Power suits are for MashButtons in this Duke Nukem Forever Review

It is that time, you know the time you have been waiting 12 years for...the release of Duke Nukem Forever, and now we get to see if it was worth the wait. In Forever, you assume the role of the FPS badass, Duke Nukem, king of the one liner, strip clubs, and an all-around ladies’ man. This time around, aliens have invaded earth once again to steal the women of earth. This of course does not fly with Duke and he must step away from his built empire to what he does best, kick ass and chew bubble gum. In Forever, you once again have the over the top weapons, you know because Duke can bench press more than 600 pounds, interactive items in the environments, online multiplayer, and boobs.


Duke fans, this is the game we have been waiting for. Say what you will about it, but it is a Duke Nukem title from start to finish, from the babes to the crude humor to the graphic violence; it is what we all hoped for. The game play is fast and frantic, while I had to turn down the control sensitivity quite a bit like in Borderlands, another Gearbox title, but once dialed with the kid and wife sent to bed, it was time to kick some ass. The story is much like Duke’s past titles, save the world, get the girls, say some messed up stuff and do it all over again. However, it seems like this is an Easter egg hunt as much as it is a first person shooter, with numerous references to other current shooters out there, blatantly telling it like it is. New to the game though is the online multiplayer. Less than an hour after its release, I was finding matches with no problem, whether starting a custom match, quick match, or locating a specific game in the lobby. It is much like other online shooters in regards to online play but I saw familiar locales from past Duke entries, everyone has the opportunity for the same weapons, no level perks or additional weapons, but you do level up and complete challenges, to dress Duke up in new digs to show off so your Groucho Marks glasses are the last thing your enemy sees when you punch him dead.


The bad, yes, there are some issues in which I had during my playthrough of both online and single player. The first being the graphics, it looks like they used the original engine that the game was built on giving it a dated look. The load times are pretty bad in this game, so remember, don’t die. Whether it is multiplayer or single player, you may want to have your iPad or iPhone ready to do some browsing and check email while waiting. There also isn’t much in the way of weapons, you have your pistol, rifle, machine gun, sniper rifle, and rocket launcher, and all of these work but it just seems like there is a lot more out there in other shooters. Lastly, which I am sure or at least hoping this gets resolved, but among all of the multiplayer matches played, lag was encountered at least once if not more in each match, which isn’t too bad as long as it corrects itself, but is frustrating when you have an opponent in your crosshairs, and they disappear from your sites, but if you have some pipe bombs and an RPG, there is hell to pay.


All in all, Duke Nukem Forever is what I have been waiting for. I can see it not being enjoyed or as welcomed by those that have not played or grew up on the Duke titles. But myself, who has and still plays Duke 3D on my iPad, found this to be the title I have been hoping for over the last decade. It also says a lot for Gearbox and the amount of effort put in to make their games fun and easy to come back to whether you put it down for a month or a year, like Borderlands, Duke Nukem Forever is a title I will keep playing over time and want to give out a thanks for keeping the franchise alive.