WeView: Duke Nukem Forever

You know the stats. A game that was so long in development that children born after 3D Realms started the process are entering puberty. It’s been through more engines than I’ve had hot dinners and was, for far too many years, a standing joke to anyone with even the vaguest knowledge of the history of the games industry. However, through some kind of magic spell it actually made its way to shelves last month.

Sure, it wasn’t actually from 3D Realms, Gearbox having taken over for the final push, but it actually made its way out of development; surely one of the least likely things to ever happen in the industry.

Of course, it was always going to be tricky for a game with the long and convoluted history of Duke Nukem Forever to come out of development as the gleaming pinnacle  of gaming. Sadly, in our opinion at least, Duke didn’t manage to escape this fate; with the King only managing to make it to 5/10. It’s not all about the score though, so here’s a sample of what we thought about the game.

Amazingly, despite being in development for fourteen years, Duke Nukem Forever feels unfinished. For every enjoyable section there are several that feel tacked-on and just plain lazy. Despite a few bright moments (it picks up towards the end) the game struggles to ever push its way above average. Hail to the King? Sorry but no, the King is dead.

So there you have, the King is dead. It would have been nice to be able to say “Long live the King”, but alas it was not to be. However, you don’t just have to accept our opinion of Duke’s latest adventure. This is all about you letting us know your opinion, so let’s hear what you have to say.

Just head over to the forums and leave us your thoughts on the game. Whilst I’m not going to discount longer reviews, please remember that the aim is for short, snappy opinions. More than that I simply don’t have the time to wade through longer reviews, so if you want to have your opinion included in the verdict post try to keep it short.

Once you’ve written your review make sure you give it a score on the Buy It, Bargain Bin It, Rent It, Avoid It scale. Remember, if you want your score and opinion included in Monday’s verdict post you need to have it done by Sunday afternoon, otherwise I’ll have written it and you’ll be left out in the cold.

10 Comments

  1. This will be interesting.

    • Could this be the first overall negative WeView?

      • Modern Warfare 2 already has the unenviable award of the first game to get an overall Avoid rating.

  2. took 14 years to make. I played the demo for 14 minutes. I deleted it from my HDD. Those 14 minutes i can never have back again.

    • I nearly bought this, read the review on here and thought twice. Didn’t bother with the demo

    • Bought it and played it till the end…lesson learned i will never let nostalgia influence my buying of anything again.

      • What’s nostalgic about buying a new game that’s just out? :P

  3. I haven’t completed the full game yet but i’ll have a go at this. It’s been fun so far. :)

  4. Bought it with games I traded in on a card at game. Some funny parts like when your searching for popcorn, a condom and a sex toy. It’s worth a play through or 2 but becomes tedious at times and feels unfinished in parts!
    Bottom line – rent it!

  5. Nice choice, don’t own the game but would love to hear some opinions on it.

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