Video games are the perfect medium to develop antiheroes and protagonists of distracted morals. They allow players to unleash a spiral of destruction and, in the process, plunge them into worlds custom made by the terrifying enfants of the consoles and PCs with the blatant intent to give ground to their outrages . Of course, few or no antiheroes manage to match Duke’s scoundrel in his biggest prank to date: Duke Nukem 3D.
After two side-scrolling run-and-gun Duke Nukems , the Texans of 3D Realms let their hair down in April 1996 with a tremendous third installment. The best Duke game to date. And despite the fact that DOOM was one of its greatest references when it came to inviting us to experience the art of destruction in the first person, the studio’s slogan was clear from the beginning: it was not enough to match the success of id Software, it had to be overcome the slayer on his own turf.
Needless to say, the team led by George Broussard arrived at a very delicate moment from all points of view: beyond the fact that DOOM’s wake was followed by countless surrogates and outrageous clones who coveted their piece of the cake, we find ourselves in the middle of a period in which Mortal Kombat -among others- questioned the moral and ethical value of video games themselves.
Obstacles and challenges that 3D Realms brought down by embracing political incorrectness without qualms or reservations. And in the process, it offered players a first-person shooter that was as explosive and explicit as it was superb at the controls. A cheeky homage to the clichés of late 20th century action movies? Much more than that.
Because no matter how many years pass: Duke Nukem 3D has earned a privileged position in the long history of FPS with its twisted non-linear levels full of secrets, surprises and interactive elements that take you out of the game to steal a smile ; with moments and scenes as surreal as they are challenging and a universal solution to all the problems that will come our way: brutality in all its forms and variants.
A premise that is held tightly with a frenzied gunplay and exquisitely seasoned with the jokes – satyrs and witty – of Duke. And, unlike so many FPS in which it is sought to minimize the presence of the protagonist to immerse the player in the game, Duke Nukem himself is positioned as the star of the show and the epicenter of chaos. The kind of hero who makes bad guys soak his pants.
In a way, Duke Nukem 3D is an unrepeatable experience. Not only because, 25 years later, almost everything that makes him unique today would end up burying him with criticism and awakening all kinds of susceptibilities; that also. But what makes him truly unique is his way of channeling the spirit of the wildest action in cinema, comics and any other medium and, between shots and explosions, constantly surprising the player . Based on not too subtle details and truly tremendous moments.
Duke Nukem 3D: a politically incorrect ode to destruction
It is not optional to put ourselves in context if we want to talk about Duke Nukem 3D at this point in the game. After all, as a video game it is the child of its time, and we are not only referring to the technical, the playable or the thematic; but also in relation to what inspired its own creators and – of course – how it was received by players. Because, although those were other times, we were amazed with what was shown on the screen.
Duke’s character debuted on Duke Nukem and, according to its own creators, is a blatant tribute to the action heroes who dominated the box office from the 1980s onwards. More than specific characters, that Made in Hollywood hero profile chiseled by legends of the caliber of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis or Clint Eastwood. After all, and indirectly, these had already been the mold of countless video game heroes. In many respects, they still are.
The original Duke Nukem was published in 1991, when 3D Realms signed under the Apogee Software label. Its gameplay, essentially a side-scrolling run and gun , was not exactly revolutionary and its plot – an evil scientist set out to conquer the world – did not derail from what has already been seen a thousand and one times in video games. But its protagonist, of course, was quite a character. A rare hero, unable to go unnoticed.
Duke Nukem home screen. Same old hooligan without sunglasses
As a game, Duke Nukem performed well enough in sales to earn its own sequel. A new installment that arrived two years later and was completely overshadowed and overwhelmed by the phenomenon that will arrive just a week later: DOOM will arrive on December 10, 1993 and will set a new chair in action and shooting games.
The creators of Wolfenstein 3D gave a resounding blow to the table: that first-person shooter was not only brutal in terms of playability, but its level design and multiplayer were absolutely revolutionary. 3D Realms reaction? Fight fire with fire and, in the process, make the player live and take the reins of an insane apocalypse through Duke’s goggles.
3D Realms wasted no time, and the first versions of the third installment of Duke Nukem will begin to be played in April 1994. Of course, this time it will be necessary to refine the aim a little more: as it is guessed by its name, Duke Nukem 3D will add a new dimension to the saga in the truest sense of the term. Of course, we will have to wait until April 1996 to see the final version.
A relatively wide timeframe for the time, but it must be admitted that the Texans were not only highly inspired, but they delighted in the details a lot: despite being a shooter, the way to interact with the scenarios and destroy the levels was unheard of in first person games.
Almost anything on screen was susceptible to being used or receiving a cannonball
Ultimately, the real goal in creating Duke Nukem 3D , according to Broussard’s statements to PC GamesN, was to go beyond DOOM, deviating from its path to bring its successful formula to its own ground. And while none of the studio had experience making video games in three-dimensional environments, they did.
I would say that we originally planned to make a copy of DOOM. To tell you the truth, there was no other benchmark beyond DOOM. In many respects, we were all in a kind of uncharted territory. So we just got down to business, keeping what was fun and working, and what we didn’t eliminate.
We’re trying to go beyond DOOM to the best of our ability with new features like the integration of tilted levels, various large moving sectors, the ability to jump, duck, or use a jetpack, and other ways to interact. At a certain point, we ended up having a great set of tools and features, and it only remained to sculpt the game on the basis of success and error.
Neither of us had ever created a 3D game before, so all we could do was take notice of DOOM, deviate from the original path, and see where ours would take us.
Classic DOOM was the ultimate first-person shooter for nearly a decade. Its gameplay, its rhythm and its setting had created a school. And in this respect, 3D Realms was an outstanding student of id Software: although – as we discussed – the clichés of action heroes set the tone for Duke Nukem 3D , as a game it introduced new nuances through great advancements and exquisitely subtle details .
A nod to Duke Nukem II in the arcade of the inaugural phase
Because Duke could not only crouch, jump, or look up and down through a simple trick, but it turned out, he could interact with pretty much everything on the screen.
- So if you broke, for example, a hydrant not only did the water come out, but you recovered a point of health. But, in the same way, you had to be careful about shooting at any flammable or explosive object.
- Also, when you open the door of a service you could find a villain completing his digestive cycle. And not only that, you could even take advantage of any type of urinal in the game to discharge the excess liquid.
- In terms of perspective, not only did we have access to cameras, but reflections from mirrors were also part of the game. Sometimes, confusing us with what we had in front of us and others revealing what is around the corner.
- Obligatory mention to the cheerful strippers, who will dedicate us a short dance in exchange for the loose we carry and some compliment. Because maybe the world is going to hell, but above all they are professionals.
- And the thing does not end there: the levels themselves are full of activities that range from a pool table to projectors in rooms, through huge buildings that we must demolish to continue advancing or puzzles and secrets with which to unlock keys and weapons.
A small sample of the endless interactive elements placed throughout the three chapters of Duke Nukem 3D . On the earth levels, you could just as easily jump into a house by jumping through the window or find yourself in an arcade. And beware, as the story progresses, the scenarios become increasingly complex and surreal.
The plot of Duke Nukem 3D was gradually losing its meaning, but we didn’t care
As the plot of the game unfolds, the design of the scenes and the enemies themselves get more and more bloody. Luckily for us, Duke is the most dangerous being in the universe . So much so that in Duke Nukem II he was abducted by aliens to serve as a mold for a new breed of warriors and more than enough to purge the earth and the cosmos of any threat, wherever it comes from in Duke Nukem 3D.
Because the degree of brutality in Duke Nukem 3D is impressive: beyond testing our ability to dye the walls red with explosions and bullets, we will be required to turn every scenario upside down. Rewarding our curiosity and our creativity when it comes to blowing up whoever gets in our way, of course, but also pushing us to the limit in the middle of an absurd alien invasion in which everything is allowed.
Logically, and in the wake of DOOM, Duke Nukem 3D’s single player mode is only half the experience: regarding its multiplayer, the game itself and its levels gain new nuances with very successful competitive, eliminatory and even cooperative modes. that heighten the already brutal degree of chaos and destruction.
Multiplayer modes, as crazy as the solo experience
And above all the above, Duke himself. The incarnation of the American hero and, at the same time, his greatest parody. A type of easy trigger and with an ego the size of a cathedral, of course, but also that kind of daredevil who knows how to finish off every moment and every big explosion with the typical Hollywood phrase or a grace that, perhaps, today would be seen with others. eyes.
A personality that transcends the screen and is almost palpable through the voice of Jon St. John, who plays the character from Duke Nukem 3D. Rounding out more and better the tone of the experience and, in the process, making the player even more complicit in this prank of intergalactic proportions.
25 years later, the video game world needs a new Duke Nukem
2021 marks the 30th anniversary of the Duke Nukem saga, as well as the ten years since the long-awaited – and not so celebrated – Duke Nukem Forever . Duke’s latest adventure to date, if you don’t factor in his unexpected participation in BulletStorm. However, both dates are overshadowed by the true milestone of 3D Realms: the Duke Nukem 3D revolution and the massive impact it still has 25 years later.
In 1996 all fans of first-person shooters had their eyes on Quake, the true great evolutionary step of FPS since DOOM. But of course, this time around the launch of Duke Nukem 3D not only didn’t go unnoticed, it made a thunderous noise. Controversial? Of course. But beyond all the political incorrectness in which he was involved, it was and continues to be a great game.
Its protagonist is not only crazy, but he does not cut himself when releasing some great atrocities between shots and explosions; its premise was total madness and the degree of interactivity and debauchery of each of its levels exceeded all expectations. And despite the fact that, like DOOM , its first levels were distributed via shareware, its success was overwhelming.
In 3D Realms they did not waste time and in 1997 two great movements were made with respect to the rebirth of the saga:
- On the one hand, the Atomic Edition will be published, an expanded version of Duke Nukem 3D with a fourth chapter, new weapons and enemies and a new Final Boss.
- On the other, the development of the fourth numbered installment of the saga will begin: Duke Nukem Forever. In many ways, this will spell the beginning of the end for Duke.
During the development of Duke’s new great adventure there were new custom conversions of Duke Nukem 3D for desktops and desktops, including a custom version for Nintendo 64, as well as several spin-offs. However, despite the enormous depth and successful innovations of the 3D Realms shooter, first-person shooters continued to evolve at an impressive rate, while the return of our American Hero was becoming more and more to be desired.
From the beginning, Duke Nukem Forever was envisioned as a huge and groundbreaking project. Perhaps too ambitious for the time it was announced. And that, paradoxically, took a huge toll on satisfying both the enormous expectations generated and the creative ambition of 3D Realms. Above all, when it failed to meet the huge hype generated or suffered all kinds of delays for more than a decade.
The reasons why Duke Nukem Forever was such a disappointment are many. If it had come out in 1998 it is more than likely that – along with Half-Life and so many great successes of that prodigious year – it would have reached the status of a cult classic. However, the reality is that in 2011 the landscape around FPS was very different. Too much.
Not that Duke Nukem Forever faltered by reintroducing what worked so well in the 1996 game: the protagonist was completely unleashed in this new installment and -definitely- there is action, hooligan humor, absurdly delusional situations and dangers galore. But, as we said, Duke is a child of its time and, although it had visually accommodated itself to the contemporary standard, in terms of its experience it was constantly felt as a game from another era.
Duke Nukem Forever fell short of expectations, but continued Duke’s thuggish adventures
So the video game world no longer needs a new Duke Nukem ? The reality is that there is an essential nuance: if it is to follow in the wake of Duke Nukem Forever, the truth is that not much. The saga needs to be reinvented, of course, but, above all, to remain faithful to the essence of that revolutionary Duke Nukem 3D. And games like DOOM 2016 and DOOM Eternal are proof that yesterday, today and tomorrow there will be room for classic-style FPS, as long as they are done well.
25 years later, the original intentional political incorrectness of Duke Nukem 3D remains intact over time. The sensation of sneaking into a large movie theater in which a racy movie is projected, kicking into a club with go-go, a film set or Area 51 and interacting with everything in sight in the middle a heated shooting is still amazing.
In fact, the new levels, enemies and content created for the 20th Anniversary World Tour , in 2016, are the best example that the classic experience remains superb, despite the fact that Duke’s manners and manners are from another era and, logically, they should be seen like this.
That said, we live in a time where shooters feel increasingly generic. And what is worse: it seems that most ideas are either recycled or reward routine and perseverance over simple fun. And in that respect, the spirit in which Duke Nukem 3D was created becomes more necessary than ever: intentionally seeking to deviate from the paths already traveled and leave a strong imprint on the player . And while finishing each task with a phrase in the style of the scoundrel Duke may be optional, it is also something that does not go out of style.