We're curious as to how the mini-Duke mechanic is employed later on – given the lowbrow humour that permeates the game we wouldn't be surprised if there was some kind of first-person cavity search of an alien enemy at some point. Aside from zooming over jumps and power-sliding over the toes of the comparatively giant enemies, you also get to leave your vehicle and indulge in some (gasp!) first-person platforming sections – which, despite being established as somewhat of a no-no in FPS games, actually handle quite well as you scurry along a craps table and trampoline off couch cushions. 4)+Size+Shall+not+Matter Duke's balls of steel definitely get shrunk down along with the rest of his body on at least one occasion in the game, as we found out early on when we were suddenly piloting an RC car as an action hero turned action figure (exactly why the RC car has a fully functioning steering wheel and accelerator pedal isn't really explained, but checking your brain at the door is essentially an entry requirement for Duke Nukem Forever). Well, unless it's standing next to Bulletstorm (maybe). Horribly outdated or refreshingly retro? It all depends on your own personal perspective and expectations, but either way DNF will definitely stand apart from its shooting contemporaries. The gameplay itself, however, is unashamedly tied to the nineties era as opined in an earlier IGN preview – enemies strafe around like cutouts in a shooting gallery, you spend an unhealthy amount of time crawling through air vents, and an early sequence has you scouring the level for power cells in order to activate a reactor. That's not to say it doesn't make any concessions to modern FPS standards – you can only carry two weapons at a time (like Halo) and your health regenerates while you're not under attack (like basically every other shooter produced for this console generation). 3)+Thou+Shall+not+Bow+to+Modern+Shooter+Conventions Duke Nukem Forever has its roots in a bygone era of first-person shooters, and thus it remains distinctly old school in its design. Unless abuse of the steroids power-up results in shriveled testicles and a shortening of Duke's ahem… ego bar? We shall see. While beer has an effect that is equal parts advantageous in terms of toughness and detrimental in terms of vision, the steroids in the game radically increase the strength of your melee attacks without presenting any noticeable downsides. Although for someone so overly macho, Duke is surprisingly a bit of a lightweight when it comes to booze – one beer is all it takes to blur his vision and endow him with a heightened sense of strength, enabling him to absorb more damage (and drunk dial ex-girlfriends, presumably). We're of the opinion that more devices should have dedicated beer buttons – wristwatches, iPads, ATMs – so we definitely welcome its inclusion. 2)+Beer+is+Thy+Best+Friend When we sat down for our recent hands-on with Duke Nukem Forever, the first thing we noticed on the supplied list of controls was the Beer button. Alongside the comparatively po-faced Call of Duty games, DNF is a stark smack in the face with a fistful of silliness – and that's surely a good thing. A loading screen message teases, "If you get stuck, don't forget you can cheat by looking at FAQs online." When faced with a locked door, Duke exclaims, "I don't need a keycard," before punching his way through. Which is neatly why, instead of a traditional health bar, Duke has an "ego" meter this time around, and also why instead of picking up medkits you must perform ego-stroking activities such as working out in the gym or admiring your own reflection in order to get a boost to your stamina bar.ĭNF doesn't just poke fun at itself either, but at games in general. The developer pokes fun at DNF's protracted development time only minutes into the game after Duke stops playing a game based on his earth-saving exploits in Duke Nukem 3D, exclaiming that the game is good and, "after 12 years it should be." Pretty ballsy statement to make, but the Duke is and always has been driven by his massive ego. 1)+Thou+Shall+have+a+Sense+of+Humour+about+Thine+Self Duke Nukem Forever (DNF) has been the butt of pretty much every industry joke over the past decade – its development has been arrested about as often as Charlie Sheen, after all – so it's a relief then that the finished (well, near-finished) product doesn't take itself at all seriously. Join us as we publish the latest stone tablets to be discovered at IGN AU HQ, the Ten Commandments of Duke Nukem Forever.
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