Preview: Duke Nukem Forever (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)

One liner: The game is well worth the wait!

The sequel the world has been waiting 14 years for is finally approaching its release. Since 1997, Duke has been partaking in a little vacation and his trigger finger has itched long enough. Maintaining the first person shooter style of gameplay originally introduced to the series in Duke Nukem 3D, Forever also delivers many familiar features sure to bring back fond memories to veteran gamers. One can hope the King can appeal to the new generation of gamers with his trademark charm and wit.

Many features included in this new chapter of Nukem’s tale were taken primarily from the last title in the series. Players can participate in the interaction of many various objects littered amongst the environment when they aren’t busy blasting the head off an alien. Many favorite weapons used in earlier games are included in this title like the Devastator, the shrink ray and pipe bombs. There is also a return of environmental aids like steroids for increased speed and night vision (or Dukevision) for improved sight in dark areas. Also, it wouldn’t be a complete Nukem experience if it wasn’t for his classic library of one-liners, which have been updated to reference current pop culture favorites. This includes “Pork chop sandwiches!” and “A crowbar would come in handy right about now.” One particular change in gameplay involves the King zooming through dangerous terrains in his new tricked-out vehicle while running over enemies (“Five points!”) and maneuvering through hazardous areas.

The graphics and textures are a huge jump from what gamers saw in the previous title.  Gone are the blocky, pixelated images of the past and here are the smooth, curvy and pristine eye candies of the future! A new visual feature of the series is the inclusion of depth-of-field effects while staring through a scope, which brings a clear, focused image of whatever happens to be in the player’s crosshairs, leaving the rest of the vision field with the familiar fuzzy, unfocused rendition. This creates a more cinematic experience to the gameplay, which goes above and beyond the previous limited viewing angles of its predecessor. Replacing the choppy static of midi music is the delightful eloquence of orchestral renditions composed to suit the mood, whether you’re kicking in the head of alien scum or driving the truck over a vast chasm. As for controls, Forever is adapted to the current standard WASD setup for those who wield a keyboard and mouse. As for gamers who enjoy both PC and console gaming, the title is automatically setup for gameplay using a console controller plugged into the PC. Thanks to the long wait for the sequel to be released, the developers were able to give the King the upgrade he so rightly deserves!

After such a long wait for this release, I was psyched to be able to enjoy the demo early with my other members of the First Access Club. The visuals were phenomenal and the one-liners were amusing to the end! I enjoyed how the gameplay mimics Halo with a health bar that replenishes after a few safe moments and the management of two open slots for weapons that can be swapped and managed for ideal combat strategies. After completing the demo, I most definitely felt the wait was worth the end result.

There are still a few more days until the full version of Duke Nukem Forever is released across the world and many gamers are anxious to see it in its full glory. Those who had the benefit to experience the demo may find themselves playing it multiple times to get their fix until the release while others have to occupy themselves by their own means. One way to kill time is to visit http://www.boob-tube.eu/, where one can rate the hotness of uploaded images to decide who will win a trip to Las Vegas or participate in a game of strip shootout where players compete against the girl of their choice for a “saucy striptease”. Those gamers who may have to wait beyond the release date to earn funds for the title can enjoy their summer afternoons with the new comic Duke Nukem: Glorious Bastards, where Duke travels back to the time of WWII and helps the allies fight Nazis and aliens! The King transcends both space and time!

About This Author: Ash Boehnlein

I've been gaming all my life, thanks to my neighbor, Ken. I enjoy nearly all kinds of games except for sports games, with the exception of Mario-themed sports games. I just feel that paying for the same game with the new season's roster is a waste of money. I mostly love RPGs, platformers and FPS! I have nearly every system so there won't be any limitations in what I can play. Gaming is life for me.