Coming from playing Doom this was hard, but after a while trying to learn how to use all my arsenal properly, it was a bit easier.
The monsters design and weapons were one of my favorite things of this game.
Good game, and a bit challenging one for me.
The monsters design and weapons were one of my favorite things of this game.
Good game, and a bit challenging one for me.
people in the 90s: woah this 3D environment looks like an actual place and not like a maze made out of sewn together gooches. this franchise will never be bad ever
HELL YEAH.
Aaaah, the classic Duke Nukem 3D. One of the best old-school FPS games ever, with an amazing soundtrack and badass guns. Just kill the aliens and blow their brains while the good old OST plays. Duke Nukem never lost his charm and never will.
this game scream USA
This game is like taking the classic action hero of the 80s and 90s and placing them into a first-person shooter. Full of references to films, TV, and other cultural touchstones of that era, this is a roaring good time if you're a fan of that kind of stuff. It also stands out from other games of its type with the complete opposite of a silent protagonist, as Jon St. John rips one-liner after one-liner while gunning down aliens and hitting on chicks. Yes, some of the game has not aged well in our culture, but the gameplay is classic FPS action with some very cool levels to traverse if you can look past the dated stuff.
I first played this on my iPod touch in 2009, I had to lie to my parents saying this wasn't a M rated game and I bought it by mistake.
This review contains spoilers
Warning: spoilers
All time classic that never gets old.
Duke Nukem 3D was one of the first games I ever played, and what a game to start with. As a kid, I was not skilled enough to finish this epic game, but as an adult, I finally finished the game in 2017. It did not disappoint and it was a ride full of joy and nostalgia.
Duke Nukem 3D is a simple game with a simple story. Aliens invade the earth and are abducting all the woman, or “babes”. Duke is on vacation after the events of Duke Nukem I and II, but is called to earth via a distress signal.
You start in L.A. and see the devastation that has ravaged the city. You fight your way through the alien horde, desperately seeking and rescuing the women that have been abducted. Throughout the four episodes, you fight an Alien Battle lord, infiltrate an alien mothership to discover that the women are being “incubated” by the aliens. But then, you discover they were just a distraction to lure Duke away from earth, while the aliens launch a full invasion of the earth. This is a great example of the simple mind of a man. Lure him away with beer and/or titties and he will follow like a dog.
Anyway, you return to earth, fight the Cycloid Emperor and save the day, or so you think. However, in the next episode, you learn that one of the incubated women from the mother ship is used to “give birth” to the Alien Queen. You get your gun and go to work once again. You venture through “Babe Land”, a parody of Disneyland, Duke Burger, and even Area 51. You kill the Alien Queen but learn that there is another invasion that takes place all around the world. In the last episode, you liberate world capitols like Amsterdam, Paris, London, the pyramids of Giza, Rome and end your ass kicking back in Los Angles. You defeat the Cycloid Incinerator and stop the alien threat once and for all.
In terms of graphics, I still think Duke Nukem 3D looks great. Many items, furniture and walls are destructible, giving this game a realistic look, even back then. The many different areas, regions, unique buildings and settings makes this game stand out in comparison to Doom and Wolfenstein in my opinion.
Sound wise, Duke Nukem 3D is on par with Doom. Gunfire, enemy grunts and explosions all sound great. But of course, the best part of Duke Nukem, is its rocking soundtrack.
You can collect many different items in Duke Nukem 3D. New weapons, portable health kits, speed boosting steroids, holograms and many more. The inclusion of those items give this game an RPG feeling. Most of them are hidden away so exploring the levels thoroughly is a rewarding experience.
The humour and references to pop culture are hilarious. Many of them, I could not understand as a kid, but when growing up, many of these jokes and parodies are still as dark or funny as they were back then. When I found the corpse of the Doom Guy in one of the many secrets in the game, I could do nothing more than love the game even more.
The best part of Duke Nukem 3D, is the controversy that it spawned when it came out, something I did not understand as a kid, but which is somewhat hilarious in hindsight. The fact that you dope yourself up with steroids for extra boosts, the fact that Duke is actually a horny playboy/pimp that does not give a crap about people, except hot babes, and the foul jokes that I could finally understand when I grew up learned the English language.
Definitely recommend this gem.
All time classic that never gets old.
Duke Nukem 3D was one of the first games I ever played, and what a game to start with. As a kid, I was not skilled enough to finish this epic game, but as an adult, I finally finished the game in 2017. It did not disappoint and it was a ride full of joy and nostalgia.
Duke Nukem 3D is a simple game with a simple story. Aliens invade the earth and are abducting all the woman, or “babes”. Duke is on vacation after the events of Duke Nukem I and II, but is called to earth via a distress signal.
You start in L.A. and see the devastation that has ravaged the city. You fight your way through the alien horde, desperately seeking and rescuing the women that have been abducted. Throughout the four episodes, you fight an Alien Battle lord, infiltrate an alien mothership to discover that the women are being “incubated” by the aliens. But then, you discover they were just a distraction to lure Duke away from earth, while the aliens launch a full invasion of the earth. This is a great example of the simple mind of a man. Lure him away with beer and/or titties and he will follow like a dog.
Anyway, you return to earth, fight the Cycloid Emperor and save the day, or so you think. However, in the next episode, you learn that one of the incubated women from the mother ship is used to “give birth” to the Alien Queen. You get your gun and go to work once again. You venture through “Babe Land”, a parody of Disneyland, Duke Burger, and even Area 51. You kill the Alien Queen but learn that there is another invasion that takes place all around the world. In the last episode, you liberate world capitols like Amsterdam, Paris, London, the pyramids of Giza, Rome and end your ass kicking back in Los Angles. You defeat the Cycloid Incinerator and stop the alien threat once and for all.
In terms of graphics, I still think Duke Nukem 3D looks great. Many items, furniture and walls are destructible, giving this game a realistic look, even back then. The many different areas, regions, unique buildings and settings makes this game stand out in comparison to Doom and Wolfenstein in my opinion.
Sound wise, Duke Nukem 3D is on par with Doom. Gunfire, enemy grunts and explosions all sound great. But of course, the best part of Duke Nukem, is its rocking soundtrack.
You can collect many different items in Duke Nukem 3D. New weapons, portable health kits, speed boosting steroids, holograms and many more. The inclusion of those items give this game an RPG feeling. Most of them are hidden away so exploring the levels thoroughly is a rewarding experience.
The humour and references to pop culture are hilarious. Many of them, I could not understand as a kid, but when growing up, many of these jokes and parodies are still as dark or funny as they were back then. When I found the corpse of the Doom Guy in one of the many secrets in the game, I could do nothing more than love the game even more.
The best part of Duke Nukem 3D, is the controversy that it spawned when it came out, something I did not understand as a kid, but which is somewhat hilarious in hindsight. The fact that you dope yourself up with steroids for extra boosts, the fact that Duke is actually a horny playboy/pimp that does not give a crap about people, except hot babes, and the foul jokes that I could finally understand when I grew up learned the English language.
Definitely recommend this gem.
This game is just so god damn good f my life.
It's a classic for a reason, even if it never was a personal favorite. Never even fully finished it until now, but i did play the first episode around 100 times and it remains the best one.
Really innovative for it's time, it is wonderfully charming in 80's/90's action movie kind of way. Less charming is the amount of bullshit it pulls, some enemies like the exploding drones and the minigun one are insanely frustrating and annoying. There are so many insta-death traps and unavoidable enemies.
As a shooter it is one of the weakest among it's peers, but the attitude and humor more than makes up for it.
Really innovative for it's time, it is wonderfully charming in 80's/90's action movie kind of way. Less charming is the amount of bullshit it pulls, some enemies like the exploding drones and the minigun one are insanely frustrating and annoying. There are so many insta-death traps and unavoidable enemies.
As a shooter it is one of the weakest among it's peers, but the attitude and humor more than makes up for it.
REALLY fun FPS that my awesome friend @10reviews got me into! Duke Nukem 3D has everything I love in a FPS: a fun variety of weapons, an awesome array of levels, and super cool enemies to blow the heads off of. Best of all, the protagonist himself is really stupid + funny, and his weird quips he lets out are amusing, but done infrequently enough that it doesn't get annoying. There's not much to say about Duke Nukem 3D at this point that I'm sure others have already said much better than I can, especially people who are bigger fans of FPSs - but what I can say is I had a really great time playing it, to the point that I think it's currently my favorite FPS... either that or Half-Life 1. Both are just so good but in different ways!
If you're looking for a raunchy boomer shooter, I can't recommend Duke Nukem 3D enough!
4/5
If you're looking for a raunchy boomer shooter, I can't recommend Duke Nukem 3D enough!
4/5
"suck it down"
"you wanna dance?"
"shake it baby!"
"you wanna dance?"
"shake it baby!"
It's no wonder there was a decade long wait for the Sequel to this game. Duke 3D basically steps it up in every way. The Gun play is amazing and the different items you get on top of that make it almost a proto immersive sim. Running through levels that set the goal to feel like real spaces, Duke 3D really achieves an immersive quality of making you feel like an action hero fighting through a dangerous scenario. I'm more pleased with some levels than others.
The game sadly doesn't reach the peaks of LA Meltdown and Lunar Apocalypse in its final level pack of Shrapnel City. That is par for the course for Build Engine Games, but hiding almost one hit enemies behind doors where there's no good way to back out of the fight gets tedious really fast. Other than that, Duke Nukem 3D is a legendary title for a reason. Blow it out your ass!
The game sadly doesn't reach the peaks of LA Meltdown and Lunar Apocalypse in its final level pack of Shrapnel City. That is par for the course for Build Engine Games, but hiding almost one hit enemies behind doors where there's no good way to back out of the fight gets tedious really fast. Other than that, Duke Nukem 3D is a legendary title for a reason. Blow it out your ass!
Didn't leave an impression like doom, but the interactive set pieces and pop culture easter eggs and a character that has some of the best lines of all time in gaming. It really ranks up there in terms of doing something different than other doom clones.
People give this game way too much shit nowadays, no doubt helped by the aftermath of it's disappointing "sequel" that gaslit everyone into thinking that this franchise always sucked.
But this game still rules for at least 3/4ths of it.
Yes, Duke 3D is likely the weakest game in the Build engine trilogy. But it's still a certified keeper. The character, feel, gameplay and just overall 80s late-night action-movie vibe this game has makes it unforgettable all these years later IMO. Episode 2 is easily the worst set of levels, but E1, 3, and ESPECIALLY episode 4 have some of the best levels I've played in a retro shooter, topped off as well by a still-kicking modding community that still puts out quality maps all these years later.
Biggest problem this game suffers from nowadays is just HOW to play it. Despite having a super solid 5th episode, the recent 20th anniversary port from Gearbox leaves a lot to be desired and just isn't a good port at all. Buy it on ZOOM platform (as it has all the official expansions the Gearbox port doesn't have for some reason) and load it up with Eduke32 and some widescreen mods for the best experience. Treat this game in a bubble, removed from all the disappointment that came after, you'll find this game is still a classic for good reason.
But this game still rules for at least 3/4ths of it.
Yes, Duke 3D is likely the weakest game in the Build engine trilogy. But it's still a certified keeper. The character, feel, gameplay and just overall 80s late-night action-movie vibe this game has makes it unforgettable all these years later IMO. Episode 2 is easily the worst set of levels, but E1, 3, and ESPECIALLY episode 4 have some of the best levels I've played in a retro shooter, topped off as well by a still-kicking modding community that still puts out quality maps all these years later.
Biggest problem this game suffers from nowadays is just HOW to play it. Despite having a super solid 5th episode, the recent 20th anniversary port from Gearbox leaves a lot to be desired and just isn't a good port at all. Buy it on ZOOM platform (as it has all the official expansions the Gearbox port doesn't have for some reason) and load it up with Eduke32 and some widescreen mods for the best experience. Treat this game in a bubble, removed from all the disappointment that came after, you'll find this game is still a classic for good reason.
Hail to the king, baby!!!
I liked Duke 3D, I thought it was really fun but from what I can tell, it definitely seems like the weakest of the iconic build engine games, at the same time it was kind of the first big one so its forgivable.
The biggest issue that plagues this entire game is the enemy design. Some of the enemies are so much of a chore to fight, specifically the sentry drones, assault commanders, battle lords, turrets and octabrains (kinda).
The sentry drones are the worst, absolutely unbearable. They tank a fuck ton of damage, spawn in the dumbest spots, ear rape you and blow up in your face constantly. To make these guys bearable to fight you have to do the door glitch or just unload into them because they dodge rockets for some reason. Hitler ass enemy, they're up there with the Quake shamblers and the Blood gargoyles.
Assault commanders and battle lords have the same spongy enemy issue, which is normally fine because they're higher tier enemies, however their danger is completely negated by just using the shrink ray and one shoting them which is more efficient and more enjoyable to do because they're not very fun to fight. Especially the battlelords because they're basically just Doom chaingunners that have a fuck ton of health.
The turrets are annoying as fuck because they have a pixel big hitbox and the octabrains are completely harmless because of the fact the devastator one shots them, but I feel like they're not nearly as annoying as the other enemies I listed.
I generally really liked most of the levels but there were a few misses. All of Ep 1 was pretty good tbh, Ep 2 I think is a bit too overhated but it does have some pretty ass levels like Fusion Station and Occupied Station but most of the rest are pretty fine, their biggest issue is all kind of blending in together aesthetically.
Episode 3 is consistently great. Better than 2 imo but there's still some levels I don't care for like Flood Zone which is cool conceptually but its pretty one note and it overly relies on the jetpack as a mechanic which is lame. LA Rumble also jerks off the jetpack a lot but I can forgive it cuz its a pretty cool level. In general, I'll say that all the episode 3 levels are quite varied and unique, which is great.
Everything else about the game is pretty nice, the soundtrack is pretty good, most of the guns are fun (Ice ray is really underutilized though) and Duke Nukem is Duke Nukem so all is good in the world.
The biggest issue that plagues this entire game is the enemy design. Some of the enemies are so much of a chore to fight, specifically the sentry drones, assault commanders, battle lords, turrets and octabrains (kinda).
The sentry drones are the worst, absolutely unbearable. They tank a fuck ton of damage, spawn in the dumbest spots, ear rape you and blow up in your face constantly. To make these guys bearable to fight you have to do the door glitch or just unload into them because they dodge rockets for some reason. Hitler ass enemy, they're up there with the Quake shamblers and the Blood gargoyles.
Assault commanders and battle lords have the same spongy enemy issue, which is normally fine because they're higher tier enemies, however their danger is completely negated by just using the shrink ray and one shoting them which is more efficient and more enjoyable to do because they're not very fun to fight. Especially the battlelords because they're basically just Doom chaingunners that have a fuck ton of health.
The turrets are annoying as fuck because they have a pixel big hitbox and the octabrains are completely harmless because of the fact the devastator one shots them, but I feel like they're not nearly as annoying as the other enemies I listed.
I generally really liked most of the levels but there were a few misses. All of Ep 1 was pretty good tbh, Ep 2 I think is a bit too overhated but it does have some pretty ass levels like Fusion Station and Occupied Station but most of the rest are pretty fine, their biggest issue is all kind of blending in together aesthetically.
Episode 3 is consistently great. Better than 2 imo but there's still some levels I don't care for like Flood Zone which is cool conceptually but its pretty one note and it overly relies on the jetpack as a mechanic which is lame. LA Rumble also jerks off the jetpack a lot but I can forgive it cuz its a pretty cool level. In general, I'll say that all the episode 3 levels are quite varied and unique, which is great.
Everything else about the game is pretty nice, the soundtrack is pretty good, most of the guns are fun (Ice ray is really underutilized though) and Duke Nukem is Duke Nukem so all is good in the world.
not for me
Played this at a friend's house when I was maybe 6 years old - all I remember was that you could use the urinal and that was peak comedy at the time.
Really love this classic, really fun levels and of course duke himself is always fun to listen to. It has a great soundtrack with it too, easily one of my favorite fps games ever.
My only real complaint is higher difficulties are not fun, too much hitscan enemies.
My only real complaint is higher difficulties are not fun, too much hitscan enemies.
One of my Top 5 best games I have ever played. The fact that a game from 1996 has more interactivity than any other AAA game from the last 20 years is insane to me.
(I played this on the Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour)
There are few boomer shooter protagonists as remembered as Duke Nukem. You could say Doom guy, but tell me what’s his best quote. Duke Nukem 3D wasn’t the first Duke Nukem game, but it was the one that made it popular. It used the new Build engine to make a level with complexity and interactivity that hadn’t been seen before. While today, it may seem primitive, at the time it was cutting edge. Would I recommend It? If you want to experience the past of gaming, sure go ahead, but in regard to its core gameplay there are just better modern titles.
Story
You can probably guess that this is not a story focused game. There are cutscenes that provide context and humour. However, throughout most of the game you will just be going through loosely connected levels and any plot it has is on par to a 90s action B-movie. The only part worth talking about is the protagonist, Duke Nukem. He is heavily inspired by the action film protagonist of the 90s like the Terminator, Commando and others. He is a big buff guy who only talks in one-liners, loves women and hates aliens (the extraterrestrial kind). Some people might be put off by the reputation he acquired from the later games, I assure you Duke Nukem 3D doesn’t use sexism for jokes. It does put women in peril, but that is mainly to give the protagonist a reason that more closely aligns with his archetype.
Mechanics and gameplay
If you ever played a boomer shooter than you already know the core gameplay. Movement in the build engine takes some getting used to, but overall, it’s alright. You get the regular amount of gun – 10, and they have some variety between them. There is the standard pistol, shotgun, rocket launcher and MG, but there are more original weapons like shrinkinator, freeze ray and devastator. I have to note the lack of tracers and projectile weapons being hard to aim. The game gives you just enough ammo to kill everything, but not enough to only use the most powerful weapons. Enemy variety is lacking. You will mostly be fighting the same few foes thought the whole game, and most of them are hitscanners. Bosses aren’t worth talking about. Level design is good. They have a surprising amount of interactivity for an old game. Another part of what makes them so memorable is their variety. Cinemas, amusement parks, the moon – Duke Nukem takes you to many places, but it always keeps the same feel. I did get lost a few times, but I think that’s on me.
Graphics and artstyle
2D enemies, low quality textures and chunky environments. Yeah, back in the day it was the peak, now even Unity asset flips have better graphics. At least the game doesn’t look “ugly”.
Atmosphere
Duke Nukem 3D gives off a very specific atmosphere. You are the stereotypical thought guy who says cool one-liners, will kick the alien’s ass, and all the hot chicks love him. Very reminiscent of 90s action films.
Soundtrack and sound effects
SFX is okay, it didn’t make an impression on me. OST is excellent. Every level has its own soundtrack, and they all feel unique. Those midi composers knew what they were doing. My favourite part is “Aliens, Say Your Prayers!”.
Final Thoughts
I am here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and I am all out of ass.
There are few boomer shooter protagonists as remembered as Duke Nukem. You could say Doom guy, but tell me what’s his best quote. Duke Nukem 3D wasn’t the first Duke Nukem game, but it was the one that made it popular. It used the new Build engine to make a level with complexity and interactivity that hadn’t been seen before. While today, it may seem primitive, at the time it was cutting edge. Would I recommend It? If you want to experience the past of gaming, sure go ahead, but in regard to its core gameplay there are just better modern titles.
Story
You can probably guess that this is not a story focused game. There are cutscenes that provide context and humour. However, throughout most of the game you will just be going through loosely connected levels and any plot it has is on par to a 90s action B-movie. The only part worth talking about is the protagonist, Duke Nukem. He is heavily inspired by the action film protagonist of the 90s like the Terminator, Commando and others. He is a big buff guy who only talks in one-liners, loves women and hates aliens (the extraterrestrial kind). Some people might be put off by the reputation he acquired from the later games, I assure you Duke Nukem 3D doesn’t use sexism for jokes. It does put women in peril, but that is mainly to give the protagonist a reason that more closely aligns with his archetype.
Mechanics and gameplay
If you ever played a boomer shooter than you already know the core gameplay. Movement in the build engine takes some getting used to, but overall, it’s alright. You get the regular amount of gun – 10, and they have some variety between them. There is the standard pistol, shotgun, rocket launcher and MG, but there are more original weapons like shrinkinator, freeze ray and devastator. I have to note the lack of tracers and projectile weapons being hard to aim. The game gives you just enough ammo to kill everything, but not enough to only use the most powerful weapons. Enemy variety is lacking. You will mostly be fighting the same few foes thought the whole game, and most of them are hitscanners. Bosses aren’t worth talking about. Level design is good. They have a surprising amount of interactivity for an old game. Another part of what makes them so memorable is their variety. Cinemas, amusement parks, the moon – Duke Nukem takes you to many places, but it always keeps the same feel. I did get lost a few times, but I think that’s on me.
Graphics and artstyle
2D enemies, low quality textures and chunky environments. Yeah, back in the day it was the peak, now even Unity asset flips have better graphics. At least the game doesn’t look “ugly”.
Atmosphere
Duke Nukem 3D gives off a very specific atmosphere. You are the stereotypical thought guy who says cool one-liners, will kick the alien’s ass, and all the hot chicks love him. Very reminiscent of 90s action films.
Soundtrack and sound effects
SFX is okay, it didn’t make an impression on me. OST is excellent. Every level has its own soundtrack, and they all feel unique. Those midi composers knew what they were doing. My favourite part is “Aliens, Say Your Prayers!”.
Final Thoughts
I am here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and I am all out of ass.
One of the best FPS's from the 90's! I truly feel like an 80's action hero while playing this!
Never liked Duke to begin with
God, this game is good.
clasico genie
The few boring space levels drag this down... These real world levels (E1 and E3) are amazing and make Doom cities look like caveman drawings. There is a nice assortment of weapons, but it is a bit awkward to hit binds past 8 for them. I wasn't sure what best to bind them to, so I just left it. Bosses are a letdown, and the normal enemies were alright. I cannot stress enough how much I loved the level design. There are lots of situations where you blow up walls, floors, and ceilings to get to new or secret areas. Entering a newly broken area and it being too dark to see, equipping the goggles to make out the shape of enemies? Probably one of my favourite things when exploring these levels. A few of these secret levels are really creative with how you traverse them. I think the only thing to criticize about levels is how they let you keep the jetpack. You can skip so much in some of them with a previous jetpack when you're meant to be jumping up and across buildings.
It's definitely a different kind of gameplay vibe compared to Doom, though I can't help but realize it's hard to stack up to the Doom II enemy roster either way.
Could you imagine putting George Zimmerman trial references all over a game now...
It's definitely a different kind of gameplay vibe compared to Doom, though I can't help but realize it's hard to stack up to the Doom II enemy roster either way.
Could you imagine putting George Zimmerman trial references all over a game now...
meio merda pra falar a real...
ITs time to kick bubblegum and chew ass... & and im all outta ass - Dick Kickem
Used to be pretty harsh on this game. Always recognized it's innovation, and importance. But its always been outclassed by Shadow Warrior, Blood, and Powerslave for me.
Ive come around on it in recent years though, enjoyable experience even if it only has a singular good episode
Ive come around on it in recent years though, enjoyable experience even if it only has a singular good episode