I have an embarrassing story to tell about this game. I like myself a lot of boomer shooters and this was my first Build engine game. I was really enjoying it for the whole first episode, Duke Nukem himself was such a character and the game played in such a fascinating way compared to the Doom engine games I was playing before it. The weapons were sick, the enemies were fun to fight, was really excited to keep playing. And then I hit Episode 2: my first encounter with the Protozoid Slimer. An enemy that goes down in one kick ended up making me shelve the game because it was just too fucking creepy. It would get up on your face and slither in front of the whole screen. I found my heart jumping every single time this happened and a sense of nausea and repulsion just looking at it, it got so bad to the point I had to hype myself up before going into a room where I knew they were. I have seriously bad arachnophobia which could be the cause of why I thought they were so creepy, but yeah. I couldn't bring myself to complete the game because of those little bastards

ENG: The year is 1996. At id Software they were already thinking of Doom as part of the past. The advent of Quake was imminent, which would have as its main feature the use of real 3D, unlike what was previously shown in Doom which used two-dimensional sprites for certain objects and monsters, among other gimmicks.

Quake sold very well. It was a success without a doubt and its legacy is undeniable. However, for many people, the great FPS of 1996 is nothing more than.... A shooter more like Doom than Quake? Did people not see the future and preferred to stick with what they already knew?

Let me explain. While it is true that Quake revolutionized the genre with its advanced technology for the time, the reality is that for many people the final taste was bittersweet. The terrifying Lovecraftian aesthetics, the music made by Trent Reznor himself that accompanied that feeling, and the predominant use of brown and gray colors, were not to everyone's liking.

Duke Nukem 3D, released a few months earlier by 3D Realms, was nothing of the sort.

With the engine created by Ken Silverman, Build Engine, Duke Nukem 3D was not just another Doom clone. It was the next step. Our protagonist, Duke, was a 100% stereotype of the Hollywood action movies of the 80s. And now we had a character that spoke and reacted to the environment, an environment that now provided believable places with details that the id Tech engine would only dare to dream of. In short, this game stood out for its interactivity with the world around it. It was a game that felt alive. And that was something that neither Doom nor Quake were.

With all that said, it seems that I hate Doom and Quake and Duke Nukem 3D seems to me the Holy Grail of Video Games. Nothing could be further from the truth, id Software games have their own merits that I already mentioned in my reviews of them, and Duke Nukem 3D is not perfect, as much as I would like it to be. The second episode has no place on earth, something that made this game special and by the end it's wearing a bit thin at best.

Despite that, Hail to the King, baby!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHnPUgHaltw&ab_channel=RedDragonPalace

ESP: El año es 1996. En id Software pensaban ya en Doom como parte del pasado. El advenimiento de Quake era inminente, este tendría como característica principal el uso de 3D real, a diferencia de lo mostrado anteriormente en Doom el cual usaba sprites bidimensionales para ciertos objetos y monstruos, entre otras artimañas.

Quake vendió muy bien. Fue un éxito sin duda alguna y su legado es innegable. Sin embargo, para mucha gente, el gran FPS de 1996 no es más que... ¿Duke Nukem 3D? ¿Un shooter más parecido a Doom que a Quake? ¿Acaso la gente no veía el futuro y prefería quedarse con lo ya conocido?

Déjenme explicarles. Si bien es verdad que Quake revolucionó el género con su avanzada tecnología para la época, la realidad es que para mucha gente el sabor final fue agridulce. La estética lovecraftiana tan terrorífica, la música hecha por el mismísimo Trent Reznor que acompañaba esa sensación, y el predominante uso de los colores marrones y grises, no fueron del gusto de todos.

Duke Nukem 3D, lanzado unos pocos meses antes por 3D Realms, no era nada de eso.

Con el motor creado por Ken Silverman, Build Engine, Duke Nukem 3D no era un clon más del Doom. Era el siguiente paso. Nuestro protagonista, Duke, era un estereotipo al 100% de las películas de acción hollywoodenses de los 80s. Y es que ahora teníamos a un personaje que hablaba y reaccionaba al entorno, entorno que ahora propiciaba lugares creíbles con detalles que el motor id Tech solo se atrevería soñar. En definitiva, este juego se destacaba por su interactividad para con el mundo que lo rodeaba. Era un juego que se sentía vivo. Y eso era algo que no eran ni Doom ni Quake.

Con todo lo dicho, parece que detesto a Doom y a Quake y Duke Nukem 3D me parece el Santo Grial de los Videojuegos. Nada más lejos de la realidad, los juegos de id Software tienen sus propios méritos que ya mencioné en mis reseñas de los mismos, y Duke Nukem 3D no es perfecto, por mucho que me gustaría que lo fuera. El segundo episodio no tiene lugar en la tierra, cosa que hacía especial a este juego y al final se va desgastando un poco a lo mejor.

Pero que mierda digo, yo voy a seguir con Duke, caretas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHnPUgHaltw&ab_channel=RedDragonPalace

Pros: Personality, tons of it. Yeah, the humor hasn't aged well, but Duke's vanilla smooth voice sure has! It's a decent FPS of the day, the kind where you're navigating mazes, looking for key cards, to open doors, which, I actually appreciate quite a bit. The game is fine! Lots to look at, lots to laugh at, it's amateurish, sure, but a solid game!... Damn, this game is good.

Cons: It's so over the top, it's really hard to say something like "Duke is misogynistic" when... c'mon, this is just dumb satire. I can't imagine anyone seriously looking to him as a role model... Then again, he does kick ass and chew bubble gum, despite being all out of gum.

What it means to me: This was my first FPS game next to... Next to Super 3D Noah's Ark. I'm not even kidding. I played these two back to back, and they couldn't be more different! Haha! I had a lot of fun being a little kid laughing at all of the "mature" jokes in this one. I felt a little sneaky playing it when I knew I wasn't allowed to, heheh... It's a good memory for that alone.

(Duke Nukem voice) It's time to review a video game.

Duke Nukem 3D is a fun little FPS romp. Admittedly, that is undercutting a little since this game was absurdly innovative for its time, showing just how much you could do with the Build Engine compared to earlier FPS engines. It's just that also a lot those things you can do are such exciting things as "hand $100 bills to strippers" and "say a one-liner in response to gibbing an enemy".

In addition to expanding the possibilities of what you can do in an FPS, Duke nukem features a variety of fun gimmicky weapons. There's something incredibly amusing about shooting an enemy with a shrink ray and then crushing them under your foot.

There is also the character of Duke Nukem. New media is usually inspired by older media, and time and time again video games have taken inspiration from films. Duke is meant to embody the 1980s action movie juggernaut with his penchant for explosions, overwhelming machismo, and goofy one-liners. I must admit, I am a fan of modern Duke Nukem memes where he takes this comical overconfidence to more everyday scenarios. At several point I found myself referencing these memes in response to all the goofy things that happen in this game.

All in all, I had a fun time exploring this older title. I only played the first three episodes that made up the base game, but who knows, maybe I'll give The Body a try. Maybe see if I can find any of the other old Duke Nukem expansions lying around. The vacation-themed one seems particularly amusing to me. And that's not even getting into my desire to play the still-in-development ultra-british fan pack, Duke Smoochem.

If you buy this game, make sure to play it through EDuke32.

I think it's a bit sad that Duke has turned into a meme. Right now he's just brought up to poke fun at DNF, or at some of the admittedly more questionable aspects of 3D. I think there's a lot to love about Duke Nukem 3D even today. It's cheesy, it's a little sleazy (greasy, even), sometimes maybe a hint creepy (though less than people think, ultra-misogynist is more of a DNF thing, 3D is usually fairly tongue in-cheek about it), but it's still got a lot of charm and personality in its every little detail, back when that really wasn't a thing in the genre. Plus, it's still just fun, y'know?

while Duke Nukem isn't quite as "tactical" as other Build games like Blood, it makes up for it in style and pure fun. i always get a healthy rush of endorphins whenever anything explodes in this game and Duke says one of his one liners. he's one of the most raw protagonists ever conceived

admittedly, episode 1 beats out the other two episodes by a decent margin. that said, i still enjoy both episodes 2 and 3, with 3 being a little bit better than 2. there are a couple of enemies i'm not fond of, like the kamikaze flyers that the game spams in episode 2 and the big flying fat guys that sound like the ugly bastard tag on rule 34. otherwise, i think Duke Nukem has some great, solid level design and a very satisfying game loop. most everything FEELS good in this game, and that's half the battle in a shooter.