Duke Nukem Forever - June 10th/14th

[benji]

Just finished the demo, was pretty underwhelming.

[JaoSming]

downloading now

[Andrew]

Anyone picked this up yet?

[JaoSming]

are you making fun of us Americans that have to wait until Tuesday? racist board, i knew it!

[Andrew]

Lodge a complaint with the admins.

I was out shopping yesterday and saw it in JB Hi-Fi for $79. If I end up getting it I reckon I'll buy it online, I should be able to get it for a better price than that. In the meantime though, I'm interested in hearing what others have to say about it after picking it up.

[kibaxx7]

From what I could read, it is not that good.

[Andrew]

Hmm...I don't know about that review. It's hard to disagree with it of course having not played the game but it's kind of like he's setting the game up for a fall. It's supposed to have all the charm of the original and be true the character, yet completely new and more like the other more recent shooters on the market? I don't know, that's how it came across to me, but maybe I missed the point he was trying to make there.

Bringing back the humour and atmosphere of Duke Nukem 3D seems like the way to go, after all. If you're not going to do that, there's no point making the game or using the character. Framerate issues are a concern but it does seem like for the most part, he's got an axe to grind about stuff that as someone who enjoyed the original game, I'd probably like or not really care about either way. Things like the framerate though, long loading times (though I'd probably get the game on PC), whether the controls are fluid, that's what I'm interested in.

I don't know. I'd like to hear some more opinions about whether or not the game is fun or there's anything particularly bad about the gameplay experience from a fellow gamer who isn't trying to make the point that Duke has become a relic.

[benji]

It's outdated. That's really the best way of putting it based on the demo.

If it had came out in 2004 it would have been alright, now it's just been so far surpassed it's lack of being able to be inventive can't save it from that.

It's not like the games of old, it's furiously attempting to reacquire that status but is a decade late to the party.

Take a TV show or movie or something from the past and show it to young people today who have been through everything that show influenced and they aren't going to get it.

Now try to bring that TV show back for the current times but don't adjust for anything that built off of it. And fill it with memes and "political incorrectness" (that's a decade out of date) in an attempt to stay hip and overlook that you haven't advanced any of the mechanics.

People can and do like it, but it's not going to set the world on fire and most are going to hate it.

The whole thing was done so Gearbox could make a next gen Duke game anyway.

[Andrew]

Would someone who enjoyed the original like it well enough for what it is?

[benji]

Taking into consideration what else you have enjoyed playing over the years, you'll probably like it to some extent.

Since you aren't a big FPS guy I doubt the fact the gameplay mechanics are way behind will matter all that much.

It's not that it's bad but like, I mean you fight a boss in a circle room with nothing beyond shooting him in the face. And you fight some enemies along a path and then ride on a minecart for a few minutes. It's really evident of the transition that all FPSes were undergoing during that period of gaming where they were abandoning the elaborate stages of shooting shit in the Doom/Duke/Quake era for "cinematic" tunnels and imaginary lines but before they got to the more creative aspects or production values the modern games are employing. Then layer on the decade of shit the game went through.

All sane people hate the two weapon limit though.

I somewhat trust Gearbox though, so hopefully we'll all enjoy the Duke reboot when they get around to it down the road.

[Andrew]

Fair enough, thanks for the run down. It does sound like I might enjoy it being a Doom/Duke fan from back in the day but all the same, I might hold off on buying it or perhaps even rent it first. A friend of mine has actually picked it up so I'll wait and see what he thinks of it as well, since he was a big fan of Duke too. But yeah, I might wait or rent first.

[Angelo]

I think ill just buy this in October together with 2k12

[JaoSming]

I spent the $10 this week on OnLive which gives me either their console or a full game for free, I think I'll just pick this up Tuesday on there.

[Kenny]

Just had my copy arrive in the mail and I finished the first two chapters. Wasn't expecting much from this, which is lucky because I think I would have been pretty disappointed if I did. Gameplay is ok, but some of the animations kind of annoy me and his dialogue can get repetitive (particularly when you're on the bench press, he has two lines of dialogue). The most impressive part of the game so far has been the opening sequence for the game... which is actually kind of sad.

So far it's been entertaining, but I don't see myself getting immersed in this one. Probably a great game for a casual gamer who likes shooters and sexual innuendo.

[Andrew]

Is there much I'd be missing out on if I were to just break out the old discs and play Duke 3D again? In terms of gameplay experience and fun things to do, I mean. Obviously the graphics are way better and there's both other advances in gaming tech since then.

[Kenny]

I mean, it's early days yet. I really haven't played too much, but if your goal is to just shoot some bad guys, I'd say the old 3D game probably is a more rewarding experience straight off the bat. So far it seems like they're spending a lot of time emphasising the fact that he's back and I'm guessing there's a lot of shoot em up action to come.

But yeah, right now the review I'm giving is merely a first impression, as I've only really played it in one sitting so far.

[Andrew]

Fair enough, appreciate the insight so far. Look forward to hearing some more impressions after you get a bit further.

[Kenny]

The loading times really kill this game for me (amongst other things). It makes dying all the more frustrating because you have to wait 30-40 seconds waiting for the level to load again... and the chapters are relatively small as well, so it seems that you're spending a lot of time waiting for this to load instead of actually getting some FPS action. It also feels like this game is a shooter from 1999. I know that's the year it was meant for, but in 2011 it just doesn't cut it... not for how much people are spending on it anyway.

I hate to say it, but the more I play this game, the more I'm displeased by it.

[Andrew]

That's not much of an endorsement. I'm thinking I'll bargain bin or skip it.

[Kenny]

If the curiosity is there, try and hire the game first. One thing I can say about it is that if you enjoy it, it's definitely replayable with the 3 different difficulty modes. The chapter selection allows you to skip through to your favourite stage as well (to my knowledge). I just find that the general gameplay has a lot left to be desired and definitely not worth the 150 bucks I spent on the preorder (even though the collector's items are pretty awesome).

[Andrew]

I'll keep an eye open for it at the video store then. I'm not interested in any collectibles so the standard version at a bargain price in a few month's time might be more agreeable.

[kibaxx7]

Kenny Young, you have saved me 300 pesos.

[JaoSming]

Notch (Minecraft guy) posted his review of the game.

http://notch.tumblr.com/

[Andrew]

That was concise.

[benji]

So remember this image?