Duke Nukem Forever coming to the Mac

Doesn't matter if they port it. **** game.

There are plenty of movies on Rotten Tomato that have gotten 10-20 out of 100 that I find hysterical, entertaining and thought-provoking. Now, I'm not saying Duke Nukem Forever is any of those things, but just because critics pan the game doesn't automatically mean you should either.

Let me be frank - the game is not a bad shooter at all! There are a variety of weapons in the game that all feel satisfying and accurate, and each one varies enough to warrant use in different situations. Combat takes place at a decent pace, following a nice steady increase in difficulty that never feels too easy or unfair. There are additional special items that help out with different strategies, like the "Holoduke" which places a holographic dummy of yourself for your enemies to attack while you are cloaked and able to attack from a different location. There's also the "Duke Vision," which is essentially "night vision," allowing you to sneak up and attack your enemies in the dark while they're blind.

The levels themselves are interesting. The game sort of takes place in three different stages, each one playing a little different. The first part of the game feels like the old games a bit. Think Half-Life, but with less-clever physics puzzles. The second part is much more of a darker, spookier horror atmosphere. The third part takes cues from more recent shooters like Call of Duty or Gears of War, though again, not as good.

Honestly, where the game falls apart is the humor. Frankly, there isn't any, or a best its poorly written. I can't help but feel like the over-the-top nature of the jokes in the game were written by corporate executives who mandated certain jokes be in the game, rather than talented comedic writers who actually spent some thought into the timing and delivery of them. They're poorly written, poorly voice acted, poorly executed, stereotypical and just down right bad.

Maybe everyone passes on it due to the fact that almost everything in the game, from the mechanics, to the story, to the dialog, has been done before countless times over the years. Shooting aliens? We've done that. Physics puzzles? Covered. Linear story progression with a brute, egotistical protagonist that says "screw it" to authority and does thing his own way? Yawn.

If the game is geared towards adults, the stupid nature and one-dimensional personality of every single character is insulting to my intelligence. If this game is geared towards kids and teens, well, why so much gratuitous nudity and violence? I can't help but feel that they focused more on the "Duke" stereotype rather than creating a decent, interesting game around that stereotype. If they toned down a little bit and worked on the writing, it could have been a really decent game. The combat experience is pretty decent - standard, but decent. Unfortunately, the attempt at humor just kills it.

If you're not put off by the game's contents, its worth a rental. Maybe $20 on steam or something.

I'm not sure how the game play is but this is a welcome change for all the "War" games out there. Don't get me wrong, Call of Duty, Battlefield and the rest of them are good/great games. But it's nice to get back to just going and shooting crap up and being cocky about it. :)

the game is surprisingly offensive, to the point where I'd recommend people not buy it.

I don't know why they would spend the time porting it at this point. It's such a terrible game and sales are going down the tubes fast.

Why?

You know, despite the reviews many people enjoy the game is doing well in sales. http://www.technobuffalo.com/gaming/platform-gaming/duke-nukem-sales-remind-gearbox-ceo-of-greasy-hamburgers/

I bought Duke Nukem Forever for the Xbox 360, and traded it for Homefront a day later. It is sadly VERY disappointing.

How much I know how retro DN is - I played DN3D, myself - I'll pass, thank you.