I’ve got a special relationship with Duke Nukem, but probably no more special than any other gamer old enough to have played this legendary FPS when it first debuted in 1996. Duke offered something that no other FPS did at the time…attitude. You had this over-the-top WWE-style hero wielding an impressive arsenal of weaponry single-handedly defending the planet from an alien invasion force determined to steal our women. Now, 20 years later it’s time to do it all over again.
Thankfully, Nerve Software didn’t go crazy with this celebratory re-release. Rather than going for some lame HD remaster everything remains just as simple and stylish as it was in ’96. What they did do was take the original source code and remaster the entire game in true 3D rather than the 2.5D engine, so while the game looks the same, it feels much better to play and you don’t get those crazy warped textures and perspective.
Also new for the Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour is a fifth bonus episode created by the original episode designers. Not only do you get more exciting new levels to play, Duke gets to add the Incinerator to his lengthy list of weapons. Speaking of Duke, Jon St. John is back with all-new high-quality voice overs re-recorded just for this anniversary edition. And we can’t overlook that awesome Duke Nukem soundtrack from Lee Jackson who is also back to create all new music for Episode 5.
This game certainly stirred up some fond memories. This was the very first game I ever played online, back in the day when you had to dial a phone number and hook up modem to modem. This was also the first game that ever inspired me to dabble with the included level editor and create several of my own custom levels. I couldn’t begin to count the hours of enjoyment I had playing this game solo and online, but for as much as I adore this franchise once I had filled up on my “member berries” I quickly moved on to more current titles.
The good news is that those who have never played Duke Nukem 3D now have a chance to play the best version available, and with the current popularity of pixel art and retro-style gaming, Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour actually fits in with a lot of new titles appearing on Steam. This will certainly be an eye-opener for how games were designed and played at the birth of a genre. Duke pioneered so many great concepts at the time; many of which have been abandoned, so enjoy your health kits, hidden rooms, secret compartments, switches, traps, and insane boss fights, because as far as game design and variety it doesn’t get much better than this. Enjoy your strippers and porn and Duke’s trash talk, because there is a certain level of political correctness at work now that would prevent a game like this from ever getting made today…at least from a major studio.
Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour preserves that same level of presentation it offered in ’96 with great level design that encourages exploration of every corner and even offers some verticality; especially when you get the jetpack. The enemies are fantastically original and even though they are quite pixelated by today’s standards they are still easily identifiable and as fun to look at as they are to fight. Combat is pretty much non-stop throughout the entire game, but there are a fixed number of enemies per level, so once you empty it out you are free to explore for secrets, and everything is timed, scored, and tallied for the post-level results screen.
Duke veterans might enjoy another trip through FPS history and newcomers to the franchise will certainly find hours of challenging gameplay waiting for them in Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour. Personally, I had played so much Duke between 1996-1999 that my nostalgia tank was filled about halfway through Episode 2, and after playing the new content in Episode 5 I had to file this away for maybe another 20 years.
Honestly, my only concern with this game is that it’s dated graphics might discourage causal newcomers shopping for their next FPS but given the current trend for 8/16-bit indie games on Steam, Duke Nukem and all his gyrating pole dancers and hordes of angry aliens should not only feel at home; Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour should quickly become king of the hill. Hail to the king, baby!
