Duke Nukem Forever

 PlayStation 3
Metascore
51

Mixed or average reviews - based on 48 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 48
  2. Mixed: 25 out of 48
  3. Negative: 19 out of 48
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  1. PSM3 Magazine UK
    Jul 3, 2011
    49
    Everything we expected and less. Duke should have stayed dead. [Aug 2011, p.88]
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  2. PSX Extreme
    Jun 15, 2011
    44
    Nobody wanted to love DNF more than me but I just couldn't get any enjoyment out of it.
  3. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Jul 17, 2011
    40
    There aren't any highs as such, just moments of not sucking. [Aug 2011, p.108]
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  5. GamerNode
    Jun 28, 2011
    40
    It's good to see that Duke Nukem Forever finally made it past the development finish line, but the race to get there clearly took its toll on Duke. He started limping toward the end goal around 2007, and he's looking and feeling pretty rough.
  6. Gamer Limit
    Jun 25, 2011
    40
    Today's gamers have become used to enjoying a much more balanced FPS experience when playing online and many of us find it frustrating if our game of choice doesn't maintain a fair playing field. The Duke Nukem Forever multiplayer seems so outdated in comparison which is a real shame, as both gamers and (in fairness) the developers, were really hoping that it would just be good chaotic fun.
  7. Total Video Games
    Jun 22, 2011
    40
    DNF plays like it's been developed in a vacuum, serving more as a time-capsule of mediocre PC games from the first half of the last decade than a certifiable, modern-day FPS.
  8. Eurogamer Sweden
    Jun 21, 2011
    40
    It's not just the dated game mechanics and the misogynism that drags the experience down. Somewhere along the way, Gearbox have lost track of the series' charm, and have effectively killed the franchise for good with their blunt approach. It feels like I'm saying goodbye to an old friend that I've grown apart from and have nothing in common with any more. And I'm out of gum too. What a bummer.
  9. Gamekult
    Jun 15, 2011
    40
    Quotation forthcoming.
  10. Giant Bomb
    Jun 14, 2011
    40
    If you're not willing to play a sloppy, cobbled together first-person shooter just because it has some kind of weird historical meaning, though, just forget this ever happened and move on. It's great, in some ways, that Duke Nukem Forever was released at all. But don't be confused into thinking that it's a great game.
  11. Gameblog.fr
    Jun 13, 2011
    40
    Duke Nukem Forever is a disappointment to say the least. 14 years of development seem like a waste of time when you see what has become of the most famous FPS franchise. Sad.
  12. VideoGamer
    Jun 13, 2011
    40
    As a bizarre curio of video game history, Duke Nukem Forever's appeal cannot be denied, and there is some entertainment derived from overlooking the end product of one of history's most troubled productions. The main thing we can learn looking backwards, however, is that no game should be like this going forward.
  13. D+PAD Magazine
    Jun 12, 2011
    40
    Duke Nukem Forever is a strange enough novelty all on its own, but when all is said and done, it is a vastly aged shooter that is left trailing in the dust of its modern contemporaries.
  14. GamingExcellence
    Jun 21, 2011
    34
    If not a bit ironic, Duke ends the game with a line about how 'crappy' the ending was. Well Duke, that just about summed up the entire game. There are no redeeming qualities about this game, the shooting, weapons, enemies, gameplay, platforming and driving all combine to be one extremely unrewarding experience. If it were not for the fact this game has had so much hype and been in development for nearly fifteen years, this game would not be receiving any attention, because it does not deserve any.
  15. Play UK
    Jul 18, 2011
    33
    Ten years ago it would have been bad. 15 years ago it wouldn't have been worth playing. Today? It's a joke, and one that's just not funny. [Issue#207, p.82]
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  16. Game Revolution
    Jun 21, 2011
    33
    Dated in almost every way.
  17. Playstation: The Official Magazine (US)
    Aug 2, 2011
    30
    Forever eschews any hope for a decent story or interesting gameplay in favor of shoving as many boobs in our face as possible. As a result, the game comes up short in every way possible.
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  18. GameSpot
    Jun 16, 2011
    30
    The bland and ugly Duke Nukem Forever turns a famous gaming icon into an embarrassment.
  19. Gamers' Temple
    Jul 25, 2011
    20
    Plain and simple, Duke Nukem Forever suffers from being passed around the development table for too long without any updates to its core.
  20. 1UP
    Jun 14, 2011
    0
    It's not obvious they knew just how monumentally moronic the game they created is. That's the key difference between the two titles: Bulletstorm is the funny guy at the party who has a bit too much to drink. DNF is the guy who gets plastered, runs around naked with a lampshade on his head and doesn't understand that everyone is laughing at him, not with him.

Awards & Rankings

25
#25 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2011

User Reviews

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User Score
4.9

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 318 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 88 out of 318
  2. Mixed: 91 out of 318
  3. Negative: 139 out of 318
  1. SgtFlip
    Jun 14, 2011
    2
    "This'll be interesting." was my first thought when putting the disc into the drive of my Xbox. This proved to be very true, although not in"This'll be interesting." was my first thought when putting the disc into the drive of my Xbox. This proved to be very true, although not in the way I had expected it to be. Duke Nukem Forever is a game that captures very much the essence of Duke Nukem 3D, it is indeed the same Duke we're about to meet. You really don't need more than a few minutes into the intro to realize this. Paying homage to the original is however nothing you can build an entire game on, and being true to the earlier games is the only thing that is done properly within Duke Nukem Forever. Everything else pretty much sucks. Animations are poorly made and implemented with characters displaying snapping and odd movement patterns. You play in first person view yet there is a ton of bugs related to this. Notice especially how the player seems to hover about a feet above the floor and how it's possible to trigger strafing movement without triggering the strafing animation. Facial animations are so poorly implemented that they seem to have no correlation at all with the content of their audio files. The sound is poor as well, with no considerable variations implemented at all. This makes the game sound repetitive and uninteresting. Just try to jump a few times in a row and listen to the grunting Duke lets out as he lands and you'll understand what I mean. The whole game sounds pretty much like this, apart from the few areas that have for some reason been left totally without any ambience tracks making them feel even more out of place and breaking immersion totally. Considering the competing titles Duke Nukem Forever has nothing to show when it comes to visuals either, it simply looks worse than the titles it's supposed to outrun. I've always thought that the most important thing to pull off when doing a game is the gameplay and since this game doesn't even manage that it's not worth anyones time really. There are huge sections with non-existing gameplay and nothing for the player to do while waiting for some pointless movie (with sucky facials and poor sound) to finish. If you want something that feels like the old Duke Nukem 3D but is a bit new and has boobs that you haven't seen before just replay the old game with some downloaded porno in the background, it's pretty much the same thing. And whatever you do, don't buy this game first hand, there's bound to be a huge second hand market for it within short.… Full Review »
  2. EMelo01
    Jun 15, 2011
    5
    This game was a disappointment. I realize it keeps the "old school" feel to it and Duke is Duke, But other then the funny one-liners, andThis game was a disappointment. I realize it keeps the "old school" feel to it and Duke is Duke, But other then the funny one-liners, and little fun interactions, there is nothing special about this game. The length of the load screen itself is enough to make me want to quit playing. It can be fun and challenging (on the hard difficulty) and the game is a breed of its own, but this day in age of gaming requires more than just a trademark name and character. (Especially the FPS Genre) I say give it a rent, have a laugh, kick some alien ass, and move on.… Full Review »
  3. 247Consoles
    Jun 14, 2011
    4
    Sorry but in a cut-throat recession hit community, to release slop like this is a crying shame.

    I appreciate after 13 years, it's a huge    Sorry but in a cut-throat recession hit community, to release slop like this is a crying shame.

    I appreciate after 13 years, it's a huge achievement to get a game published, but what exactly were the developers thinking?

    This is people's hard earned money and poor games means store seller's such as myself take a lot of heat when people find excuses to return under-par games.

    Then there are the graphics which could have been from a Commodore. Hey C4Eva, you seen better right?

    I hate to slate a highly anticipated game, and I didn't for other's but if I let this slide, I wouldn't be a true critic. I am sure the game will bear well with the die hard 40 somethings but I am not there yet and neither is this game. You should have focused on a new userbase as well as the old school fans and it is in this area and the fact it's 2011 that I cast doubt on your abilities, whether it be think - tanking the game or the programming abilities.

    I don't wish to discuss the game in general as I would hate to offend further. Thanks for the news hits but thats as good as it ever got to be honest.    … Full Review »
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