Duke was introduced to me at a very young age, and he's been responsible for many a-things in my life. All in one afternoon, Duke was my first boobies, my first FPS, my first PC game, and my first swear words. Me and my brother, my friends, we all had a special relationship with the Duke. Sure, we didn't understand why he was named Duke Nukem. Literally every single reference went over our heads, and we never got around to beating it. Duke 3D was truly special to me as a child, and I'll never forgot the find memories I have for it. 
 
It's no surprise that I was waiting for DNF to come out, with my past. But was I waiting on pins and needles? Was I at the edge of my seat? Hell no, I was barely awake. This game was condemned to vaporware, and when Gearbox picked it up, it was condemned to be terrible. There was no way a game fourteen years in the making was going to stand up to modern expectations or gameplay mechanics. As Mr. Gerstmann has pointed out, many things in Duke have been taken out of FPS games for a reason, and it all feels dated. DNF isn't bad simply because it's old, but because it has been passed through so many hands. It controls poorly, Duke himself isn't funny, the animations are awkward and stiff, and huge swaths of music are missing at certain parts of the game.  
 
Despite all of this, I'm very excited for Duke's future. What people don't acknowledge about this game often enough is the fact that Gearbox had no hand in making the actual content of this game; they were stuck with this stinker and had to slap a new layer of graphics on it and toss it out the door. It's clear, though, that everything Gearbox touched is superior, and this is especially evident in the load screens. Such gems as "Picking a turd from the toilet won't take away your ego even though we really wanted it to" and "Remember, if you get stuck, you can always cheat by looking up a FAQ online" show that Gearbox does care for the franchise. 
 
The future of Duke is bright, there's no question. Gearbox has never let me down, giving me wonderful Half-Life expansions, fantastic WW2 experiences with Brothers in Arms, and occupying hours and hours of my time with Borderlands. There is not a doubt in my mind that the Duke of the future will be funny, modern and relevant. What we have now is a relic, a spitshined dookie. But what lies ahead? I trust in Gearbox to tell me.