Duke Nukem Forever

 Xbox 360
User Score
4.5

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 492 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 120 out of 492
  2. Mixed: 131 out of 492
  3. Negative: 241 out of 492
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  1. MattyIce82
    Jun 16, 2011
    0
    Not worth 60 dollars. Absolute worse game this generation. I really hated this game demo, but people who got the game early in Europe said the game was decent. Then the reviews dropped saying this game was garbage, but still I wanted to try it out for myself. Don't listen to anyone who gives this game above a 4. They are in denial that they just wasted 60 dollars on this game. It's notNot worth 60 dollars. Absolute worse game this generation. I really hated this game demo, but people who got the game early in Europe said the game was decent. Then the reviews dropped saying this game was garbage, but still I wanted to try it out for myself. Don't listen to anyone who gives this game above a 4. They are in denial that they just wasted 60 dollars on this game. It's not funny. It's got horrible graphical problems. Extremely long loading times throughout the levels. Archaic gameplay designs. It's so boring. Horrible physics puzzles ripped from the year 2001. Horrible frame rate stutters. Online lag is unacceptable and unplayable. I'm just glad I rented this game off gamefly. Gearbox what the **** where you thinking releasing this game?… Expand
  2. m4ch1
    Jun 15, 2011
    1
    this game have humor and.......i cant of think anything else. This game is TOP 1 candidate on biggest disapointment of 2011. DONT BUY THIS, ITS WASTE OF MONEY better get drunk or buy your girlfriend something nice...
  3. brdolan
    Jun 16, 2011
    0
    Bad graphics, bad jokes, horrible game-play, long load times=a complete disaster. I have no idea why people are defending this game. It represents everything bad about the games industry. Gearbox should be ashamed. This has tarnished their rep.
  4. brady4
    Jun 16, 2011
    1
    If this wasn't called Duke Nukem it would just be another mediocre first person shooter that would be put in the bargain bin a week after release, its really that poor.
  5. Caligari5150
    Jun 17, 2011
    1
    This has to be one of the worse games I have played in a LONG time. The jokes in the games are not even funny. You start off the game Pissing... RT to piss.... wow.... very clever. The first gun you get has 69 bullets and after that there is 69 floors in the elevator. It feels like a 13 year old wrote this game with the stupid humor. You can actually get an achievement for picking up poopThis has to be one of the worse games I have played in a LONG time. The jokes in the games are not even funny. You start off the game Pissing... RT to piss.... wow.... very clever. The first gun you get has 69 bullets and after that there is 69 floors in the elevator. It feels like a 13 year old wrote this game with the stupid humor. You can actually get an achievement for picking up poop in the toilet "Turd burglar" yeah... this game is crap. The multilayer is garbage, maps are small as hell, targeting system is bad, spawning points are sh*te.… Expand
  6. KAS--Will
    Jun 15, 2011
    3
    Jumping into DNF, I was hoping for a 10 out of 10 experience, but after playing the First Access Demo, I knew I was going to have to settle for a 7 out of 10 game. However, only halfway through the game, I had to lower the difficulty, otherwise I would never give this game the fair review it deserved, because I was stuck and with the crappy controls, and useless, un-dismountable MGJumping into DNF, I was hoping for a 10 out of 10 experience, but after playing the First Access Demo, I knew I was going to have to settle for a 7 out of 10 game. However, only halfway through the game, I had to lower the difficulty, otherwise I would never give this game the fair review it deserved, because I was stuck and with the crappy controls, and useless, un-dismountable MG turret, I was screwed. So after lowering the difficulty, I realized how impossible the game was and unnecessarily difficult it was so early in the game and decided to give it a 5. However, another problem arose, I died a lot, thus, I had to start over a lot, which meant settling through 1 minute load times, and has made me struggle to understand whether this game is actually a good length, or just a 'quicky' (see Duke, I can be sexual and funny too). Then finally I encountered yet another problem, I was constantly being lost. I understand First Person shooters have a higher chance of confusing, or having players lose track of where their supposed to be going, especially with games that have a highly interactive environment like DNF. However, even in Half-Life 2, where the whole environment was practically interactive, the longest I had been confused, or stuck on a puzzle was 4 minutes TOPS. And this game, may I add, takes a lot of notes/example, from Half-Life. This is just a poorly made, Half-Life wanna be. Then I encountered a boss later in the game, that I had to battle under water, and as if underwater moments in games weren't out of style about 4 years ago, DNF has successfully ruined it. They ditched the scuba gear, and made Duke somehow inhale air bubbles. And what's even more depressing was actually making it to the boss, which would be the prime example of my point as to why this game is confusing, and how easily a player can get lost. It took me approximately 5 tries, to realize I had to place a bomb, which had a glowing icon to indicate where the bomb went, but it blended in so well with the environment, that I didn't realize it till around my 10th try... which means about 10 minutes were pissed away for me trying to solve the puzzle. Another, yes, ANOTHER fatal flaw of the game is it's repitition. With all honesty, if you just barrow this game somehow, and play it up to the Alien Queen with the 3 **** (which is only 3/8 of the way through the game), you've experienced the whole game. After that, everything the game has to offer (driving, puzzles, combat, you name it) has been experienced... except for swimming, which could gladly be avoided. At this point, I knew me, trolling this game, was inevitable. There's even a frame rate issue (meaning the game can't even keep up with itself... or at least the system). It seems to be a usual thing now in the community though, because DNF has it, BRINK has it... hell the only game that's trying to not have a FR issue is COD... more games should follow THAT example (not COD). The multiplayer is very bland, nothing exciting, yes even the "Capture the Babe" mode is just capture the flag at heart, nothing new, nothing special. The Digs is pretty neat and gives you something to work for.
    However, all in all, I can't stress enough, how bad this game is. It was NOT an enjoyable experience, as much as I tried to make it...    … Expand
  7. TheGunslinger12
    Jun 14, 2011
    0
    Played the original and loved it. Hoped this one would be worthwhile. It isn't. It's dated, clunky and it just isn't fun. The graphics and the humor are 10 years outdated, the game play is uninspired and it just plain sucks. There are a million games out there that are better than this. It will be in the bargain bin in no time, save yourself some money and wait if you really want to play it.
  8. 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 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"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.… Expand
  9. bittermann
    Jun 14, 2011
    1
    OK...I want my money back. This piece of t*rd is not worth a free download on Xbox live for cripes sake! Why do publishers fell the need to rip of consumer just for a few extra release day sales.
  10. hellgrip
    Jun 14, 2011
    0
    I can't believe this is what became of my beloved Duke Nukem Francise. This isn't even Duke anymore and as far as I'm concerned everyone at gearbox should be fired! utter utter garbage!!
  11. Rox22
    Dec 11, 2012
    4
    Well, considering its development history. I think Gearbox did the best it could with what it was given to them. At least it finally got released rather than being remade from scratch AGAIN for a another 5 years.Happy to see that the Duke is still Duke and it at least GB tried to stay true to the source material. Just a shame that there is far more wrong with this game, than there isWell, considering its development history. I think Gearbox did the best it could with what it was given to them. At least it finally got released rather than being remade from scratch AGAIN for a another 5 years.Happy to see that the Duke is still Duke and it at least GB tried to stay true to the source material. Just a shame that there is far more wrong with this game, than there is right.. What I hated the most about this game if I had to mention just one thing: The loading times between sections: Holy F*****g S***! WHY WHERE THEY SO DAMN LONG!!!… Expand
  12. HWAS
    Jul 22, 2011
    0
    One of the worst video games I have ever played. "EPIC piece of **** w gameould be a compliment next to what I could really say about this game. Honestly, the 4.1 rating it recieved is just someone being nice. This game FAILS.
  13. DH1987
    Jul 13, 2011
    3
    I've been playing this game for about an hour or so, and I've been pretty much bored throughout the entire ride. Sure, Duke's comments got a few chuckles out of me, but other than that, this game is not very fun. My biggest issues with it are the clunky controls, the shallow combat system, and the LONG ass load times. Because of the lack of precision in the game's controls, combat isI've been playing this game for about an hour or so, and I've been pretty much bored throughout the entire ride. Sure, Duke's comments got a few chuckles out of me, but other than that, this game is not very fun. My biggest issues with it are the clunky controls, the shallow combat system, and the LONG ass load times. Because of the lack of precision in the game's controls, combat is simply not fun. It becomes limited to "point your gun and pull the trigger".

    I see a lot of people talking about how "old-school" this game is, and they seem to believe that just because it is a flashback to the old-school, it's fun simply for that reason. Well...I'm 24 years old, and I've been gaming since before I could walk. I've played games from the NES, the SNES, Sega Genesis, the PS1, N64, PS2, PC games, as well as the Xbox 360 and PS3. I played the ORIGINAL Duke Nukem when I was very young - and no, I do not speak of Duke Nukem 3D, though I have played that as well. I bet most of you don't even know what I'm talking about...and if you do, well...you're probably old school like me. I also went before even my time and dabbled in the Atari 2600. I know old school.

    And, let me tell you - even by old-school standards, this game falls short. I did not come to this game with high expectations, like some of you might accuse. I rented this game expecting a good time - nothing more. And I was still disappointed, because I am not having a good time. The very fact that I would rather spend time writing this review than playing the game that I just got an hour ago (and bored all the way through that hour) is testament to this fact. Combat is slow and boring, and Duke's one-liners - while mildly entertaining - are not enough to redeem its shallow combat system. Duke Nukem 3D's combat was much more fast-paced and its weapons/gadgets were much more fun to use.

    You guys want a good time? You want to know what good old-school shooters are? Is your computer newer than 1995? Then I recommend you find a copy of the original Doom...or even Doom II. Download yourself a DOS emulator (DosBOX is good), and enjoy. You'll find a game that is both simple, yet massively fun...DNF manages to get the former right, but unfortunately not the latter.    … Expand
  14. Muchomexicano
    Jan 17, 2013
    1
    Terrible poorly made game. Impossibly long loading times, unimaginative tiny and liner levels. Graphic have never been a issue for me but this game looks poorly made over a weekend. I would recommend avoiding this at all costs.
  15. aventador
    Nov 3, 2012
    1
    even the demo for this thing is bad. it feels like they made it a decade ago, let it on a shelf, worked on other stuff, then remembered it, took it off the shelf as is, then put it on sale. the game has no character to it, the gameplay is just sad, the mechanics are numb. it feels like it was tailor made to suck
  16. ReviewerMan44
    Jun 30, 2011
    0
    Duke Nukem Forever is an absolutely horrible experience. Let's just get that out of the way. Let me just say that I played Duke Nukem 3D and I loved it, one of my favorite shooters of all time. Back then the game was revolutionary and fun, the humor was risqué but remaining funny and non offensive.
    Now before I go on I know that many Duke fans, that you have to be a Duke fan    Duke Nukem Forever is an absolutely horrible experience. Let's just get that out of the way. Let me just say that I played Duke Nukem 3D and I loved it, one of my favorite shooters of all time. Back then the game was revolutionary and fun, the humor was risqué but remaining funny and non offensive.
    Now before I go on I know that many Duke fans, that you have to be a Duke fan or you have to be able to understand Forevr to understand it. See, I could understand this but Duke Nukem Forever is such an atrocity, such an abominatio , so far away from what made the original so grand, and so unbelievably immature, immoral, and sexist, finding no mercy for the poor women surrounded in the evil circumstances.
    Top that with incredibly tired and dated shooting, visuals, sound design, driving sections, and puzzles all who poke fun at games that Forever has no right to make foul of such as, Half-Life and Halo. In the end Forever comes across as a worthless, tired, and offensive documentation of a game that spent too long in development hell and was truly overshadowed in techinal terms and fun terms by everything else on the market. It is an utterly horrible "game" that will be "forever" remembered as an lackluster and disaster of a game that no chance of success.    … Expand
  17. FloppyGamer
    Jun 14, 2011
    1
    Now, I used to play all of these types of games on floppy disks. Duke Nuke, Hexen, Wolfenstein, Doom, Heretic and others, but this piece of garbage does nothng to honor these games. The game play is horrible, the load times are close to a minute and the mini movies are way too long. I was hopng for so much more. If I bought this back in the 90's, this would have been cutting edge, butNow, I used to play all of these types of games on floppy disks. Duke Nuke, Hexen, Wolfenstein, Doom, Heretic and others, but this piece of garbage does nothng to honor these games. The game play is horrible, the load times are close to a minute and the mini movies are way too long. I was hopng for so much more. If I bought this back in the 90's, this would have been cutting edge, but come on man, this is horrible. I can't think of anything (except for throwing feces) that has even been remotely fun about this. It is almost painful trying to play this. The original Duke is so much better than this junk. I just wish I could get my time and money back. THE KING IS DEAD, BABY!!!!… Expand
  18. bobbythebrown
    Jun 14, 2011
    0
    I wanted this game to be fun. I wasn't expecting a miracle, but this is actually painful to play. The load times are terrible. Given the shoddy and simplistic graphics, clunky and inaccurate animations, as well as the smallness of the levels, such long loading times can only be blamed on poor programming, which is evident throughout the game. Gameplay is straight out of a 90's shooter,I wanted this game to be fun. I wasn't expecting a miracle, but this is actually painful to play. The load times are terrible. Given the shoddy and simplistic graphics, clunky and inaccurate animations, as well as the smallness of the levels, such long loading times can only be blamed on poor programming, which is evident throughout the game. Gameplay is straight out of a 90's shooter, which doesn't cut it whatsoever in 2011. Platforming/puzzle segments are terribly implemented, and make an already bad game even worse. I loved Duke Nukem 3D, in its day, but this is barely an improvement. Its decade and a half of development have obviously not been well-spent. Nostalgia evoked by this game wears off after about 10 minutes, and is replaced by the sinking realization that this experience - alternating between boredom and frustration - is a miserable way to spend time and money. It should never have been released, and definitely should not cost almost $50.… Expand
  19. Tranquilbez22
    Mar 21, 2012
    4
    Before I begin, I'd just like to thank Randy Pitchford and Gearbox for finally releasing this game after 14 years! Now heres the part that made me made. Everything but the combat reeks in crap, it just looks like they've taken the look of Duke Nukem 3D and tried to make it look like This Generations graphics. The acting and script is awful. I've seen better acting in porn ffs! Even thoughBefore I begin, I'd just like to thank Randy Pitchford and Gearbox for finally releasing this game after 14 years! Now heres the part that made me made. Everything but the combat reeks in crap, it just looks like they've taken the look of Duke Nukem 3D and tried to make it look like This Generations graphics. The acting and script is awful. I've seen better acting in porn ffs! Even though the controls are slightly clunky the combat is typical first person shooter combat.I can't believe I wasted 110 dollars on this garbage! ugh dissapointing… Expand
  20. 247Consoles
    Jun 14, 2011
    3
    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 areSorry 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. Rated 4 on PS3 and 3 on Xbox 360.

    Shame but never stop being better than before.    … Expand
  21. SystemActive
    Jun 14, 2011
    0
    There hasn't been a good duke nukem since the 3d one wayyy back... What a waste of hype on this title in hopes to make some easy money off of it... Gearbox's biggest let down! Don't buy this game or it's DLC it'll only encourage them to keep pulling crap like this...
  22. Whodat587
    Jun 15, 2011
    0
    Digital Foundry Quote: The Xbox 360 version of Duke Nukem Forever is nothing short of unmitigated disaster in this area, and easily one of the ugliest and most poorly performing shooting games weâ
  23. ReviewGuy
    Jun 14, 2011
    0
    I tried to give this game a chance but it was uninspiring and tried to be funny and failed. I wish it were better and I could learn to like it butit has frustrated me to the point that I will be trying to sell this game asap. I may trade it in and get back some of my money.
  24. SomberMitsuki
    Jun 14, 2011
    4
    Your either going to love or hate this game. Unfortunatly I'm of the hate side of the arena. Meh Graphics, jokes so bad they'll make you want to bang you head agiesnt the wall and poor enemy ai that is worse than Alpha Protocal's. This game simply does not do the Nukem Series justice. Nothing is pushed to the limit as with the previous games, not the humor, not the gameplay, nothing. It'sYour either going to love or hate this game. Unfortunatly I'm of the hate side of the arena. Meh Graphics, jokes so bad they'll make you want to bang you head agiesnt the wall and poor enemy ai that is worse than Alpha Protocal's. This game simply does not do the Nukem Series justice. Nothing is pushed to the limit as with the previous games, not the humor, not the gameplay, nothing. It's been there done that and been outdone by other games gameplay. The characters suck, specially the Bimbo twins who's every line of dialog is sure to give you a headache. It is sad to see one of my favorite game series fail so badly

    Repost since it bugged out and gave it a 10 rather than the 4 I had given it.    … Expand
  25. Eastie_Beastie
    Jun 15, 2011
    1
    90s superhero has arrived . His addicted to crack , full of nonsense and in general they should have let him die . Biggest disappointment ever . 800 ms points would be a waste . Avoid at any cost .
  26. Speed4Runs
    Dec 19, 2012
    3
    The game is not even comparable to Duke Nukem 3D. The game doesn't have action, or it has it in very little portions, because it's based on **** around.
  27. dory55
    Aug 5, 2012
    0
    OK i never played this game but i saw reviews on youtube and all of them were 5 and down i saw trailer and gameplay . Game is boring there are a lots of use less mini games and to much pornography i mean fricking wall boobs WTF !!!! so my score is total ZERO
  28. aregowe
    Jun 15, 2011
    0
    Basically, the phrase "Call of Duke" comes to mind. Except much, much, worse than this Cawadooty franchise. Good try, chaps. Just didn't live up to the hype.
  29. FrenchFryPotato
    Jun 16, 2011
    0
    Just an unmitigated disaster of bad taste layered on poor game design. The jokes likely play best for gamers too young for it's M rating. I played the previous games and they we're fun for their time but that was an era when there was a lot less choice and game ratings were in their infancy. Simply putting boobs in a game to nab a user base seems sad. Like Dad showing up at a frat party.
  30. Captiosus
    Jun 15, 2011
    2
    I oft read other user reviews who say the game is good for nostalgia or fans of the old Duke Nukem and I really don't understand such comments. To put it in perspective, I grew up during the 3D gaming revolution: I remember buying and playing Wolfenstine 3D, Doom, Quake, Heretic, Duke Nukem, and Unreal when they were new. According to some reviewers, I should be THRILLED for Duke NukemI oft read other user reviews who say the game is good for nostalgia or fans of the old Duke Nukem and I really don't understand such comments. To put it in perspective, I grew up during the 3D gaming revolution: I remember buying and playing Wolfenstine 3D, Doom, Quake, Heretic, Duke Nukem, and Unreal when they were new. According to some reviewers, I should be THRILLED for Duke Nukem Forever.. But after 6 hours of playing it, I was completely disgusted by it and simply could NOT play anymore. Yes, the game looks, feels and plays dated. Yes, the voice overs are atrocious. Yes, Duke still references crappy movies of the 80s and 90s (with some more modern ones, like a line or two from "300"). But the gameplay is just boring, linear and horrendous. It feels like Gearbox took a turd - a running joke of game production gone awry - and polished it, trying to incorporate modern game designs into it, before pushing it out to say they actually brought out the game. The end result is a game that has the worst of old shooter design and the worst of new shooter design. All in all, this game was better left as a running joke and should have never seen the light of day. As for nostalgia, $60 is a steep price for a game that everyone admits still looks, feels and plays like a 1999 title. This title will be in the bargain bin soon, and thankfully so. Then, hopefully, Duke Nukem can be put to rest, as he should have been, officially, 12 years ago.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

18
#18 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2011
30
#30 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
49

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 76 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 76
  2. Mixed: 39 out of 76
  3. Negative: 34 out of 76
  1. DailyGame
    Dec 12, 2011
    50
    Duke Nukem Forever aspires to take gamers back to a different period in the gaming continuum. What it will really do is inspire you to take it back to the store for a full and complete refund.
    Read full review
  2. GamingTrend
    Sep 14, 2011
    59
    The potential for a fun but simple shooter is here, but even with Gearbox at the helm Duke Nukem Forever is clearly a hastily-cobbled sum of unfinished parts. It could have been epic if it was released 3 to 4 years ago, but nowadays there are new rivals for the throne.
    Read full review
  3. Games Master UK
    Jul 25, 2011
    69
    How can Duke be such a dick, have such an inconsistently crappy game and we still enjoy it? [Sept 2011, p.84]
See all critic reviews »