I take back my original review. This game is mediocre at best.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly:
The game is Duke and has some interesting interactivity with the environment. Some of the puzzles did have a reminiscent feel to them, as I said in my previous review, but after doing them for a second time, I saw that they were indeed stale ideas forced into a newer generation in which they do not belong. A lot of the one-liners were indeed nostalgic throwbacks to the awesomeness of Duke 3D, but some were flat.
The fact that Duke is a 14-year-old idea forced into a modern age, doesn't help it one bit aside from giving diehard fans, such as me, an excuse to try and defend the aging hero.
The game's look, while not superbad, is definitely not on par with what it could have and SHOULD have been. The sound is subpar, at best, lacking any kind of 'whump' behind any of the weapons.
As for the gameplay itself, it is horribly linear. The 'maps' are simple Point A to Point B excursions with scripted 'ambush' events where you stop and shoot a few aliens. Wonky driving segments offer a change, but are poorly implemented and their controls feel lofty and weightless.
Overview:
While I don't feel bad about my purchase of the half-ass release that is Forever, I don't feel good about it, either. It's a game that I was super-hyped and excited about, allowing my nostalgia cloud my judgement for a long, long time and while I think it fared better than what reviewers originally tagged it with, it didn't do it by much. My entire opinion can be summed up in this: I loved the Duke and, as such, paid my last respects, but, as much as it pains me to say it, Duke is dead. This game should have remained vaporware.