Metareview: Duke Nukem Forever

The world has changed, but Duke Nukem remains the same ... for better or for worse, or for worserer. The legendary development of Duke Nukem Forever has come to an end and it would seem that, unless you're mainlining nostalgia, the almost decade-and-a-half wait hasn't been worth it:

• PC Gamer (80/100): "I'm sure that years of anticipation will spoil Duke Nukem Forever for some-there's no getting around that at the end of that long road is only a good game and not an amazing one. It is what it is. He may not be at the top of his game, but even after all this time, Duke still knows how to party."

• IGN (55/100): "Duke Nukem Forever isn't a revitalization of the early days of the first-person shooter genre or a middle-finger to the increasingly complex and sophisticated nature of videogame entertainment. It's a muddled, hypocritical exercise in irritation with solid shooting mechanics and decent encounter design."

• Guardian (40/100): "A mark for nostalgia then – it's the Duke, after all – and one for the game. If this was 15 years in the making, it makes you wonder what they did for the other 14 years and 10 months."

• Eurogamer (30/100): "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. The appeal of Duke Nukem lives on. But your time and money would be better spent reliving his iconic past than bearing witness to this gruesomely mangled resurrection." %Gallery-126036%