Duke Nukem Forever

 PC
User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 1276 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 488 out of 1276
  2. Mixed: 358 out of 1276
  3. Negative: 430 out of 1276
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  1. RedDog
    Jun 15, 2011
    2
    I so wanted to like this game. We need new, innovative and daring FPSs - in short we need Duke. So what went wrong? Well this game feels like the rag bag of development that it is. Some levels are ok, not great, but ok. Most levels are terrible. The graphics are very dated - but it isn't just the graphics, the whole feel of the game.is clunky. The level design is boring and extremelyI so wanted to like this game. We need new, innovative and daring FPSs - in short we need Duke. So what went wrong? Well this game feels like the rag bag of development that it is. Some levels are ok, not great, but ok. Most levels are terrible. The graphics are very dated - but it isn't just the graphics, the whole feel of the game.is clunky. The level design is boring and extremely linear. The one liners are funny for the most part but they can't rescue this slow, ploddy game. Long boring driving sections - I love driving sections in most games but this just doesn't work. The vehicles feel like they are slowing you down more than helping. Out of fuel again? What's that - three times? It plods and it plods.

    Really annoying are the many times when a game character blocks your path by standing in the middle of a wide corridor. Look, I could drive a bus through that gap but Duke has his nose against the invisible wall and the game is not letting me past until I've watched a tedious video on a TV or listened to some dialogue. I want to scream "You're Duke - shove that guy out of your way." It isn't happening. This feels really pointlessly irritating when you find a kid sitting on your throne who refuses to move unless you take his photo. Yep that's right - Duke has to run around after some kid before being allowed to proceed. If that doesn't ruin the immersion nothing will. Bad, bad, bad idea - but it's just one example. I had plenty to choose from.

    I have waited for this for years. I played, and loved Duke 3D all those years ago. I wanted this to be great but I'm not letting that blind me to a truly horrible gaming experience. This is my opinion of course - but I have stated clear reasons above why this game is bad. And it really is bad. Oh God it's bad. How ever much of a fan you are stop and think. Or at least stop and wait until this hits the bargain bin - you won't have to wait long.    … Expand
  2. Mandala
    Jun 21, 2011
    3
    Been on the 3dR forums since '97, have the magazine in which DNF was revealed, still say that Duke3d is the greatest FPS ever made... but DNF is total crud. Seriously, the only reason to play it is just to see for yourself the abomination that it is. This is a nearly heart-breaking Duke Nukem catastrophe, I wish I could go back in time 14 years and tell myself to not wait for DNF and notBeen on the 3dR forums since '97, have the magazine in which DNF was revealed, still say that Duke3d is the greatest FPS ever made... but DNF is total crud. Seriously, the only reason to play it is just to see for yourself the abomination that it is. This is a nearly heart-breaking Duke Nukem catastrophe, I wish I could go back in time 14 years and tell myself to not wait for DNF and not waste attention on it because it's going to blow to the fullest possible extent. The only problem with that, though, is that I'd never believe my future self, as I had so much confidence in 3dR... and how could I not? Considering they made Duke3d, as well as releasing dozens of fantastic smaller games prior? How the mighty have fallen, and how greatly sad it is

    Be warned, there is absolutely nothing old school about this game, not in the least, and especially nothing resembling Doom or Duke3d style shooting. This game is the exact opposite of Old School. DNF is slow moving, with slow movement speed, limited sprint ability, few enemies with combat that is spaced far apart, 2-weapon carry-limit with universal ammo crates, regenerating health, quicktime events, and wtih completely linear & boring level design.

    Anybody who dares try to trick you into buying this game by suggesting it is old school in even the slightest manner is lying to you through their teeth or simply has convinced themselves of a lie to rationalize the 14 years they've wasted waiting for this game. DNF is no more old-school than it is a space-pony training RPG that takes place on Mt Olympus.    … Expand
  3. duffeknol
    Oct 27, 2011
    1
    Revised review. Even the fact that it's Duke can't save this game. This piece of history has been rendered worthless. But still, it's a piece of history. That's worth one point.
  4. Fuz
    Jun 15, 2011
    3
    Terrible.
    This is not Duke Nukem, it's a childish parody of it.
    The graphics are terrible, frequent and extremely slow loading times are unacceptable (especially with this graphics), the 2-weapon system is annoying, the maps are just small corridors, the FOV is an abomination, gunfights are boring, driving sections are annoying. The original Duke Nukem was a great game, and doesn't deserve    Terrible.
    This is not Duke Nukem, it's a childish parody of it.
    The graphics are terrible, frequent and extremely slow loading times are unacceptable (especially with this graphics), the 2-weapon system is annoying, the maps are just small corridors, the FOV is an abomination, gunfights are boring, driving sections are annoying.
    The original Duke Nukem was a great game, and doesn't deserve a sequel so bad.    … Expand
  5. gromit
    Jun 14, 2011
    3
    This game was so disappointing, The original Duke Nukem was so much fun as it was original, humorous and to top it off was a great fun game to play. This thing fails on so many levels it is hard to know where to begin, The graphics are poor but that can be excused as you don't buy this game for the graphics. The game is incredibly linear, The humor dated and really just identical from theThis game was so disappointing, The original Duke Nukem was so much fun as it was original, humorous and to top it off was a great fun game to play. This thing fails on so many levels it is hard to know where to begin, The graphics are poor but that can be excused as you don't buy this game for the graphics. The game is incredibly linear, The humor dated and really just identical from the previous game 14 years ago, hell you don't even get to use any weapons till you have stumbled around in incredibly boring story line for 20-30 mins, To top it off the controls just seem clunky. Perhaps this is one sequel that really would have been better off left unmade.… Expand
  6. Ggdograa
    Jun 14, 2011
    4
    A definite letdown. The game feels unfinished and most of the gameplay mechanics are just horribly dated. It doesn't seem worth the wait but the main problem is that it just feels out of place now. If you're after an example of old school gaming done right then go and play something like Bulletstorm, but as it is, this game just doesn't hold it's own and as a standalone title, it'sA definite letdown. The game feels unfinished and most of the gameplay mechanics are just horribly dated. It doesn't seem worth the wait but the main problem is that it just feels out of place now. If you're after an example of old school gaming done right then go and play something like Bulletstorm, but as it is, this game just doesn't hold it's own and as a standalone title, it's borderline rubbish.… Expand
  7. PC-Gamer-Fan
    Jun 14, 2011
    0
    One of the worse games ever made on any platform. It has so many issues/problems & is certainly not even close to being a full price game or acceptable 2011 game.

    1: Game is not even finished its an alpha version at best. 2: Gfx are very dated/bland/boring/horrible looking. Textures are missing/incomplete or just blank colours. 3: Gameplay is linear/boring/uninteresting. 4: Art    One of the worse games ever made on any platform. It has so many issues/problems & is certainly not even close to being a full price game or acceptable 2011 game.

    1: Game is not even finished its an alpha version at best.
    2: Gfx are very dated/bland/boring/horrible looking. Textures are missing/incomplete or just blank colours.
    3: Gameplay is linear/boring/uninteresting.
    4: Art design is very very lacking.
    5: Humour & game content are in places quite offensive this is not a game for children/teens as it contains sexist & pornographic humour I do not feel belongs in a computer game at all.

    This game feels to me like a highly cynical cash grab to recover some of the lengthy development budget wasted (boy was it wasted here!). After so long you would reasonably expect something which at least matches Duke Nukem 3D/Manhattan Project well this manages to be vastly inferior to both of them & you have to wonder why this is considered to be a full price game when it would have looked & played poorly 10 years ago!

    Gamer beware this truly is one of the worse games ever made & without the Duke Nukem name would be a budget price at launch & is quite rightly getting a lot of negative reviews.    … Expand
  8. re-critic
    Jun 14, 2011
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. 1.advantage: it's Duke Nukem Hero! DefectS: everything else. horrible graphics, dull gameplay, unfunny humor, absolutely not interesting multiplayer, missing physics, awkward controls… Expand
  9. Talos84
    Jun 14, 2011
    2
    roughly 14 years....really sad. i expected so much more. i should have known it the demo was really what it was going to be like. too bad Duke had to go down this way.
  10. mfriis
    Jun 14, 2011
    1
    Duke Nukem Forever is a collection of minigames with short passages of regular FPS gaming. Even getting the game started takes 45 painfilled minutes while Duke admires himself, posters and signs autographs.

    It's a bad game, don't buy it.
  11. GolovA
    Aug 29, 2016
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. FAIL.

    When 3D games started coming out, there was this cereal company which as a promotion made this ridiculous looking tiny 3D game, where you run around collecting vitamins, shooting aliens with green bubbles, and win a box of cereal after completing this 15 minute game. It cam free with the purchase of the cereal for a limited time.
    Duke Nuke Forever feels like that game.

    In reply to people who say that nothing groundbreaking should be expected from this title, i'll say right away - i wasn't. I wasn't expecting a game revolution. I was however hoping ("hoping" underlined) for a solid fun and dynamic shooter with good level design and silly remarks from the Duke.
    I did not get what i was hoping for.

    Opening Scene - i fight a badass boss with a weapon that feels like a toy water gun, although in the game it's a double-barreled rocket launcher or whatever.
    Graphics are a true pain to look at - even with post-effects disabled, they are neither fully cartoony (thinking of Serious Sam), nor realistic (thinking F.E.A.R.). My poor eyes begged for mercy - and i did try many things, including editing the shaders... Lost cause.
    Level and Overall Presentation Design is pretty much a disaster - start game by urinating. Ok. Interesting choice. 5 minutes into the game - kill baddass boss. Amm. Ok. 15 to 45 minutes - get small and ride on a remotely controlled car, which keeps turning over. Keep dying in frustration in futile attempts to find the next exit. And this lasts for half an hour? FAIL!
    Dialogue and Voice acting - ok at the very most. Duke seems to be the same Duke, which is the only good thing in this disaster of an attempt for a sequel. But the dialogues with others, the two girls blowing Duke off while he is playing video games, etc. - that is just superficial, heavy-handed, and finally retarded.
    Weapons and physics - none-existent: weapons don't feel like weapons, killing monsters feels less real than shooting sprites in the original Doom! Damn son!

    Goodbye Forever Duke Nukem.    … Expand
  12. Sirik_Matak
    Sep 8, 2014
    3
    It stopped half-way between being an somewhat old-school shooter and being modern military peek-a-boo. It resulted in a spectacular failure.

    Full of annoying fillers where we yawn bored as **** The game doesn't start immediately as it should and before we get to the actual shooting we waste - like - about 2 hours walking around and throwing statues that kill in one hit due to the broken    It stopped half-way between being an somewhat old-school shooter and being modern military peek-a-boo. It resulted in a spectacular failure.

    Full of annoying fillers where we yawn bored as **** The game doesn't start immediately as it should and before we get to the actual shooting we waste - like - about 2 hours walking around and throwing statues that kill in one hit due to the broken physics?
    Levels are closed, there're no real pick-ups, health is regenerating, we're often being closed in a small area and told to wait here for 5 or more minutes killing trash by a peek-a-boo tactic.
    You can carry 2 weapons max. 2. I mean - what the actual F?
    The game has its moments, some boss fights are pretty good and weapons do feel nice.

    But it misses what Duke Nukem was about entirely. This game has identity problems, since it's half-way a call of turd game, with occasional old-school features on a top.    … Expand
  13. jimbobslimbob
    Nov 24, 2014
    1
    Waste of money. The game is short, boring and generally speaking not very enjoyable. Couple this with a level that involves jumping puzzles and you have a contender for the worst game ever made. It captures nothing of what made Duke Nukem 3D so enjoyable - and is woefully insuperior to the old game in almost every aspect.

    Did you like Duke Nukem 3D? If so, don't buy this, just play Duke    Waste of money. The game is short, boring and generally speaking not very enjoyable. Couple this with a level that involves jumping puzzles and you have a contender for the worst game ever made. It captures nothing of what made Duke Nukem 3D so enjoyable - and is woefully insuperior to the old game in almost every aspect.

    Did you like Duke Nukem 3D? If so, don't buy this, just play Duke 3D instead.

    Jimbo Rating: 1/10    … Expand
  14. Signas501
    Mar 22, 2015
    3
    Duke Nukem Forever and its 15 year development cycle sets the player off after Duke plays a video game, playing the tournament from where the previous game ended. Duke Nukem is still being praised, until he finds out that aliens have began attacking, taking earths woman and impregnating them for their own offspring. Duke sets out on a quest to take down the alien mother ship and save earthDuke Nukem Forever and its 15 year development cycle sets the player off after Duke plays a video game, playing the tournament from where the previous game ended. Duke Nukem is still being praised, until he finds out that aliens have began attacking, taking earths woman and impregnating them for their own offspring. Duke sets out on a quest to take down the alien mother ship and save earth woman, also being accompanied by many easter eggs, such as dead space engineer, and halo armor… Expand
  15. Liliana
    May 23, 2016
    2
    I love the characters and places. But I hate the part Duke get very tiny. I hate the part where Duke control remote toy car. Stupid. and punching part. bad.
  16. Detraxxx
    Mar 23, 2016
    3
    Quite disappointing game and I must say it was not fun at all... The graphics are outdated and the level design is poor. Driving vehicles is very boring, missions are boring...
  17. Bottlecaps
    Apr 26, 2019
    3
    Duke nukem forever is an infamous game to say the least , being stuck in development hell for years only to feel rushed out the door some how. i'm finally playing it for my self to see how bad of a game it actually is.

    Story/characters: there isn't much of one really aliens come and attack and YOU gotta kill them while also screwing around . this is fine in a game like this , its a    Duke nukem forever is an infamous game to say the least , being stuck in development hell for years only to feel rushed out the door some how. i'm finally playing it for my self to see how bad of a game it actually is.

    Story/characters: there isn't much of one really aliens come and attack and YOU gotta kill them while also screwing around . this is fine in a game like this , its a classic style fps game the game play should take center stage so i'm ok with a non existent story, it dose do its best to offend you especially in the hive level. duke himself is a parody of the big macho man stereotype you would see in 80s action movies . but duke nukem feels more like a pro wrestler personality adding to the already awful story this makes kinda hilarious in a so bad its good kinda way
    story: 3/10

    world building: its always a good idea to inject your game with a healthy bit of lore but this game really doesn't care about that stuff and like i said before its an action game and it doesn't really need it . besides weapon types and enemy types there isn't much lore to be found
    world building: 1/10

    Graphics: graphics are really ugly and plastic in this game it makes some of the guns looks like kids toys and that really takes away from the whole super bad ass feel you should have as duke . every thing looks grainy and ugly and a game made in 2011 should not look this bad . animations are stiff are stiff and awkward . lighting is terrible to the point where the awful nigh vision effect is needed in places where it shouldn't be needed. there is no style to this game everything looks flat and with a a character like duke who has a lot of personality the game should have a style that reflects that . although over all iv seen worst looking games and it least ran at 60 fps for me.
    Graphics:3/10

    Game play: the first person shooter genre has always been a fun one to me and for the most part even awful fps games still have a tendency to be fun. duke nukem is fun if you take it with a grain of salt . the shooting feels good , even if the guns look like plastic . i found my self useing the shotgun the most as it felt the best to use unless it was a boss and i needed a rocket launcher . this game also has some interesting physics puzzles and that was kinda refreshing to see some thought go into some where in this game . the driving parts are meh at best and control like a rock. but the game play it self is adequate
    Gameplay: 5/10

    sound design: sound design i think is extremely important to fps games. gun sounds in games have a sort of fandom and i always liked seeing different portrayals of guns in games . dukes gun sounds are weird , the shot gun sounds normal nothing to special , the m1911 sounds powerful but i really think a deagle would have been a better choice . the machine gun sounds like a toy as well as looks like a toy. dukes "hurh" sound effect got on my nerves with how repetitive it is and just sounds awkward to begin with. the best part of the sound in this game was the main menu music
    sound design: 3/10

    3+1+3+5+3=15
    15/5 = 3
    overall i give duke nukem forever a 3/10    … Expand
  18. IceCobra
    Jun 18, 2013
    2
    A terrible game, Ive never really seen much to go by in the duke nukem franchise but this game just takes the piss. The story is just bad, the game play is boring the missions are boring, the humor is.....well is it even supposed to be funny. The only reason I gave this game a score higher than 0 was that the little bits added in were actually not bad and take me back to the old days ofA terrible game, Ive never really seen much to go by in the duke nukem franchise but this game just takes the piss. The story is just bad, the game play is boring the missions are boring, the humor is.....well is it even supposed to be funny. The only reason I gave this game a score higher than 0 was that the little bits added in were actually not bad and take me back to the old days of gaming still not enough to make me want to waste my time with this crap though… Expand
  19. ave
    Feb 11, 2015
    0
    I played Duke Nukem 3D years ago and it was a really great shooter.

    This sequel features decent-to-good level design, and a nice set of enemies to fight. The gameplay is more modern since you cannot carry all weapons and your health refills along time. One disappointing thing comes with the relative low efficiency of some weapons you imagined more potent (relative to the ego of    I played Duke Nukem 3D years ago and it was a really great shooter.

    This sequel features decent-to-good level design, and a nice set of enemies to fight.

    The gameplay is more modern since you cannot carry all weapons and your health refills along time.

    One disappointing thing comes with the relative low efficiency of some weapons you imagined more potent (relative to the ego of the character), namely the revolver and the shotgun. So you end up gunning down aliens mostly with the triple cannon machinegun.

    The story is purely decorative and the characters flat as a carpet. Half of the time the soldiers are coward and stupid, but that does not make Duke intelligent or brave.

    It could have been a decent shooter but the game is blatantly sexist. Of course it comes with the character, but as far as I remember, all the female characters are either : horny at the mere sight of the Duke, blowjob providers, incapable of saving themselves, sex workers, alien surrogate mothers begging you to shoot them. I don't recall any female soldiers, scientists or civilians worth noticing. The developers pushed the envelope up to the following point : aliens are only abducting women, so you have to save them!

    Is there an irony here? Maybe aliens are in fact abducting women to protect from the Duke? That would have been a hell of a twist!

    So if you're confortable with that level of sexism, Duke Nukem Forever deserved a 6/7 as a shooter. Otherwise it's preferable to ignore it.    … Expand
  20. DeusXCom
    Aug 5, 2014
    4
    How could this happen? Duke, what have you done to us? It's not a terrible game, I played through it an meh, it was playable, but it should have never happened in the first place. I understand the hell of a development cycle this game must have gone through over the years, so I guess it's understandable, but it's a pity. Duke Nukem 3D was one of the best, if not THE best FPS ever and DukeHow could this happen? Duke, what have you done to us? It's not a terrible game, I played through it an meh, it was playable, but it should have never happened in the first place. I understand the hell of a development cycle this game must have gone through over the years, so I guess it's understandable, but it's a pity. Duke Nukem 3D was one of the best, if not THE best FPS ever and Duke deserved more. This was quite embarrassing, 4/10… Expand
  21. Beak
    Jul 4, 2011
    3
    I've been watching for this game since 1998 when the first trailer came out, loved Duke3d which I replayed over and over and still play from time to time even now.

    When I finished DNF my first thought was "is that it", Gearbox promised around 20+ hours of gameplay when they first took over, many will finish this in 9 to 10 hours. Took me 12 but I do tend to dawdle around. Graphics    I've been watching for this game since 1998 when the first trailer came out, loved Duke3d which I replayed over and over and still play from time to time even now.

    When I finished DNF my first thought was "is that it", Gearbox promised around 20+ hours of gameplay when they first took over, many will finish this in 9 to 10 hours. Took me 12 but I do tend to dawdle around.

    Graphics are basic but they will play on a low end system.
    gameplay is basic but could be fun if your new to FPS shooters.

    My main gripes are,
    Load times every few minutes. Most FPS games at least allow you to finish a level before the load screen.

    "2 weapon limit, makes the freeze gun and shrink ray pointless since you have to keep hold of weapons that are reliable.

    I love t1ts as much as the next man but this game is supposed to be an 18 not a 12 cert for wanking prepubesants. Is this what Duke has been lowered to: searching for **** and f***ng pocorn. ffs

    no story

    boring

    I couldn't wait to get Bioshock 2 loaded back up which , thankfully, I had put on hold to play DNF. At least I had a good proper fps game to look forward to.

    As i mentioned at the start, Duke3d got huge play time, DNF will never be played again and I can;'t even sell the sh1t on because of steam account.

    If I read one more post of someone saying " ooh arn't Gearbox so ace for taking up the mantle and actually getting Duke out here" I think i'll scream. No they are not great they are a bunch of greedy barstewards who saw a quick buck from a huge character that millions of devoted fans have been awaiting for years and years, **** ot not they were always going to make a shed load.

    Reminds me of the Sex Pistols...."ever felt you've been had". The Great Video Game Swindle"    … Expand
  22. Colinthatguy
    Apr 30, 2015
    4
    I really wanted Duke Nukem But this game is a piece of **** don't **** buy this **** game this really ruined the Duke franchise I don't know who to blame 3D realms Piranha Games or Gearbox Software all really good companies I don't know who **** up Duke but I hope some one see's the potential of duke nukem and makes a good game thanks for reading
  23. LordOFlibertY
    Jul 6, 2011
    0
    +10 years in the making and the only thing the Developers think of doing are sexual and stereotypical portrayals of women. It feels like like thats the only thing the Developers really focused on to be honest. Since this game got a pretty big following I'm assuming the phrase 'sex sells' is in work here. Stay away from this game.
  24. Xaromir
    Jul 31, 2011
    0
    Basically there is nothing good in this game. Yes, you start it and will love it; it's the duke! After about 15 minutes most normal people will find their dreams and expectations shattered. Nothing can live up to almost 1 1/2 Decades of hype and expectations building up, but all i wanted was a good contemporary shooter, and it failed to deliver. The graphics are medieval, and it stillBasically there is nothing good in this game. Yes, you start it and will love it; it's the duke! After about 15 minutes most normal people will find their dreams and expectations shattered. Nothing can live up to almost 1 1/2 Decades of hype and expectations building up, but all i wanted was a good contemporary shooter, and it failed to deliver. The graphics are medieval, and it still manages to have frame rate drops on a modern system. The story is flat, boring, humorless and plain simple stupid. It basically brings nothing new to the table, nothing that hasn't been seen before; there is no shame in "borrowing" ideas, the best also do it, but doing it badly is a huge nono, and that's basically everything that was done here, old bad ideas made worse and mushed into the rough shape of a game. Just as this review it got tons of useless filler. Did i mention it looks medieval? The only good thing is the dukes voice. Get Manhatten Project instead if you want some duke, it just costs a fraction of DNF, it's much more fun, and lasts a lot longer.… Expand
  25. RezzaDee
    Jun 20, 2011
    0
    Wow I can't believe they released this, oh well the companies broke now so the risk didn't pay off, this game is dull boring and lifeless. The graphics are total garbage, (but graphics don't make a game wahhh wahhhh) YES they do. If the graphics are good and the gameplay is also good then the game can attract followers and stand on it's own two legs without needing people to troll onWow I can't believe they released this, oh well the companies broke now so the risk didn't pay off, this game is dull boring and lifeless. The graphics are total garbage, (but graphics don't make a game wahhh wahhhh) YES they do. If the graphics are good and the gameplay is also good then the game can attract followers and stand on it's own two legs without needing people to troll on either side of the fence. If the gameplay and graphics were good then I would say like or leave. But it's total garbage, and so are all the other versions of duke on the ds, on xbla on psn and all the others. Yes maybe 16 years ago I laughed when a toilet could flush but let me drill that to you again.....16 YEARS AGO! The game was a flop when I seen tHe first trailer for it about 4 years ago, then they thought should we or shouldn't we release this game, well no is the answer. If this cost £1million pounds to make I would rather have wasted my money on 1million lottery tickets!… Expand
  26. janbirsa
    Jun 18, 2011
    0
    Its rushed, crappy game of 2011. They abused the title and character to make some quick money and **** us off with crappy game. If they polished it and released maybe 5+ years ago, it would have been a decent game, but as of now its just rubbish. Totally not 2011 standards.
  27. ivanasw
    Jun 16, 2011
    1
    Well, I was disappointed. 14 years in development and I get boring levels, poor AI, dated graphics (looks like its from 2002 or so) and nothing innovative... Even Duke's jokes are already heard and seen somewhere. I was shocked by clumsy NPC animations and lifeless surroundings. They needed more time I guess to finish this game. Score 2.0
  28. LuckilyCursed
    Jun 15, 2011
    1
    I wanted this game to be good, like struggling through the desert, dying from dehydration. And then this idiot comes and offers me a beer.
    Starting with the gameplay, I keep getting the sense that the game is trying to evoke the feel of REALLY old school games, I think we may be beyond retro with this. The only problem is I recall retro games having more than just two enemies at a time,    I wanted this game to be good, like struggling through the desert, dying from dehydration. And then this idiot comes and offers me a beer.
    Starting with the gameplay, I keep getting the sense that the game is trying to evoke the feel of REALLY old school games, I think we may be beyond retro with this. The only problem is I recall retro games having more than just two enemies at a time, various types of enemies, all gunning for me, with health pickups and plenty o' guns. Instead, no, the most baddies I've seen at once are three, there's hardly ever a difference, you have regenerative health if you go and hide like a wuss behind a wall, and Duke is so manly he can now only heft two weapons-wait what?
    Graphics? Passable, I guess, I'm not one to pay too much attention, but at the same time I kept noticing how bland and midgrade they were.
    The humor? We've heard these jokes before... YEARS before, and these are the type of jokes that never age well. Here's one: You have to go with this rookie soldier named Jenkins, yes you can tell where this is going. Within the minute he gets turned into paste, and Duke declares, "Dammit Leroy." You can practically hear the character on the stand-up stage waving desperately for a guy on drums to do a roll on snare.
    Which comes from the voice acting itself. Every single character sounds as much an idiot as the folks who thought up their lines. Sure a couple of the soldiers early in the game bounced insults off each other pretty well, but you never get that experience again. Apparently all the females understood just how much they were doing their gender a disservice and aimed to make every character they voiced as annoying or unsexy as possible, and I'm sorry, hearing the balls in a woman's voice is unwanted.
    Thankfully, Duke's original voice actor reprises the role. Unfortunately, he's aged more than the character, what once were nicely paced quips and well delivered lines, now plod along at a slower pace, leaving a much more dimwitted mind behind, leaving every spoken line just hanging out there like an older person wearing less clothing.
    In the end, I found myself asking, "Why am I playing this? There's far more fun games all around me."
    It's nice that Gearbox wanted to credit every person who worked on this game within the last decade or so, that way we have a nice shopping list of people to blame for this letdown and, what could be called, cashgrab. You might argue against that, but pray tell, could there have been plenty of people that noticed their game was utter garbage before it left to shelves?    … Expand
  29. MaDaStar
    Jun 16, 2011
    2
    After hearing that Duke Nukem Forever was actually going to be released, I was eager to play it. I did however have low expectations. After playing Bulletstorm earlier this year, I did have hope for the retro-style game that could have been. What I was expecting was not stop battles with loads of alien enemies swarming the screen with barely a breather in between. I was also expecting aAfter hearing that Duke Nukem Forever was actually going to be released, I was eager to play it. I did however have low expectations. After playing Bulletstorm earlier this year, I did have hope for the retro-style game that could have been. What I was expecting was not stop battles with loads of alien enemies swarming the screen with barely a breather in between. I was also expecting a game with quality visuals and some raunchy, and current topical humour. None of these are in the game. It's a boring, dull looking mess. The weapons (except for the shotgun) are stale. The platform jumping puzzles are just annoying, as are the driving sections where it feels like you are being forced to take a tour of the dated graphics. This can't be blamed on the game engine. While the UT3 graphics engine is getting old, by current standards, there have been some recent and good looking games that have utilized it much better than this. FYI, I am an older guy. I am one of many that remembers playing Duke 3D when it was first released and loving the competition it gave to Doom II. I played that campaign at least 4 times, and spent many nights with friends playing the multi-player part as well. The Duke Nukem here is just a pathetic goon, not a renegade hero. The voice acting is weak as well. Little QA was done to this game. I once got trapped by an invisible wall which means that I got to a place in the map that I wasn't supposed to have access. It would be easy to forgive a few of the issues, that I personally don't like, but there are so many bad things about Duke Nukem Forever that they by far outweigh the very few good parts of the game.… Expand
  30. AegisEin
    Jun 16, 2011
    1
    Play Duke 3D and pretend it was just released. You'll have a much better time than with this abysmal garbage. For one, despite enjoying D3D immensely, and enjoying racy humor, DNF misses the mark and biffs the portrayal of the famous egotist into an unlikable moron who's unpleasant to play. I'll leave aside all the details of this distortion, or the off-note trivialization of rape, andPlay Duke 3D and pretend it was just released. You'll have a much better time than with this abysmal garbage. For one, despite enjoying D3D immensely, and enjoying racy humor, DNF misses the mark and biffs the portrayal of the famous egotist into an unlikable moron who's unpleasant to play. I'll leave aside all the details of this distortion, or the off-note trivialization of rape, and attribute it to 3DRealms being immersed in it for 12 years and losing sight of reality. Sadly, the gameplay fares no better. The game delights in mocking successful FPS titles that have risen since production began, including Halo and the entire Half-Life series so far, while confusedly grabbing elements from them. Recharging health? Check (have fun with Duke regaining "ego" by cowering around a corner). 2 weapon carry limit? Check, which you'll hate because almost all of the weapons feel unsatisfying. Awkward, 90s era platforming? Check. Linear corridor levels, shunting you down the only path by closing off others with random debris, a la CoD? Check! The game garbles all sorts of elements together from its successful cousins but manages to miss the elements of each of those games that made them fun.

    While the loads aren't as awful as they apparently are on consoles, they're still pretty stupid, especially for sections where by the start of the next level, you'll have loaded twice for a three minute section of non-combat navigating. Graphics aren't awful, but they aren't very good, and everything has had obnoxious glow slapped all over it. The vehicle sections are awful, whereas the parts forced in between one of the vehicle sections turn out to be the best part of the game. It's a very short title, but you probably won't want to replay. I haven't tried the multiplayer much, but on brief trial it seems like renting a 1998 N64 knockoff of a popular game.

    These 12 years would have been better spent on anything else.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

14
#14 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
29
#29 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
54

Mixed or average reviews - based on 48 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 48
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 48
  3. Negative: 17 out of 48
  1. GamingXP
    Sep 12, 2011
    55
    Duke Nukem Forever would be quite decent if one felt entirely certain it's intended purely as a self-parody. As is, it doesn't do the expectations, the buyer or the Duke justice – oh, had he rather remained a vaporware legend!
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  2. PC Gamer UK
    Aug 6, 2011
    29
    Petty, nasty and anachronistic. Duke is only relevant as a warning from the past. Avoid these mistakes, developers. [Aug 2011, p.76]
  3. FiringSquad
    Aug 1, 2011
    72
    Bottom line: Duke Nukem Forever was not worth the 15-year wait, nor is it worth paying the full $50. However, I cannot deny that I thought it was both fun and funny, which at the end of the day is what this franchise is all about.
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