Good things come to those who wait, and, oh boy, did we ever wait for Duke Nukem Forever. The rude, crude shooter infamous for having a development cycle of well over a decade is just less than two months away, much to the delight of the legions of gamers that grew up on Duke. Truth be told, if Gearbox didn’t step up and take the reigns, Duke Nukem Forever would’ve most likely been doomed to a legacy of being the gaming industry’s biggest joke instead of an impending reality. Based on the half hour demo that we played, it seems that Gearbox stepped up in a big way.
The second the demo’s fired up, the first thing on the screen are the words “Press X to Piss”. Just like that, the player’s thrust directly into the heart of what Duke Nukem’s all about — a never ending quest to shock and amuse, usually at the same time.
It’s soon evident that this quest seems to spare no expense. Maybe it’s an attempt to make up for lost time; maybe it’s just in the Duke Nukem vein. Regardless, the demo was over-the-top action from beginning to end. If we didn’t know what to expect, the game would almost come off as slightly schizophrenic and for the ADD-riddled. However, Duke Nukem gets a “Get Out of Jail Free” card, as the franchise can be summed up in two words — “That’s Duke“. From dialogue to kill animations and even the weaponry, the title seems perfectly crafted to make the player stop, take a second, and ultimately grin ear-to-ear at every turn.
But you know by now that not all that glitter’s is gold, right? The biggest complaint that we have with the demo is that the movements feel somewhat bulky. The running mechanics don’t seem quite up to snuff, and the walking is just not quite as fluid as t could be. By no means is it a deal-breaker, and let’s face it, it’s not why you’re here in the first place. Fortunately, the shooting mechanics seem fine, a scenario that could’ve rendered the game unforgivably bad.
Given their window of time, it looks like Gearbox did a pretty bang-up job on Duke Nukem Forever. Will it be Game of the Decade? No, it probably won’t. But based on the demo, it looks like Duke Nukem Forever will inject a healthy dose of nostalgia while maintaining a level of polish that’s above-average for 2011. Honestly, that’s all we’re asking for, because we just want admission to see what that crazy bastard’s going to do next.
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