For a game that was built up this much, I don't think anything could have met those expectations
GAMEPLAY - Okay, let's start off by talking about the engine this runs on, which is a major negative to me. As good and tried-and-true as the Unreal Engine is, I felt like it was a huge disappointment to use this as the skeletal structure behind this game. Not only is it outdated and need of a major tune-up, but most mediocre shooters use it nowadays (i.e. Homefront, Singularity). I'm a big advocate against this engine, mostly because it feels so artificial and familiar. Plus, I don't like games with a ton of scripted events that occur when you enter a certain room or do something in particular.
As for the game itself, it's a lot of fun. Long-time Duke fans will be happy to know that all the guns and enemies return (minus the slimers, turd demon, and pig cops in vehicles, and there is a new gun in the form of a rail gun...probably to give this game something in the sniper variety). However, they have done away with keycards and the jetpack. Both are somewhat disappointing, but understandable considering the structure of the levels. Speaking of which, this game is not structured anything like the original Duke 3D. It's more like other shooters where you just progress through each area. I think this was somewhat of a mistake by the developers, because had they kept it like the original Duke 3D, it would have gave this game more personality and familiarity amongst its longtime fans.
Still, Duke Forever is a lot of fun to play through. The enemies are challenging, nearly all the guns are worth using, and there are certainly some very fun and memorable levels. I do wish there were more levels that stood out though. Other than the strip club, the first part of Duke's penthouse, and Duke Burger, there aren't a ton of levels that feel like they've been given a lot of thought and care put into them. Don't get me wrong though, driving through the desert in a monster truck is a blast and going through the enemy hive is very creepy. The only thing about this game that really didn't fit well was how this game was more like "Duke Nukem stars in a Call of Duty spin-off" rather than Duke just kicking ass on his own. But for the most part, I think the developers found a pretty happy medium between classic Duke gameplay, and that of modern day shooters. You may have the big squad fights against the enemy now and then, but you also have the great puzzle-solving and platforming mixed in with the you-against-the-world style shooting. Not to mention the bosses are more on the old school side, and can be challenging. Overall, I was happy with what we got here. - 8/10
STORY - The story starts off at the ending of the original Duke 3D...the L.A. Meltdown episode, anyway. Then it brings you into the future and shows you how Duke is living nowadays. Soon disaster strikes though, and you have the same plot of Duke 3D all over again. Not that this is bad by any means, because I think these games reflect the cheesy, Schwarzenegger-esque action movie style, and a lot of people tend to forget that when criticisms are made against this game. While the story is fine, the pacing is quite bad. A lot of people blame the strip club level as something that breaks up the flow, but I would say the opposite. I think that level is actually a welcomed break after shooting up aliens for so long. It's mainly the levels themselves that bother me...mostly towards the beginning and towards the end. Duke's penthouse seems to go on forever (once again, no pun intended), and the last 1/3 of the game takes place in a single structure (which I won't spoil), where you just hope to be done with it before too much longer. Plus there are way too many parts where you just sit around shooting spawning enemies until they're all dead. This is very uncharacteristic of the franchise, and wasn't all that fun either. Everything else is great though. The characters aside from Duke aren't all that memorable, but again, think cheesy action movie if you have any criticisms. So yeah, decent story with bad pacing at times. - 7/10
GRAPHICS - The graphics are alright considering the Unreal Engine's limitations. I mean, let's be honest. The other games I mentioned (Singularity, Homefront, etc) don't have the greatest graphics either, but I know a lot of people still enjoyed them. I myself really enjoyed Homefront other than the frustrating deaths that came up now and then. If there's one thing that annoys me when it comes to modern-day gamers and game developers though, it's that they think graphics are everything. Newsflash: no one is going to care years from now if your graphics were off-the-charts good if you don't have great gameplay to back it up. Why do you think people still play games from the 90's? I think the graphics here are just fine. Could they have been better? Yes, but for what they are, they're nowhere near insulting. - 8/10
SOUND - A lot of people are saying that Duke has lost his edge and now sounds like a poser of his former self. I wouldn't go that far. He still says a lot of funny one-liners as you're shooting up a room full of aliens or notice something funny as you go through the game. I only have two problems with the stuff he says. Firstly, a lot of his one-liners in this game are stolen from other cheesy action movies (i.e. "Tonight you dine in Hell!", "Remember when I said I'd kill you last? I lied.", and "Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun."). Also, apparently Duke is now making fun of other video games. I won't spoil anything, but there are some references to other video games in here that just seem totally out of character for him. True, he made fun of Doom in Duke 3D, but that's because they were competition. While this game does take a stab at another popular shooter out there, there is another game it makes fun of that dates back to the pre-Nintendo days that is so uncharacteristic, but still funny.
Also, not that I'm against people cussing and stuff, but this game almost does it for the sake of doing so. Not Duke as much, but the other soldiers you encounter. I know a lot of them are supposed to represent us long-time fans who are somewhat Duke fanatics, but some of them come off as trying way too hard. This was kind of annoying to me, but I was able to deal with it. Aside from that though, guns sound satisfying and the music is actually pretty sweet throughout most of the game. Other than some dialogue complaints, this wasn't that bad at all. - 8/10
LENGTH/REPLAY VALUE - Unfortunately, this isn't the longest game in the world. It will probably take you 6 or 7 hours to beat, though that is mostly an estimation. This game has a lot of cool unlockable goodies after you've beaten the game for those of us who have been waiting the past decade and a half for this game to come out. I won't spoil much, but I will say that it has some E3 trailers dating back to shortly after the game's announcement, and it's amazing to see how much of what was shown was kept in the game and updated since the Duke 3D graphics of the 90's. For me, that's worth playing through alone.
Replay value is usually relative to the individual, and always something I tend to criticize a lot when it comes to shooters. A lot of them are good for only a single playthrough...maybe two if you want the trophies. But you know, compared to other shooters out there, Duke was actually a lot of fun to play through. It challenged your puzzle skills, your platforming skills, and even had challenging boss fights also. While the only one that really gave me trouble was the Octaking, I could see that the developers were true to their word about keeping with the old school mentality of making boss fights actually challenging rather than a guy with an abnormally big life bar. Duke Forever will remain in my collection for two reasons. Firstly because I am a big fan of his games, but also because this was one of the few shooters out there that I could see myself going through again more than once. - 7.5/10
BOTTOM LINE - This is a 90's shooter for the 90's gamer. If you've only gone back to play Duke 3D to see what this game was about and didn't find yourself appreciating it, you probably won't like this game. If you've only played shooters for the past 5 or 10 years, you probably won't like this game. If you're like me though, and Duke was a childhood hero for you, I think you'll really enjoy this game. I can understand why you wouldn't, but again, this was a game that had all the hype in the world, and you have to do your best to block that out and take this game for what it is. I probably wouldn't recommend paying the $60 price tag unless you're a long-time fan like myself, but I would say that it's at least a rental if you're a fan of shooters. Duke Nukem Forever does have its share of problems. A bad engine combined with poor pacing and sometimes laughable dialogue (and not in a good way) tend to hold this game back. But it still plays like an old school shooter, with puzzles and platforming mixed in. In a time and age full of Call of Duty spin-offs, this was a welcomed break from that.
In closing, I want to say shame on all of you sites like Gamespot and IGN for giving this game a poor score. Get some gamers with 20+ years of experience and you'll get some honest reviews here. This is probably just me being biased, but this game is far better than a 3 out of 10. Duke may be a relic amongst the top-name shooters of today, but I would still put this game up against just about anything you can find on the shelves like it. Duke Nukem Forever may not be remembered as the greatest trip down memory lane for most. However, for those of us who can point to Duke as one of our heroes in the world of gaming, DNF is going to go down in history as one of the most unappreciated and underrated games to be released. - 8/10