"More like PUKE Nukem!.....actually.....no it isn't. *Runs away*"

The original Duke Nukem is a fantastic little side-scrolling shooter from the lovely people at Apogee. A nasty little alien wants control of the planet, and it appears that the Earth’s only salvation is coming in the form of a misogynistic man with a rather big gun. Duke Nukem takes you through a large number of levels, blowing away hordes of enemies and in the process creating what still could be the best Duke Nukem game made. Our favourite Duke may not have the same attitude or witty remarks he’s got now, but he’s really never looked better!

GAMEPLAY
In this game you start at the beginning of a level and then take yourself to the end of the level to complete it; this process is then repeated numerous times until the game is finished. Yes, this is very obvious and not really worth pointing out, but you see the real beauty of Duke Nukem lies in its simplicity. You’ve got a gun and you can jump, just use these two things and you’ll have no problem. The levels do have whiz bang designs to make things interesting, but whether you’re rappelling across a level, hunting down keys to access new areas or falling large distances you’re still essentially just blowing things away.

And what things they are! They range from small robots that die with one shot, to pink fluffy bunnies that often attack in hordes, all the way up to the large mechanical dinosaurs which are the most intimidating of the foes. They’ve designed baddies that can go pretty much anywhere, crawling up walls and along roofs; etc. This means that in the later levels (and sometimes earlier) you’re really going to have to fight to hold onto your eight or so bars of life.

Luckily the Duke is an agile little creature; he moves quickly, jumps high, and is very responsive to your commands. The gun he wields is a little more primitive, firing in shorter bursts than you’d sometimes like, but it does the job. To help him out there are various goodies strewn throughout the levels, additional firepower for the gun, higher jumping boots and a glove and hook for the aforementioned rappelling. All in all Duke is very well equipped to tackle the alien scourge.

The actual design of the levels is superb. They’re sometimes wide and expansive while others take place in enclosed arenas. The thought put into them must have been immense; the huge level completely filled with platforms and with four keys tucked away, or the maze with a painful little shortcut tucked away are great examples of this. All of the levels are filled with natural hazards (as if the baddies weren’t enough to contend with) and each has a nice amount of little secrets tucked away somewhere. All of Duke’s abilities are constantly tested, with a new situation or two being thrown forth with each new level. Very few of the stages are wasted on generic, rubbish designs and most have some particular section to look forward to. A very adept group of levels I must say.

All of these fancy little bells and whistles can’t hide the fact that Duke Nukem is mainly about the action, and what a frenetic game it can be! The enemies usually attack in clumps, and often take numerous shots to destroy; that ALT key is going to take quite a pounding. The sub-bosses and boss are very much the same; all you can do is jump around a bit, do a lot of firing and hope for the best. Just don’t forget to stock up on health (it comes in the amusing form of cola and chicken)!

Overall, the gameplay of Duke Nukem is delightful. There’s all the fast paced shooting you’ll ever need nestled in between some truly inspired levels. Once you fire up a game you just won’t want to stop until you’ve fried a few bunnies and made it to the end. Finding all those colourful keys is never a truly enjoyable experience in any game, but Duke Nukem goes close to making this normally mundane task a palatable one.

GRAPHICS
The graphics of Duke Nukem are great considering the time frame the game was released in. The backgrounds are very well done, having an immense amount of variety inside each individual level. There are gloomy cityscapes and ruins, along with a brighter more futuristic kind of level. Each one pays close attention to detail, with some lovely textures being used all the way through (cracks in the pavement, bubbles in hot things; etc.). The special effects that are used to really jazz up these stages are bordering on miraculous. Things like neon lights make common appearances and ensure that what you’re looking at rarely gets dull. However some of the stages can get a little too drab at times, and there could have been more variety in the colour palette; but generally these are some mighty fine backgrounds.

The characters are also lovely pieces of work. Duke Nukem is a muscle-bound chap who walks fast (cool people don’t run), brandishing a square jaw and the obligatory piece of fabric tied around the upper arm. There was room for improvement in his design, but he’s better than most! The enemies are a top class bunch, they look good just standing on their lonesome but are even more impressive after a few shots are fired into them and smoke comes billowing out. The animations of the whole lot are a little bit jerky and not completely desirable to watch, but they do their job. So there we go, the backgrounds are good and the characters are good. I suppose this has to make the overall graphics package good as well!

SOUND
Not faring too badly either comes the sound. With no background music one would think the audio stood no chance of being commendable, but the effects do an admirable job. The gun firing sound is one of the few that can stand up to many repeated listenings; most aren’t even half as good. The jumping effect is a little bit overdone, and the rest of them lie somewhere in between those two sides of the spectrum. Background music would have been a nice addition, but there is often so much action going on with its respective sound effects that there would be no room for a little tune. Not too bad.

LIFESPAN
Duke Nukem is a game that can last you a long time. Whilst there are a lot of levels out there, it can easily be beaten within the week that you get it. But like many other Apogee side-scrollers out there, it is a game that you can and will turn to time and time again. It will take a few plays to fully explore some of the levels and once you’ve done that you’ll just keep on paying just for the heck of it. It is an addictive little game, and this is one urge that’s not a crime to succumb to. See you in a month then!

FUN FACTOR
On my little ol’ fun-o-meter this game would have to rank fairly high. There are some parts in some stages that may have you a little stuck or just plain old aggravated because of the terrain and the enemies, but it’s generally smooth sailing. Some sections are inspired, and make that little bit of toiling well worth the effort. And it’s mindless fun to, so if you’re after a bit of short-term or instant gratification then this is the right game for you.

CHALLENGE
The challenge of Duke Nukem sits somewhere around the middle of the road. The earlier levels can be a breeze and the later levels can be a slog, but at no time are you ever in threat of having your earth saving campaign completely derailed. It may take a few goes to overcome the trickier obstacles and the final boss, but nothing here is insurmountable and the end is always just a few bullets or can of cola away. If you can’t finish it you’re a ninny actually.

THE FINAL PARAGRAPH
Duke Nukem is a classic title, the man may have descended into a smoky haze of mediocrity but this chapter of his ordeals is definitely a keeper. Great levels, loads of enemies and some fine graphics all point to a long stay in Nukemville. Chasing keys is an outdated and repetitive directive, but if you pay closer attention to the other sides of the game then you’re guaranteed a superb time. Go out and get it now, whether it’s off the Internet or from a fat guy selling pirated copies of Futurama at a computer expo. You’re missing out on a key piece of gaming folklore if you don’t.
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GOOD POINTS
- Very nice level design
- Loads of wonderful enemies to rip apart
- Purdy visuals

NOT SO GOOD POINTS
- Well there isn’t any music
- Key grabbing is never an ideal thing to do
- It finishes too quickly :(
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GRAPHICS - 8/10
SOUND - 3/5
GAMEPLAY - 9/10
LIFESPAN - 9/10
FUN FACTOR - 7/10
CHALLENGE - 7/10
OVERALL - 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/08/01, Updated 10/08/01