stars II: Lords of Winter (PC)

Perfect World Entertainment

Blacklight: Retribution (PC)
Raiderz (PC)
Rusty Hearts (PC)

SEGA

Aliens: Colonial Marines (PC, PS3, X360)

Sony Computer Entertainment

Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One (PS3)
Resistance 3 (PS3)
Starhawk (PS3)
Twisted Metal (PS3)
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (PS3)
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (Collector’s Edition) (PS3)
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (Explorer Edition) (PS3)
Uncharted: Golden Abyss (PSP2)

Sony Online Entertainment

DC Universe Online (PC, PS3)
Free Realms (PC, PS3)
Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures (PC)

SouthPeak Games

Battle VS Chess (DS, PC, PS3, PSP, Wii, X360)

Square Enix

Dungeon Siege III (PC, PS3, X360)
Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3, X360)
Heroes of Ruin (3DS)
Hitman: Absolution (PC, PS3, X360)
Tomb Raider (X360)
Wakfu (PC)

Square Enix Europe

Tomb Raider (PC, PS3)

THQ

MX vs. ATV Alive (PS3, X360)
Margaritaville Online (Webgame)
Metro 2033: Last Light (PC, X360)
Red Faction: Armageddon (PC, PS3, X360)
Saints Row: The Third (PC, PS3, X360)
UFC Personal Trainer: The Ultimate Fitness System (PS3, Wii, X360)
UFC Undisputed 3 (PS3, X360)
WWE ’12 (PS3, Wii, X360)
Warhammer 40,000: Dark Millennium Online (PC)
Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team (PS3, X360)
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (PC, PS3, X360)
uDraw Studio: Instant Artist (PS3, X360)

Tecmo

Ninja Gaiden III (PS3, X360)

Telltale Games

Back to the Future: The Game — Episode 5: Outatime (PC, PS3, iPad)
Jurassic Park: The Game (PC, PS3, X360)
Puzzle Agent 2 (PC, PS3, iPad, iPhone)

TopWare Interactive

Scivelation (PC, PS3, X360)
Two Worlds II: Pirates of the Flying Fortress (PC, PS3, X360)

Trion Worlds

End of Nations (PC)
Rift (PC)

Ubisoft

Assassin’s Creed Revelations (PC, PS3, X360)
Call of Juarez: The Cartel (PC, PS3, X360)
Driver: San Francisco (PC, PS3, X360)
From Dust (PC, PS3, X360)
Rayman Origins (PC, PS3, Wii, X360)
Rocksmith (PC, PS3, X360)
The Adventures of TinTin (DS, PC, PS3, PSP, Wii, X360)
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (DS, PC, PS3, X360)
Trackmania2: Canyon (PC)

Warner Bros. Interactive

Bastion (PC, X360)
Batman: Arkham City (PC, PS3, X360)
Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters (3DS, DS, PS3, Wii, X360)
Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster (X360)
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North (PC, PS3, X360)

Of course, with this event you’ll never know what will happen. Stay tuned next week as Ripten will be live at E311 with the latest coverage.

Duke Nukem Forever Launch Trailer – COME GET SOME!!

Matthew Sims — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 17:51:47 +0000

As June 14th gets closer, it is become increasingly likely that we will actually see Duke Nukem Forever reach the light of day. Not only that, but it promises to be lewder, cruder and more offensive to delicate sensibilities than a babysitting stripper with an affinity for young boys.

There’s never been anyone quite like the Duke and it’s unlikely that going forward that we’ll see something this unbearably awesome again. This new trailer isn’t safe for work, school, church, or really anywhere. It is completely inappropriate and equally awesome. If you enjoy boobs, violence, and lewd gestures then you probably already have the Balls of Steel Edition pre-ordered .

Enjoy the trailer, and let me reiterate that it isn’t safe for work. Anything with a song by Mickey Avalon in it rarely is.

Duke Nukem Forever iOS Soundboard Available Now – “Blow It Out Your Ass”

Dave Oshry — Sat, 28 May 2011 02:52:33 +0000

Have you harassed anyone on Ventrillo lately? Need a little help from the Duke? Well, worry not my ass kicking compadres – you can now get all your Duke-isms in one place – right on your iOS device.

That’s right, all your favorite one liners in the palm of your hand. Behold, the Duke Nukem Forever Soundboard App!!

The Duke Nukem Forever Soundboard app features over 25 classic Duke-isms, including silky smooth seduction lines sure to impress the ladies like “I’ve got balls of steel” and “Anybody mind if I take off my pants?” The App will also include monotony busters such as “I had eggs for breakfast, your mom had sausage” and stand-up-to bullies comebacks like “my job is to kick ass, not make small talk.”

Go and get it at the app store. What are you waitin’ for? Christmas!?

If that doesn’t work you can always get Jon St. John to play along ^__^

Duke Nukem Forever has GONE GOLD and will finally be out on June 14th. Come Get Some!!

Duke Nukem Forever Goes Gold, Fans Sh!t Their Pants

Matthew Sims — Tue, 24 May 2011 17:59:23 +0000

Well the world may not have ended last Saturday but after the recent announcement that Duke Nukem Forever has gone gold, the world may just be pulling a fast one on us. It has happened, and has been confirmed by 2K Games that, barring a catastrophic event, say like the end of the world, the Duke will ship on the rescheduled June 10th release date.

Randy Pitchford, one of the men behind the Duke’s revival, had a few things to say about the once thought to be unshippable title.

“Always bet on Duke, I did. I bet on all of the developers who have ever been a part of this legendary project and I bet that none of us want to live in a world without the Duke. I’ve played the final game and it is an incredible experience – a once-in-a-lifetime opus of interactive entertainment that reminds me once again why Duke Nukem is our King. The developers of Duke Nukem Forever at 3D Realms, Triptych, Piranha and finally at Gearbox deserve our thanks and respect for never giving up and have truly shown us that they have balls of steel!”

So there you have it folks, after about 13 years and multiple incarnations, Duke Nukem Forever will finally materialize. Hopefully.

Nvidia Launches New 275.20 Beta Drivers

Bryce Wilson — Tue, 17 May 2011 13:28:05 +0000

Looking for a boost of performance in your PC gaming? Well the new Nvidia 275.20 drivers are set to offer exactly that, promising gains of as much as 15% in some of the latest games to hit the market.

The new 275.20 driver will offer improved 3D Vision performance, support for better desktop scaling and a number of user interface changes to make the Nvidia Control Panel easier to use.

The improved desktop scaling support offers true 1:1 pixel mapping on large screen TV’s and will automatically resize standard resolution games that don’t actively support custom resolutions.

As I mentioned earlier you can expect decent performance gains with the new driver release, including Crysis 2 getting an impressive 6% improvement, Portal 2 gaining an additional 8% and Bulletstorm leading the charge with a 15% performance gain – or a whopping 113% if you’re using an SLI setup.

The new 275.20 release also offers support for automatic updates and will allow you to download SLI and AA profile updates seamlessly without any installs. The new profile updates are automatically downloaded and silently installed.

Additional 3D Vision profiles have also been created and the 3D Vision profile database now covers over 525 games including Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, the upcoming Duke Nukem Forever and Portal 2 (Which recently received an ‘Excellent’ rating).

If you’re playing The Witcher 2 – these new drivers will also improve GPU performance as well as 3DVision performance.

Learn more about the drivers and download them HERE!

Duke Nukem Forever Demo Coming June 3rd

Dave Oshry — Tue, 17 May 2011 00:14:03 +0000

Today Gearbox Software had a very special announcement for us all. Thank god it wasn’t another Duke Nukem Forever delay. I’m not sure the babes could wait any longer. Hell, Duke’s babes are 40+ now anyhow. Nobody messes with his cougars!

Anyway, for those of us who got the Borderlands GOTY edition or Pre-ordered DNF, congrats – You get access to the demo on June 3rd!

Behold! Randy Pitchford’s schtick!!

To learn more, check out the official website: http://www.dukenukemforever.com

Or just read this Press Release of Steel:

New York, NY – May 16, 2011 – 2K Games and Gearbox Software are overly-excited to announce that eager Duke Nukem First Access Club members will be the first to properly stimulate their joysticks playing the demo* of the highly-anticipated Duke Nukem Forever® beginning June 3, 2011. Over 15 years in the making, Duke Nukem Forever’s historical arrival will happen on June 10, 2011 internationally and June 14, 2011 in North America on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC. Gamers can experience this watershed moment and become a part of history by playing one of the most anticipated games of all time. The big question everyone will ask is “Where were you the first time you played Duke Nukem Forever?” – and the only way to play the game before launch is to be a member of the First Access Club.

Strictly for the biggest Duke Nukem fans, the First Access Club grants members access to highly volatile, eye-popping content, including never-before-seen materials, top secret information, and for-your-eyes-only art concepts. There are several ways fans can join the ultra-exclusive First Access Club, including pre-ordering the game from select retailers and by purchasing the Borderlands Game of the Year Edition on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 system and Windows PC.

True Duke Nukem die-hards will want to get their hands on the Duke Nukem Forever Balls of Steel Edition. This package is spilling over-the-top with legendary content that is not to be missed by those who want the ultimate experience of this historic arrival. Premium items, such as an epic Duke Nukem Bust and an art book that chronicles the development of Duke Nukem Forever, flank a package that is overflowing with content. Check out www.dukenukemforever.com/preorder/ to see exactly how much stuff we were able to cram into one box.

Apologizing to no one, Duke Nukem Forever is the high-octane video game equivalent of a Hollywood summer blockbuster. Starring the legendary lady killer and alien slayer, Duke Nukem Forever brings gamers back to a blastastic time when games were filled with head-popping, bone-rattling action, brazenly crude humor, impossibly statuesque women dying for affection, and catchy one-liners meant to make you laugh out loud and blush.

In the interim, Duke Nukem Forever fans can pay their respects to the King by visiting the official Duke Nukem Forever website – www.dukenukemforever.com. It’s loud, lewd and definitely Duke approved. The site provides fans with stimulating content that will ease their eagerness, including Duke’s Boobtube channel and The Duke Cave, featuring babe and alien surveillance.

Duke Nukem Forever will make history when it launches internationally on June 10, 2011 and in North America on June 14, 2011. For more information on Duke Nukem Forever, including where to pre-order a copy, please visit www.dukenukemforever.com. Duke Nukem Forever is rated M for Mature by the ESRB.

Duke Nukem Forever Coming to OnLive, Free Game with Pre-Order

Sam Naylor — Wed, 11 May 2011 22:40:46 +0000

The cloud-based gaming service OnLive has announced that Duke Nukem Forever will be available to their customers on the game’s release day. You can also get a free game on the service by pre-ordering Duke.

Every customer who pre-orders Duke Nukem Forever will receive a coupon immediately redeemable for an OnLive Game. It’s a good offer, but what one must remember is that OnLive is a service reserved to those who live in areas with excellent internet connections.

For people who already use OnLive, however, it’s certainly worth a look.

“The satirical and action-packed gameplay of the Duke Nukem brand makes it a fantastic fit for next-level, easy-access gaming on the OnLive service,” said OnLive VP of Games & Media John Spinale. “Members can laugh, taunt and quote Duke-isms in real-time as they battle alien invaders stealing Earth’s women. This title is all about laugh-out-loud, engaging action—and we’re excited to bring the ‘King of all shooters’ to our members.”

New Duke Nukem Forever Trailer Gives Us “Shrinkage”

Dave Oshry — Thu, 05 May 2011 17:53:48 +0000

When it comes to manhood, the Duke’s got it in Spades. Even when he’s shrunken down smaller than a salt shaker, he can still kick some serious ass.

Check out this latest trailer aptly entitled, “Shrinkage”

This actually might be the best bit of gameplay we’ve seen yet. Good to know the ol’ shrinker is back in action from the glory days of Duke 3d. I mean, I already knew that because I’ve played DNF a few times but you get the point…

Duke Nukem Forever will finally be out in June… we think?

Stay tuned to RipTen for continued coverage of all things DUKE.