Duke Nukem Forever: What James Played [PAX 2010 Hands-On]

By James Hawkins
Thursday, September 9, 2010 at 12:00 pm
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​As Alexander and I left the small room where we watched the Duke get fellated by identical twins, we found ourselves in front of a screen, a controller, and a set of headphones. As I'm more of an FPS guy, we agreed that I would play the demo, and Alexander would take some shots.

His eyes-on can be found below. What you will find in this hands-on is what it was like to be in the head of Duke Nukem as he kicked ass and remained out of bubblegum.

Hit the link for a full recap.

It is pretty obvious from the start that the game will be divisive, pretty much any way you look at it. It is an olde timey arena shooter -- you move quickly, there isn't a lot of sophistication as far as cover or level design -- but it is what it is: a Duke Nukem game. The fifty years or so that it's been in development haven't changed that.

It will, of course, stir up the feminist community with its blatant sexism and hyper-machismo attitude. Even the mainstream audience might be tested when it comes to the content; it is a lot to handle. Duke is constantly making quips and spinning his gun. It is constantly self-aggrandizing and self-congratulating. Some will love it, and others will be irritated by it.

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As far as the gameplay goes, the boss fight was a dick-swinging contest which, of course, Duke won. You both shoot each other until one falls to the ground. The monster doesn't really have a 'weak-spot' and you don't have to follow any sort of sequence to beat him. All it takes is a lot of strafing and a lot of bullets. Making this game competent and attractive on any level other than charisma is going to be difficult to pull off. It felt like a really good looking game from 1996. But it very well may survive on its unfaltering legend.

And even this hardened, skeptical journalist felt a breeze of nostalgia when Duke began to whistle his MegaDeth theme at the beginning of the game. There is a reason the franchise has been kept on life support for so long -- it possesses an aura and a vibe that is unmistakable and catchy.

Overall, though, I was more impressed with the trailer than I was with the demo. It might be the boobs, I'll admit that, but I think that Gearbox has been tasked with the near-impossible task of living up to expectations, something I don't think they'll be able to do. I'm feeling a bit underwhelmed about the whole thing, to be perfectly honest. But what can a duo of journalists learn from a thirty second trailer and ten minutes gameplay, huh?
Tags: Duke nukem: Forever, Impressions, PAX Prime
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