Duke Nukem Forever

[Art Blade]

Ow. Didn't see that one coming.  ;D

[deadman1]

Hail to the king baby!! Duke now has a releasedate (no I haven´t been drinking although there´s a glass of Famous Grouse with my name on on my desk as I type this) May 6 is the date when Duke gets to kick some alien rear end again. And to celebrate here´s there reveal trailer:

http://www.fz.se/filmer/20110121/duke-nukem-forever-reveal-trailer/

[spaceboy]

that trailer is hilarious!  I may not get it at launch, but I will get it.

[Art Blade]

Excellent  ;D :-X

[Fiach]

LOL at the list on the rating at the beginning.... what more could you want from a game  8) >:D

[fragger]

Agreed, something for everyone! ^+-+

Cool - a May release gives me plenty of time to stock up on bubble gum - or not :-()

All hail the crew-cut one  :-X :-X :-X



"Nobody steals our chicks - and lives!"

[deadman1]

Well it is Duke Nukem after all so I guess we shouldn´t be to surprised  :-()

http://www.fz.se/filmer/20110324/duke-nukem-forever-special-message/

[spaceboy]

that's actually pretty funny and well done.  Just a slight delay. 

After reading more in the mags about it, I've actually lost a bit of interest in this game.  I think I'll eventually rent it to check it out but I don't think I'll be dropping $$ to buy it.

What made Duke 3D so awesome was the multiplayer on LAN or modem.  Sure the SP was fun to goof around in, but the long life came from MP with friends.  I had even bought a disk with 500 user made levels!  Still have it actually. 

Anyways, 5 person LAN games at w@&k on Saturdays, 1v1 over the modem with a friend, talking about the crazy antics and kills at w@&k the next day.  That was Duke to me.  The link below details the online play and I just don't see it living up to my memories.

Like I said I will eventually play it, and I do think it's great its coming out, but somewhere in the last 6 months my interest has just dropped.  Perhaps it has to do with the glut of other high quality games coming out,  I'm just not sure how much I want to pay for nostalgia that probably won't be close to being as fun.   Not trying to be a downer, just sayin'.

http://www.strategyinformer.com/news/11512/duke-nukem-forever-multiplayer-detailed

[Art Blade]

I feel the same, space, and I have the same kind of memories (funny, we too loved a 5-player LAN party  ^-^ ). What I liked were the recorded voices to bind F-keys with, I used to have a couple of them bound, one of my favourites was that long holler... "AAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahrg!"  ^+-+

[Fiach]

I have Duke 3D on PS one, N64 and PC and soon I will have it on 360 (XBLA DLC), I cant wait for its release! :)

[spaceboy]

that's cool Fiach.  Do you know if the DLC is only available on 360 or is it coming to PSN.  A quick google search proved fruitless.  Is it just the single player game or is there anykind of online component?  Also, I even have the Duke it out in D.C. extra level disc from way back when.

@Art - those LAN parties were so fun.  That's great thinking of you doing the same.   :)

[Fiach]

Take this for what its worth Spaceboy :

PC :

Duke Nukem multiplayer continues to exist online through launcher services maintained by fans such as YANG, Meltdown and Dukester X. This has been possible thanks to fan made Windows and Linux ports of the game such as hDuke, xDuke and eDuke32. Various Duke Nukem 3D community maintained web sites still exist on the Internet supporting online play and there is a still community of players throughout the world currently playing.

As for 360 XBLA :

About Duke Nukem 3D XBLARather than simply porting the game, developer 3D Realms completely revamped the original game, adding online multiplayer, voice chat, configurable controls and 12 achievements worth 200 gamerscore points. A major addition is the User Clips feature, which allows players to record and share game clips online or with friends. An extension of this is Painless Death. After dying, players can review their game clip and rewind to a point before things they died.2

As for PSN, I dont know anything about PSN as I dont use it, I found it cumbersome to find stuff compared to XBOX LIVE, so I just use 360 for DLC. :(

[Dweller_Benthos]

That's actually good for me, since Portal 2 comes out supposedly in April, I won't have another conflicting game. I'll probably grab Duke fairly soon after release, unless the reviews come in really bad.

[spaceboy]

ah- thanks Fiach.  I can take a look, but it doesn't seem to be going there based on some forum banter that came up on searching.

[Art Blade]

So here it is  :)

Five minutes of installation, a couple more to get some update from STEAM, then some first-time installation of DirectX9.0c (erm.. hadn't I got it already?) then some Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 AND 2008 Redistributable Packages (which littered my game HD's root with eulas and stuff, grrrrrr >:(( ) and an AMD Dual Core Optimizer (err.. I use an i7 which is Intel and it's a quad core respectively virtual 8-core  ???? )

Simple setup of the game, and here we go.

[smg id=3432 type=link align=center width=500 caption="DNF 001"]

You start off with this view and a small sign "LMB to piss" which you need to keep pressed. When you release it, you stop.. press, and go.. stop.. go.. <chortle>  ^-^ You do see an option/button to end this but it is just stupid fun to watch that you can even look left and right and your aim.. still keeps it on target (phew). Some more stop and go and I hear some dude to the right (can't see him since I'm focussed) go "Sure taking your time, Duke. If I were you, I'd think of water. Like the ocean smashing into the shore.." ^+-+ And you know what? I had to pause the game and disappear for a moment  ^+-+

I'm all in now  ^+-+

[Fiach]

Loved duke 3D hope you have tons of fun mate :)

[JRD]

DN was a simple, straightforward shooter and as long as they stick to the formula and keep the humor it`ll be fine.

I think you are doing the right thing, Art, by not keeping your expectations too high... less chance of disappointment.   ;)

[Art Blade]

I loved D3D back in the day, the first LAN parties I ever joined used to be all night Duke Nukem  :-D

OK.

First impression:

This game is fun  :-()

Anyone who played it back then and was longing for a sequel, just treat it as if it was just what we'd have hoped for, a sequel from back then. With a little more polished graphics, but generally speaking, it's like that. Same stupid blunt humour (  :-D :-X ) and an over-the-top boys thingy with 150% narcissism and self-cult.

Something you'd desperately hope no woman was watching you because it might be embarrassing to admit that boys, even at our age, (may) find that kind of stuff just plain funny and entertaining.

Please don't even try to approach that game with any kind of intelligence and philosophical thoughts. It is Neanderthal.  :-D

If you don't find it funny to use any toilet you come across and keep chortling at this original Duke voice (yeaaahh!  :-D  :-X ) commenting even stuff like that. If you think it is lacking words to describe what it is when you look down into a toilet and see something dark and its form sausage-like that has an icon next to it "E - grab" and when you think gee, why not, let's pick that up, you do it and hear your (Duke-) self go "Ahh, no. Nooo. Urgh, nooo." and on top you find another icon telling you to "LMB - throw" (you're also able to drop it, if you are so inclined) and then, looking for something to throw that thing at, pick those white tiles on the wall across the room, throw it and wow, it leaves muddy brown marks on the wall. Then you realise, that's Duke. Nothing for you? Then better don't even think about getting it.

Or, in a kitchen, I noticed some annoying squeaking, checked all the cup boards and found a rat sitting in one of them. Previously I had found bags with corn for use in a microwave so I made popcorn in it and ate it. Now that I had grabbed the squeaking rat, an icon showing "E - squish" but I thought, "microwave?" Hehe, yes.. I was able to open the microwave, put the rat in, close it, and start and watch it until that rat popped.  >:D

Then I saw a clock on the kitchen wall (I kept hearing the seconds ticking away all the time). It occurred to me to check it against the real life time of the day and wow  ??? It was accurate. They managed to use the PC's time to set the game's clock  ^+-+

OK, so the game is just what it used to be, lots of stuff to interact with (like vending machines, cup boards, showers, toilets, water dispensers, basically everything is potentially interactive. Just like it used to be  :)

Moving and shooting and boxing is simple and easy. No fancy precision aiming, this is the rough stuff. Aim and fire. You'll hit, anyway.  ;D Enemies that are incapacitated can be executed, walk up and hit "E" to perform a kick to the head just like you'd do if you were in Duke's boots.  :)

Anyone who unfortunately never played the old D3D, if you consider buying this DNF, you'll kind of see a retro game. The sort of game we'd have had our eyes popping out of their sockets if we had had that kind of computing power. Still, the graphics are really not comparable to today's standards, but hell, it is a game that started some 12 years ago and they probably used some of that code. Most likely, even  ;)

I'll post a couple of screenshots in a sec.

[Art Blade]

You'll see how the graphics are patchwork, apparently whatever the devs had come up with during the last 12 years is in it.

First encounter with a level boss is just like how the old game ended, if I remember correctly: Rip its eye out and score a field goal with it.
[smg id=3433 type=link align=center width=500 caption="DNF 002"]
Admire yourself (Duke)
[smg id=3434 type=link align=center width=500 caption="DNF 003"]
Your mindless living sex toys.
[smg id=3435 type=link align=center width=500 caption="DNF 004"]
Mixture of old and new graphics. The new stuff reminds of Hitman:BloodMoney.
[smg id=3436 type=link align=center width=500 caption="DNF 005"]
Rat about to get microwaved.
[smg id=3437 type=link align=center width=500 caption="DNF 006"]
"Duke Vision" (basically a blue night vision)
[smg id=3438 type=link align=center width=500 caption="DNF 007"]
Some of the "puzzles" (steer that little monster truck around so it pushes the energy cell through a gap in the wall where you can grab it)
[smg id=3439 type=link align=center width=500 caption="DNF 008"]
Pig cops (crappy graphics regarding those piggies)
[smg id=3440 type=link align=center width=500 caption="DNF 009"]
Rather fancy graphics (random wall decoration and to the right, your laser gun)
[smg id=3441 type=link align=center width=500 caption="DNF 010"]

[Art Blade]

Coming to think of it, I think this game is unique. I mean, there simply is no other game that shows all stages of 12 years of interrupted development. Like they threw all code snippets together and actually managed to finish the job.

That alone is just crazy and worth seeing. The offensive stuff and stupid stuff and whatever people are complaining about really doesn't get to me, I just have the phantom on my rig and I'm playing it. I don't care if it is good or bad, all I know is that it is strange and in a way rare and awkward, as if walking through a museum.

So far I haven't regretted buying it, we'll see how it goes and what I'm going to say once I finished it.  ;)

[JRD]

And it`s Gearbox doing the final stitches... I read people saying from start that if they came up with Borderlands imagine what they can do to DNF.

Apparently they did what was supposed to be done: a sequel to a shooter that made history, that`s just it  :-X

[Art Blade]

Nice, hehe :)

I'm still not bored or annoyed, not in the least. Now I've got some of those sticky laser trip mines  >:D Man, I loved to mine corridors with those, and they're working just the same now  :) :-X

Also, there are ammo crates that never run out of ammo. You use them just by hitting "E" and all your weapons (well, you can only carry two firearms) are replenished instantly. HEHE  >:D I've dropped that alien laser in favour of a mighty shotgun and I have a 1911 pistol with under barrel laser pointer. The shotty knocks aliens the size of gorillas right off their socks and sends them flying backwards a couple yards, hehehe  :-D

A little side note: My G15 keyboard's display shows a DN radio activity (nuke) symbol when the game is paused and some simple stats when active. Nice gimmick :)

Boss Fight (mothership)
[smg id=3442 type=link align=center width=500 caption="DNF 011"]
Being shrunk to the size of an action figure, I drive around in a toy car. With nitro injection for speed boosts ^+-+
[smg id=3443 type=link align=center width=500 caption="DNF 012"]
One out of many ways to play games (like, 8-ball, pinball, pushing weights and so on) in the game. Winning/doing some of these extends your EGO (life) bar permanently.
[smg id=3444 type=link align=center width=500 caption="DNF 013"]
Just one of many nice sceneries, this is somewhere I had to shoot my way through, just nice looking. The game isn't half bad -- I like it :-D
[smg id=3445 type=link align=center width=500 caption="DNF 014"]

[Art Blade]

I have a friend working on DNF  ???  :-X

Tell him they did a good job  :-D :-X

[Fiach]

Yeah they never gave up on it, even when he kept telling me it wasnt dead, I really believed him :)

Yes the old game was famous for its interaction, I'll never forget that freakin cinema, I spent so much time straffing along walls and jumping against windows looking for secret areas!!!

I used a jet pack cheat and flew up to this ledge in one of the games and inside, written on the wall was .... "You're not supposed to be here!

I also remember the star trek bridge, with the Ready Room and the Really Ready Room with all the ... ahem...stuff inside :)

Glad you are having a blast mate, I am a few games behind at the moment, so it will be awhile before I get my grubby mits on it :(

[fragger]

Glad you mentioned the rocket pack, Fiach, I was going to ask Art about whether you still get that in DNF. I remember there was scuba gear as well, and I liked how you could switch them on or off to make them last. The rocket pack was great fun in DN - until it ran out of fuel when you were ten stories in the air :-()

Good rundown so far Art, looks like lots of fun with the Duke we've come to know and love :-X