Duke Nukem Graces Another Console
When I was a kid, I was "that kid." You know the one, the kid whose parents bought him M-rated games when others could barely watch violent cartoons. It's not that they didn't care, my parents just refused to believe the then-popular-now-disproven idea that violent games turned kids into serial killers. After all "there's violence on the news everyday." And that's how I came to own Duke Nukem 3D at the ripe old age of seven.
Everything about Duke Nukem 3D is a relic from a long gone generation of gaming, from the level layouts to the references and jokes strewn throughout each stage. It is a blast from the past that nostalgic gamers will enjoy returning to while those born after its timen can enjoy and see what their older siblings are talking about when they refer to the golden age of gaming.
For $10, or free if you subscribe to Playstation Plus, you get the original Duke Nukem 3D (four episodes with eight to ten levels each) plus three expansion packs, and multiplayer. The game supports cross-buy between the PS3 and Vita, and while there is no cross-play, there is apparently cross-save.
The level design in Duke Nukem 3D is truly one for the books, as each map is meticulously designed for exploration and destruction. Maps are nonlinear, the player is encouraged to spend as much time as they need to find secret areas, walls that can be blown up, hidden caches of weapons and items, and more. You could spend a lifetime trying to track down all of the secret areas and references, and nearly twenty years after first playing the game I am still finding new things.
The rollback system is much appreciated, especially for new players discovering the game for the first time. Duke Nukem can be a very unforgiving game, and death can come quick for the simplest of mistakes. Rather than forcing the player to rely on saves, the rewind system allows you to go back to any point in your session and start over from right there. Use too much ammo and die? Roll back and pick a better weapon.
The bundle is a plus even if you played the original Duke Nukem 3D, since the expansion packs included were ridiculously difficult to find at the time. Life's a Beach is easily the most fun of the three, with redesigned tropical themed weapons and aliens dressed up in vacation clothing. The levels are well designed, the new weapons and items are nice addition, and the enemies are hilarious.
Duke It Out in DC and Nuclear Winter are both disappointing, although worth completing if only for the trophies. The former is impressive in the sense that it uses real world locations like the White House and Smithsonian, but the levels are massive, confusing, and often frustrating to try and navigate. You do get to save Bill Clinton, though. The expansion doesn't include any new weapons or enemies.
Nuclear Winter introduces a few new enemies, including what will most assuredly be well received in 2014: The Feminist Elven Militia (FEM). Compared to the original game and Life's a Beach, Nuclear Winter's levels feel poorly made and uninspired, and the recycling of levels from the original game makes the whole thing feel like it was rushed so there would be something to sell. Be happy though, the original release broke Duke Nukem 3D because of the way it changed certain mechanics.
There is no local coop, however there is online coop and deathmatch in the form of 1v1 or up to eight players. Online multiplayer is a throwback to the days of dial up modems, in the sense that you will have to stomach ceaseless lag, constant disconnections, and a matchmaking service that is often just unable to find games. The lag is unfixable due to the network coding, so don't buy this with the expectation that it will be fixed in a future patch.
My only nagging complaint about Duke Nukem 3D: Megaton Edition on the PS3 is that the game freezes for a second or two, usually when picking up items or entering large, open areas. This bug is a real problem because the game is still going on while it's frozen, you just can't see any of it. Several times I've wound up freezing and coming back only to find myself dead.
Despite some technical problems, Duke Nukem 3D: Megaton Edition is still the same awesome Duke Nukem.
Disclaimer: This review was conducted using a first generation 60gb PS3 with a replacement hard drive. Your mileage on performance issues may vary. Screenshots are provided by Cosmocover.