Duke Nukem 3D

The only negative thing I can say about this game is that its sense of humour is an acquired taste as it does heavily rely on 90s pop culture as well as having an admittedly absurd premise which no doubt has served as a power fantasy for many a gamer over the years (me not being one of them.)

Everything else about the game is top notch, the creative weapons, the 3d environments which still hold up to this day, a lovable protagonist that's impossible to take seriously due to his aforementioned sense of humour, it's basically an 80s action film brought to life by one of the developers of Commander Keen and Wolfenstein 3d. While some aspects of it may be a product of its time, it overall has withstood the test of time due to how innovative it remains to this day.

If Duke was real, he'd always bring the really shitty weed that smells like cat piss to the party. Yeah, as a fan of classic shooters, this didn't really do it for me. It's just filled with kind of bullshit beginners traps.

One of my all-time favourite wastes of time. From beginning to end, it's a maniac hoot of an experience, politically incorrect, fast and loose and most importantly, fun. Played it solo, and played it co-operatively over a modem (remember them?) with other people I knew from a BBS (remember them?). Running through this game with another person is probably the better way to play this, but I imagine most folks who delve into this 90's gem will be flying solo. Wisecracks, challenging boss fights, in-jokes, disses at competing products (that's one Doomed space marine!) abound.

And it's a Build engine game. Level design-wise, Blood had DN3 beat, but this game tops that one for sheer visceral enjoyment. No, they do not make them like this any more.

It's censored and the controls make it brutally hard at times, even on the easiest difficulty setting, but at least we got Duke on the N64. It is, in fact, a great port; it runs and plays well and comes complete with a campaign co-op mode and four-player deathmatch. The design and interactive detail in every level is still impressive, and the game remains one of the most character- and personality-packed shooters of all-time.

the base game is pretty much god tier, all 4 episodes with almost every single level being memorable and really exciting to explore. tons of funny easter eggs and secrets, really impactful unique weapons, awesome oldschool detailed graphics, great FPS mechanics / inventory system, keycard hunting, amazing SFX and music. the game is just a legend. my only small gripe is episode 2 is my least favorite because of the space setting, but its still cool.

9/10

Duke Nukem 3d for me has always been the epitome of 90's culture excess in videogame form. You play as Duke Nukem, a character whose primary interests revolve around breasts and shooting aliens. Its one of the most revered fps of its time, but there are certain aspects of it that certainly feel dated nowadays.

Visually the game looks pretty well for its time. Obviously the texture work as been much improved since them, but the wacky character designs and the way that enemies explode when they are blasted are well done and add to the gameplay. The music is just passable, and the sound design is mostly great, which again makes shooting very satisfying. The voice acting by Duke Nukem is spot on and helps establish his persona.

The plot of the game is extremely simplistic, and only there to give you some sort of motivation. The earth has been evaded by aliens and its up to you (or duke) to save the day. The concept of you playing as duke is an interesting one considering that it shies away from the silent protagonist at the time. Duke has a very unique persona that some people will like more than others. He's crass, juvenile and manly, but i find his one liners hilarious considering the setting of the game. I definitly find him entertaining, and his presence makes Duke Nukem 3d standout more from the other fps of the time.

Gameplaywise its 90's fps level design by the blueprint. You are given big levels to explore, and you must reach the next area by searching around for hidden keys or switches. The areas are filled with enemies to shoot, and there are plenty of secrets as well. Unfortunatly this is where the game falls flat for me, and so do most of the games of its era. The shooting mechanics are fine, there are some homming on the weapons (much like the original doom did), but the sheer amount of enemies on screen never makes this too much big of an issue. There are so many rewarding weapons and the combat feels so satisfying that its a chore to spend over half of the gametime searching for hidden keys to move forward. And its not like these keys are in plain view like in doom, some are hidden in areas that would be reserved for very hidden easter eggs in other games. Thats ultimatly what makes the game so frustrating to play for me. I never finished it, but i have beaten quite a few levels in it, particularly in the first episode. As the levels go on though, the level design gets more and more convoluted, and i stop having fun when im looking for a walkthrough in such short intervals.

Edit: Added 0.5 stars just because of the new episode found in the 20th anniversary edition. Definitly elevated the game for me.