Game Name: Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour
Publisher: GT Interactive Software
Developer: 3D RealmsGeneral Arcade (Megaton Edition) Gearbox Software, Nerve Software (20th Anniversary World Tour)
Date Released: January 29, 1996 (Original), October 11th, 2016 (20th Anniversary World Tour)
Platforms: Playstation 4, XBOX One and PC
Price: About 20.00$
Introduction
Back in my younger years, I was a heavy PC gamer. I would play anything. Of course it was easier to copy games back then. There were shareware versions of almost any big game. Shareware is when the first part of the game was a full playable demo. In the case of Duke Nukem or Doom, the first episodes were completely free. This got people excited and they would buy their games. A model that worked as both those games were huge hits.
With all the games that I played there were a few that really stood out of that era (90's). Duke Nukem is one of them. Back then it was awesome seeing an 80's type action star that would spit hilarious one liners. They were funny even if you heard them 1000 times.
Sample Duke Nukem 3D Quotes
When it was announced that they were remastering the game with some original content in the same spirit of Duke Nukem 3D, I was psyched. Seeing this original in HD is what fans have been waiting for years. How does it hold up and play after all these years? Well let us see.
Storyline
Before we dive into the gameplay. I just wanted to point out that there is a new episode that was written specifically for this release. It is called Alien World Order. This episode is written by the original level designers on the original Duke Nukem 3D game, Allen H. Blum III and Richard “Levelord®” Gray.
You play the character of Duke Nukem. as explained above, he is like a version of an 80's action hero. Video game version of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The back story is pretty weak but, it should be expected. There are a few hints that you can gather from cutscenes between Duke Nukem II and Duke Nukem 3D. You ended Duke Nukem II and you were headed back to earth. On your way back you get shot down and realize that LA has been taken over by aliens. More specifically you realize that the police force has been taken over. As the ass kicker you are, you decide to kick their alien butt!!!
Gameplay
The gameplay is what you would expect. If you bought the last version on XBOX 360 or Playstation 3, you will find everything very familiar. The gameplay is the same. It is just an old fashion shoot 'em up.
The graphics for this release have been vastly improved in HD. So you get to play this game in full 16:9, HD quality graphics. That for me is probably the best thing about it. It is probably why most people would buy and pick this one up.
Sample Gameplay (First mission)
As you can see the graphics are crisp. When I first played this game years ago it was with a mouse and keyboard. In my eyes this will always be a PC game. However, the controls for this game are pretty good and do not feel out of place. I do not think that people will take too much time to adjust to the controls. They are very responsive.
Gamers will never admit it, but when we played this as kids, we loved playing with the various cheat codes. Doom was the same way. Well they did not forget about you. On the XBOX One, if you press Down and Right (DPad) and the Right Thumb Stick and X, you will open the cheat menu.
As you can see above. You have it all. God Mode and All Weapons. My personal favourite mode is God and No Clipping. Too bad not more games do this.
Back in the day there were many parents that complained that this game promoted nudity, sex and violence. How times have changed? If you watch the news, you probably get more than what is shown in this retro game.
Bottomline
For me this game has a sense of nostalgia. Yes I played this as a teen and will still play it today. If you are one of the few that never played the original, then this is a good one for you. For 20$ you cannot go wrong. Some people after a long day at work like to play Battlefield or COD. I like to shoot pixelated aliens while I chew bubblegum.
The new episode Alien World Order was what Duke Nukem Forever should have been. Forever was a debacle from the start. It was only released because they felt they could. What we received as a game was an alien turd. It will bring you back to the early PC gaming days while still keeping you interested.
I recommend this game even if this is not something that you played in the past. It has great replay value and there is a difficulty for every type of gamer, beginner to the most experienced.
Rating: 8.5 aliens out of 10.
Have you played? What are your impressions? Leave me a comment at the coordinates below.
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