2K announces Duke Nukem Forever for 360, PS3 (and PC) 2011

[TiLT]

I'm on PC. The load times are pretty much instant, and for once this is a game that doesn't require you to sit through a series of logos when booting it up. I can go from clicking the game icon to having loaded my savegame in a matter of seconds.

Are the backgrounds in the game on the PC blurry like the demo was?

I'd have to have played the demo to answer that question.

Edit: Having said that, much of the background appeared to be "smoothed out" to separate it from the foreground and to hide the somewhat low amount of polygon detail. That may be what you're referring to.

[Travis]

IGN didn't like it at all.

[TiLT]

I think this is going to be an extremely polarizing game. Either you like it, or you hate it. I don't think there'll be much middle ground, and I don't think many people will outright love it.

[metallicorphan]

DNF just got to number 1 here in the UK,knocking L.A. Noire off top spot to number 2 and keeping Infamous 2 at number 4(Zumba Fitness is at number 3)and Red Faction only made number 8,which is a shame because i wouldn't mind playing that game i didn't mind the demo,i was expecting higher

it will be interesting to see how long DNF stays at number 1 seen as though it was only released last Friday,HAZE when that was first released was straight in at number 1 and i think it broke records for a PS3 game at the time,however,it also became the most taken back title after 1 day

[Bullwinkle]

Eurogamer's subtitle is "The King is Dead" so you can figure they didn't like it.  I wasn't expecting a 3/10, though.  That's worse than IGN's 5/10.

In the end, you feel every year of Duke Nukem Forever's ridiculous, fractured development seeping out of each unsatisfying frame. With four studios sharing title space in the opening animation, and end credits which run for almost 10 minutes, the weight of so many false starts, dead ends and endlessly revised design documents proves too much. For all his muscle and bravado, Duke Nukem is actually a fragile creature. His legacy is based on a specific combination of time and technology and a mercurial element of fun that simply doesn't lend itself to repetition, especially after so long in limbo.

The appeal of Duke Nukem lives on. But your time and money would be better spent reliving his iconic past than bearing witness to this gruesomely mangled resurrection.

[metallicorphan]

i can't believe it is as bad as a 3/10

maybe because expectation has been knocked,but still...a 3???

[CeeKay]

yeah, that Eurogamer switches it from a 'wait to sale' to 'DO NOT WANT' for me.

[Rumpy]

I had an idea this would happen. Coupled with the self-fueled hype surrounding the game and the long development time, I think people could only have expected a good game to come out. It's the only thing people would have accepted. The fact that it's a craptacular game is genuinely disappointing and makes me wonder if perhaps we placed too much faith in the developers. The fact that it had several restarts in the first place only makes me feel like there was something seriously wrong, not just with the game but the developers as well making this a schizophrenic game. Is it really any wonder that it's bad?

[TiLT]

makes me wonder if perhaps we placed too much faith in the developers.

Uh, what? I think you must be alone in doing exactly that. Duke Nukem Forever will go down in history as one of the worst (if not THE worst) managed game projects in history. There were a few posts around the Internet by ex-3D Realms employees after they lost the game to Gearbox where they talk about the total lack of proper project management. This was a game designed and managed by people with almost unlimited time and funds and no real organization to keep things under control. There was no way it would end well, and it didn't.

The playability that is in Duke Nukem Forever today (and I find it very playable) is probably there thanks to Gearbox.

[Darren8r]

It's Duke Nukem.
I'm picking it up tomorrow regardless of the reviews.
I grew up playing and loving the game and now I finally get that chance to play a new Duke Nukem game. I'm ecstatic.

Sure it doesn't have the graphics of Crysis 2 and it doesn't play as well as a COD game, I don't care.

From all the game play videos I've seen it looks just like the Duke Nukem I grew up playing and loving and there is nothing wrong with that to me. I'm not going to let the reviews sway my opinion until I try it for myself.

 

[Rumpy]

makes me wonder if perhaps we placed too much faith in the developers.

Uh, what? I think you must be alone in doing exactly that.

Uh no. Quite the opposite, actually, and I think you misunderstood me. I was saying it in terms of the devs having a legacy in front of them that many were feeling like it would be the best game ever if it actually came out, false promises and all that notwithstanding.    Personally, I don't even care about playing the game even though I might have if it had been released about 5 or 10 years ago. My interest is in how the game ends up. I don't disagree with you, in fact you pretty much repeated what I'd said. It was an impossibility that it would ever live up to the hype. Under those circumstances, I think even a good game might have been received negatively. But the fact that people have waited so long only to receive a steaming pile of manure only adds insult to injury and only serves to highlight how messed up the game was. I don't doubt that Gearbox did much to make it a playable game, but it's probably one of those games that probably shouldn't of been.

Just curious about one thing though. Did they keep the old man in the desert with the donkey or did that get scrapped?

[metallicorphan]

Easter Egg Video,and description in the spoiler

Spoiler for Hiden:

Christian Bale Easter Egg

 

[CeeKay]

Easter Egg Video,and description in the spoiler

Spoiler for Hiden:

Christian Bale Easter Egg

 

that's in the demo too.

[kronovan]

Personally I think this game is pannning out to be a huge success - after about 10 reviews its scores are NO where near as low as Daikitanas'.  

[TiLT]

Just curious about one thing though. Did they keep the old man in the desert with the donkey or did that get scrapped?

I never ran into him, so I assume he was scrapped.

[metallicorphan]

Easter Egg Video,and description in the spoiler

Spoiler for Hiden:

Christian Bale Easter Egg

 

that's in the demo too.

was it?..i must of missed it then

[DarkEL]

My pre-order arrives today and I'm looking forward to playing it. I think review scores are meaningless (especially when it's in the best interest of a media outlet to either give the game a great review or a horrible review - few people will click through to read why something got an average review score).

But I have realistic expectations going in. I played the demo a couple of times and commented here about the fact that it felt like an old school duke game - which is sort of out of place in todays world. But even if some of the lines are worn-out now, I think there's still a decent enough game in there to play through and enjoy the over-the-top Duke style again.

I did set expectations with my wife and daughter that they are going to be confined to a room on the other side of the house while I'm playing the game though.

[Roman]

Picked up my copy @ lunch! Looking forward to later this evening. Expectations = I want to play old school Duke and all signs point to that expectation being met.
Added bonus was that Gamestop here in Canada was offering an extra %35 credit on trade-ins towards this purchase. So after my initial deposit of $35 or so I ended up adding an additional $2.09 to get my copy. I think that counts as a win win.

Roman

[Bullwinkle]

With Reward Certs, a $10 GC from another purchase today and a 2 for 1 deal, I got Duke for free and Tomb Raider Trilogy for $10.  Woohoo!

[spigot]

Sadly, despite the lackluster reviews I've seen this getting, it will still probably sell moderately well. Partly due to a morbid curiosity of what kind of a spectacle it finally turned out to be and partly due to rose-colored nostalgia factor. I admit I'm kind of curious what the final deliverable product is, but it'll be a long while and many deep discounts later until I experience it myself.

[leo8877]

Ars Technica skewers Duke

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/reviews/2011/06/duke-nukem-forever-review-barely-playable-unfunny-and-rampantly-offensive.ars/

[Bullwinkle]

Sadly, despite the lackluster reviews I've seen this getting, it will still probably sell moderately well. Partly due to a morbid curiosity of what kind of a spectacle it finally turned out to be and partly due to rose-colored nostalgia factor. I admit I'm kind of curious what the final deliverable product is, but it'll be a long while and many deep discounts later until I experience it myself.

That's why I bought it.  Sure as hell.

I haven't even gotten to a proper shooting level yet (apart from the introduction), and I'm enjoying it.  It definitely helps to take the Expectations glasses off, though.  And slipping those rosey ones on doesn't hurt.

[CeeKay]

And slipping those rosey ones on doesn't hurt.

my rosey ones are broke, so that doesn't help. 

that's what's worrying me about any positive impressions of this game in the wild- how many of them are lookinjg at it through rose colored glasses and how many are saying it's good just because the reviews are bad.  of course I trust almost everyone here (except that shifty Norwegian and his Danish cabana boy ), so I'm willing to bump it up to 'buy when I can get it cheaper than Bullwinkle did' status

[shon]

Played about an hour last night and I enjoyed it, it brought back memories and not crazy stuff everywhere like COD.  It may turn out horrible but so far no problems at all. 

[Roman]

played on normal for about an hour and a half last night.

So far it is just what I expected.

Dislikes -

• the loading times are horrendous between levels and also when you die and need to re-load the checkpoint. I know that this will not be changed as I progress -that is where my multitasking comes in handy as I can surf on the iPad while the levels load.
• The amount of time that was required to get into the action - ughh!
• aiming mechanics are not as precise as I have been used to

Likes -

• the campy Duke humour - just what I have been missing
• Super easy achievements - in my playtime last night I have an extra 100 gamerscore
• Too early to say......

[Bullwinkle]

I've found that for highest entertainment value, you must put on your best Duke voice (I discovered that mine isn't half bad!) and keep the running commentary going.

"Wow, I could really just keep pissing for days.  I should see a doctor about that."

"Why the hell did I agree to have this TV studio built into my hotel anyway?"

"Hey, honey, I'm Duke Nukem, mind if I keep clicking on you to see what happens?"

"I'm sure I could go back in there and take a piss again.  What's wrong with me?"

Endless hours of fun.

[leo8877]

http://kotaku.com/5812131/negative-duke-reviews-could-lead-to-pr-shitlist

A third-party public relations firm tweeted last night that they would be "reviewing who gets games next time and who doesn't" based on the bad reviews pouring in about Duke Nukem Forever.

[DarkEL]

Played the game for a few hours last night on the PS3.

Overall I'm enjoying the game - I didn't have unrealistic expectations going in, and I'm not trying to compare it against more recent batches of first person shooters. Simply enjoying it for what it is.

That being said - Just like Roman - I'll list some of my dislikes.

• First off the game took forever to install as it needed to copy around 5 gigs to the HD of my PS3. I had to go delete some stuff to make room for the game, and the installation process was slow and boring.
• Roman is not kidding about the god-awful loading times. Which is frustrating if you screw up and die and then have to wait all that time to get back to the last save point. On the plus side - if you read the "tips" that appear on the bottom of the screen during the loading screen - there's a few that are kind of funny.
• The distance blur effect can be a little annoying at times as I've seen things suddenly come into focus and then blur again.
• While I enjoy a fair amount of the over the top dialogue - there's also a good amount of groan worthy statements made throughout the game as well.

But all those quirks aside - I'm enjoying the game and looking forward to getting home tonight to play some more.

[ibdoomed]

Played the game for a few hours last night on the PS3.

Overall I'm enjoying the game - I didn't have unrealistic expectations going in, and I'm not trying to compare it against more recent batches of first person shooters. Simply enjoying it for what it is.

That being said - Just like Roman - I'll list some of my dislikes.

• First off the game took forever to install as it needed to copy around 5 gigs to the HD of my PS3. I had to go delete some stuff to make room for the game, and the installation process was slow and boring.
• Roman is not kidding about the god-awful loading times. Which is frustrating if you screw up and die and then have to wait all that time to get back to the last save point. On the plus side - if you read the "tips" that appear on the bottom of the screen during the loading screen - there's a few that are kind of funny.
• The distance blur effect can be a little annoying at times as I've seen things suddenly come into focus and then blur again.
• While I enjoy a fair amount of the over the top dialogue - there's also a good amount of groan worthy statements made throughout the game as well.

But all those quirks aside - I'm enjoying the game and looking forward to getting home tonight to play some more.

The load times are 5-10 seconds on PC... not sure what that means exactly. From the comments, I assume long load times are unusual on the consoles?

[Bullwinkle]

Played the game for a few hours last night on the PS3.

Overall I'm enjoying the game - I didn't have unrealistic expectations going in, and I'm not trying to compare it against more recent batches of first person shooters. Simply enjoying it for what it is.

That being said - Just like Roman - I'll list some of my dislikes.

• First off the game took forever to install as it needed to copy around 5 gigs to the HD of my PS3. I had to go delete some stuff to make room for the game, and the installation process was slow and boring.
• Roman is not kidding about the god-awful loading times. Which is frustrating if you screw up and die and then have to wait all that time to get back to the last save point. On the plus side - if you read the "tips" that appear on the bottom of the screen during the loading screen - there's a few that are kind of funny.
• The distance blur effect can be a little annoying at times as I've seen things suddenly come into focus and then blur again.
• While I enjoy a fair amount of the over the top dialogue - there's also a good amount of groan worthy statements made throughout the game as well.

But all those quirks aside - I'm enjoying the game and looking forward to getting home tonight to play some more.

The load times are 5-10 seconds on PC... not sure what that means exactly. From the comments, I assume long load times are unusual on the consoles?

They seem to be :30 minimum and that is unusual, for sure.  I haven't clocked it, but I read that somewhere.  It's definitely enough time that you think about checking your email.

[tcweidner]

panned again here

http://www.destructoid.com/review-duke-nukem-forever-203658.phtml

[Lord Percy]

except that shifty Norwegian and his Danish cabana boy

Heh. Goddamn Nords.

[Scraper]

http://kotaku.com/5812131/negative-duke-reviews-could-lead-to-pr-shitlist

A third-party public relations firm tweeted last night that they would be "reviewing who gets games next time and who doesn't" based on the bad reviews pouring in about Duke Nukem Forever.

I just got an email from 2K Games saying that they don't endorse anything Redner tweeted and from reading up on it, it looks like 2K fired his PR firm just hours after he made that Tweet. Redner just blew up his own business.

[ibdoomed]

http://kotaku.com/5812131/negative-duke-reviews-could-lead-to-pr-shitlist

A third-party public relations firm tweeted last night that they would be "reviewing who gets games next time and who doesn't" based on the bad reviews pouring in about Duke Nukem Forever.

I just got an email from 2K Games saying that they don't endorse anything Redner tweeted and from reading up on it, it looks like 2K fired his PR firm just hours after he made that Tweet. Redner just blew up his own business.

HA! I always said friendface and twitter were evil.

[Darren8r]

I picked this up yesterday (I didn't have a pre-order.) I've put in about 5 hours and....

I was expecting to play Duke Nukem, and it is definitely Duke Nukem and damn... It feels good.

I really don't think the graphics are bad at all (I haven't played a FPS since MWF2.) They aren't amazing, but I really don't care about the graphics that much as long as the game play is there and it is there.

 I'm the kind of gamer who like to take my time in games, I like to enjoy the environments when I have the chance aka when I'm not in the heat of battle. I smash all the crates and toss cigarette packages at the wall just to watch the physics. I play a game of pool, even when the aliens are attacking the city outside the window, in plain sight. I draw on the whiteboard for half and hour, just because it's fun.

Dislikes
- His 'night vision' is a little annoying after awhile.

Likes
- It's really fun and entertaining
- It's classic shooting

I don't have a problem with the load times, I read the tips, make text messages. It's not a huge deal for me. I've waited 12 years to play the game, what's 45 seconds in between levels?

Will post more updates later. Also, driving the monster truck is really fun!

[metallicorphan]

2K sacks US PR over Duke Nukem Review Row

[EngineNo9]

2K sacks US PR over Duke Nukem Review Row

Hmm, seems like I have read that somewhere else...oh yeah, just a few posts up. 

[Scraper]

http://kotaku.com/5812131/negative-duke-reviews-could-lead-to-pr-shitlist

A third-party public relations firm tweeted last night that they would be "reviewing who gets games next time and who doesn't" based on the bad reviews pouring in about Duke Nukem Forever.

I just got an email from 2K Games saying that they don't endorse anything Redner tweeted and from reading up on it, it looks like 2K fired his PR firm just hours after he made that Tweet. Redner just blew up his own business.

That's for Metal. 

[pr0ner]

2K sacks US PR over Duke Nukem Review Row

Hmm, seems like I have read that somewhere else...oh yeah, just a few posts up. 

[Harkonis]

http://kotaku.com/5812131/negative-duke-reviews-could-lead-to-pr-shitlist

A third-party public relations firm tweeted last night that they would be "reviewing who gets games next time and who doesn't" based on the bad reviews pouring in about Duke Nukem Forever.

I just got an email from 2K Games saying that they don't endorse anything Redner tweeted and from reading up on it, it looks like 2K fired his PR firm just hours after he made that Tweet. Redner just blew up his own business.

HA! I always said friendface and twitter were evil.

anything that causes a douche saying stuff he really shouldn't to get fired can't be all evil.