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Duke Nukem Forever out now on Mac
True to its word, Aspyr Media put Duke Nukem Forever on the Mac in the month of August, a short while after the game's release on PC. You can pick up the title at GameAgent through Aspyr's website, or on Steam (where you get it, thanks to SteamPlay, for both Windows and Mac), but if you want to go cheap, MacUpdate is running a promotion where the game is $5 off the standard price, and you'll get Jets'n'Guns Gold for absolutely free as well. That's about the best deal I've seen, if you're planning on buying the game and don't mind where it comes from. Be warned, of course, that the critics didn't really enjoy the long-awaited title all that much, claiming that the design showed its age and depended a little too much on the game's reputation rather than actual innovation. But that hasn't stopped the game from being a financial success anyway, and odds are that if you're a Duke fan and just want to play the game, you're not that worried about how it stands up to the test of time. Hopefully you're low on your supply of gum, because Duke is ready to get back into action.
DNF dev calls E3 'irrelevant,' kettle black
Please ignore the noise coming from the kitchen, dear readers. That's just a little pot called 3D Realms calling next month's kettle of a conference, the E3 Media and Business Summit, black. Scott Miller, the head honcho at the Texas-based dev, recently spoke out against the annual event in hilarious fashion, calling the gathering "irrelevant" while confirming that 3D Realms' perpetually-delayed Duke Nukem Forever would not be shown. Shocking!"In fact," he added. "I wasn't even aware it was coming up." On the one hand, we're left agape at the sheer irony of his words. On the other hand, however, this is coming from a company whose primary contribution to the industry is the poster child for inconsequential flotsam so – keeping that in mind – it seems reasonable that 3D Realms knows 'irrelevant' when it sees it.
Squint at a new Duke Nukem Forever screenshot
Oh that crazy Duke has popped up yet again, kicking ass and chewing bubblegum as only he can. At least, that's what we think he's doing. Truthfully, it's pretty hard to tell from the latest tiny screenshot to emerge from the ever-elusive Duke Nukem Forever, which has surfaced on 3D Realms' site as part of a plea for developers to join the company's cause.As for the Duke, looking at the screenshot we like to imagine that he's running to the grocery store, probably to pick up a pack of Stride. After all, the ridiculously long lasting flavor will serve our hero well while he, like the rest of us, continues to wait.
Shacknews sees Duke Nukem Forever ... the game ... really
Some of the Shacknews crew are one small evolutionary step away from people who swear they've seen UFOs, the Virgin Mary in their toast, or Elvis at the laundromat. They've seen Duke Nukem Forever. No, we don't mean the underwhelming teaser they dropped last year or, well, that's about all we've seen in the last half-decade; we're talking about the actual game actually running on a modern computer.They "witnessed several different DNF gameplay scenarios, mechanics, and environments being demonstrated ... including environmental puzzles and interactivity, a host of finished weapons, the existence of an in-game forklift, and plenty of heads and arms being blown off." For those skeptics out there disinclined to believe the existence of such nonsense, we point you towards the following comment by one Mr. George Broussard from developer 3D Realms, posting under the name GeorgeB3DR: "... out of the blue I just decided to show them DNF for about an hour ..."... right, and we imagine they were also abducted "out of the blue" by a piece of toast with Elvis' face on it right after that. Duke Nukem Forever exists indeed.
Where's Duke Nukem been the last decade?
The door swung shut, his familiar frame lumbered in, sunk into the couch, like nothing had changed these last ten years. "Where have you been?" we screamed. "It's been ten years!""I'm looking for some alien toilet to park my bricks. Who's firrrrst?""So that's it? You come in here stinking like a wet cigar and that's all you've got to say for yourself?" He puffed on his cigar, blew radioactive smoke in our faces, and left ... Evidently, the boys at ShackNews have gotten over their abandonment issues (any pointers?) and taken a calendar-heavy look at the game's progress (or lack thereof, knowhutamean?) over the last decade of development. Most telling: the two E3 trailers, in '98 and '01, that show plenty of gameplay in what would almost seem to be a nearly complete game. Once you're done reading that, take another look at The Duke Nukem Forever List, an incredibly sobering breakdown of the things that have transpired since the game was first announced (spoiler alert: Google didn't exist yet). How much were milk and eggs back then, Grandpa? Read – A Decade of Duke: The Brief Long History of DNFRead – The Duke Nukem Forever List
Duke Nukem Forever teaser: it exists
And that's really all you can say about it. The surprise Duke Nukem Forever teaser that was announced last night is now on the internets for all to see, and we're left pretty much where we started. Well, maybe not exactly where we started, but we can definitely see the starting line from here. So, what's in the video? Assuming this is in-engine footage, it looks fairly pretty. Duke's biceps are excellently manly and full of bulging veins. There are pig monsters, squid monsters, and generic alien monsters. Duke spits out a trademark one-liner, which unfortunately falls a little flat. That's it. Roll credits. It's okay though. It's a teaser after all. Consider us teased. Now, 3D Realms, it's time to put up or shut up. Show us some gameplay footage or at least let us in on the ten year old joke.
Duke Nukem Forever teaser perpetuates cycle of non-delivery
Much like being trapped within the confines of a stereotypical Star Trek episode, watching Duke Nukem Forever's latest tease is an unwelcome encounter with your favorite industry's very own temporal loop. We've all been through the cycle of doubt and anticipation many times over, hurled back to the beginning whenever 3D Realms decides to switch engines, scrap designs and slam the big ol' reset button on George Broussard's desk.This particular peek at 3D Realms' perpetually approaching wolf offers exactly what you'd expect: bulging biceps, tentacled aliens and absolutely no assurances that your ten-year wait will be worth it. Until we see an actual game, consider our reserves of faith and interest thoroughly depleted.
Duke Nukem Forever teaser coming tomorrow
As a sign that Duke Nukem (the character) is still alive and kicking, 3D Realms has announced that a teaser video for Duke Nukem Forever will go live tomorrow at noon CST (that's 1:00 p.m. EST, or Joystiq Time). To tide us over, the developer has released a screenshot (seen above) from tomorrow's video to prove that it does, in fact, exist. After over a decade of waiting, it's about time somebody released a teaser video of the game in its current form. Of course, the very word "teaser" gives us the impression that it'll be less than 30 seconds long and have little to no bearing on the actual gameplay. If you've been waiting over 10 years to see Duke puff a high-resolution cigar, then good for you! If not, feel free to join us in the Land of Expected Disappointments tomorrow (with well roasted crow on standby).[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Sadness suspension suspicions sadden some
This is getting ridiculous. Since initially announcing survival-horror project Sadness way back in April 2006 (when the Wii was still called the Revolution, for Pete's sake), Polish developer Nibris has leaked precious little concrete information about the troubled title. Now come word that the game, which was originally slated for Q4 2007 has been pushed back to sometime in 2009, according to an e-mail received by a NeoGAF poster.It's a shame the development progress has been so spotty, since the Wii could definitely use a new horror title that wasn't ported from the GameCube. Here's hoping Sadness ends up coming out before Duke Nukem Forever[Via WiiFanboy]
Readers pick best webcomic: Surprise!
It makes a whole lot of sense, now that we think about it -- but we're not going to spoil the revelation for you, just check out God Mode Online's comic on the matter. Their observational skills netted them the rather dubious honor of webcomic of the week.Second place goes to goats for their throwback to adventure games (huzzah!), while 2P Start narrowly edges out Penny Arcade for third place by a mere two votes. (See? Your clicks do matter.) We suspect next Saturday might have a few more Master Chief references. Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week!
Duke Nukem Forever pic sighted in Game Informer
Remember when we said another Duke Nukem Forever image prior to summer's end would indicate an "imminent apocalypse?" Time to prepare your shelters because 3D Realms threw in a new picture of DNF in the latest issue of Game Informer alongside the unveiling of Earth No More.The picture itself is rather non-revealing -- even more so than the previous two pictures of Duke and a Pork Nemesis. Over at the DNF forums, 3DR staffer Joe Siegler said that he cannot post a higher-resolution image online but agreed to the suggestion that the screenshot's inclusion in the magazine might get more people to read about Earth No More. Sneaky tactic, indeed -- at least Duke is being used somehow.Just a reminder, we are now in the year 10 A.D. ("After Duke"), a decade since the unveiling of DNF.
Yet another tiny Duke Nukem Forever image
Duke Nukem Forever is starting to have a lot in common with modern myths. Like Sasquatch or the Loch Ness Monster, months pass with no news whatsoever, and then the topic is ablaze again with the release of a blurry photograph. The newest image comes from the latest issue of Game Informer, inside an article discussing 3D Realms' Earth No More. So, what can we discern from the new image? Not much. We can see lightning, what looks like a tree or tentacled creature, some walls, and that's about it. Of course, that won't stop hungry Duke Nukem fans from analyzing the image until their eyes bleed.We'd like to join them, but like many Sasquatch Duke Nukem Forever skeptics, we're just not convinced the game actually exists.
Duke Nukem Forever image again released via job posting
Get out your magnifying glass, Grandma, because we've got yet another nano-image of Duke Nukem Forever via a job posting on Gamasutra. This proof of existence leads us to only one extremely logical conclusion: that to cut back on development time, 3D Realms is going to use a native resolution 200 pixels wide. Oh, how clever they are!Of course, we're not serious (hopefully), but those still holding on to the dream of Duke have another blip of hope. A previous DNF picture came from a Gamasutra job posting in January, just three months prior. Should we get another Duke sighting before the summer ends, we may be seeing the warning signs of an imminent apocalypse.
Rumor: Oblivion composer to score Duke Nukem Forever
It sounds like brothers Jeremy and Julian Soule will bring music to 3D Realms' Duke Nukem Forever. 1UP believes so, and lays out its case with two intertwining pieces of evidence: 3D Realms developer Raphael Van Lierop discussed in his blog about a recent visit from Julian Soule. In an Insiders-only interview with IGN, Jeremy left one hint about his secretive upcoming project: "When it's done!!!" Okay, that alone would be enough of a confirmation since Duke Nukem Forever, still one of the most ironic titles in the history of entertainment, has kept to a release date of "when it's done." Add to that previous relations when Jeremy Soule composed the soundtrack for 3D realms' Prey. Is Duke Nukem Forever really in full production? Minuscule screenshot notwithstanding, we'll have to see to believe it.
Duke Nukem Forever screenshot: prepare to squint
It's very small, you see. Spotted in a Gamasutra job listing and then discussed in a Shacknews forum, a puny proof of life for 3D Realms' perpetually unreleased Duke Nukem Forever has now been placed under the internet's collective microscope. "That's an in game, real-time shot of Duke standing in a random hallway," says George Broussard, posting on the official 3D Realms forums. "I'm glad some of you enjoyed it, and we'll show more later as we start to wake from our slumber and decide how best to show the game off."For a start, bigger screenshots would be nice. [Via Game|Life]
Duke Nukem on XBLA has "already been discussed"
"Mr. Broussard, do you have a minute?""Make it quick, I'm in the middle of a WoW raid.""I'm sorry ... quick?""You know, the opposite of slow?""Right! Well, Doom was released on Xbox Live Arcade just recently.""Oh, I know, I was playing it all day yesterday. Good stuff.""That's the general consensus, yes. Which is probably why every gamer ever now wants a port of Duke Nukem 3D as well.""Hmm, I like that idea. Provided Microsoft wants it too, I'm sure we could make that happen ... right after I level up some more."At least, that's how we imagine such a discussion to go down within the finely decorated offices of 3D Realms. Following Doom's successful outing on Xbox Live Arcade, fans have already begun a clamorfest (not an actual word) for an Xbox 360 port of that other FPS classic, Duke Nukem 3D. Commenting on the official 3D Realms forums, staff member Joe Siegler assured visitors that the idea had been favorably considered, but that getting a game onto Microsoft's service wasn't as easy as e-mailing them the original code. "I talked about this yesterday with George, he's all up for the idea, but we don't have the time to do the port ourselves, plus there's the issue of whetther [sic] Microsoft would really want it. Don't just assume they would, there's a big submissions procedure to go through. Plus their release schedule is booked solid for quite awhile now, even if we delivered it to them today, I would imagine it wouldnt' [sic] come out for awhile anyway."Imagine that. Still, if Microsoft were to eventually give the game their stamp of approval and a developer like Nerve were tasked with porting the game, it would probably be well worth the wait. [Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
DNF: what's happened these nine long years?
We all know what George Broussard and his team at 3D Realms have been up to since they officially announced development of Duke Nukem Forever: they've been switching engines, winning awards, and remaining mum on when (though always insisting that it is coming) we'll get to see something -- anything -- about their increasingly long-in-the-tooth FPS. Now that another E3 has come and gone with nary a Bruce Campbell-cribbed peep from our favorite (at least he used to be ... I think) video game protagonist, one dedicated gamer decided to update "The List" of things that have happened since DNF was announced. Included in "The List":"When Duke Nukem Forever was announced, the fastest processor available to consumers was a 233Mhz Pentium. Since then the clock speed of consumer processors has increased over 16 times (32 times counting dual cores), and the fabrication process has decreased from 250nm to 65nm."But that's not all folks! Just to pour salt into that open wound, they've added a list of things that have taken less time than DNF has been in production, like: "The Beatles formed, released every single one of their albums and broke up. During this time they also toured the world several times."No pressure, guys. I'm sure these past ten years have been well spent, right? Right?![Thanks, Eli]
$500,000 offered to finish Duke Nukem Forever this year [update 3]
In an SEC filing, Take-Two brought up a rather sore (yet infamous) subject: Duke Nukem Forever. The uber-delayed project, in development since 1997 (remember 1997? Titanic won an Oscar) has been given some incentive to complete and release the game by December 31, 2006 -- $500,000 worth of incentive. While it may not seem like much (most commercial video games have multimillion dollar budgets), 3D Realms is currently being offered $4.25 million from Take-Two for the title's eventual release, down from the $6 million promised in their original -- apparently lapsed -- deal. See update 3 for the skinny on this mess.Does this mean we'll see Duke before 2007? Doubtful, but we could be wrong ...[update 1: where there was confusion, there is now clarity][update 2: silly Gamespot, the actual SEC filing says dollar amounts are listed in thousands, so their figure of $4,250 is off by a factor of, you guessed it, one thousand. With the $500,000 promissory, that means 3D Realms can still collect nearly 80% of their original contract ... if they manage to finish this thing. Thanks, nonpareil.)[update 3: newish games blog Metafuture has gotten to the bottom of this little mess. It wasn't just the figure that we had wrong, it was the payee as well. Indeed, Gamasutra reported on this over two months ago writing:"One other notable payment was the renegotiation of a $6 million charge due [to former publisher GT Interactive, now owned by Atari] upon delivery of the final PC version of Duke Nukem Forever back in March 2005. The epic delay of 3D Realms' shooter has meant that $4.25 million of the final milestone payment has already been paid, alongside the promise of a final $500,000 upon the commercial release of Duke Nukem Forever prior to December 31, 2006."So the $4.25 million has already been paid to Atari and the $500,000 is being offered to Atari and not 3D Realms. Got it? I think we do now. Apologies for the confusion.]
Duke Nukem for never!
If you're anything like us, you're at least five years past caring about what 3D Realms has to say regarding its Duke Nukem Forever project. Even 3D Realms' George Broussard knows this: in the company's latest statement on the subject of the definition of vaporware, George says that "the problem is that when we show it, people are going to be like, 'Yeah, whatever'." George can hardly blame "people" for not caring about a game that's been in development for nearly ten years, but at least he's being realistic about the situation. At the moment the game's publisher, Take Two, seems to be the only group at all interested in the game. The company has paid out a total of US$4.25 million in the hope that they may see some sort of return. Good luck to them (and their dwindling stock) we say!
Video games highly susceptible to becoming vaporware
In an article entitled "Vaporware: Better Late Than Never", Wired News has published their reader's top ten vaporware tech products for 2005. Out of the top ten, four are games and one is a games console (if you must know, it's the Phantom). No prizes for guessing which product came in at first position. 1. Duke Nukem Forever - 8 years and 11 months late 2. Phantom Game Console - 3 years late 5. StarCraft Ghost - 3 years late 6. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - 1 year late but delay has been amplified due to intense demand 7. Team Fortress 2: Brotherhood of Arms - approx. 7 years late That's right, Duke Nukem Forever (a game just 13 months short of a decade long development period) has set the standard for vaporware once again. So what is it about games that makes them so susceptible to becoming vaporware? [Via digg]
