Duke Nukem Forever (PC): A Fair and Balanced Review

Conclusion

I really wanted to like Duke Nukem Forever, as did the entire gaming community. You can’t force yourself to like something, no matter how hard you try… just ask all of my previous girlfriends.

There’s just something about DNF that I can’t put my finger on… but it’s just not a lot of fun… at least not when compared with the quality of video games today. Some people will really like it for the humor, but I don’t believe I can find a handful of people that genuinely think the gameplay is fun.

I find myself toiling through mediocre levels and tedious fights just to get to the next part of the story and hear Duke’s one-liners. I prefer to think of DNF as an interactive comedy, and just like any stand-up act there’s not really a reason to sit through it again.

I did not expect Duke Nukem Forever to be a complete masterpiece, even after such a long development cycle. I did expect it to be fun, and it just did not deliver in the gameplay department. Playing with Duke and hearing his one-liners certainly is fun, but it’s just not a repeatable experience.

If you ever liked Duke, then you owe it to yourself to check the game out, but due to its short game time and non-existant replay value, it’s definitely a rental. A few people will really like it, some people will really hate it, but most people will think it’s just “meh”, and that’s a shame.

Here’s hoping for the next Duke Nukem game. And this time don’t take 12 years to get here.

	REPORT CARD : Duke Nukem Forever (PC) category rating comments Originality 4 A lot of mini-games vary the pace, and there really isn’t a character quite like Duke Nukem Longevity 2 Only 9 or 10 hours of play in single player mode. Multiplayer is a little fun and might add 5 or more on. Graphics 3 The graphics are a little dated by today’s standards. Animations and lip-sync look very scripted Sound 3 The soundtrack is ok, but you won’t be humming it like DN3D. Fun Factor 3 Overall, the gameplay is somewhat fun, but won’t have you coming back. FINAL VERDICT: 3 out of 5 stars