For Those Who Knew How to Believe. Expanded Edition of Duke Nukem Forever

Congratulations on the release, gamers! A release like no other and probably will never be again. I have been waiting for it both as a fan and as a collector of old-school shooters in general.

But no matter how important the release is, I will meet it in my usual manner on GAMER.ru: with a photo review of the collector's edition. The video review, which has become a tradition for 1C-SoftClub, is located in this post. Unfortunately, the game didn't get any premiere events in Russia, so all that remains for the fans is the collector's edition. I was especially looking forward to it, as I wanted to hear the truth. The truth about what really happened with the game over the fifteen years. At first, I was very disappointed by the absence of a bonus disc with video materials, but fortunately, they are included in the game itself and will be available even to jewel case buyers. In addition to the standard edition, there is an Extended version available on PC, and on consoles, there is a super cool edition Balls of Steel. And today, with the support of the Russian customs, I will only talk about the PC version, the console one will come later. So:

Two photos to appreciate the shimmering box. For clarity, I will show three photos of Duke Nukem from different angles:

Yes, the main thing is the glasses! In the game itself, they work like night vision goggles, so it's hard to say which color suits them best. The back cover:

Originally, a magnet was planned for the edition, but later it was replaced by a comic book. On the one hand, the magnet is harder to make yourself, but on the other hand, a professionally translated comic in Russian with excellent printing is valued much higher. To avoid spoilers (for some reason, they have started looking for them everywhere), I will only post the very beginning and the very end of the story, as they are the most obvious in terms of the plot:

But those who are not afraid of spoilers can appreciate boobs and blood the artwork and translation in the action fragment of the comic.


Of course, the action makes up a large part of the story, and of course, this is not the only story about Duke that will be released in comic format. By the way, the first image in the post is the back cover of the comic.

UPD: it turned out that a mistake was made in the layout of the comic, and the third sheet was inserted upside down. Since there are no page numbers, this can only be noticed by the plot.

**Instructions to fix the problem:**

1. Unbend the paper clips in the middle of the comic. For those who have never forged documents done this before, let me explain: both prongs of the paper clips should point straight up so that the sheets can be removed without problems.

2. Remove three double sheets at once and set them aside. They will need to be returned in the same order later. Be careful not to let the clip fall completely out of the comic, as this will complicate the task.

3. The fourth sheet on top is problematic. Remove it, turn it horizontally (so that the sharks are on the left and the pigs on the right), press the crease in the opposite direction and stack it with the sheets set aside. It’s easier to return them all together.

4. Place the sheets back in position. It's more convenient to first place all four on the top clip and bend it back, then do the same with the bottom clip. It's easy to bend the edge of the sheet to fit the holes on the prongs of the clip.

5. As soon as you bend both clips, you're done - now the plot goes correctly. If the clips have damaged any sheet, it’s better to cover it with a black marker so it won't stand out.

Now for the tokens.

The tokens are real, plastic with a metal base. Indestructible, yes. So if the apocalypse happens and poker chips become the currency, you will regret not having bought the collector's edition of Duke Nukem Forever.

The game DVD box looks like this:

And it contains a disc with the game (for some reason, on a holder for two discs, although there is only one), a manual, and a flyer with bonuses.

The flyer is interesting because the key for DLC is not activated directly in Steam, but is entered within the game. Moreover, judging by the text, DLC cannot be activated without access to the First Access Club, the key to which is specified separately on the flyer. It's interesting what prevented them from making the usual activation through Steam, especially since there are no complications with this on consoles? However, that's already complaining. The key activates easily through Steam and is listed like any other DLC; it doesn't require anything special, the instructions are misleading.

And a completely eco-friendly manual with eight pages containing a link where you can find a full manual. Manuals are soon going to disappear completely and transition to an electronic format: EA and Ubisoft have already completely abandoned printed instructions. Well, maybe that's for the best.

And finally, the art book.

History, Heritage, and Legend: Duke Nukem Forever. For those who could believe. And I mean not just players, but also developers who led the game to release for so many years. Actually, that’s what the art book is dedicated to:

But still, this is not a chronicle of development, nor a story about what Duke could have been. The art book tells how this specific version of the game was created, which finally reached the shelves. On the one hand, it makes sense—why read once again about what has irretrievably gone? But on the other hand, only this art book could have told the entire story as a whole. Although who knows, maybe the developers will prepare a full documentary film for the true fans?..

But back to the art book.

Guns, monsters, girls—all good.

But still, reading developers' stories is much more interesting.

And the names in the credits are surprisingly few—only eight pages. Partly, that’s why it took so long to wait for Duke: before Gearbox, very small teams of developers worked on the game. But still, gathering all the names over fifteen years of development is a colossal task. I hope the developers have a surprise for those who will watch the final credits of the game to the end.

Yes, 3D Realms and Gearbox really did it. Despite all the curses, the boxes with the game have already flown all over the world, and the Steam servers are waiting for the final signal, which is just a few minutes away. For most veteran players, no words are needed now—the tears of happiness speak for themselves.

Duke. Nukem.

Forever