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Duke Nukem Forever review: Fail to the King, Baby
The year was 1997, and I'd just begun writing about video games professionally. Like most of my fellow gamers, I was pretty excited when 3D Realms announced that it was working on a sequel to Duke Nukem 3D, the runaway PC hit that it had released just a year before. At my first E3, a year later, I saw the game running for the first time. Now, just as my 14th E3 has come and gone, I'm sitting at my computer having finally played the finished Duke Nukem Forever. Yet it feels like I'm still in 1998. That's because DNF is, for better but mostly worse, perpetually stuck in the late 1990s. For all the delaying, the stalling, the drama surrounding the game, it's tough to say if any part of it has actually benefitted from the more than a decade of development. What has, at long last, been committed to a disc and placed into a box might have been alright a dozen years ago, but by today's standards it simply doesn't hold up.%Gallery-126036%
Duke Nukem Forever demo lands June 3 for Borderlands GOTY owners and pre-orders [update]
2K Games and Gearbox Software have just announced that members of the Duke Nukem Forever "First Access Club" -- those who purchased the Borderlands Game of the Year Edition or pre-ordered DNF -- will be able to download the first-person rauncher shooter's demo on June 3. You should have received an email asking you to confirm which platform you'd like it on. Watch Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford drop the news after the break. Update: Adjusted post to reflect that pre-orders also get in on the demo.
Duke Nukem Forever trailer is highly philosophical
Well, this is a surprise. After more than a decade of highlighting Duke Nukem Forever's infantile appeal, its creators have released a trailer that focuses on Duke's struggle with his own emotional journey through -- ha! Just kidding. Boobs and pee await in this NSFW trailer posted after the jump.
ESRB releases first erotic novella: The Duke Nukem Forever Rating Summary
We don't normally do erotica reviews here at Joystiq, but we thought the ESRB's freshman effort at the genre, "The Duke Nukem Forever Ratings Summary," deserved our attention. Here are some of the hottest bits. During the course of the game, players enter a strip-club level and view several topless dancers and receive lap dances. A couple of missions within this level require players to recover sex toys and pictures of topless women. We've seen worse starts. Here the author isn't showing us the sex explictly, but rather setting the scene for sex. Very hot. A few sequences strongly imply sexual acts: two women appear to perform fellatio on the central character (e.g., raising their heads from his lap)-though there is no actual depiction of the sex act. This is fine, and we're defintely getting aroused, but where's the color? Where's the line that takes us inside what the characters are feeling? Duke moans and leans up against the wall of a bathroom stall (furnished with a hole)-it is implied that a sex act (not depicted) occurs. There we go. We can't wait to see where the author takes us next. Bathroom humor includes the ability to urinate in toilets or urinals and/or pick up feces from toilets and throw it aga-- OK, you know what? This clearly isn't for us. ESRB, you're getting an "F." Good luck on your next story.
Hasbro hops on the 3D bandwagon with Transformers Cine-Mask 3D glasses
Have any kids that want to see Transformers: Dark of the Moon this summer? Then you'll likely want plan on adding $10 to the cost of each ticket, as Hasbro has come up with the ingenious idea to produce these Transformers Cine-Mask 3D glasses and sell 'em in stores before the movie's release. Available in Optimus Prime and Bumblebee versions, the masks each envelop a standard set of RealD 3D glasses, which makes them suitable the majority of theaters out there and, of course, other 3D movies as well. And, no, there's no adult sizes available -- you'll have to stick with your Oakley, Gucci, or Calvin Klein glasses.
Write a 100-word essay, get into a Duke Nukem Forever party
Dear Gearbox Software: I think you should allow me to attend next week's Duke Nukem Forever party because I am a fan of Gearbox Software and of Duke Nukem Forever, and definitely not a journalist who would be there to document the inevitably humiliating events of a drunken Las Vegas party at a strip club. I assure you that I don't own a camera, have a poor memory for names, and tend to black out when I've had even one drink. So I think I am the perfect choice for this party, and I am sure you'll agree. Also, I'll bring gum. Sincerely, JC
Duke Nukem Forever interview: An end in sight
Duke Nukem Forever might actually be completed and released -- but like most everyone, I won't be convinced until the final product is in my hands. During a recent press event, I played through the same demo we saw at PAX and spoke with 2K Games senior producer Melissa Miller, who did her best to reassure me that the game might actually, maybe, seriously come out. "It's really amazing when you think about it, because these guys -- along with everybody else -- thought Duke Nukem was dead," Miller recalled of one of the current developers, Triptych Games, which was founded by nine ex-members of 3D Realms. "And they were a group that just said, 'No, we're not gonna let this stop.'"
'We bought Duke Nukem.' Franchise rights transferred from 3D Realms to Gearbox
Just two days after revealing its stewardship of the Duke Nukem Forever title at PAX, Gearbox Software just revealed that it has actually purchased the Duke Nukem brand. Gearbox president Randy Pitchford told an audience at PAX this afternoon that they're not just making sure Duke Nukem Forever makes it to store shelves, but they've actually purchased the entire Duke Nukem IP. "We actually bought the brand," Pitchford told fans. "We bought Duke Nukem." A press release timed to go out with the announcement has some more information. Here's the big picture quote: "Gearbox Software announced today that it has acquired the full intellectual property rights of the 'Duke Nukem' brand including Duke Nukem Forever and all future projects in a cooperative deal made with 3D Realms." Even more interesting: "The first product to be available under the Duke Nukem brand will be the long awaited Duke Nukem Forever." Naturally, if they're buying the brand you can imagine DNF won't be the last game to feature the Duke. Pitchford made a point to say that Alan Blum, the creator of the Duke Nukem franchise, is now with Gearbox. "He's on the 10th floor with his team," he said. He also wanted to explain that this franchise couldn't simply have been purchased by anyone. "I didn't buy it from [3D Realms]," Pitchford said. "They sold it to me." In the press release, 3D Realms' Scott Miller said, "Gearbox was handpicked as the new home for Duke Nukem because of their continued passion, commitment and long-time heritage with the brand and 3D Realms." So, Duke Begins then?
Duke Nukem Forever preview: Yeah, it's actually playable. No, really.
After what is arguably the longest, most troubled development in the history of video games, Duke Nukem Forever is finally, really, truly here. It's not being shown secretly, behind-closed-doors at some industry event. Instead, it's at PAX, an event that is, more than any other in this industry, consumer facing, and that tangibility is a big part of Gearbox's reveal. Wait, who? Gearbox Software, the Texas-based dev who's helping to bring 3D Realms' pre-Google (think about it!) labor of love to consoles, is behind this revival along with publisher 2K Games. "This is a game you can't make promises about," Gearbox prez Randy Pitchford told an audience of incredulous gamers this morning. "Haven't we not been teased enough? We don't want to tease. We just thought we'd bring it to PAX." And Gearbox didn't just bring a trailer – although it did bring one of those – but more importantly, there's about 15 minutes of playable game. Let that sink in for a while. While we weren't able to grab video of the trailer – you'll have to settle for my account – Pitchford did say that people could take pics. Actually, he said, "You've got cameras. You've got cellphones with cameras on them. Take all the pictures you want [...] We'll even take the pictures for you." You know, when Duke Nukem Forever was first announced, I didn't have a cellphone yet ... and the idea of a cellphone with a camera on it? Madness. %Gallery-101315%
Duke Nukem Forever coming '2011' on Xbox 360, PS3 & PC, courtesy of Gearbox
It's finally, really, actually ... maybe going to happen at this point. The rumors are true: Gearbox Software and 2K Games have taken on the Herculean task of completing and releasing 3D Realms' unfinished Duke Nukem Forever. The project was officially unveiled today at PAX during a livestreamed presentation at the 2K Games booth and announced for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. "It's coming out in 2011," Gearbox president Randy Pitchford said during the presentation. (Of course, we're skeptical about any release date associated with this particular title.) Gearbox began finishing Duke Nukem Forever in late 2009, according to The Wall Street Journal. "Clearly the game hadn't been finished at 3D Realms but a lot of content had been created," Pitchford told WSJ. "We're in the polishing phase now. This is a game where we can not make a promise we can not fulfill," Pitchford added. "We need to get past the shock and awe, and then we can go to all the retailers and first parties and work out a launch plan." Duke Nukem Forever is a sequel to Duke Nukem 3D and will feature both a single-player campaign and multiplayer. "Aliens come and say they're going to be our friends, and Duke knows this isn't going to work out," Pitchford revealed of the plot. "Duke once again is in the pivotal spot and it's up to him to save the world." [Image credit: Kurt Miller]
Duke Nukem Forever appearing at 2K's PAX booth [update: pictured!]
digg_url = 'http://www.joystiq.com/2010/09/03/duke-nukem-forever-rumored-at-pax/'; "OMG, Duke Nukem is at PAX!" At least, according to an effusive tweet from Joystiq alum Dustin Burg. In addition, a source at the convention told Joystiq that images of Duke Nukem are visible at the 2K booth, which has yet to open to the public. The Gearbox logo can be seen, but the title of whatever Duke Nukem game is being promoted is currently covered. However, we might have a clue, thanks to reports coming in from CVG's "US dev sources," who tell the site that the game is actually Duke Nukem Forever, and will be given a "grand demo" at the show. Rumors have been flying recently about Gearbox signing on to complete the game. Also flying: pigs, in an image tweeted by 3D Realms' George Broussard (who joked with 1UP in a January 2006 interview that he expected DNF to be released "when pigs fly") . 2K did say it planned "something big" at its booth, and this would certainly qualify. Update: Gearbox creative director Mikey Neumann tweeted a picture of CEO Randy Pitchford wearing a Duke t-shirt. Seems portentous! Update 2: A partial image from 2KGames' Twitter account also shows the Duke "radioactive" logo. Update 3: Well, here's the most concrete evidence you could ever ask for. Pikimal [via Shacknews] posted several images, like the photo stand seen above, of Duke Nukem Forever signs at the 2K booth.
Rumor: Duke Nukem Forever being completed by Gearbox
According to unnamed sources speaking with Kotaku and "claiming to have knowledge of the situation," development on Duke Nukem Forever is continuing -- until completion -- with Borderlands developer Gearbox Software. Stranger still, the sources also claim that a "playable demo" will be distributed at some point "later this year." While Take-Two confirmed that it retains the rights to DNF, it didn't offer any comment on the matter. Gearbox head Randy Pitchford couldn't say anything either, but did note that he might be able to "better clarify the situation" at this year's PAX Prime. Duke Nukem creator George Broussard declined to comment as well. Although this is most certainly a "rumor" for now, we'd still like to wish Gearbox the best of luck over the next 15 years.
Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project kicks XBLAss June 23
Duke Nukem is set to return (once again) to his 2D roots in Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project for Xbox Live Arcade ($10) on June 23. The game -- originally released on PC in 2002 -- sees Duke blasting aliens and saving babes in glorious 2.5D. See for yourself in the new screens and trailer ...
Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project confirmed for XBLA
After being outed by a handful of ratings organizations, Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project has finally been confirmed for release on Xbox Live Arcade. A listing for the game recently appeared on the official Xbox website, bringing with it no pricing or release date details -- though it does confirm that it falls under the "Action" genre. Oh, thank goodness. We were afraid it might have become a casual puzzler during its transition to consoles. We've contacted Microsoft to see if anyone can fill in the blanks in regards to the game's price and due date. We're betting it launches sometime in August, which would be appropriate, since we all know August is Stripper and Rocket Launcher Appreciation Month. [Via Shacknews]
Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project gets some from the ESRB
It would appear the side-scrolling shoot-em-up PC Gamer called "a blast" back in 2002, Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project, will eventually find its way onto Xbox Live Arcade. It's happening, right? Like, we've seen a couple ratings pop up for the game, so it's gotta be a done deal -- come on, will somebody just officially announce this already? The latest indication (and hopefully precursor to a real announcement) comes from the ESRB, which offers the listing you see above. Duke Nukem 3D creator 3D Realms, whose last project was Prey Invasion for the iPhone and iPod Touch back in June of 2009, is listed as the publisher on the potential XBLA title. We've sent in word to both 3D Realms and Microsoft for comment and will let you know what we hear back.
More purported footage of Duke Nukem Forever appears
It's not an ideal representation of 3D Realms' legendary project, but leaked footage is the only format in which Duke Nukem Forever is likely to reach the outside world following the studio's legal turmoil. A new fan-made compilation video, which has been uploaded to YouTube (and embedded after the break), provides a few new glimpses at Duke's never-ended extermination road trip across America. In addition to the video, All Games Beta also hosts some alleged screenshots of the first-person shooter -- and odd third-person truck driver, apparently. [Via VG247]
The day Duke Nukem Forever was supposed to go gold
It's April Fools' Day, a day on which we take absolutely everything with a grain of salt. Imagine our surprise, then, when we learned that today, April 1, 2010, was the day that Duke Nukem Forever was supposed to go gold. In other words, the game would have been officially complete and ready for manufacturing. The news comes via former Take-Two producer Jason Bergman's Twitter account which he states today was the gold date according to 3D Realms' internal schedule. Variety followed up with Bergman and confirmed that, no, it's not a joke. Bergman adds that the date was "totally intentional," and that "it was going to be hilarious." Considering the long and storied (and long) development history of Duke Nukem Forever, we're inclined to agree. In fact, it's hard to imagine a more appropriate date for the game to reach the gold milestone. Alas, now that the game is kaput and its corpse trapped in legal limbo, Bergman's revelation is more than a little sad. If you've got any heart left, pour one more out for the Duke and dream of what might have been. Source - Variety Source - Twitter (@loonyboi)
Xbox Live Deal of the Week: Duke Nukem 3D for $5
With a lengthy campaign, multiplayer mode and a new rewind feature, the XBLA iteration of Duke Nukem 3D is arguably the best installment in the franchise, and easily the most ... well, released. Fortunately, the pig-mutant massacring simulator is the current Xbox Live Deal of the Week, and has its price temporarily reduced from 800 ($10) to 400 ($5). We'd suggest checking the game out right now, as whatever player base it might still possess is probably going to get stolen away when that other revamped shooter comes out on XBLA next month.
Sony's Blu-ray players do 3D in 1080p even with HDMI 1.3
More than a few commenters were confused to see Sony's first 3D Blu-ray players sporting HDMI 1.3 outputs when they were announced recently. Rumors circled that we would see some sort of lower res, even "3D-Lite," experience (similar to the quality of DirecTV's side by side compression) as a result of a lack of bandwidth in the connector. We went straight to the source to find out what buyers can expect from the BDP-S470, BDP-S570 and other hardware when they receive those MVC encoded discs later this year. Luckily, Sony's Greg Belloni has responded and informed us that will definitely not be the case: "The 3D-ready models mentioned in the release will be fully capable of 3D playback of Full HD 1080p for each eye. The players and theater systems support the HDMI 1.4 spec for 3D playback, but may not support all of the qualifications of spec (which is why we haven't labeled it specifically 1.4 at this time)." We're not sure if that's enough to make the buying decision on your next player easier (the BD-C6900 does have that ever enticing window) but we have yet to hear from any manufacturer that when it comes to 3D, buyers will be limited to lower resolution playback because of player bandwidth issues. Our only quibble is why DivX playback is limited to the Canadian editions of these players (check the manual after the break,) but if there are any remaining questions, let us know and we'll get them answered.
3D Realms: XBLA Duke Nukem 3D only $5 next week
According to a recent tweet from 3D Realms' George Broussard, Duke Nukem 3D will be next week's Xbox Live Deal of the Week. Already pretty cheap at 800 ($10), Broussard says the game will be reduced to a mere 400 ($5). That's 39 levels, online multiplayer and the nifty rewind feature, which lets you rewind to a safe point in the level upon death,for just $5. Not bad. Oh, as an added bonus, if you can manage to snag all the Achievements, you can even unlock some images of the "upcoming" Duke Nukem Forever. That's pretty exciting, right?
