Often Bet on Duke
Duke Nukem Forever is okay. I don't think it deserves the apoplectic hate its receiving from -- well, pretty much everybody that's played it -- but I'm not so forgiving as to flat out call it great. Occasionally fun and funny, is the best I can say about it.
You heard me right, funny. I have the heart of a twelve year old (which reminds me, be sure to check the "donate organs" option when you're old enough to get a drivers license). Dukes lines made me laugh most of the time. When he was dropped near the top of the Duke Dome and looks out over the vista of Las Vegas and says, "I can see my dick from here," I cracked up. Picking up poop from the toilet and being digusted with himself was hilarious. The constant fawning of everyone not an alien was funny too. He's pure caricature, and obviously a giant douche, but for me his confidence and the pure ridiculousness of the situations could pull it off. I like characters that are larger than life.
As a character though, he's not developed enough. You learn a bit about him and his unrealistic life since Duke 3D in the opening levels, but once away from your penthouse suite and your... um... companions, he's more or less just a faceless protagonist that spouts the occasional one liner. What distinguishes this game from others is the character of Duke and the sophomoric humor. They hit on most of the sophomoric, but missed on the character I feel.
The shooting dudes part feels old. Sections reminded me of Half Life 2, which was a revelation at the time but has aged. There are some amusing novelty guns, like a freeze-ray and a shrinking gun, but by and large you're running around, standing in the middle of a room, and shooting at bad guys. Then you stop to reload. I'm not saying every game in the world needs a cover mechanic, but this style feels anachronistic, possibly on purpose.
I played a small amount of the multi-player, and actually liked it. It too is anachronistic, but in a good Quake 2 deathmatch kind of way. The (totally ridiculous) rooms you get to display your multi-player trophies and uh... female trophies... is a nice touch.
Funny. Some fun bits. I liked the RC car and monster truck and even some of the navigation puzzles, particularly when shrunk. Women as objects, which is not okay, but the world its in is so foolish I personally don't take it that seriously, but then my twelve year old's heart wouldn't I guess. The boss fights mostly sucked. This game is okay, okay?
