Game Title: Duke Nukem Forever
Review:
Moments of pure brilliance, but there's a game between them. A soul-crushingly mediocre game.
It does many things right. The intro is great - sort of like Prey's, but much longer and just as atmospheric. It's a varied journey. It has the weirdest pacing and tonal shifts ever. Some things and dialogue lines hit me like a brick - certainly 15 years of constant iteration fried some brains at 3D Realms, because they came up with a couple of very nightmarish scenes. The action can be fast and challenging sometimes. The platforming sections are pretty good, especially when Duke is miniaturised. I also loved the sound design, and while the graphics are technically weak the art direction is certainly interesting. It can be a very beautiful game at times simply due to good artistic design.
It does many things bad too. Most weapons are bad, especially the new ones. There are infuriating difficulty spikes, mostly in the final third of the game. That final third is by far the weakest - it's ugly, monotone and all-around uninteresting compared to the Vegas and even to the desert sections. There are many portions where the combat consists of functional, boring encounters with boring enemies, and the game doesn't know when to stop. When it's drab and monotone, you bet your ass it's going to be like this for a very long time. The turret sections are especially bad.
And worst of all, it's obvious a lot of content was cut and what was shipped is held together by duct tape and a prayer. It's a rush job. It deserved better, but I understand nobody could afford it at this point. The game is best when you don't actually fight - just soak up in the trademark 3D Realms atmosphere and enjoy the interactivity.
The ideas behind Duke Nukem Forever deserve a better game. I don't regret playing it - after 15 years of waiting, I had to own the Balls of Steel. As a fan of Duke, I obviously got more enjoyment out of it - there are indeed many elements that reminded me of its former glory. And as a fan of Duke, its failures were even bigger than they would seem to someone that's not familiar with the franchise.
There is a good game hidden under all the mess. It feels like it's trying to punch its way out through a thick, horrible membrane.
Final score: 6.5
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