 | Please help improve this article by expanding this section. Further information might be found on the talk page. (October 2009) |
| Duke Nukem | |
|---|---|
| Basic Information | |
Type(s) |
Series |
| Apogee Software, 3D Realms, Frontline Studios, Koch Media, Sunstorm Interactive, n-Space, Eurocom, Torus Games, Gearbox Software, MachineWorks Northwest, Aardvark Software, Triptych Games, Piranha Games, Lobotomy Software, Tiger Electronics | |
| 3D Realms, Deep Silver, Apogee Software, Take-Two Interactive Software, 2K Games, Arush Entertainment, Infogrames Europe SA, GT Interactive, U.S. Gold, FormGen, MachineWorks Northwest LLC, King Records, SEGA of America, Tec Toy Indústria de Brinquedos S.A., MacSoft Games, Infrogrames, Skyzone Entertainment | |
| First-person Shooter | |
| MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation, Nintendo 64 and Saturn | |
Duke Nukem is a video game series focusing on its protagonist, Duke Nukem. Originally created by Apogee Software Ltd./3D Realms as a series of video games for the PC, the franchise expanded to games released for various consoles by third party developers. In 2010 the rights to the franchise moved to the hands of Gearbox Software[1] who will complete the development of Duke Nukem Forever and release it in 2011.
Games[ | ]
Main Series[ | ]
Computer games[ | ]
| Title | Year Released | Platforms |
|---|---|---|
| Duke Nukem Episode One: "Sharpnel City" | 1991 | MS-DOS |
| Duke Nukem Episode Two: "Mission: Moonbase" | 1991 | MS-DOS |
| Duke Nukem Episode Three: "Trapped in the Future!" | 1991 | MS-DOS |
| Duke Nukem II | 1993 | MS-DOS |
| Duke Nukem 3D | 1996 | MS-DOS, Mac OS |
| Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project | 2002 | Microsoft Windows |
| Duke Nukem Forever | 2011 | Microsoft Windows |
| Duke Begins[2][3] | TBA | Microsoft Windows |
Console games[ | ]
| Title | Year Released | Platforms |
|---|---|---|
| Duke Nukem 64 | 1997 | Saturn |
| Duke Nukem: Total Meltdown | 1997 | PlayStation |
| Duke Nukem 3D | 1998 | Genesis/Mega Drive |
| Duke Nukem: Time to Kill | 1998 | PlayStation |
| Duke Nukem: Zero Hour | 1999 | Nintendo 64 |
| Duke Nukem: Land of the Babes | 2000 | PlayStation |
| Duke Nukem 3D | 2008 | Xbox Live Arcade |
| Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project | 2010 | Xbox Live Arcade |
| Duke Nukem Forever | 2011 | Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 |
Handheld games[ | ]
| Title | Year Released | Platforms |
|---|---|---|
| Duke Nukem 3D | 1997 | Game.com |
| Duke Nukem | 1999 | Game Boy Color |
| Duke Nukem Advance | 2002 | Game Boy Advance |
| Duke Nukem Mobile 3D | 2004 | Mobile Phone |
| Duke Nukem Mobile | 2005 | Tapwave Zodiac |
| Duke Nukem Mobile: Bikini Project | 2005 | Mobile Phone |
| Duke Nukem Arena | 2007 | Mobile Phone |
| Duke Nukem 3D | 2009 | iOS, Nokia |
| Duke Nukem Trilogy | TBA | Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable |
Other Games[ | ]
Other games in which Duke Nukem appears.
| Title | Year Released | Platforms |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure | 1992 | MS-DOS |
| Bio Menace | 1993 | MS-DOS |
| Death Rally | 1996 | MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows |
| Balls of Steel | 1997 | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS |
Development[ | ]
| This section requires expansion. |
See Also: Duke Nukem#Technical implementation, Duke Nukem 3D#Development, Duke Nukem Forever#Development history
Reception[ | ]
The series has always been largely popular, with Duke Nukem and Duke Nukem II being the first two titles. The games, along with Commander Keen, helped make the platformer genre popular on the personal computer, as against games like Super Mario Bros. for video game consoles such as those by Nintendo.[4]
However, the games really broke out of the shareware niche and into the mainstream gamer audience with Duke Nukem 3D, which also brought the series to the forefront of video game controversy. The game, like others such as Star Wars: Dark Forces, was one of the first titles considered to match Doom in quality. The Build engine used in 3D has also become one of the most popular engines ever, in terms of games using it. Duke Nukem 3D was controversial because of its depictions of sexuality, pornography, obscenities, graphic violence, drug use, and other taboo topics. This caused the game to be banned in Brazil and in other countries the sale of the game was strictly regulated against purchase by minors. Despite this, Duke Nukem 3D was a commercial and critical success for Realms.[4]
Duke Nukem Forever has been in development hell since 1997 which has drawn a number of jokes related to its development timeline. The video gaming media and public in general have routinely suggested several names in place of Forever, calling it "Never", "(Taking) Forever", "Whenever", "ForNever", "Neverever", and "If Ever". Many fans have noted that the game's initials also stand for Did Not Finish which is an acronym widely used in motorsports to denote cars which didn't reach the finish line (usually due to mechanical failure or crash). The game has also won a wide variety of "vaporware awards"[5][6][7] and the game has a permanent place in video game culture. However, people who have actually played parts of the game, such as Jace Hall, have complimented the game.[8]
Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project generally received positive reviews in the video game press, with rankings around 7/10 and of 80 out 100. However, the game did not sell as well as hoped, and its developer Sunstorm Interactive is no longer in existence. Duke Nukem Advance also received quite favorable reviews.
References[ | ]
- ↑ http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/707337/Gearbox-Software-Announces-XXX.html
- ↑ Court Filing: 2KGames Developing "Duke Begins". GamePolitics. Retrieved on 2009-12-21
- ↑ Duke Begins developer revealed to be Gearbox Software. Joystiq.com (2009-07-14). Retrieved on 2009-12-21
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Kushner, David (2003). Masters of Doom. Random House. 89. ISBN 0375505245.
- ↑ Kahney, Leander. "Vaporware 2000: Missing Inaction". December 27, 2000. Wired News.
- ↑ Manjoo, Farhad. "Vaporware 2001: Empty Promises". January 7, 2002. Wired News.
- ↑ Vaporware Team. "Vaporware 2002: Tech Up in Smoke?". Wired News. January 3, 2003.
- ↑ Jason Hall Discusses His New Online Show. Retrieved on May 7, 2009