Duke Nukem Forever Review

SIDE NOTE: Well since i'm new to the video game blog scene im going to try a bunch of different formats to see which one i like more, this one is called the good, the bad, and the ugly (Yay, got my movie reference badge today).

Dukes back and now more than ever the Earth needs him, but does the game stack up anywhere near near dukes huge ego?

The Good:

The Humor: What Duke is really known for is his own brand of humor, some of his lines made me laugh as hard as i ever laughed at a video game (next to portal of course).

One-Liners: While they do get old very fast, the first time you hear them you usually will laugh it up, but after you hear it three or more it times you will easily be bored.

References: Duke Nukem Forever references Half-Life, Halo, Valve, Gears of War, Alien, WoW and others, most of which you will probably laugh or smile a little at.

Mini-Games: I literally spent 10-15 minutes just making a drawing on a whiteboard of duke shooting an Alien in the face, and spent 20 minutes on a pinball game trying to beat my hi-score (500,000 yeah not impressive but still!), and while most of these things are unnecessary to do, the game rewards youw ith an EGO (kinda like your shields in Borderlands) boost.

The Shooting: Its pretty fun when it works and it works some to most of the time.

Bosses: Their back! And while most of the bosses are just pain in the asses that doesnt stop me from being excited that boss battles are actually back in shooting games.

The Bad:

The Shooting: Like i said its fun most of the time though the times that its not fun, its really not fun. Some really great segments, mixed in with some really poor ones make the shooting sometimes feel bland.

Two Weapon  Limit: I honestly don't mind too much that you can only carry two weapons, but for some of my friends who grew up with Duke 3D this is like a betrayal.

The Graphics: Once again this really isnt too much of a problem for me but for some the graphics are horrendous, but if you go into this experience expecting a 2008 level of graphics type of game you wont be too disappointed

The Humor: While the games humor can be funny, it can also seem overly stupid. Like this gem for example, "I cant wait to punch them in the cornhole." No i did not make that up, that is in the game.

Platforming sections: Its just unnecessary to have a first person platforming section.

Driving Sections: Another thing i think they just sat around and said "hey lets have a driving section just for shits and giggles." Another thing that is completely unnecessary.

The Ugly:


Holywood: The 1st level of Duke 3D was remade for multiplayer. I literally put a section for the ugly just because i hate this level (and love the original) so much. Instead of the open spaces it looks like they had just killed all the aliens and turned the level into a sports game arena, theres padded cover every where. Its just an ugly mess. Heres a video of it in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1h-fkEYhD8

The Plot: or lack there of, I honestly wasnt expecting any real plot, and boy was i right! Theres barely a trace of plot besides kill every alien mofo that stands in your way.

The Humor: While i sometimes can enjoy duke humor sometimes it feels completely unnecessary. Like when General Graves tells Duke that he has to do something (dont want to get rid off the little plot there i in this game out) to save America , dukes response is "America Fuck Yeah!" Thats about the time where i just face palmed.

Duke is an Asshole: When Duke is face to face with his lovers Mary Kate and Ahley Holsom who are about to explode because they were raped by aliens, his only response is, "Looks like your, fucked." I shit you not thats what he says.

Load Times: There bearable... until you die. Yeah thats right every time you die you dont load from a checkpoint automatically like Call of Duty or every other modern FPS, no you wait for it to load (which by the way takes the exact same amount of time to load the whole level. So you may only die 3 times from a boss but youll spend at least 3-4 minutes looking at the loading screen.

Overall:

Duke Nukem Forever is a fun frantic shooter with a ton of immaturity to spread around it. If your not the person that's into toilet humor you should avoid this game outright and play something with a little more class. Having said that this game really isnt for everyone, and even still i would say to those who loved Duke 3D dont pick it up until the price drops to at least $40. The game has a ton of great moments, but also a insane amount of boring ones. Though still I'm glad that Gearbox rescued Duke Nukem Forever rather than let it die.