Duke Nukem for never!

by Conrad Quilty-Harper { Apr 13th 2006 at 7:55PM }

If you're anything like us, you're at least five years past caring about what 3D Realms has to say regarding its Duke Nukem Forever project. Even 3D Realms' George Broussard knows this: in the company's latest statement on the subject of the definition of vaporware, George says that "the problem is that when we show it, people are going to be like, 'Yeah, whatever'." George can hardly blame "people" for not caring about a game that's been in development for nearly ten years, but at least he's being realistic about the situation.

At the moment the game's publisher, Take Two, seems to be the only group at all interested in the game. The company has paid out a total of US$4.25 million in the hope that they may see some sort of return. Good luck to them (and their dwindling stock) we say!

Tags: 3D Realms, 3dRealms, DNF, Duke Nukem, Duke Nukem Forever, Duke Nukem Fornever, DukeNukem, DukeNukemForever, DukeNukemFornever, FPS, Take Two Interactive, TakeTwoInteractive, vaporware

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

RP @ Apr 13th 2006 8:13PM

I wonder what they've actually been doing on a day-to-day basis all that time. I mean, sure, they've had a fair share of engine changes, and at points (1998 & 2001) it even looked like they had some content too... but come on! TEN YEARS!

I'm still hopeful though. Heh. Oh how i loved Duke 3D.

Deuce @ Apr 13th 2006 8:15PM

Man, I wish I had Broussard's job. Who else can do nothing for ten years and not get fired?

rocko @ Apr 13th 2006 8:17PM

hahaha, duke nuken for Never!! hahaha i get it!!

Joolies @ Apr 13th 2006 8:22PM

Duke Nukem Forever? More like Duke Nukem Whatever

Tom @ Apr 13th 2006 8:25PM

Good gravy! Even John Romero has released a few dozen games since this thing was first announced!

Imadogg99 @ Apr 13th 2006 8:26PM

I remember playing Duke Nukem when I was like 10. It was sweet.

Todd Rabanus @ Apr 13th 2006 8:28PM

I think that not releasing this game would be a huge downfall for the industry. Duke nukem is a great franchise loved by many. duke 3d may be one of my favorite fps's of all time. a great game with decent gameplay and some good ole fashioned humor to boot. If this game doesn't release then it will mean a death to a great franchise.

Charles Garcia @ Apr 13th 2006 8:30PM

I do miss Duke Nukem but dang... when they added the forever tag to the name of the game I didn't realize that they meant the length of time it would take to develop. It has been so long since I played a Duke Nukem game that I almost forgot why I liked the game. It blatently ripped out lines from Army of Darkness and had lots of ugly pig enemies... that is about all I got.

jc @ Apr 13th 2006 8:35PM

Now come-on... it could make back its 4 million bucks easily. I'll definately buy it!

Nestlequ1k @ Apr 13th 2006 8:37PM

Better never than late!

Finished.Law.School @ Apr 13th 2006 8:56PM

This game is a lie, just like the PS3...

Hart704 @ Apr 13th 2006 9:16PM

Yeah, whatever is exactly how I feel.

http://kma.me.uk/?p=363

jp @ Apr 13th 2006 9:31PM

but i want my duke nukem forever ;.(

Probot @ Apr 13th 2006 9:44PM

Games go on the back burner all the time. I think the fact that this game is still talked about just goes to show that the character, Duke Nukem, is still a viable franchise.

Yes, it's been almost 10 years, but I'd be surprised if ANY of the code running today was actually made 10 years ago. I'm not sure why they wouldn't just change the name of the game and call it a different game.

Matt Burris @ Apr 13th 2006 9:44PM

GeorgeB posted an elaboration in regards to this.

http://www.shacknews.com/ja.zz?id=11969423

Although it doesn't clear much up, he seems to insinuate that the game isn't bits and pieces as the article has originally hinted at.

32_Footsteps @ Apr 13th 2006 9:52PM

All I can say is, if it isn't out or cancelled by March of next year, I'm going to throw my "10 years of Duke Nukem Forever" party. Of course, the planning for said party will take ages, but what better way to honor the game?

Eric @ Apr 13th 2006 10:21PM

I think releasing Duke now with a better engine would be a bad idea.

I'm only thinking of the backlash the entire gaming industry would get.
Think about it, everything Duke stands for is everything the gaming industry is getting slammed for.
Duke only loves Boobs and bullets, sex and killing. Which, personally I think is focking great. I can totally see Duke running on UE3...with realistic everything...I would sell blood for that game.

My only concern is the media questioning "WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN, OH DEAR GOD WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN?!"

that one dude @ Apr 13th 2006 11:51PM

Ah yes, Duke Nukem 3D, the first game that probably warped my little mind. I remember when I was 12 and I was like "HOLY SHIT I CAN PAY THIS STRIPPER AND SEE HER TITS!!!" In fact I still have that game and I'll probably never give it up. It's a true classic.

What games have they made since then? Duke Nukem Land of the Babes, Duke Nukem Zero Hour, and Duke Nukem 64. That's it isn't it? It has been a long, long time since I played any of them but as I re-call, they sucked.

I think Eric is right on this one. They can't release it now because I think their best one was Duke Nukem 3D. We all know how bad that game was for its time. That means you'd have to see very detailed: naked chicks, interactive porn shops, interactive bars, very interactive strip clubs, blood and guts, gore, and just a shit load of sex and violence. That's a good Duke Nukem game and I wouldn't have it any other way. This would probably raise more hell than that GTA sex cheat. Sadly though we'll probably never get that if the game ever comes out.

sha @ Apr 14th 2006 12:01AM

i hope everyone remembers the original duke nukem's, and i mean not the FPS shooter. i'm talking about the side-scrolling good time. i think it was developed by apogee (?) maybeeee.

i'm pretty sure those games are free now, im gonna download em and beat them all over again.

GreenLantern @ Apr 14th 2006 12:33AM

I'm not really to concerned about Duke Nukem Forever coming out. I know that the first Duke Nukem was great, and that's all I ever want to know. What if this new Duke comes out and sucks really bad. The original greatness will be long forgotten and replaced with memories of it's most recent flop.

Muskie @ Apr 14th 2006 3:11AM

"What games have they made since then? Duke Nukem Land of the Babes, Duke Nukem Zero Hour, and Duke Nukem 64. That's it isn't it? It has been a long, long time since I played any of them but as I re-call, they sucked."

Ahem. Duke: Manhattan Project, Duke for the GBA, Mobile phones, there's a planned DUke DS, and that's just Duke. They also did Prey and Both Max Payne games.

Garrett @ Apr 14th 2006 5:26AM

While I've played most of the post-Duke 3D titles (even the GB and GBA games) none have quite captured Duke 3D's essence. Duke Nukem Color was pretty neat, but I'd have preferred a port of Duke 2, which it took its graphics inspiration from. Duke Nukem Advance was graphics-wise a blast from the past for Duke fans and looked damned close to the DOS original's graphicss, but it didn't have anything remotely sexual or violent. Recycling monsters from Duke 3D and a boss that can only be killed WITHOUT weapons (that's right, you've got a stupidly easy button puzzle instead) were also disappointments. I mean, it's so censored I don't even remember finding bathrooms. What's a Duke game without interactive urinals!?

If Duke releases without its trademark adult themes it'll probably be seen as yet another Halo killer wannabe, and Duke fans won't be all too satisfied either. However if they DO include those things they'll be even more vilified than GTA: San Andreas.

Even if they have to make some sacrifices, including an unlockable version of Duke 3D is a must.

skoobydoo @ Apr 14th 2006 6:28AM

Putting things into perspective:

I have a 10 year old daughter.

In the past ten years she has...
- Entered the 4th grade
- Completed Nearly every Sonic the Hedgehog game there is
- Gotten a crush on TV boys Zak and Cody
- Played on 2 soccer teams
- Enjoyed countless vacations
- Become a true artists with skills and everything

My point is... Although Duke Nukem 3D was a ground breaking game... 10 years of life has gone by that was sweet and awesome.

Jeff @ Apr 14th 2006 7:08AM

"They also did Prey and Both Max Payne games."

Oh no they didn't.

Max Payne was developed by Remedy and *produced* by 3D Realms. 3DR had creative input and did a lot of the marketing and promotion, but they did not develop the game.

After Max Payne, the series was bought outright by Take 2, with part of the deal being that 3DR would continue to get a production credit even though they did practically *nothing* for Max Payne 2. Production and marketing were handled by Take 2, and development was handled by Remedy.

Similar deal with Prey, although I understand 3DR's production credit on that game is more than just a symbolic title. But still, they are not developing it.

I don't know what other company has existed strictly as a game *producer* for as long as 3DR has, as opposed to a game developer or publisher. It's common in other industries (film, music) but I've never really heard of it in games.

jay @ Apr 14th 2006 7:32AM

I dunno, if they announce something, ANYTHING I will be excited. I have a collection of trailers over the years and they're my only comfort. I loved Duke 3D. I don't know why, it wasn't really that good compared to Quake and the more serious FPS games. Duke is just a legend.

Funny though, I got a paper round at 13 specifically so I could save up and buy Duke Forever. My parents would have bought it, they still would (now 20) but just to say I EARNED it would have been good. I quit that paper round when I had �40 saved up. ready. nothing. Think I got Ocarina of Time instead.

Thomas Crymes @ Apr 14th 2006 1:07PM

Either the game comes out... or it doesn't.

I don't believe Take Two paid millions of dollars for nothing so I'm sure 3DRealms is working to get it done.

The hype factor will crush it, I fear. When it comes out, instead of judging it as a game that just happened to come out, the quotes will be something like: "Good game, but not worth the 10 year wait"

Theoretically, the game's development history should have no bearing on it's quality.

It is human nature to build something up in your mind as you wait for it expectantly. I've seen movies that were great, but because of the expectations I brought to the cinema created by word of mouth, my impressions of them were very bad.

Show a person a movie like the Matrix without giving them any information, and they will love the film (for sake of argument). Rewind time and space and show it to them again, but this time tell them that this movie will blow them away and be the best movie ever. More than not, I believe the repsonse will be "It was alright, but it didn't wow me."

Greg2k @ Apr 14th 2006 2:50PM

What I never understood is why they had to have these awesome expectations for such a simple game. How many decent FPS games have we had since DN3D? A shitload of FPS, that's how many. Why couldn't 3DRealms have made one for the past 10 years?

Those of us who love Duke Nukem 3D aren't asking for the holy grail of shooters; we're looking for a decent game with Duke Nukem in it with some bad language and a sexist plot. I just can't believe that's so hard to do.

I say they should ditch the Duke Nukem Forever name, start afresh, and start making a game knowing it will not sell as well as Half Life 3, Doom 4 or Halo 3; just get down to making a game and you'll make a profit.

Mr. Samuel @ Apr 14th 2006 3:42PM

Am I the only one who noticed this?

�I almost bailed on the whole demo and cancelled the thing, becuase I don't like being told "they want to see DNF in order to secure a cover for Prey", by a publisher, but I did it anyway.�

(http://www.shacknews.com/ja.zz?id=11969423)

Reminds me of what Dan Hsu wrote about not long ago.

aribus @ Apr 14th 2006 4:55PM

I think that one way for Duke Nukem Forever to come out with the press that it wants is to release it for the Nintendo Revolution. It seems that any hint of a game for the Rev gets top billing nowadays. If you think about it, the control scheme (of a fps) would fit perfectly with the Rev controller. The biggest surprise would be the platform: The Revolution + Nukem = a freakin right hook from out of the blue. I think that if this were to materialize, the franchise would be reborn. Of couse, Nintendo would have to allow the adult themes to stay in the game for it to avoid a lot of criticism, but looking back at RE4, I think it's doable.

jason @ Apr 15th 2006 8:21AM

Ah! Stop calling Duke Nukem 3D the "first one!" There were a 1 and 2, y'all know? (Duke Nukem 1 was one of my first PC gaming experiences, along with Commander Keen)

Yeah, I've been waiting for this game ever since I finished playing 3D. While I gave up on it a long time ago, didn't we all give up on Prey, as well? That's coming out this year...

jason @ Apr 15th 2006 8:26AM

#29, are you high? Nintendo and Duke Nukem just don't mix. I remember that one of the bastardized versions of Duke Nukem (everything post-3D) came out for the N64 and the girls were wearing T-shirts!! Freaking t-shirts in Duke Nukem! It was sacrilege.