Cons: Not polished, clunky controls, repetitious
In the realm of FPS games, Duke Nukem Forever doesn’t really stand out at first glance. The mind numbing experience provided by hours of mercilessly pummeling foe after foe does in fact have a payoff of a different kind however. Humorous one liners and tacky humor run rampant in this series, and Gearbox & Piranha Games didn’t skimp on it in this installment to the franchise. Duke Nukem Forever has been blasted and praised simultaneously causing mixed reviews amongst consumers who waited 15 years to see Duke make his comeback. Was it worth the wait? Is the game as bad as everyone made it out to be? Did Duke ever get more bubblegum?
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| Ahhh...good old Duke. |
Game play: 7.5
Those aliens are at it again…when will they learn that it’s never a wise idea to steal Dukes babes? The game begins at the last level of Duke Nukem 3D and pits you against the final boss (ahhh…memories…). Once the game truly begins (after the very clever introduction and control tutorial) Duke once again has to save the planet one alien death at a time. Duke’s shield in this title is represented by an “Ego Meter” that depletes once so much damage is taken and leaves him venerable to massive amounts of damage. You can increase this meter by doing only things that Duke would do…(checking yourself out in a mirror, lifting weights in your personal gym…amongst other subtle/tacky things). To increase your strength, Duke will take some steroids (Or as he explains to a child fan “Vitamins”) which will allow you to destroy any foe in your path with your fists. However this takes a backseat to good old Duke shoot’em up action.
Duke is given an insane variety of guns (not comparable to Borderlands, but a considerable amount none the less). With the given arsenal that contains, but is not limited to: Shotgun’s, RPG’s, Mini-guns, Pistols, Alien Rifle’s, Etc. You have a variety of ways to dispatch your foes which keeps the game fresh enough that it masks the pain of redundancy brought on by what feels like the same situations over and over again. In true old school FPS fashion, you weasel in and out of tight spots where close quarter combat is essential, and long stretches filled with numerous adversaries only to reach a stage boss which takes nothing more than a considerable amount of time to slay. The core of this game seems to be its hit and miss humor to help aid you through the heartache of ragdoll physics that are no more than an eyesore to watch, levels that seem at times too cluttered with random objects and baddies, countless moments where you question your sanity in purchasing the game, and frustrating rage quits brought on by making a simple mistake that is guaranteed every time to result in a costly replacement of a keyboard of controller. Pop culture references are strewn about and classic phrases are brought back which once again is only enough to get by. I found myself only wanting to get through parts just so I could hear what Duke phrase was next or what action he would take to humiliate a boss (such as when a considerably larger than Duke’s size boss is stunned, Duke proceeds to use his genitals as a punching bag). A cheap laugh is to be had in every level, though don’t expect any gut splitting humor.
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| One of the many times you will see this beautiful creatures. |
Graphics: 6.8
Very little can be said about the graphics in DNF. The only part I was even remotely impressed with was some of the falling water effects inside the hotel at the beginning of the game. The guns have detail; however it’s nothing to gawk at by any stretch of the imagination. The game was created with the Unreal engine which has brought about some great games; however nothing impeccable stands out in this title. Some items in the game were given much more TLC than others as far as shading and shaping, and the more attention you pay to them, the more you will notice it. Overall not a ground breaking title in the graphics department…Sorry Duke.
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| Heads up...these guys do in fact teleport. |
Controls: 6.0
The controls in DNF are clunky to say the least when compared to more up to date games such as the COD series or even Halo. When Duke aims his weapon, the camera seems to jerk in the direction designated by the analog stick (basically instead of a smooth pan, its rapid and quite bothersome). Another annoyance provided by the game is the gun zoom feature. This zoom is based off “Iron Sights” and upon zooming the view becomes fuzzy and a huge inconvenience. It’s not so bad for one or two enemies, however once a flood of baddies shows up, it becomes quite the hindrance and frustration will set in.
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| Honestly, who doesn't want to be this awesome? |
Sound: 6.0
John St. John reprises his role as Duke, and it’s just as good as it was 15 years ago. Often I found myself wishing the gun shots and enemies taking damage was a tad less cartoon like…however that is Dukes style and is not to really be tampered with. The soundtrack is just ambient noise with a splash of rock music here and there; though odds are when you’re slaying alien scum you won’t be too focused on the music itself. Other characters have terrible voice acting and I loathed knowing someone was about to open their mouth and I was about to be forced to listen to their words. Don’t expect the best rock soundtrack to ever grace your ears when purchasing or renting this game…you will be sorely disappointed…also I stress that you should RENT the title.
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| *Salute* |
Wrap up:
After purchasing a game that was under such scrutiny, I was almost ashamed. For a game that took 15 years to “Go Gold” (cleared for release), it seemed so unpolished and almost rushed just to get it out and off of the developers hands. That in itself almost adds to the beauty of this game though. At times a strong nostalgia is brought upon you while playing, or maybe a corny one liner that you know isn’t funny may make you crack a grin. This game is far from perfect when held up to today’s modern standards for FPS games…that said, you have to look at the other side of the coin as well. This game has switched development companies 3 times and each time a new team was brought on. Several mixed visions created this game, and it definitely shows, however at the fact that once again you take role as Duke Nukem almost makes the bad disappear. Is Duke Nukem Forever worth the buy? For hardcore fans, it’s a must have…however if you’re looking for a modern shooter full of wonderful graphics, flawless control and hours upon hours of game play that leaves you unable to sit the controller down, this is not the game for you.
Overall Rating: 6.5
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