Damn I’m Over The Top

I previously gave you my first impressions on Duke Nukem Forever after playing a few levels. Now that I have completed the game, I figured to give you a little more. The good and the bad make for one tough ride, but let me explain the process of my mindset here.

Over a decade ago I was eagerly anticipating this game, but after a few delays it was apparent that it would be a long while before I could play. I doubt anyone expected it to be in development for over a decade. And so it was when Gearbox announced the soon to be released game-my mind was set. Go for the Balls Of Steel edition and based on prior experiences with Duke Nukem, Duke Nukem 2, Duke Nukem 3D, and Duke Nukem Manhattan Project I wanted to make this an enjoyable but challenging experience when I played through. I did so by first choosing my difficulty at ‘Come Get Some’ (hard). Secondly, I took a look at the achievement list- noting that I should be able to acquire most achievements as I progress. The one that stood out requires that I keep the pistol with me throughout the entire game. So I proceeded to do just that and I succeeded.

What did I learn? Well this game has some issues in combat. Some enemies are too strong or too weak in random scenarios. Even if I play through a level twice, I sometimes find the enemies taking almost no damage the first time then a lot of damage with each shot the next. Secondly, on hard you will die- a lot! But that’s ok. The problem being that some levels or checkpoints get you frustrated and make you want to quit for a short time.

You also can’t compare this with modern games, that’s just not fair. This is a 90’s style game and in that sense a good healthy chunk of the coding is too! Does that mean it is a bad game, not really. I does work. And there are things I like an things they did screw up on. As with an older game, graphics are shy of perfect with a tad bit of frame rate issues. But the soundtrack flowed very well along with the game play for the primary mode of gameplay that is. The controls for the in game, games is awkward and clunky. Pool is going to try your patience, but you shouldn’t have too much trouble other than with angles. Air Hockey is a little worse as you can easily misdirect the mallets and lose control. Pinball is by far the worst as there is no control over the strength of the plunger and your unlucky to last without losing a ball or two right away.

Ego was a great idea as a sort of shield or health bar. You don’t start with much, but by interacting with objects you can increase it pretty far. Most interactions were seamless and work very well. It’s nice to have a well thought out function. And of course carrying only two weapons was a bit problematic, especially when trying not to lose the pistol.

My biggest issue still lies in the fact that they took the game too far with the sexual content. Other than that and the few issues I noticed the game is fun to play and challenging. However, if you are not a seasoned first person shooter I would suggest playing on ‘Let’s Rock’ (normal). While playing through on hard and with the pistol as one of my weapons I was able to score all but about five achievements. This is worth playing to have fun and not to take too seriously, but it is also a game I suggest only for adults and not kids. And while it is fun, it probably isn’t worth the full $60. I had fun and I also got tired and had to stop for short periods of time to rethink strategy.

Verdict: Wait for the bargain bin or used deals. Don’t pay full price unless you’re a hard core Duke fan. If this was a movie it would be R rated due to too much sexual content, some very explicit and lots of language that is just un called for. Adults only should be on the label. Other than that, it is a fun ride with only a few minor glitches.