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Duke Nukem Forever

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Duke Nukem Forever
North American cover art
Developer(s)3D Realms (1997–2009)

in collaboration[2] with:

Triptych Games (2009-2011) [3][4]

Gearbox Software (2009-2011)[5]

multiplayer[6] and console ports[4] by:

Piranha Games
Publisher(s)2K Games[7]
Designer(s)George Broussard
SeriesDuke Nukem
EngineModified Unreal Engine 2.5][citation needed]
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Genre(s)First-person shooter, science fiction
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Duke Nukem Forever is an action first-person shooter video game for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 that was developed by 3D Realms and finished by Gearbox Software. It is a sequel to the 1996 game Duke Nukem 3D, as part of the long-running Duke Nukem video game series.

Intended to be groundbreaking, Duke Nukem Forever had become infamous in the video games industry and become synonymous with vaporware due to its severely-protracted development schedule; the game had been in development since 1997. Upon release Duke Nukem Forever received mixed reviews from critics.

Story

Gameplay

Development

Main article: Development of Duke Nukem Forever

Originally in development under 3D Realms, director George Broussard, one of the creators of the original Duke Nukem game, first announced the title's development in April 1997, and various promotional information for the game was released between 1997 and 2008. After repeatedly announcing and deferring release dates, 3D Realms announced in 2001 that it would be released simply "when it's done".

In May 2009, 3D Realms was downsized for financial reasons, resulting in the loss of the game's development team. Statements by the company indicated that the project was due to go gold soon with pictures of final development. Take-Two Interactive, which owns the publishing rights to the game, filed a lawsuit in 2009 against 3D Realms over their failure to finish development. 3D Realms retorted that Take-Two's legal interest in the game is limited to their publishing right. The case was settled with prejudice and details undisclosed in May 2010.

On September 3, 2010, after 13 years, Duke Nukem Forever was officially reported by 2K Games to be in development at Gearbox Software.[9] It was originally confirmed to be released on May 3, 2011 in North America, with a worldwide release following on May 6, 2011.[10] This has however been delayed by a month to June 10 internationally with a North American release on June 14. On May 24, 2011, it was announced that Duke Nukem Forever finally went gold after 14 years.[11][12] After going gold the launch trailer for Duke Nukem Forever was released on June 2, 2011.[13]

Promotion

Duke's First Access Club is joined by using a code, obtained from either the pre-order of the game, the Borderlands Game of the Year Edition, or Borderlands on Steam (if bought before the club was announced), on the Duke Nukem Forever website. Members are granted access to wallpapers, the demo, concept art, artwork, podcasts (which are added often), the theme song, and screenshots.

E-mails were sent asking members to "please help [Gearbox] obtain the most accurate up to date information for your First Access profile." Members were then prompted to choose their preferred platform of choice for the Duke Nukem Forever demo by May 15, 2011. It then stated that "users that currently live in a territory where the demo may not be supported on console will automatically be defaulted to the PC Steam option."[14] Gearbox sent a second e-mail to First Access Members in conjunction with a video showing that the Duke Nukem Forever demo was released on June 3, 2011.[15]

A special limited Collector's Edition will be available upon release called "Balls of Steel Edition" for all platforms. This version will include a five-inch bust[16] of Duke Nukem, a 100-page hardcover artbook following the development of the game, postcards, sticker, a comic book, playing cards, dice, poker chips and foldable papercraft, and with every item being marked with the Duke Nukem Forever logo.[17][18] Another edition called the "King Edition" was made available exclusively for pre-order from EB Games in Australia and New Zealand. It comes with bonus Ego Boost DLC, Duke Playing Cards and Duke Bubblegum.[19]

Two themes, avatar items, and a gamerpic pack are available for download for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 systems. The premium theme for the Xbox 360 showcases the inside of Duke Burger during the alien invasion. The avatar items for said system include Duke's outfit, his throne, the Freeze Ray, a Pigcop mask, and a pet Octobrain while the gamerpic pack features "babes, aliens, and the King himself." The official Duke Nukem Forever website hosts the free PlayStation 3 theme, which includes three wallpapers and an icon set.[20]

2K Games launched a website titled "Boob Tube" to promote the game. The website features videos and features to download. On May 19, 2011, a flash game was released via the website titled Duke Nudem where players have to shoot targets against a cpu bot 'woman' of their choice, and if successful will have a part of clothing taken off the girl until she is topless. However if the player loses, they will become naked.[21]

Originally set for release in Australia on June 10, 2011, the game was made available for sale a day early on June 9 from all retailers due to street date being broken.[22]

Cultural impact

Critical Reception

Duke Nukem Forever has received mixed to negative reviews from critics, with most of the criticism directed towards the game's console ports. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the PC version 60.00% and 76/100,[23][26] the PlayStation 3 version 59.50% and 65/100[24][27] and the Xbox 360 version 43.00% and 50/100.[25][28] Eurogamer gave it 3/10 noting that "your time and money would be better spent reliving [Duke Nukem's] iconic past than bearing witness to this gruesomely mangled resurrection."[29] IGN gave the Xbox 360 version 5.5, saying, "It's a muddled, hypocritical exercise in irritation with solid shooting mechanics and decent encounter design."[30] Australian gaming website PALGN gave the Xbox 360 version 5/10 stating that "Duke Nukem Forever is a miracle. It's also a poor game, saved only by its humour and nostalgic value."[31] Not all critics gave the game a poor score, however. PC Gamer gave the game 80/100, though noting that "years of anticipation will spoil Duke Nukem Forever for some."

Press coverage

Wired News has awarded Duke Nukem Forever its Vaporware Award several times. It placed second in June 2000 and topped the list in 2001 and 2002.[34][35][36] Wired created the Vaporware Lifetime Achievement Award exclusively for DNF and awarded it in 2003. George Broussard accepted the award, simply stating, "We're undeniably late and we know it."[37] In 2004, the game did not make the top 10; Wired editors said that they had given DNF the Lifetime Achievement Award to get it off of the list.[38] However, upon readers' demands, Wired changed its mind, and DNF won first place in 2005, 2006, and 2007.[39][40][41] In 2008, Wired staff officially considered removing DNF from their annual list, citing that "even the best jokes get old eventually", only to reconsider upon viewing the handheld camera footage of the game in The Jace Hall Show, awarding the game with first place once again.[42] In 2009, Wired published Wired News' Vaporware Awards 2009:[43] Duke Nukem Forever was excluded from consideration on the grounds that the project was finally dead.[44] Duke made a comeback with an unprecedented 11th place award on Wired's 2010 Vaporware list.[45]

Duke Nukem Forever has drawn a number of jokes related to its development timeline. The video gaming media and public in general have routinely suggested several names in place of Forever, calling it "Never", "(Taking) Forever", "Whenever", "ForNever", "Neverever", and "If Ever".[39] The game has also been ridiculed as Duke Nukem: Forever In Development, "Either this is the longest game ever in production or an elaborate in-joke at the expense of the industry".[46]

When the GameSpy editors compiled a list of the "Top 25 Dumbest Moments in Gaming History" in June 2003, Duke Nukem Forever placed #18.[47]

Jason Hall, host of The Jace Hall Show, featured Duke Nukem Forever in the show's premiere episode on June 4, 2008 and described his hands-on play experience with the game as "perfect", ending the segment with "I saw it. They have been working. It's not a myth. You're going to be pleased."[48] In a subsequent interview with 1UP.com, he described the game as "amazing" with the summation, "This might be the only game in history worth waiting 12 years for, perhaps longer.... It was good."[49]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Robert Purchese. "Gearbox delays Duke Nukem Forever". Eurogamer.
  2. ^ George Broussard (September 3, 2010). "Duke Nukem Forever Hands-on Preview (comment from [[George Broussard]])". Retrieved February 11, 2011. Triptych Games which continued the game for us through all of 2009 and into 2010 with Gearbox. Triptych is made up of 9 3DR employees who refused to let the game go and we found a way through the legal maze to keep them working on the game and to keep the game alive. They have been the development force for the last year that's made the game possible. What you see coming from PAX right now is what we originally made at 3DR with polish and additional work by Triptych and assistance from Gearbox {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  3. ^ Ex 3d Realms software developers web site who continued to work on DNF http://www.triptychgames.com/
  4. ^ a b "Duke Nukem Forever". Duke Nukem Forever. April 12, 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  5. ^ Hackersho, Yu Yu (September 3, 2010). "''We now know that Gearbox started working on the game year ago''". Gameinformer.com. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
  6. ^ "Duke Nukem Forever Interview with Gearbox Software". AusGamers.com. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
  7. ^ 2K Games and Gearbox Software announced today what will be a landmark date in gaming history... "Press Release: Duke Nukem Forever Set to Kick Ass and Chew Bubblegum". DukeNukem.com. January 21, 2011. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
  8. ^ "Duke Nukem Forever PC system requirements posted". New Game Network. 3 May 2011. Retrieved 03-05-2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  9. ^ Jessica Citizen (September 4, 2010). "Duke Nukem Forever confirmed!". Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  10. ^ Jeff Cork (January 21, 2011). "Exclusive: Duke Nukem Forever Has A Release Date". GameInformer. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  11. ^ Andy Robinson (March 24, 2011). "Duke Nukem Forever delayed again (really)". Retrieved March 24, 2011.
  12. ^ Gearbox Twitter (May 24, 2011). "Duke Nukem Forever gone gold". Retrieved May 24, 2011. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  13. ^ "Duke Nukem Forever, the Long Awaited Launch Trailer". June 2, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  14. ^ "Duke Nukem's First Access Club E-mail Hints Upcoming Demo Arrival". Game Focus. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |but Matty D is still smoking on the best author= ignored (help)
  15. ^ Chris Pereira. "Duke Nukem Forever Demo Coming on June 3". 1up.com.
  16. ^ "Balls of Steel Edition of Duke Nukem Forever CONFIRMED!". Forums.2kgames.com. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  17. ^ JC Fletcher. "Duke Nukem Forever 'Balls of Steel' Edition: Is this some kind of bust?". Joystiq.
  18. ^ Andy Chalk. "2K Announces Duke Nukem Forever Balls of Steel Edition". The Escapist.
  19. ^ "Duke Nukem Forever: King Edition "exclusive" at EBGames – PS3 News | MMGN Australia". Ps3.mmgn.com. Retrieved May 12, 2011.
  20. ^ Elizabeth Tobey. "Deck out your 360 and PS3 with Duke Nukem Forever Goodness". 2K Games.
  21. ^ "Shoot Targets to Get Duke Nukem Girls Topless". Kotaku. May 18, 2011.
  22. ^ "Duke Nukem Forever Breaks Street Date". Kotaku. June 9, 2011.
  23. ^ a b "Duke Nukem Forever (PC) reviews at". GameRankings. June 12, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
  24. ^ a b "Duke Nukem Forever (PlayStation 3) reviews at". GameRankings. June 12, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
  25. ^ a b "Duke Nukem Forever (Xbox 360) reviews at". GameRankings. June 12, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
  26. ^ a b "Duke Nukem Forever (PC) reviews at". Metacritic. June 12, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
  27. ^ a b "Duke Nukem Forever (PlayStation 3) reviews at". Metacritic. June 12, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
  28. ^ a b "Duke Nukem Forever (Xbox 360) reviews at". Metacritic. June 12, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
  29. ^ a b "Duke Nukem Forever". Eurogamer. June 11, 2011. Retrieved June 11, 2011.
  30. ^ a b "Duke Nukem Forever". IGN. June 11, 2011. Retrieved June 11, 2011.
  31. ^ a b "Duke Nukem Forever". PALGN. June 11, 2011. Retrieved June 11, 2011.
  32. ^ Nelson, Randy (June 10, 2011). "Duke Nukem Forever review: Fail to the King, Baby". Joystiq. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
  33. ^ "Duke Nukem Forever". PC Gamer. June 11, 2011. Retrieved June 11, 2011.
  34. ^ Kahney, Leander. "Vaporware 2000: Missing Inaction". December 27, 2000. Wired News.
  35. ^ Manjoo, Farhad. "Vaporware 2001: Empty Promises". January 7, 2002. Wired News.
  36. ^ Vaporware Team. "Vaporware 2002: Tech Up in Smoke?". Wired News. January 3, 2003.
  37. ^ Vaporware Team Null. "Vaporware: Nuke 'Em if Ya Got 'Em". Wired News. January 20, 2004.
  38. ^ Vaporware Team. "Vaporware Phantom Haunts Us All". January 7, 2005. Wired News.
  39. ^ a b Kahney, Leander. "Vaporware: Better Late Than Never". Wired News. February 6, 2006.
  40. ^ Calore, Michael. "Vaporware '06: Return of the King". Wired News. December 27, 2006.
  41. ^ Calore, Michael. "Vaporware '07: Long Live the King". Wired News. December 20, 2007.
  42. ^ Wired Staff. "Vaporware 2008: Crushing Disappointments, False Promises and Plain Old BS". Wired News. December 29, 2008.
  43. ^ Michael Calore (December 21, 2009). "Vaporware 2009: Inhale the Fail'". Wired Magazine. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  44. ^ Michael Calore (December 7, 2009). "Vaporware 2009: A Call for Submissions'". Wired Magazine. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  45. ^ Michael Calore (January 3, 2011). "Vaporware 2010: The Great White Duke". Wired Magazine. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  46. ^ Walbank, Mark. "Feature: The Most Delayed Games". ComputerAndVideoGames.com. Retrieved November 28, 2008.
  47. ^ "Never Bet on the Duke". Top 25 Dumbest Moments in Gaming History. GameSpy. June 10, 2003.
  48. ^ "The Jace Hall Show". Retrieved June 4, 2008.
  49. ^ "Jason Hall Discusses His New Online Show". Retrieved May 7, 2009.
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