![]() ![]() Admittedly this is my least favourite episode for that very reason, but it makes up for it with the game’s most inventive level designs. The exception to this would be the second episode, which is entirely set in space. Sunken office buildings and Hollywood sets. While Doom would be content in its abstract corridors, Duke Nukem 3D built levels that felt more real. It was also pretty unique at the time for setting its stages in more familiar settings. It also, at every turn, likes to show off its fake level-over-level effects, something that had to be done using design tricks in the ray-casting days. The simple addition of jumping and jetpacks ensures there’s lots of tricky platforming to be had. The biggest difference is an absolute love of verticality. Predating the modern standards set by Half-Life by a couple years, the game still subscribes to Wolfenstein 3D’s more open key-hunting stages where you plumb the set-pieces for supplies and secrets. Perhaps what makes Duke Nukem 3D still worthwhile to play today is it’s fantastic level design. What more reason do you need for a weapon? Duke Burger has always been one of my favourite levels. It’s fun to shrink down an enemy and then step on them with a squish. They’re not in your arsenal to be practical - though they do come in handy in some situations - but rather to just be entertaining. The weaponry quickly changes from pistols and shotguns to freeze guns and shrink rays. It was very joyful in its violence, and its enthusiasm is infectious.įrom top to toes, the game feels like it was just built to be fun. Not only was it extremely sexist to a goofy extent, but Duke constantly spews references to films and aliens blow up in visceral ways. What set it apart was its sense of style. You run-and-gun your way through individual levels, killing aliens and picking up keys. The Duke Nukem 64 port addresses this, but it’s the same as it always was in World Tour.Īnyway, Duke Nukem 3D is a pure ‘90s shooter. He either throws money at them or tries not to blow them up. What I found weird is that Duke never actually rescues any of the women he encounters. ![]() Considering chicks are about one third of Duke Nukem’s entire existence, he’s understandably irritated. No, the story of Duke Nukem 3D is that the titular character returns from his adventures in Duke Nukem II only to find aliens have invaded earth and have stolen all the chicks (that’s women in ‘90s vernacular, not actual baby chickens). This game came out in 1996, so if you’re expecting any grand narrative, you’re going to be disappointed. Still, it’s a nice addition, and even cooler, it can be switched on and off with a press of the d-pad if you want to compare. This is nothing that fans haven’t already done with the engine, and to be honest, I kept the game in its ray-casted mode because that’s how I was familiar with it. The true 3D renderer changes the environments to use 3D polygons, and with it comes some new lighting effects. ![]() It was pretty awesome to be able to look up and down in those days, but it is a strange effect. Most strikingly, if you look up or down in Duke Nukem 3D, the environments warp to your perspective. The Build Engine was one of the best at this, and I’m an eternal fangirl of Ken Silverman for designing it. It uses a technique called ray-casting to manipulate 2D images into quasi-3D environments. Second, it gives you the option to use a new renderer, one that changes the games environments to true 3D.ĭuke Nukem 3D’s build engine isn’t true 3D. First, it includes a completely new episode designed by some of the original development staff. It’s essentially just a port of Duke Nukem 3D with a few extras. Let’s first tackle what the 20th Anniversary World Tour is all about. Hotel Hell has always been one of my favourite levels. So, when the 20th Anniversary World Tour hit the Switch, it may not be the absolutely excellent Duke Nukem 3D: Megaton Edition, but I’ll take any excuse I can get to play through the game again. I’m pretty sure I’ve even still got my original Atomic Edition disks around here and I know my way around EDuke32. It’s one of those games that I’m probably doomed to re-buy repeatedly for the rest of eternity. It’s where I first dipped my toes into modding and configuration file editing. I could wax nostalgic about it until your ears fall off. You can probably trace back a number of obscure facets of my personality to Duke Nukem 3D. A mix of a character I was already so familiar with and Doom’s first-person perspective. I can remember the day I first set eyes on it, playing the first episode on my cousin’s computer in awe. By its release in 1996, I was already a fan of the character through shareware versions of Duke Nukem and Duke Nukem II. It would be impossible to understate what an impact Duke Nukem 3D had on my childhood. ![]()
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