A leaker posting on the message board 4chan has shared a build of Duke Nukem Forever similar to that shown at E3 in 2001. The leaker started posting on Monday and, as collated by Duke fansite duke4.net, has since posted screenshots, videos, and download links. 3D Realms co-founder and Duke Nukem developer George Broussard commented via Twitter that "the leak looks real."
]]>Embracer Group, named for the wonderful hugs they give, have announced the acquisition of several development studios under their various subsidiaries. They now own 3D Realms, who, despite operating largely as a publisher nowadays, will forever be linked to Duke Nukem. This means that Embracer now owns both 3D Realms and Duke Nukem’s owners, Gearbox, who they acquired earlier this year. Can you see where this is heading?
]]>Embracer Group, a vast web of European developers and publishers which includes THQ Nordic and Deep Silver, today announced they've swallowed up Gearbox. The gang behind Borderlands and Aliens: Colonial Marines are merging with Embracer to become the seventh operating group within the family. The deal's worth $363 million (£262m) to start. Gearbox say this is cool, and they're planning to grow.
]]>The new Gears Of War spin-off, Gears Tactics came out yesterday, and already players are turning their soldiers into characters from other games. Tactics has you recruit various soldiers as you go on, you see, and while you can't change the general look of their bodies or faces, there are still a bunch of features you can alter to adjust them to your liking.
So, here's a few examples you could follow if you fancy having characters like Duke Nukem or Doom Guy in your squad.
]]>Have You Played? is an endless stream of game retrospectives. One a day, every day, perhaps for all time.
You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find you get a steaming pile of half-baked ideas, geriatric technology and an exhausting cocktail of ill-judged satire and straight-up misanthropy.
]]>Duke Nukem 3D [official site] turned twenty this year, which means it can get away with drinking hard liquor and smoking cigars in a strip club legally in some parts of the world, but might not think that’s as cool as it once seemed. Mr Nukem is actually twenty-five years old, however, having appeared in two platform games before his FPS adventures. Years of development hell later, he also appeared in Duke Nukem Forever, a game remembered more for its delays than its eventual release.
Today, we've been thinking and chatting about all things Duke, from wonderful level design to wonky nipples and weird space tigers.
]]>I never intended for that picture to become the official header for What Are You/We All Playing This Weekend, you know. I found myself in charge of this section one week and thought I'd find a nice picture of a pond - which was where I intended to mostly spend my weekend. Finding nothing in antique illustration archives (we have our whole antiquated Britishness schtick, yeah?), I turned to what else I'd be doing: appearing in visions, indulging my nymph side, and firing cannons at ghastly moustaches.
Anyway, what are you playing this weekend? Here's what we're into:
]]>A lot has changed in video games across my six years as a professional words person, but Duke Nukem has always been a shambles. In uncertain times, I knew I could always glance his way and groan "Oh no what's happened now?" I feel a little lost now the legal troubles between old owner 3D Realms and the new Dukelords at Gearbox Software have wrapped up.
Gearbox, 3D Realms, and 3DR owner Interceptor Entertainment have issued a joint statement declaring they've voluntarily ended all the litigation, and that Gearbox are "the full and rightful owner[s] of the Duke Nukem franchise."
]]>No Rock, Paper, Shot Take this week, as we thought we'd try out a multi-topic chat about the week in PC gaming instead. Discussed: how to bring back Duke Nukem without it being a horrible mess, whether the Warcraft movie looks any good, whether any game moves are any good and the terrifying lure of idle games.
]]>The plot thickens. Actually, come to think of it, the plot was already quite thick - perhaps even viscous - given that 3D Realms sold the rights to Duke Nukem years ago only to resurface out-of-the-blue with a new Duke Nukem game being developed by Rise of the Triad developer Interceptor, get sued by Gearbox for it, sell its entire business to Interceptor, and allege that the purveyor of borders and lands has no legal ground to stand on. It's been a mess so far, frankly - a sticky morass of contradictory claims. And now for the latest chapter, in which 3DR and Interceptor claim an agreement over an old project called Duke Nukem Survivor gives them every right to continue absconding with Gearbox's supplies of gum and frighteningly kickable ass in the night.
]]>Remember Duke Nukem Forever? No, not that one with the poo-throwing; the other one, the one people were excited about 12 years ago. The one in the 2001 trailer which appeared to offer endless impossible, fantastical things. By today's standards, those things no longer seem impossible and quite a few them seem deeply unsavoury, but it remains a shame that the DNF we got was something entirely different. A group of modders have been busily attempting to rewrite history - by recreating the game that 2001 trailer suggested in good old Duke Nukem 3D. Given they suffered aa degree of 3D Realms-esque hubris in their struggle to finish the thing, are these the first Method Developers?
]]>I wanted to snarkily write '3D Realms' in the title, but when I added the apostrophe it looked like '3D Realms'' and everyone would have thought I'd just forgotten what type of speech mark I was using. Anyway! The 3D Realms name is indeed back, even if it's currently somewhat unclear as to whether it's anything more than a name at present. The Duke Nukem dev closed its doors after too many years and too much money spent creating the horrible piss-mountain that was Duke Nukem Forever, but owners including Scott Miller and George Broussard kept some intangible measure of it alive afterwards. And so it is that 3D Realms' name is attached to crowd-funded, post-apocalyptic shooter Earth No More.
]]>Here's today's scandal, then. The Mechromancer, a post-release DLC character for Borderlands 2 has been revealed, and one of her skill trees is aimed at making the game more accessible to people who don't play shooters. Officially, this set of abilities is called 'Best Friends Forever', and includes skills such as missed shots having a chance to auto-ricochet into their intended targets - i.e. allowing some victory from imprecise aiming. That's fine. That's even quite a good idea for anyone who wants to play the game with someone who isn't well-versed in such things. I quite want to play it with my Dad, in fact.
The trouble is that a dev at Gearbox unofficially dubbed it 'the girlfriend mode' when talking to Eurogamer, which is clearly all kinds of offensive and quickly caused online outrage - definitely justified were the skills truly called 'girlfriend mode' but rather less cut and dried if it turns out to be just one guy's personal (and foolish) nickname for the real title of Best Friends Forever. Gearbox are claiming the drama stems from misinterpretation and sensationalism.
]]>I had been worried that Duke Nukem would never, ever make me laugh again. Then I listened to his voice actor Jon St. John reading an extract from ubiquitous rutting tome 50 Shades of Gray in character as Duke, and a multitude of recent sins were forgiven.
]]>Speaking of that DLC stuff, Duke Nukem is destined to expand for the price of $10, next Tuesday. The DLC, which is called The Doctor Who Cloned me, features a new single player campaign (although presumably it's only short compared to the main campaign) as well as a bunch of multiplayer maps. Gearbox explain the setting thusly: "Deep in the heart of Area 51, Dr Proton has been hatching his evil plan. Fueled by new ego boosts, Duke is ready to take on evil clones, aliens queens and anything else that comes his way in order to save the world and his babes!"
]]>There are many reasons to criticise Duke Nukem Forever. The incoherence, the leaden dialogue, the back-tracking, the unconvincing claimed satire of its attitude towards women, the half-baked mini-games, the oppressive linearity... and, perhaps most acutely for those who were more prepared to forgive such follies due to their fondness for the character and his earlier games, the strict two-weapon carry limit. I can't imagine there's much hope of DNF's recharging health being thrown out, but Duke's arsenal is about to be made a little less puny...
]]>The Gearbox forums have announced the inevitability of the Icons Parody Pack, a multiplayer add-on for Duke Nukem Forever. It'll contain new maps and game modes, and be available in the autumn at some point. The post explains that the DLC will be free "to all First Access Club members who registered their FAC membership before Duke Nukem Forever launched in their country (subject to availability)." Presumably everyone else will have an option to buy it. More details below.
]]>Pay attention, students - here's your homework for today. Cloud gaming services such as OnLive and Gaikai: discuss. They're on the rise, and approaching the point where they're not just a fascinating gimmick but a viable way of playing high-end games at reasonable graphical quality. But what do they mean for PC gaming? Indeed, can they be considered PC gaming? And most of all - how seriously should we, and you, be taking them?
]]>Well, the demo at least, which is now on Steam. Duke Nukem Forever, in case you've not heard of it, is the sequel to popular 1996-shooter, Duke Nukem 3D. The sequel was originally developed by 3D Realms, and then, later by another like-minded Dallas-based studio, Gearbox Software. The game charts the adventures of Duke Nukem (who is not actually a duke, as far as my research is able to determine) as he attempts to fight space-aliens, pig-men, and to rescue sexy ladies from certain unpleasantness. The demo is a sampler of Duke's comedy-action delights, previously only available to people who previously pre-ordered the game, maybe, or bought Borderlands or something. I dunno. Whatever.
]]>Come the first breaking of news that the Redner Group, a US PR firm representing 2K Games, had publicly announced that "Too many went too far with their [Duke Nukem Forever] reviews…we are reviewing who gets games next time and who doesn’t based on today’s venom”, the glacial RPS hivemind elected not to post about it. An unfortunate spat involving a PR firm and sites from another country: no need to seek drama from such a thing. But now it's rolling on - despite a public apology, 2K dropped Redner and announced as such on Twitter, adding that "We maintain a mutually respectful relationship with the press and will continue to do so. We don't condone The Redner Group's actions at all." This then led to Eurogamer revealing that they'd been "blacklisted" by 2K themselves (EG chose not to say why), something that "seems to be standard practice." Blimey.
Then, after a few days of silence, Redner boss Jim Redner last night cropped up on Wired defending and clarifying his outburst - plus claiming that a journalist who went 'too far' should "have to pay for his actions."
]]>After a short wait and a bit of help from Gearbox, the new shooter from 3D Realms has quietly arrived on PC and console. It stars one Duke Nukem, a man of ACTION, BABES, BICEPS and MILLIONS OF MINI-GAMES. Is it worth a look and some of your money? Let's see.
]]>Update: that's it for now, folks. I'll try to do some more over the weekend. I must be honest and admit I don't want to though. So far it's a bizarre, often witless mess of scatty, wasted ideas, clunky writing and surprisingly little action. Here's hoping it improves now I'm out of the backtrack-heavy casino bit, though.
Eventually, via dark magicks, I have made Duke Nuke Forever on Steam work. I'll be playing it on and off during the day, and sharing my thoughts in the below liveblog. No need to refresh the page - just watch and let it happen. And, hopefully, laugh and think about how clever I am. Or how witless and inaccurate I am. That can happen too.
]]>Today's the day. Today is the day. The day that over a decade of abject silliness is finally resolved: Duke Nukem Forever has been released. Good grief! It's actually happened. It's available in shops, whatever they are, right now, and also on Steam. Unfortunately, a number of players, myself included, are experiencing a problem wherein over 100 game files - including the main .exe - are not downloaded, thus preventing access to the game. (Yes, I've tried validating and redownloading; no, it didn't work). Graaaaaaaah! A final, cosmic joke perhaps? I hope you're not prey to it, but it does mean my plans to run an as-I-play liveblog have been denied for the time being.
]]>Duke Nukem? He's a goddamned wimp. Gets wrecked on just one can of beer, can't push a cart up a small hill unless he takes everything out of it first, can't travel across a desert without his precious car, and he plays with human excretion. He's back, in a 1.5Gb, two-level demo released today but only to people who preordered Duke Nukem Forever or bought specific editions of Borderlands - and apparently he's a massive wuss.
Wait. Waiiiiiiiiiiit. I just played Duke Nukem Forever. What is this I don't even
]]>This doesn't get any less surreal, does it?
]]>I miss demos. I miss them so much. I wouldn’t be here, writing these words, if it weren’t for demos: how else could a sport-fearing, skinny young misery with only the slightest pittance for pocketmoney have found his way into playing video games? Once, my bedroom was littered with floppy discs, each and every one of which had at some point led to me standing outside a game shop, counting pennies with a quivering hand, praying I had enough.
Granted, magazines were the gateway drug back then, when there was no way to watch a trailer or scour Facebook for new screenshots, but later in life the web too seemed an infinite fount of sampled digital delights, and led to any number of purchases of those games that seemed the most absorbing - or simply because the demo ended, apparently expertly, at a point which left me urgently hungry for more. Those days are gone.
]]>Yes, you're asleep. Yes, this is a dream. There can't be any other explanation for this: the game that shouldn't be, couldn't be, is. After over a decade in development, multiple project reboots, all the crazy promises in the world, the closure of its original developer, a shock resurrection at the hands of the Borderlands/Brothers In Arms devs and another, final delay for luck, Duke Nukem Forever is finished. Yes indeed, Gearbox Software have announced that the infamous shooter has gone gold today. It's actually gone gold. It's coming to a PC near you next month.
]]>The "Shrinkage" trailer, embedded below, made me laugh. But it made me laugh in that way where the end of the laugh ends up being a sigh. And maybe I wasn't really smiling at all.
]]>Ten new screenshots have just appeared for Duke Nukem Forever. (As someone who's been doing this job for twelve years, I'm still unable to shake the feeling of absurdity that comes with believing that the game is genuinely coming out this year. Just typing those words feels like folly.) You'll probably want to look at them. Will they be insanely sexist? Maybe they'll feature animals being tortured? Well, almost disappointingly, no. But one of them has the word "cock"? You can see them all below, and if you'd only bloody well click on them they'd get all big.
]]>Ever get the feeling you're being played? The latest crudity salvo from the Duke Nukem Forever marketing cannon is this 'babes' trailer. If anyone was expecting a chauvinism climb-down following the controversy around the optional bottom-slapping in the 'capture the babe' multiplayer mode, they're certainly not getting it. The following video is just about safe for work, but it is entirely, consciously puerile.
]]>One more delay for the road, huh? Yes, Duke Nukem Forever will not make its promised release date of May 3. Old habits die hard, clearly.
So when, if ever, will this near-mythical manshooter be released instead? I'll let Randy 'not Pitchfork' Pitchford explain all...
]]>The exciting North American variant of Official Xbox Magazine has revealed that Duke's multiplayer will feature a "Capture The Babe" multiplayer mode, in which teams battle over women who are being carted off to be impregnated by the alien invaders. Ah, that sounds hi-liarious, doesn't it, readers? But there's to be controversy, thanks to the unbelievable admission that the babe might "freak out", requiring you to "gently give her a reassuring slap." OXM insist that this slap on the arse is "more goofy than offensive".
]]>A bit rude, but not very rude, almost as if the trailer was carefully edited to imply rudeness while being shown at a trade show where there are minors around. The end result is something a bit like the daydream of a tiny boy who knows that boobs are awesome, but the specifcs elude him. Take a look and see what I mean.
]]>UPDATE: Confirmed as real, though it'll be available in America only and just here from Amazon.com.
The above image was posted on the French Duke Nukem Forever forums last night. I'm still running it through the RPS Bullshit-O-Tron, but figure even if it's fake it's an entertaining fake. And I keep thinking back to that IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover Collector's Edition image that leaked and turned out to be real. HMM. I've run through what look to be the contents after the jump, or you can click on the picture for a slightly bigger one of it. Or both! Do both.
]]>UPDATE: Launch trailer added below! Watch it. [Eh, watching Duke Nukem trailers, that's a weird one, isn't it? -Jim]
See, even though this is real, I still don't believe it. Your partner can't cheat on you, lie to you, never be there for you for so many years, and then just turn over a new leaf. Who cares what's changed? I just refuse to accept that it will happen. I can't allow myself to be hurt again. Eurogamer report the date for a Duke Nukem Forever release date, quoting a site I daren't link to any longer (and more because it's bloody well playing music at me when I open it, with no obvious off switch.) It's going to be the 3rd May for the USA, and the 6th for the rest of the world. Yeah, right, whatever.
]]>One Duke Nukem game not enough? Well, you're getting two. A planned mod built in Unreal Engine 3 has been guaranteed not to get booted in the ribs by current Duke dukes Gearbox.
]]>Travelling games-Ronin Will Porter (who you may remember from his tribute to the recently-murdered PC Zone) has achieved what RPS could not: he has played Duke Nukem Forever. We would have done so too, if only we were any good at reading emails. SIGH. While he was at it, he also talked to newly-minted duke of Duke Randy Pitchford. Here's what the Gearbox headbloke had to say about 3D Realms, urinals, Star Wars, whether the long, strange Duke story will ever be properly documented, and how to localise DNF into the Queen's bally English, what?
]]>Or Loving, Gift-Laden Zoo, depending on whether or not you've already bought Gearbox's pretty good RPG-shooter Borderlands yet. If you haven't, you might be planning on buying its upcoming Game Of The Year edition. (I chortle whenever a re-release of a game call itself that. By whose authority, exactly? I might buy a new hat and start referring to myself as Gaming Blogger Of The Year). If you do, you will have the earliest possible access to the demo of Dukey-Nuke Nukem Not-Never-After-All, once it lands next year.
If you already own Borderlands and all its DLC... well, back of the queue, buddy.
]]>A recent presentation of Duke Nukem Forever to an audience in Amsterdam has been glimpsed by the electronic eye of the internet, and now cannot be forgotten. The clip is introduced and narrated by Gearbox's Randy Pitchford, and it shows Duke looking in fine shape after his recent ill health. There's some shooting! There are quips! In first-person! There's also some footage of more esoteric features, such as emptying Duke's bladder, drawing on a whiteboard and... is that a crudely drawn penis? It is. Watch the events as they unfolded, below.
]]>Nothing escapes the omniscient eye of the internet, and so it wasn't long before the hands-on Duke play at PAX was uploaded by winged technologists to our glowing rectangles. You can bear witness to some of the activities of the man in shades, below. It seems to be some kind of action game, focused on the use of firearms. The perspective, sensibly, is set from the view of the protagonist. There doesn't seem to be any way to talk to the monsters, aside from perhaps making some caustic quips that are basically rhetorical.
So yes. Duke footage.
]]>UPDATE: CONFIRMED! And due for release next year. Wowsers.
Initial picture proof (Thanks to these chaps.) And here's more. And more. And more. Honestly: it's real.
Video stream on the ongoing PAX announcement below, including attendees actually playing it with their actual hands. Pigs flew after all.
ORIGINAL:The hot word on the hot street is that 2K are unveiling something hot at that time, live from the showfloor of the Penny-Arcade Expo. Hotter still, it's hotly-tipped to be Gearbox's rumoured finishing-up of Duke Nukem Forever. Is it? Maybe/probably/everyone on the internet's saying it is, so don't blame us if it isn't. Look, Randy's even wearing a relevant t-shirt today, though maybe he's just a massive prankster.
Find out for yourself by pointing those beautiful eyes of yours at the live-streaming videobox below at 6pm BST, 1pm EST, 10am PST and 7pm CET (It is DNF. Maybe. Probably. Everyone on the internet's saying it is anyway, so don't blame us if it isn't).
]]>3D Realms' semi-erstwhile boss George Broussard mysteriously tweeted a picture of the above earlier. In other news, he once said Duke Nukem Forever would be complete "when pigs fly." In other other news, strong rumour continues to mount that Gearbox have picked up of the broken bits of Duke Nukem Forever and may reveal that they've put them back together again at PAX. Lummee.
]]>Intriguing rumours are circulating thanks to the big K: Gearbox are said to be finishing off Duke Nukem Forever. It's even claimed that a playable demo of the game will appear later this year. Take 2, George Broussard, and Gearbox have all declined to comment, but Gearbox's Randy Pitchford has offered some hope by saying that he might be able to reveal more about the situation at PAX in September. Interesting times.
]]>There was a whole lot of April Comedicosity yesterday, but Variety reported on one thing which - if it happened - could have re-justified the whole sorry festival's sorry reputation. Ex-Take Two Producer Jason Bergman reported that, on their schedule, April 1st 2010 was the day they were planning to announce Duke Nukem Forever had gone gold - and later confirmed it wasn't a joke. Putting aside the obvious question mark whether 3D Realms could actually hit a date, imaging how that would have played out, with the argument and counter-argument of whether it was 4 Realzzzz does put a smile on my face. A shame.
]]>Some Duke Nukem Forever footage has surfaced (and been posted below), via the all-seeing eye of the Big K. It's got a fairly random soundtrack, although not entirely inappropriate, given the subject matter. There's also some tumbleweed, which seems some somehow symbolic. It's not clear what stage of development this was from, but I think we can assume it wasn't the most recent build.
]]>Wired's Clive Thompson has penned a huge diagnosis of the failure of the Duke Nukem Forever project, commemorating the title's years as a top contender in the Wired vapourware charts.
]]>But they have dissolved the DNF dev team. Shacknews has the full statement.
]]>It's time for a new twist in the tale of Duke Nukem Forever. Shacknews are reporting that Take-Two are now filing a lawsuit against the remnants of Apogee and 3D Realms, suing them for failing to deliver the promised game, and demanding a copy of the source code. Cor blimey. In a round-up of who's suing who today, business news site Bloomberg mentions the case, stating that Take-Two are making the case because "Apogee breached an agreement to design the latest installment of Duke Nukem." And in recently discovered papers, it's been revealed that the publisher are demanding a copy of the source code, and assurance that none of the game be leaked or destroyed.
]]>This splurged its way all across the web yesterday, but we might as well report it for The Eye of RPS to gaze down on it with a fiery stare. It is apparently a demo reel from developer Bryan Brewer, who worked on the game until the recently closure of 3D Realms. Various sources managed to grab the video before he pulled it off his site, presumably at the sabre-rattle of parties who remain interested in what exists of the game. The actual game footage is spliced with a lot of modeling roughs and concept stuff, but it gives us a fairly good idea about how Duke might have played: it's a first-person shooter videogame.
]]>Not particularly interesting, as it's just some character renders and a couple of environments, but Duke Nukem Forever materials nonetheless. They've apparently been posted by former art director from the project, Tramell Isaac, who also worked on Planetside and the original Fallout games. He's looking for a job now, natch. And - assuming these are real - I expect we'll see more such assets turning up on the web in the coming weeks. I've posted the most interesting ones after the jump. Click on them for full size. [Via Bluesnews.]
]]>Just a quick follow-up to last night's nega-gossip that the Duke Nukem developer had gone the way of all flesh.... 3D Realms staffer Joe Siegler popped up on the official forums with a terse confirmation: "It's not a marketing thing. It's true. I have nothing further to say at this time." Aw. Good luck to all who once sailed in the good ship 3DR.
]]>Mere minutes after we received a whispered tip from a hooded figure soothsaying the news, Shacknews are reporting that 3D Realms has closed shop. The twenty-two year old developer apparently suffered funding issues, according to Shacknews' similarly anonymous source, and staff from the company have been let go.
]]>Blurry low-res screens, but screens nonetheless. Two of 'em, one showing Duke and some cavorting womenfolk, and the other some sort of tenta-beast thing. Duke4.net has 'em, acquired by one of their members by unlocking every achievement in the new (and reportedly excellent) Xbox Live Arcade port of Duke Nukem 3d.
]]>When I saw the thread over at Qt3, I presumed I was about to be Rick-rolled. But no. Really. Footage. Hence the blurry grab of the footage of the game that is known as Duke Nukem Forever in the autoplaying footage which you can see beneath the cut.
The end time is nigh.
]]>The Dallas Business Journal claims that Duke Nukem Forever is "confirmed" for release on the PC and consoles in 2008. It goes on to back up this report with a somewhat less definitive quote from 3D Realms' Scott Miller:
]]>...we think the Duke Nukem trailer is a load of old balls too, for the record. But it's purely a misfiring promotional video clip, and probably has very, very little bearing on what the actual game's like. So there's really no need to send 3D Realms hate mail just yet. Hopefully.
]]>Naw, I'm just yanking your chain. The real deal's after the jump.
]]>While my RPS fellows have been celebrating Duke Nukem Forever Probably Trailer Day by either taking a pop at the game, or taking a pop at the entire rest of the world, I've been casually brushing up on a little bit of DNF history.
]]>I've been a full-time games journalist for close to a decade now, and it amuses and surprises me every time I think that Duke Nukem Forever was already a delayed and mysterious thing when I joined this dark fraternity. We were making Duke Nukem Taking Forever jokes back in 1999, for Christ's sake.
Of course, that's one reason why I eye-roll a little at the general scorn that surrounds the game. I'm bored of Duke Nukem jokes as much as I'm bored of waiting for Duke Nukem. More so, in fact. 3DRealms are acting like creators in control of their own destiny, for better or for worse. We're acting like...
Well, "Vapourware". It's a fascinating, vile phrase which stinks of misplaced entitlement.
]]>PC gaming's favourite joke is trying to give the impression that next year's promise of a release is really, really, really true this time. And at around 6pm (UK) today, the "first" teaser trailer will be released. You know, after the trailer released in 2001. Six years ago. 3D Realms bossman George Broussard appeared on the company's forums to announce the exciting news that gaming's most unreleased game is going to receive a teaser, and to offer a screenshot of said short (their servers are too busy to show it, so here it is below).
]]>
