If You Can’t Beat ’em, Nukem – Duke Nukem Forever Review

Hail to the king, baby.

Over a decade and Duke is back, but is he on top form or should he hit the retirement home?

Well, I started playing this as it came out and I was impressed.  It’s been so long, Duke.  Graphically it’s not spectacular, explosions and weapon fire give off nice lighting effects and the blood and viscous matter is chunky and colourful.  Some parts could do with polish, but for me, it reminded me of playing Duke back in the day with the grainy textures and limited polygons.  For me, this was gaming heaven, taking me back to a pre-teen era that I have missed in terms of gameplay values to a certain degree.

As always, there are little gimmicks chucked in which permanently  boost your Ego (this is your health bar) i.e. Bench-pressing 600 lbs, taking a piss, using a glory hole or even just admiring yourself in a mirror.

My only major gripe is the sound.  Sound effects are spot on.  But Duke’s one-liners just seem TOO dated in the sense that his voice sounds as if it was recorded for something else and doesn’t gel with the game.  Contextually it’s OK – he makes reference to various things such as one section towards the end of the game where you have to go under water he states “This is gonna fuck up my hair”.  But it’s just the way the voice comes across – doesn’t sit right with me.

All in all, though, I think it was worth the wait.  If there is a sequel, let’s just hope it won’t be in another decade or so.

In summary, I would give Duke 7/10.