Can this be the year of the Duke?

[Franklin Richards]

Got the demo and I love it. After a little tweeking with my Catalyst Control Center it looks great.

Pre ordered the game after I finished the demo the first time.


This is really happening people!


:doom: :doom: :doom:

[the_ultimate_evil]

have they confirmed if the different consoles are getting anything

[Spider-ManHero12]

^^ Not yet, I don't think.

[Matt Mortem]

Traded in some stuff at gamestop to get enough credit to get Duke Nukem next week. I'm super ****ing stoked!!!!

[Spider-ManHero12]

^^ As am I! I've been waiting 12 years for this and the demo just bumped my hype up even more!

[Silvermoth]

I'm playing it now! It's s'alright. I think I built it up a bit too much in my mind because of nostalgia before hand though.

[Solidus]

It was longer then 12 years for me. It was in development fully since 97, I remember it with the Quake 2 engine. I remember even the rumors in 1996 that they were thinking of making a Build 2.0 engine and making the game. Technically I've been waiting since the first screenshots in 97, so its been a good 14 years for me.

But I will still wait and see the reviews, I hope they do not bash it for its dev time, just judge the game for itself, whether it be good or bad.

[ChrisBaleBatman]

I don't know who is going into Duke Nukem Forever expecting it achieve some misplaced hype. The game coming out is an achievement alone, with everything the project has gone through. There are going to be people who have never even played a Duke game who won't "get it", either. Gearbox just getting this game out at all...I dunno, that alone is what the hype is all about I think.

I don't know how fair it'd be to review the thing with the years and years of development it's had in mind, or how fair it'd be to leave all of that out. I don't really know. Reviewing it for what it is, would probably be the best way to approach it.

I'm really curious to see what they do with Duke in a sequel to Forever.

[amazingfantasy15]

I don't know who is going into Duke Nukem Forever expecting it achieve some misplaced hype. The game coming out is an achievement alone, with everything the project has gone through. There are going to be people who have never even played a Duke game who won't "get it", either. Gearbox just getting this game out at all...I dunno, that alone is what the hype is all about I think.

I don't know how fair it'd be to review the thing with the years and years of development it's had in mind, or how fair it'd be to leave all of that out. I don't really know. Reviewing it for what it is, would probably be the best way to approach it.

I'm really curious to see what they do with Duke in a sequel to Forever.

I think you need to look at it like Guns n' Roses Chinese Democracy, don't factor in the development hell it went through. Just see it for what it is.

[Matt Mortem]

I can't believe none of my friends are familiar with Duke Nukem AT ALL. They see the trailer and say "WTF is this???" They just don't understand how badass Duke Nukem is

[ChrisBaleBatman]

I think you need to look at it like Guns n' Roses Chinese Democracy, don't factor in the development hell it went through. Just see it for what it is.

Yeah, agreed. Nothing can ever live up to the development hell that they've been through.

I really liked Chinese Democracy, too.

I can't believe none of my friends are familiar with Duke Nukem AT ALL. They see the trailer and say "WTF is this???" They just don't understand how badass Duke Nukem is


Wow. I guess depending on they're age it might make sense. I think there's a "History of the Legend" video up on PSN...probably XBL too...which I guess would serve as a history lesson on the kickass awesomeness of Duke.

[terry78]

I can't believe none of my friends are familiar with Duke Nukem AT ALL. They see the trailer and say "WTF is this???" They just don't understand how badass Duke Nukem is

How old are your friends? Were they still on their mama's teat when the first one came out?

[Spider-ManHero12]

Duke Nukem 3D was amazing, IMO. I wanted a new one ever since then....but it didn't happen. Until now.

[Matt Mortem]

How old are your friends? Were they still on their mama's teat when the first one came out?

They're my age 21-22. I grew up on Duke Nukem

[Soapy]

Duke Nukem Forever review: Fail to the King, Baby. (http://www.joystiq.com/2011/06/10/duke-nukem-forever-review-fail-to-the-king-baby/)

A big part of the problem is actually the game's one truly distinguishing feature: its attitude, or at least its attempt at one. Times have changed, but the character of Duke Nukem -- his quips lifted from countless '80s and '90s era action films and his objectification of women equaled only by older Arnold Schwarzenegger roles -- is stuck in a bygone era. Jokes that may have spurred laughter all those years ago simply had me shaking my head, wondering if even a 12-year-old would find them funny ... even though, at that age, they wouldn't be able to buy the M-rated title. But why have that rating, even? If anything, a largely bloodless game that has its tone set in the opening moments when the player is instructed to pull the right trigger to take a piss, and can pick up – then throw – a piece of human poop from a toilet just moments later, is surely just ture. That could really be said about its writing and design in general. Want to play the true successor to Duke Nukem 3D? It's called Bulletstorm.

[Matt Mortem]

Hmmm I always thought the attitude was the whole point. He's supposed to be a Schwarzenegger knock off. I'm still getting the damn game. To hell with ****** reviews

[Dark_Lord]

Got the game from Direcr2Drive. It should finish downloading in about 20mins.

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

I wouldn't recomend Bulletstorm either.
You can pick up Serous Sam HD 1/2 for about 1/3 (or less) the price of those games.

[The Morningstar]

I can sorta understand the criticism. Satire of the 80s and 90s is like, 10 years too late.

Should have updated it to be a satire of this era of action movies etc.

[Spider-ManHero12]

I palyed the demo numerous times and i enjyoed it completely. I guess it's because I'm a fan of the classic first person shooters from the 90's. Hell, the last CoD I played was the first modern Warfare, so I'm really not up to date on those.

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

I can sorta understand the criticism. Satire of the 80s and 90s is like, 10 years too late.

Should have updated it to be a satire of this era of action movies etc.

From what I understand, alot of the criticism is because it isn't like the 90's.
You don't shoot bugger all for about an hour in the opening, it heavily scripted, uses on-the-rails, super linear, you only carry two weapons and you use health regen and stuff.

[Upset Spideyfan]

I think the criticism is because its just not very good rather than what mechanics it may or may not be using (or not being a 90's like game or whatever).

The preview I saw on Giantbomb with them messing around with the demo looked like a game that was objective and technically just not good on its own merits.

[Matt Mortem]

I played the demo and it played like Duke Nukem. I don't like the two guns only thing though.

[Franklin Richards]

I loved the demo. Can't wait for the full game. I don't know what people are complaining about. The choice of two weapons is reminicent of specialty fighting. Team Fortress and other squad type games don't seem to have a problem.

Sounds like a bunch of kids and nerds are just being *****. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.



:doom: :doom: :doom:

[terry78]

This game has been in development for more than a decade, and Gearbox maintained the style of what it would have been had it been finished back then, only with improved graphics.

[Matt Mortem]

This game has been in development for more than a decade, and Gearbox maintained the style of what it would have been had it been finished back then, only with improved graphics.

Thats true. I'm afraid with all the hype around it's release people might have been expecting something revolutionary. It's just a Duke Nukem game.

[Union Jack]

i've got this game now...and im quite disappointed with it, its very average..yeah its funny in places but with being crude only..not like unchartered which i thought was funny.
graphics are poor,controls are iffy and its a shame cos i was looking forward to this.
with crysis 2,killzone 3 etc pushing fps to new levels at least graphically this seems like something that came prior to doom 3.
shame.only thing i can say is its very old school and is quite fun but below par for a 2011 game.

[Matt Mortem]

After reading all the terrible terrible reviews this is getting, a big part of me wants to wait until it's much much cheaper. Doesn't seem like a game worth $60

[Balthus Dire]

I was fully expecting crap reviews so I don't care about that. Honestly, the reviewers seem to have no clue what this game is even about. The biggest critique I've heard is that it plays like a 90's game, which is exactly the point. It's Duke Nukem Forever. It's not trying to be a revolutionary shooter. It's not trying to be a modern COD-style FPS. It's just being Duke Nukem, and I applaud Gearbox for that.

I don't go and critique COD for not playing like Halo. It never tries to be Halo. Gearbox has been very clear about Duke Nukem Forever being a throwback. WTF were people expecting??

[Matt Mortem]

I found this to be pretty funny (sad but true as well)

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/748-Duke-Nukem-Forever

[StrainedEyes]

I was fully expecting crap reviews so I don't care about that. Honestly, the reviewers seem to have no clue what this game is even about. The biggest critique I've heard is that it plays like a 90's game, which is exactly the point. It's Duke Nukem Forever. It's not trying to be a revolutionary shooter. It's not trying to be a modern COD-style FPS. It's just being Duke Nukem, and I applaud Gearbox for that.

I don't go and critique COD for not playing like Halo. It never tries to be Halo. Gearbox has been very clear about Duke Nukem Forever being a throwback. WTF were people expecting??

What I'm getting from these reviews is that it's just not a good game. It has bland graphics, boring gunplay, janky controls, unnecessarily long/dull sequences and unfunny dialogue. Sure it's a throwback (an odd term to use considering how old this game really is), but that doesn't automatically give it a pass when it isn't actually fun to play.

[Matt Mortem]

thats what's getting me. If a game isn't fun to play then I'm out. No matter how much I like the subject matter. I love Hellboy, but that Hellboy game they released a few years ago isn't even a little bit fun to play. $60 is a lot to spend on mediocre IMO (and this is coming from a hardcore Duke Nukem fan)

[Balthus Dire]

What I'm getting from these reviews is that it's just not a good game. It has bland graphics, boring gunplay, janky controls, unnecessarily long/dull sequences and unfunny dialogue. Sure it's a throwback (an odd term to use considering how old this game really is), but that doesn't automatically give it a pass when it isn't actually fun to play.

I'm not saying it gets a free pass. If it's not fun, it's not fun. That'll suck if that's the case. But crying because the game doesn't play like a modern shooter is stupid.

[Spider-ManHero12]

^^ Exactly, and I think people need to stop basing their opinions from critics opinions.

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Great rant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5Yngipvz6M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q86vWgaLuwE&feature=channel_video_title

[Matt Mortem]

In watching those gameplay vids, I kinda want the game again......

[Spider-Vader]

I'll wait until it's cheaper. I hope this doesn't mean that Aliens: Colonial Marines won't be mediocre.

[cky]

In watching those gameplay vids, I kinda want the game again......

Me too. I'm probably going to rent the game and buy it when it get cheap.

And nice avatar! Hail The Villain! Great local band!

[Ponyboy]

I am not sure to be honest. I'm apt to think it's going to actually be successful due to the crazy length of time and the cult status it's already attained. But if the game is terrible I'm afraid there's going to be a huge backlash and it won't achieve much sales after the fact. But then again, it might be so bad it's good. Like Frank Miller's All Star Batman. ;)

[Matt Mortem]

Me too. I'm probably going to rent the game and buy it when it get cheap.

And nice avatar! Hail The Villain! Great local band!

I am genuinely surprised somebody recognized my avvy. Hail the Villain kicks some major ass

[Benstamania]

I could tell by the demo that it wasn't a good game. It's not even an "ok" game. The demo made it seem like a BAD game...

Apparently it is.

Not shocked.

[Ponyboy]

Maybe they are just expecting enough sales based on shock value then

[Soapy]

IGN's review. (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/117/1175639p1.html)

Duke still has the maturity of a twelve year old boy, objectifying women whenever possible, and barking out movie quotes with voice actor Jon St. John's bassy cadence. He's unapologetically vulgar, which is good for a few nostalgic laughs as he again kills aliens to save to the world. It's disappointing that during Duke Nukem Forever's preposterously protracted development, nobody took advantage of the immense opportunity to do something thematically creative. Instead of playing with the idea of Duke as an anachronism, Duke returns in classic form, and he's never felt so old, so out of place, and so embarrassing.

[ProjectPat2280]

Why does none of this surprise me? Duke Nukem was NEVER a good game, ever. It was always low brow, toilet humor at best and not even the occasional good toilet humor. It had a stupid setting, a stupid protagonist and stupid weapons.

The only reason this game is even being talked about is because of the hoopla surrounding its 10 year hiatus.

Glad Gearbox can finally move on and focus on some products that will actually be worth a damn.

[Upset Spideyfan]

I'll wait until it's cheaper. I hope this doesn't mean that Aliens: Colonial Marines won't be mediocre.

I doubt it, Gearbox does make good shooters, the thing is they practically were tasked with moreso just releasing this game, rather than actually making it good.

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Eh? Outside of Brothers In Arms (only the first one really) and Halflife: Opposing Force GearBox ain't all that great. That new game that basically looks like some strange Team Fortress/inglorious basterds emulation doesn't look too promising either. The original Duke Nukem was awsome by the way. I'll take that over Call Of Dutys SP any day.

[Upset Spideyfan]

The second Brothers in Arms handled exactly like the first one and was even more difficult. The third one handled okay but wasn't quite as good though it had a few moments and Borderlands is pretty good for what it is.

I watched a Giantbomb thingamajig wherein they said the new Brothers in Arms was actually pretty fun, though I'll be skipping on that on account of completely deviating from the tone of the previous games.

Again though I don't hold Duke Nukem against them, it was this weird project that was kind of partly done and from all the video I've seen it shows. Its not really a Gearbox production so to speak.

[The Morningstar]

The gameplay just looks really... boring.

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Borderlands could have been a classic, it just ended up being "ok" imo.
Terrible car handling, skill sets that no one used to support each other or barely on themselfs most of the time. A stylized art-style like Team Fortress 2 but still lacking any actual character. A far too steamlined inventory. Overuse of DOF. Just tons of bad moves on a good concept. Kinda like Far Cry 2.

[Upset Spideyfan]

Well, I'm not the world's biggest Borderlands fan - I simply saw it as a MP shooter with a few light rpg elements that people would play together, I spent some time with the game had a bit of fun and moved on. I'll let somebody else pick up that sword if they want it but *shrug*

Still, I'm jazzed that they're getting back to work so to speak on Colonial Marines and I believe that they have the talent and ability to pull that project off - which is what I was getting at. Gearbox has done more right than wrong for me at this point.

[cky]

I am genuinely surprised somebody recognized my avvy. Hail the Villain kicks some major ass

Yeah, been a fan of them since they were called Farenheit. That reminds me I need to chat with Joe about something.

Anyways, that's a shame about all the reviews. But I'll still rent it and hopefully enjoy it for what it is. I'm not expecting a AAA title at all from this, just looking to have fun with the game.

[Superhero 101]

Ouch i just saw the Review at IGN did not see that coming

[StrainedEyes]

I played a crazy amount of Borderlands and loved every minute of it. It had some issues but overall it was a lot of fun.

Gearbox is a great company and unfortunately they will have a not-great Duke game as part of their legacy from now on. Though, anyone who pays enough attention to know who Gearbox is, probably knows the story behind this game and how little fault is at Gearbox's feet.

[StrainedEyes]

Eurogamer Review: 3/10
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-06-12-duke-nukem-forever-review

In the end, you feel every year of Duke Nukem Forever's ridiculous, fractured development seeping out of each unsatisfying frame. With four studios sharing title space in the opening animation, and end credits which run for almost 10 minutes, the weight of so many false starts, dead ends and endlessly revised design documents proves too much. For all his muscle and bravado, Duke Nukem is actually a fragile creature. His legacy is based on a specific combination of time and technology and a mercurial element of fun that simply doesn't lend itself to repetition, especially after so long in limbo.

[Upset Spideyfan]

Gearbox is a great company and unfortunately they will have a not-great Duke game as part of their legacy from now on. Though, anyone who pays enough attention to know who Gearbox is, probably knows the story behind this game and how little fault is at Gearbox's feet.

Exactly.

[Matt Mortem]

Wow, I have yet to see a good review.

[Alchemyst]

5.5 on IGN looks like I wont be getting this until sometime later down the line. Not worth 60 bucks at the moment

[Matt Mortem]

5.5 on IGN looks like I wont be getting this until sometime later down the line. Not worth 60 bucks at the moment

I'm with you. It's definitely not worth full price. I'd rather get LA Noire or Crysis 2

[Spider-ManHero12]

edit

[Lord]

It's a shame this wasn't released earlier, from what i read some time after Half-life 2 was released this game was considered ahead of its time, but they changed it and made the game look older.

[Soapy]

I'm very familiar with the story of the development of Duke Nukem Forever, which I happen to find much, much more interesting than the game itself. Which is why I think Gearbox went about this all wrong.

Instead of dragging it out at every event, releasing it at full price (even going so far as to make a "special edition") with all the pomp and circumstance normally reserved for AAA games and generally making a spectacle out of it, Randy Pitchford should have just said "Hey, we inherited this thing, and we kind of like Duke so we're going to put it out at a budget price for posterity's sake."

Maybe they could have even got George Broussard to write a candid book about the development process or made a documentary or something about it and included that with it. I know it's not the flashiest way to release a game, and they probably wouldn't have made as much money that way, but I feel like that's the best possible they could have approached it. I know I, who otherwise have no interest in Duke Nukem, would have bought it if that were the case.

[Benstamania]

^Exactly.

When I played the demo the game seriously FELT 12 years old... just a little better looking. The best part of the demo was the opening that was a throw back to one of the bosses in Duke Nukem 3D.

From there it fell completely apart.


5.5 on IGN looks like I wont be getting this until sometime later down the line. Not worth 60 bucks at the moment


With it getting low scores I'm sure we'll see this in the budget bin in no time.

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

It's going to be hard to take Randy Pitchford serously now.

[The Morningstar]

I was thinking of getting this today... then I decided to pick up Dead Space 2 and The Darkness for a cool 20.

[Lord]

It seems like there's no poiint in getting the balls of steel edition exept for the development of the game itself and the statue.

[Nathan]

I'm not surprised. And I'm not blaming Gearbox for this. All they did was to take on the task of putting a ****ty game together that would have never seen the light of day otherwise.

[Benstamania]

It may not be Gearbox's "fault" but they should have done exactly what Soapy said. I also believe that they should have just canned Forever and started development on a completely new from the ground up Duke Nukem. I wonder if they'll do that now since they own the rights to try to redeem the Franchise/Character... or if they'll just let it rest?

[Lord]

There were some cool stuff from early versions of Forever, i wonder if they'll keep them in the game.

[ChrisBaleBatman]

Gearbox is a great company and unfortunately they will have a not-great Dukehttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif (http://forums.superherohype.com/showthread.php?t=318429&page=13#) game as part of their legacy from now on. Though, anyone who pays enough attention to know who Gearbox is, probably knows the story behind this game and how little fault is at Gearbox's feet.

Gearbox's legacy will be that they were the ones that slayed the Duke Nukem dragon and did the impossible.

They shipped the game. The un-releasable game was released. By them.

I think they're "Duke Legacy" might not be done yet. This isn't going to be the final Duke Nukem game. They could wind up working on the next one, though I don't know how large that studio even is.

It may not be Gearbox's "fault" but they should have done exactly what Soapy said. I also believe that they should have just canned Forever and started development on a completely new from the ground up Duke Nukem. I wonder if they'll do that now since they own the rights to try to redeem the Franchise/Character... or if they'll just let it rest?

They won't let it rest.

What would be the point of inheriting this thing, if they could make a new one later?

[Benstamania]

True.

Regardless of how the game is received Gearbox WILL be known as the company that released the unreleasable game.

I get a kick out of the Nukem games for the most part. I'd like to see what Gearbox had to offer with a completely new game made completely by them.

[ChrisBaleBatman]

I think that has to be the plan. To get this out of the way, and then work on they're own thing. Wasn't there leaked paperwork that there had been a "Duke Nukem Begins" in the works? Maybe they'll run with that idea.

The crazy thing is, it took over a decade to get this one done. Watch them make a new Duke Nukem game, built from the ground up, and released in two years or something.

[Nathan]

I have no interest in Duke Nukem whatsoever. But if a new game gets made entirely by Gearbox, I might actually give it a try.

[Benstamania]

I think CAD says it best...

http://v.cdn.cad-comic.com/comics/cad-20110613-2a6e0.png

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

But it doesn't play like a game from 1998.

[Benstamania]

Felt like it to me. It played like a "meh" FPS from 1998.

[ChrisBaleBatman]

I think it's supposed to be a joke...

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Felt like it to me. It played like a "meh" FPS from 1998.

No this is a map from the 90's. Duke Forever is on the right.

http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/363/bitmx.jpg

- Two Weapons at a time

- Health Regen

- The First hour walking around shooting nothing with scripted events

- Stupid on the rail sections

- Lame driving sections

- Iron-sights

- Glowly things you walk up to and press a button to make unglowly

Duke Nukem 3d had none of this. The only thing that seems to be in tact is the character and the interactivity outside of the FPS aspect. Other than that it has more in common with a Call Of Duty or Halo shooter than a 90's shooter. The fact the Duke is holding a control pad should be an indication of this. Anyone under the impression that it plays like a 90's shooter, wasn't gaming in the 90's.

[ChrisBaleBatman]

But, that'll be the meme though. Because the "it took over a decade to finish" stamp, the meme of this game will be that it's old. And that the reason people don't like it is because everything about it is old.

It's ********, but that'll be the meme. Hell, it was going to be the meme for this game for quite some time.

[Spider-ManHero12]

Duke Nukem Forever is SUPPOSED to play like an old fashioned game. It's a direct sequel to Duke Nukem 3D.

It's sad to see some game sites not understand this.

[Lord]

Yeah, there was a rumor of a game titled Duke Begins set to be a prequel showing how duke became the Bad ass he is today.
I sincerely think that with the reviews the studio won't make more games.
I don't know if 3D had it but i remember the 2 first games having the ability for Duke to climb walls with his shoes.

[Lord]

Look how this could have been if it was released in 2001
9-BPJajW-Sc

[Soapy]

Duke Nukem Forever is SUPPOSED to play like an old fashioned game.

But it doesn't.

It's sad to see some game sites not understand this.

Even if it did play exactly the old school 90's throwback that it's purported to be... that still doesn't make it good.

[Upset Spideyfan]

Exactly. There were crappy shooters in the 90's as well. Whatever side Duke falls on doesn't make that alright.

[ChrisBaleBatman]

Yeah, there was a rumor of a game titled Duke Begins set to be a prequel showing how duke became the Bad ass he is today.
I sincerely think that with the reviews the studio won't make more games.
I don't know if 3D had it but i remember the 2 first games having the ability for Duke to climb walls with his shoes.


I think they were expecting, at the very least, lukewarm reviews. I think they had to be ready for bad reviews before they even swooped in and picked up the license.

How much money did they really toss at this thing? It's not like they actually made this game.

[Upset Spideyfan]

I imagine the publisher would have assumed the majority of the total costs. How long did Gearbox actually work on this game?

[ChrisBaleBatman]

A little over a year, I think.

Most of the money was probably spent on promotional costs, I would imagine.

[jacobed]

I got this game today, a little early but oh well. Its not very good and it has nothing to do with it being an old school design game or whatever people are thinking that is why its getting bad reviews. Plain and simple its a bad game. The controls are kind of clunky, no story, its quite linear and really boring. Multiplayer is pathetic and if you dont get the shrink ray, you might as quit the match. Although I disagree with reviews that say its unfunny, it might just be my sense of humor but I find the game to be pretty hilarious and it is great they brought back the original Duke voice.

[Benstamania]

I think it's supposed to be a joke...


Yeah... Pretty much just a joke.


No this is a map from the 90's. Duke Forever is on the right.

http://img854.imageshack.us/img854/363/bitmx.jpg

- Two Weapons at a time

- Health Regen

- The First hour walking around shooting nothing with scripted events

- Stupid on the rail sections

- Lame driving sections

- Iron-sights

- Glowly things you walk up to and press a button to make unglowly

Duke Nukem 3d had none of this. The only thing that seems to be in tact is the character and the interactivity outside of the FPS aspect. Other than that it has more in common with a Call Of Duty or Halo shooter than a 90's shooter. The fact the Duke is holding a control pad should be an indication of this. Anyone under the impression that it plays like a 90's shooter, wasn't gaming in the 90's.


http://images.icanhascheezburger.com/completestore/2008/11/22/128718402300610763.jpg

[terry78]

The entire game and its development have just been one big industry in-joke since jump. I think they won't exactly cry themselves to sleep at night if it bombs. It's going to be one of those things we as gamers remember years down the line though.

[Matt Mortem]

Well I went ahead and spent my Duke Nukem money on Crysis 2 and Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. I'm actually kind of glad I didn't buy Duke, especially after reading the reviews

[Spider-Vader]

The outcome of this game has been disappointing. I've been watching a playthrough of it, the game looks okay but it's nothing worth spending 60 dollars for.

Hell, alot of the levels look like they were ripped from Halo 2 & Half-Life 2: Episode 2.

[Balthus Dire]

I just wish the friggin demo would come out already on XBL so I can make up my own mind. The game is out tomorrow and still no demo, like wtf?

[StrainedEyes]

I just wish the friggin demo would come out already on XBL so I can make up my own mind. The game is out tomorrow and still no demo, like wtf?

Not ever game gets a demo before release, even if that demo was available to some people early. Did the Mortal Kombat demo ever go up on XBL?

I'd say wait until next week's update to see if the demo goes up. I haven't found anyone who recommends picking this up for 60 bucks.

[jacobed]

Well I went ahead and spent my Duke Nukem money on Crysis 2 and Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. I'm actually kind of glad I didn't buy Duke, especially after reading the reviews
I just bought Enslaved too. I think its a great underrated game.

[StrainedEyes]

Giant Bomb put up their hour long Quick Look of this game, it's full of nudity and cursing so I won't link it but it's easy enough to find. It's a depressing look at two guys doing something they really don't want to do.

[Spider-ManHero12]

I'll be picking this up later today. Can't wait.

[Upset Spideyfan]

Giantbomb (http://www.giantbomb.com/duke-nukem-forever/61-20721/reviews/)

2/5

If you're not willing to play a sloppy, cobbled together first-person shooter just because it has some kind of weird historical meaning, though, just forget this ever happened and move on. It's great, in some ways, that Duke Nukem Forever was released at all. But don't be confused into thinking that it's a great game.

[Soapy]

Quick Look: Duke Nukem Forever (http://www.giantbomb.com/quick-look-duke-nukem-forever/17-4385/)

[Upset Spideyfan]

Quick Look: Duke Nukem Forever (http://www.giantbomb.com/quick-look-duke-nukem-forever/17-4385/)


Man that quick look was brutal.

Having seen an hour of it, there was indeed something very late 90's about it, when FPS games were making the transition out of the sprite era of Doom and Duke Nukem 3D and into polygonal graphics. The level design in general was archaic rather than being retro.

Anyone that's on the fence should really take a moment to look at that video.

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Pretty much every preview video has ripped it apart.

[Ponyboy]

Quick Look: Duke Nukem Forever (http://www.giantbomb.com/quick-look-duke-nukem-forever/17-4385/)

*sigh*

It certainly doesn't excite me... yet.

[Balthus Dire]

For all the crying about the "bad graphics," I think it looks fine. COD's MP graphics are way worse and nobody cries about that.

[Matt Mortem]

The graphics don't look bad IMO. The game itself does

[jacobed]

This game unfortunately was a huge waste of money. I wasnt expecting much and I got even less.

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

For all the crying about the "bad graphics," I think it looks fine. COD's MP graphics are way worse and nobody cries about that.

I kind of agree with you there, tried abit of Black Op's MP and it looked terrible. No idea why that got a pass.

[jacobed]

Because its fun and its a bit of exagerratiob saying this looks better than cod because it doesnt. Its multiplayer maps look like something from the ps2 era.

[Balthus Dire]

As much as it kills me I'm going to wait until this comes down in price. I'm a huge Duke fan and I was really excited about this game, and I know I'll still end up buying it eventually, but not at $60. Sad face.

[zeptron]

As much as it kills me I'm going to wait until this comes down in price. I'm a huge Duke fan and I was really excited about this game, and I know I'll still end up buying it eventually, but not at $60. Sad face.

Same here.

[Matt Mortem]

I'm waiting till its in the bargain bin. This is not a full price buy

[terry78]

Played some multiplayer earlier today, it's not that bad. I'm not a big FPS dude anyways so I don't give two ****s about all that, but the tongue in cheek humor helped.

[ChrisBaleBatman]

Has anyone heard anything about the supposed DLC packs coming up for the game?

Something about a 15 level single player expansion pack?

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Gearbox is usually quite generous with addon content so it wouldn't be surprising.

[terry78]

I would like some levels from 3D done in the current graphics style as a couple extras.

[Matt Mortem]

I would like ALL of 3D done with current graphics. But I'm greedy like that

[ChrisBaleBatman]

Don't know if any of guys have heard about the Twitter debacle that happened yesterday, but Redner (or The Redner Group) had threatened, publicly on Twitter, to blacklist journalists because of the "venom" spewed in reviews for Duke Nukem Forever.

http://www.planetxbox360.com/article_14840/The_Redner_Group_Growls_at_Duke_Nukem_Forever_Revi ewers

I read some tweets from journalists, like Jeff Gertsmann, who said he was a really nice guy who was probably under a lot of stress in dealing with the negative reviews that have been hitting since it's release and got emotional.

Either way, the "blacklisting" threat was kinda a big deal. And now there's the fallout of it all.

http://www.giantbomb.com/news/pr-firm-threatens-publications-then-apologizes-over-duke-nukem-review-scores/3387/

So, Redner Group (or Redner himself, who I guess would be the guy in charge) has apologized publicly and privately to journalists.

And 2K Games has now fired the PR firm from representing they're products.

[Duke]

I'm definitely going to buy the game, but when it goes down a bit in price.

[Benstamania]

Oh I said I'll probably pick it up... just because I want to have the game that took forever to launch, lol.

However, it will have to come down drastically. 19.99 or less.

[amazingfantasy15]

Got the game yesterday since I had some Best Buy Reward certificates. Haven't even game to the real game yet though, still going through the intro.

Kind of disappointing that two of the things I've been excited for this summer, Green Lantern and Duke Nukem, came out in the same week and both are getting trashed by the critics.

[Benstamania]

Ugh, don't remind me of Green Lantern... I was SO pumped for that. I doubt I even see it in theaters now. :( I have hope that Transformers turns out good (even though I HATED Revenge of the Fallen). Cap BETTER turn out good as well.

[Balthus Dire]

So you won't even watch it because you heard it's bad?

[StrainedEyes]

So you won't even watch it because you heard it's bad?

Most people don't want to spend money on something that isn't good. For the price of one bad movie in the theaters he could watch a hundred bad movies through Netflix. :word:

[Benstamania]

So you won't even watch it because you heard it's bad?

I'm very selective with my movies. They're not cheap anymore... More so the 3D ones. It's not like I read ONE bad review and said "no way bucco!" I've read several... well, pretty much every review.

Green Lantern is about equal to Batman (not exactly) in terms of favorite Super Heroes... and I want to see a film that does the character and lore justice, not pay for crap.

So, I'd rather save that ticket money for something that doesn't (apparently) suck.

[Matt Mortem]

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/duke-nukem-forever/review.html?tag=summary%3Bread-review

Gamespot gave this a 3.0. I've rarely seen them give a game a score that low, especially a big release like Duke. WOW. I'm very disappointed in how this game is and is being received.

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

It seems weird Randy Pitchford was so beaming about the game. I wonder if it was a massive display of insincerity knowing the game was a failure or he was just living in a galaxy far, far away.

[StrainedEyes]

It seems weird Randy Pitchford was so beaming about the game. I wonder if it was a massive display of insincerity knowing the game was a failure or he was just living in a galaxy far, far away.

He couldn't stand there telling the public the game was ****, he had to sell it and he did. Pitchford is a great pitch-man, he always sounds so excited and proud of the stuff he is working on and it's infectious. Also, the guy has an awesome office: http://www.giantbomb.com/the-best-office-in-the-video-game-industry/17-1204/

I don't hold DNF against Gearbox. They just glued this hot mess together, made sure it didn't crash constantly, and shipped it. Good on them for finally shutting the book on this insanity and making some money doing it.

[Solidus]

Well I decided against getting it. Maybe when it is 20 bucks I will get it more so as Jeff G. said at Giant Bomb to see a piece of "history" so to speak. There are too many great games out there to play, I have not even gotten to open Infamous 2 yet so I will be busy with that.

Sad that this game ended up this way, but man I wonder how George B. from 3D Realms is handling this, really if there is blame, it should go to him, not Randy.

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Pitchford is the one who pitched it. I don't think he should be absolved.
He's somewhat piddled on his cred and made Gearbox look bad imo.

[Solidus]

Eh I always thought he seemed reserved about it to a point. But that is what a pitch man does, sell even the worst products. In the end 3D Realms should be ashamed even with Gearbox working for 2 years on this game, that they could not make it good. I feel sorry for the guys that spent almost 15 years working on that game to see this.

[Franklin Richards]

So anyway...


I've been having great fun with this. Love killing pigs with my shotgun. And I love the movie theater map. Reminds me of the old school map.


I'm loving the multiplay and so far the campaign is fun.


:doom: :doom: :doom:

[StrainedEyes]

Pitchford is the one who pitched it. I don't think he should be absolved.
He's somewhat piddled on his cred and made Gearbox look bad imo.

He was selling the game that his company bought and worked on. I don't understand what you expected him to do, **** all over the game and tell people not to buy it?

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Make a better game? Not sell a turd as gold? I respected him before, now I don't.
In the long run this will effect my opinion of his games also. He's a bad person.

[StrainedEyes]

From Randy Pitchford's Twitter:
With sales data, It seems like *customers* love Duke. I guess sometimes we want greasy hamburgers instead of caviar...

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

He should look at metacritic or gamespots user reviews.

[Soapy]

It would be really interesting to know how many of these customers have traded DNF in a month from now.

[StrainedEyes]

Eh I always thought he seemed reserved about it to a point. But that is what a pitch man does, sell even the worst products. In the end 3D Realms should be ashamed even with Gearbox working for 2 years on this game, that they could not make it good. I feel sorry for the guys that spent almost 15 years working on that game to see this.

Yeah, seriously, wtf were 3D Realms doing? :dry:

[Spidey-Bat]

Here's a story about the guy who pre-ordered DNF almost 10 years ago

http://www.thedaily.com/page/2011/06/17/061711-apps-virtuallife-nukem-1-2/

[Balthus Dire]

Most people don't want to spend money on something that isn't good. For the price of one bad movie in the theaters he could watch a hundred bad movies through Netflix. :word:

Why do you have a quip for everything I say?

"Good" is subjective. What one person might think is total crap another might actually like. Just make up your own mind rather than letting someone tell you what sucks and what doesn't.

[Benstamania]

I'm sure SOMEONE out there likes Batman & Robin....

I'll probably watch Green Lantern, heck... I'll probably buy the BluRay, but I'm not going to pay 15 bucks per ticket to see a movie that I could, potentially, dislike.

Films come to BluRay (and DVD) extremely fast anymore. I'll just buy it for 15 bucks on Amazon Prime and make my own mind up then....

[Balthus Dire]

Fair enough. As long as you make up your own mind that's all I care about. :o

[Soapy]

The quality of something is not subjective. You can judge something as "good" or "bad" independently of liking it or disliking it. Example: I can watch The Godfather II and see that it's clearly a great movie, but I just don't like it. The Room is a terrible movie, but I love it. Etc.

[Benstamania]

I'll actually probably see this in theaters at some point. I'm to much of a Green Lantern fan not to. :-/

[Coca Cola Duracell Franklin.]

I'll actually probably see this in theaters at some point. I'm to much of a Green Lantern fan not to. :-/
You have ruined this website.

[Benstamania]

Yup. I did.

Go cry more.

[Balthus Dire]

The quality of something is not subjective. You can judge something as "good" or "bad" independently of liking it or disliking it. Example: I can watch The Godfather II and see that it's clearly a great movie, but I just don't like it. The Room is a terrible movie, but I love it. Etc.

I never commented on the quality, bub. I said he should form his own opinion, not base his opinion on the likes and dislikes of others. Thanks for the grammar lesson, though.

[Darkness Falls]

playing through it atm
are certain levels bad..... yea

but its DUKE :D

[jacobed]

Just about the only thing they did right in this game are the references to movies and stuff. They were pretty hilarious, lots and lots of easter eggs to be found. Other than that, its crap, I've already sold it and regretted buying it.

[ChrisBaleBatman]

Make a better game? Not sell a turd as gold? I respected him before, now I don't.
In the long run this will effect my opinion of his games also. He's a bad person.

A bad person...? Seriously...?

It's hard for me to toss even half of the blame on Gearbox. 15 Years, man...

It would be really interesting to know how many of these customers have traded DNF in a month from now.

Can't you say that about most games that aren't Halo or COD?

[ChrisBaleBatman]

http://www.giantbomb.com/news/take-two-ceo-threatens-the-world-with-more-duke-nukem/3404/

Looks likes Duke will be getting a sequel out of Take-Two.

Which makes sense.

[StrainedEyes]

http://www.giantbomb.com/news/take-two-ceo-threatens-the-world-with-more-duke-nukem/3404/

Looks likes Duke will be getting a sequel out of Take-Two.

Which makes sense.

I am willing to listen to the idea of a Duke game made from scratch by Gearbox.

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

I'm looking forward to Yahtzees review.

[Matt Mortem]

I'm much more optimistic about a Duke game made from scratch by Gearbox

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

His time is done but the moneyz will ensure he goes on and on.

[Darkness Falls]

i'd be down with a sequel made from scratch :D

[Matt Mortem]

I'd say a game made from scratch would have a bunch more going for it.

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Duke Nukem super fun party time.
What a great launch. What a great game. Yay everything.

http://uk.kotaku.com/5814858/evidence-that-someone-loves-playing-duke-nukem-forever-online

Also I notice even though everyone is hooked up to a console the clip slices in pc footage. Nice one Gearbox. Make a turd look less like a turd.

[Benstamania]

I replayed the demo today and while I still stand firmly behind original statement that it's not a very good game... something about it grew on me. I haven idea why but I had a bit more fun with it this time around... Maybe because I had no expectations this time around? Or maybe Gearbox slipped something into my Vanilla Coke?

[Spade]

Played the demo about an hour ago.

The weapon system is a mess. I don't want to walk 6 steps forward, find a new weapon, and have to decide whether it'd be better to hold this for later, only to find out the hard way that the next area either has the perfect weapon for the job already available or none at all. The selection wheel was perfect. No need to "fix" what wasn't broken. Even the weapons themselves don't feel right; the area of effect on the pipe bombs and rockets are so small compared to Duke 3D that there were times I shot right between close clusters of pigs and scored no damage for my effort. And that's assuming you can shoot anything at a distance, between the oddly inconsistent focus on the zoom and the buck wild aim sensitivity (without aim assist).

The visuals are just as bad. This game seems to have halted in progress around 2007, yet it looks so much worse than other games from that year. If any one of the many developers knew it'd be so muddy and incomplete, then they should've gone with Valve's approach to Team Fortress 2 and made it less realistic. As it stands, it follows every bad trope of the modern shooter, right down to using bloom everywhere to hide bad textures. The level design doesn't help, either, 'cause there's no place to go and explore despite many segues and pathways that look like they could lead somewhere.

Overall, I'm very disappointed. I never laughed, the boss was uninspired, the regenerating health, the sprint cooldown...ugh. I usually get a buzz after playing a demo, that urge to replay it. Once I was done with this I uninstalled it. I know this isn't entirely Gearbox's fault, but if this is the product of 12 years of development hell, it should've stayed as vaporware.

[Benstamania]

Soapy said it best I believe, Gearbox should have released this as a budget title... 29.99 or less (and based on the demo... I'd say less). Instead they created a stupid collectors edition and gave it all sorts of pomp and circumstance...

I feel bad for the sucker that paid 100 bucks for the Collectors Edition..

I DO have people on my friends list that have it... they "like" it but feel extremely ripped off... If that makes sense.

[StrainedEyes]

Soapy said it best I believe, Gearbox should have released this as a budget title... 29.99 or less (and based on the demo... I'd say less). Instead they created a stupid collectors edition and gave it all sorts of pomp and circumstance...

I feel bad for the sucker that paid 100 bucks for the Collectors Edition..

I DO have people on my friends list that have it... they "like" it but feel extremely ripped off... If that makes sense.

The game news sources that I read weren't exactly making DNF sound fantastic before release (from reading event hands-on, watching trailers and seeing the demo in action), and as a result I was not at all surprised when it turned out bad. Honestly, the trailers alone were enough to make me back away from this game, they were really unappealing.

Of course main-stream marketing will try to sell the game as hard as possible with collectors editions and tv-spots and 'balls of steel' billboards to entice the dude-bros of the world, but under that surface DNF had pretty bad buzz around it. A little research the week before release would have saved those people from feeling ripped off.

[Benstamania]

Not everyone goes to forums or reads reviews. Some of my friends never even heard of IGN or Giant Bomb.

[StrainedEyes]

Not everyone goes to forums or reads reviews. Some of my friends never even heard of IGN or Giant Bomb.

You don't have to be some geeky forum guy to do a little consumer research before buying something.

[Benstamania]

....Never mind.

[StrainedEyes]

....Never mind.

I am well aware that the mass-market are the people who don't read reviews or visit games sites. That is why advertisers love the mass-market, all they have to do is throw a cool/funny ad on TV and people will buy the product.

I also think that those people kinda get what they deserve. Things like Metacritic and Rottentomatoes exist for those people, so they don't have to read a bunch of sites and spend a lot of time, they can quickly see a review score and move on with their day. 60 dollars is a big expense for some people, and buying things based on tv-ads is an easy way to potentially waste it.

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Games sold half a million copies.

[Tanin]

I went ahead and bought it after watching some gameplay footage and am enjoying it quite a bit.

[Timstuff]

My one hope is that with Duke Nukem Forever FINALLY out of the way, Gearbox can do a proper Duke game from the ground up that doesn't suck. I think first and foremost, they need to acknowledge that Duke is a parody of cliches rather than letting him be a cliche incarnate. If they want to do something funny that makes Duke relevant again, they should pull a Captain America where he gets frozen for 20 years and wakes up in a more modern world that "sucks" (at least in Duke's mind). He should be the butt of a lot of fish out of water humor, and isn't in on the joke. They have to either embrace the fact that Duke Nukem is a character who hasn't kept up with the times, or they have to reinvent him like Eidos has continually done with Lara Croft, and for Duke that just wouldn't seem right. I'm all for Duke being the exact same guy he has been all these years, but when the world he lives in and the people he interacts with all feel like leftovers from the bronze age of gaming, we've got a problem.

One potentially humorous angle they could go with in the new game is to shed some light on Duke's past to explain why he goes to such great lengths to be an over-the-top macho womanizer. My personal theory: Duke had a single mother who was a hardcore ass kicker, but she always treated Duke like crap and would call him a "p***y" nonstop (and to make matters worse, shrimpy young Duke had crooked teeth and acne). His womanizing steroid-popping ways are him overcompensating for his ruined childhood, because when you get down to it Duke Nukem is basically Peter Pan syndrome personified-- he just wants to have lots of toys to play with and he never takes much of anything seriously.

[Balthus Dire]

^ Not a fan of the second part, but I think the first part of your post is a good idea. A new Duke game where Duke is almost like a fish-out-of-water parody, but still the same old Duke, might even be funnier. Kind of like Stallone in Demolition Man.

[Balthus Dire]

So the demo finally came out on XBL and I just played through it. Yeah, the graphics are pretty crappy. Yeah, the gameplay mechanics are clunky. But you know what? I laughed my ass off playing it. Listening to Duke's quips and the dialogue of the surrounding characters was great. It definitely seems to retain the spirit of Duke.

I'll be picking it up once the price drops.

[jacobed]

Yeah its funny at first but wait til you hear the same thing over and over and over and over again. Becomes quite a bit less funny.

[Timstuff]

Also, a lot of people are saying that the hive level is one of the most disturbing things ever put into a video game, and the fact that the writers don't even realize it makes it end up just being out of place and tasteless. Reviewers are pretty much saying it's akin to if in a comedy movie the main character walks in on a child being slapped around by an adult, and instead of being shocked and angered the character says a cheesy one-liner about it that we're supposed to laugh at. Never thought I'd hear people saying that even Duke Nukem needs to draw the line somewhere, but the way this level was handled is apparently that bad.

[jacobed]

Really? I didn't think the hive level was disturbing at all.

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-07-01-gearbox-discarded-blade-runner-ip

Now they have a critical falure that sold 500k copies (so far).
I hope those sales don't go up. Saying that though, people are running out and buying Homefront and Medal Of Honor on the basis is looks like Call Of Duty so I wouldn't give gamers of today too much faith.

[Havok83]

So the demo finally came out on XBL and I just played through it. Yeah, the graphics are pretty crappy. Yeah, the gameplay mechanics are clunky. But you know what? I laughed my ass off playing it. Listening to Duke's quips and the dialogue of the surrounding characters was great. It definitely seems to retain the spirit of Duke.

I'll be picking it up once the price drops.
I thought the level design was pretty awful and archaic

[Balthus Dire]

Well, you don't have to buy it then...?

[Matt Mortem]

Well my buddy and I rented this today and have been playing the last few hours and are actually having a blast. It's not a perfect game by any means, but I'm honestly having fun playing it. I am pleasantly surprised.

[Darkness Falls]

its already dropped down about $50 here ($108, now $68)
yea our game prices suck....

[StrainedEyes]

There is a Redbox like 2 blocks away from me where I can rent this for 2 bucks, probably finish it in one day and return it... Still doesn't seem worth the money.

[Benstamania]

It's 30 new now. Soon it will be 17.99 used.