The End of Infinity: Impressions of the Final Version of Duke Nukem Forever.

This release could not have happened. Fourteen years for many modern gamers is an entire conscious life. Duke Nukem Forever has always been in development, how could it be otherwise? When the doors of 3D Realms closed in 2009, hopes for a happy ending were almost non-existent. All that was left for the fans was to repeat the cherished phrase Always Bet on Duke. The existence of this post means only one thing: we have waited, against all odds. AQuaRity and NoFate spent several hours with the final version of Duke Nukem Forever, and… describing what they saw turned out to be quite a challenge.

AQuaRity: Duke Nukem Forever is not the first shooter whose development took too long: the creation of Half-Life 2 took six years, Prey – eight. But DNF is the only one that acknowledges its age. While in Prey and HL2 there was nothing reminding of the development times (except for a list of children born during the creation mentioned in the credits), Duke, as a true duke, pays a lot of attention to his age and genealogy. Of course, much has changed in these fourteen years. The backpack now only allows two guns, health (or rather, Ego) regenerates after a couple of seconds in safety, and saving the game is only possible at checkpoints. If after these facts you immediately rushed to the comments to express your hatred for the creators – it’s better to just walk on by. Duke is not one to hold your hand throughout the game. If you want to join the legend – accept the new rules, there’s no other choice. Old school is measured not by shape but by content. And old school is a much deeper concept.

Somewhere in the depths of psychology, there is a whole section studying games (not in the sense of video games, but games in general), and one of the concepts by which people are divided is their attitude towards games. For some, the process is more important, while for others, it’s the result. If we compare old-school shooters and modern ones, the main changes have occurred in this aspect. Nowadays, more and more of them are result-oriented – a deep linear story and tightly scripted campaigns are created as one-time experiences, and at best, the player is offered to complete achievements, which also strictly reflect a measure of results. I am talking about single-player mode, not multiplayer. The mazes of Doom and Quake could captivate for many hours, without any additional motivation from the creators. "What if I try to complete it on hard with just one pistol?", "Is it possible to defeat the boss with a flashlight?" – the player set their own rules and learned to enjoy the game. How much time do you spend in the single-player modes of modern shooters after the first playthrough? Although the availability of multiplayer has increased dramatically since Duke Nukem 3D, sometimes you want to return to a true old-school single-player experience. Especially, with a hero who was one of the pioneers of the genre. And especially since this hero is all out of gum.

Since the events of Duke Nukem 3D, fourteen years have also passed in the world of the game. Duke has traveled those years and conquered new horizons – flying to the moon, climbing Everest… But at the beginning of Duke Nukem Forever, the hero plans to retire. A multi-story mansion, two charming twins, and nationwide fame as the savior of humanity – it seems like the perfect time for a loud retirement party, and then – whatever will be, will be. But even Duke himself likely does not desire such an ending to his saga. An alien mothership is over the city again, the President of the USA calls Duke for a private meeting, and…

"I ask you, do not interfere", "I am negotiating with the emperor of the cycloids", "you’re a dinosaur, Duke", "times have changed!". Oh yes, dear President, times have changed. But not Duke. "They took our girls, fuck!" Without a second thought, the hero cuts the wings of the flagship alien ship and dives into the depths of the lair to save the girls who have been kidnapped right under his nose. The President accuses Duke of starting the war first, and… Basically, that is the entire piece of the main plot that I was allowed to see. As is typical for old school, plot spoilers in Duke Nukem Forever are far less dangerous than gameplay ones.

And gameplay, to put it briefly, is extremely simple: we kick the asses of everyone who gets in the way of reaching our goal (the goal – usually girls, drinks, or saving humanity), occasionally getting distracted by physical or other puzzles. It’s not the meat in the spirit of Serious Sam, but it’s a sufficiently bloody and dynamic shooter, generously sprinkled with Duke's signature interactivity. Some chapters don’t even require shooting – just exploring the location at your leisure while completing quests, such as collecting items. Such episodes help calm the hands that are trembling after battling yet another giant boss. But interactive objects are scattered across those levels where enemies roam. Isn’t it delightful to splash a piggy bank machine with blood and then hit the jackpot on it? Especially considering that the success of such mini-games increases the hero’s Ego.

As I mentioned in my preview, I expected from DNF not only what Duke Nukem 3D was famous for. Besides this, Duke Nukem Forever is the only shooter that could incorporate the history of the FPS genre over many years. And it fully met my expectations. Besides direct Easter eggs, several gameplay episodes evoke memories of the past games, but combined with the hero's unique charm and straightforwardness, they only bring a smile. Throughout the game, there are implicit reflections on whether there is a place for Duke in today’s world or if he has indeed turned into a half-dead dinosaur of a bygone era.

Five hours for Duke Nukem Forever is simultaneously too much and insignificantly little. DNF is not one of those shooters that captures you immediately and doesn’t let go until the very final credits, like Portal 2 or Bulletstorm; it’s better to dose the pleasure and not squeeze out "just half an hour more". But you cannot render a verdict in such a genre-defining behemoth as Duke Nukem Forever after these five hours. What scares me the most is that during the playtime, I saw almost all the locations from the trailer, including the strip club Duke Nukem's Titty City. And I can’t even imagine what awaits in more than ten hours of gameplay separating the last point of our passage and the game’s conclusion. Special thanks to the creators for the additional materials, which narrate and showcase the entire history of Duke Nukem Forever's development, including previously unseen gameplay videos from different eras, and a ton of screenshots sorted by year. The legend is dead, now DNF is reality and part of recent history. More accurately, not quite so: it’s a game that has run like a red thread through the entire history of the genre and, with its release, closed an entire epoch. Yes, there will be other games under the Duke Nukem brand, but this, as they say, is another story entirely. And now… There will be no second chance, Hail to the King, Baby!

NoFate: After several hours of playing the final version of Duke Nukem Forever, it becomes unbearably sad. The main guiding star of the industry, the most significant long-development project in history, a cult game in every respect, has finally made it to store shelves - almost fifteen years of history has come to an end. What to expect now, what game to mock?

These questions will have to be answered again.

As for the actual gaming merits, the new-old Duke (this you will read about in many reviews across various publications) is an alien from the past in the best sense of the word. There are completely crazy levels by today's standards with unmemorable architecture, an unimpressive picture, old-school bosses, each of which requires you to first come up with the right strategy on the battlefield before barreling in with guns blazing, and, of course, lots and lots of toilet humor. It’s not easy to play all this, but it’s nearly impossible to tear yourself away from the monitor. To put it briefly: the new Duke is a game from 1998, somehow assembled thirteen years later from newer and more appealing parts.