Duke Nukem Forever

• Concept
• Graphics
• Sound
• Entertainment
• Replay Value

Duke Nukem Forever is one of those games that people have been sitting on the edge of their seat waiting for. The game is a continuance of the Duke Nukem games that were so very popular during the 1980s. This game was known for its humorous content, as well as for the action packed game play.

Sometimes when we try to do a sequel to something that was beloved we are disappointed in the outcome of the continuance. Our disappointment usually stems from our expectations not being met by the designers of the sequel. In reality the designers could never have met our expectations, because we were basing what we thought the game, or movie, should be like on memories we have stored.

The funny thing about memories is that they can become distorted, and thus cause us to remember something as being really fun, that was not all that fun, and they are based on feelings, and ideas we had in the past. So the way we felt about a game, and its playability fourteen years ago, may be quite different from the way we feel today. So let’s try and judge Duke Nukem Forever by its own merits, and not by our youthful memories.

We are going to use a points system to score this game. In the points system 5 will be the highest number the game can receive, and of course one will be the lowest.

Concept
The game receives a 4.5 for the conception of the idea to bring Duke Nukem back after all these years. This was a beloved game in the eighties, so the Borderline creators knew they were going to have trouble making everyone happy, but they did give it their best shot.

The game focuses on Duke, who is a big, brawny, and who hates women. During the game Duke has to attempt to fight against an invasion of the same aliens he had sent scurrying for their mother ship twelve years ago. Here is the problem; some players wanted the aliens to be the same, with the same weapons they remembered, and all of that. Some players wanted the aliens to have evolved and returned with a new arsenal created to defeat Duke. The design team gave those of us that wanted to see the return of the original aliens, and original weapons, what we wanted, so the others give the game solid bad reviews, based on their desires, not on the actual game. Someone who had never played the 1980s version would enjoy this games concept with no expectations of fantasy fulfillment.

Graphics
I will not disagree with the people who scored the game graphics at 2.5. The graphics are sometimes distracting, and the faces on the people look like reflections in a fun house mirror. So the graphics could be improved.

Sound
The sound quality of the game will not blow you away with its extraordinary content or make you scream from its irritating repetitious noise. Sound gets a mediocre, but solid point score from most players. They give it a 3.0.

Playability
It is relatively easy to master the games maneuvers. There are only two different weapons to master, although there are detours that take you to mini games, and other actions that are sometimes a little more challenging to learn to do.

Entertainment
Most players are ranking the entertainment value of the game at 4.5. This is mainly due to the fact that the people who are comparing it to older versions are waiting to see if the humor is as sharp, and cutting, and to see if the changes that were made are going to improve the game.

Replay Value
It is sad to say but Duke Nukem Forever does not get a lot of high point scores for its replay value.