I wished that I was kissed by a muse, but I’m not after reading so much bullshit. I thought, after playing DNF half way through, to read some reviews from so called “videogame journalists”. What they’ve wrote is mostly bullshit. Most of them criticized the new Duke’s graphics, the simply plain shooting, the sometimes at first not making sense riddles which mostly consist of already-seen physic puzzles. Honestly, screw that! The guys at Gearbox Software put together what they could from the many stuff that was created by 3D realms over the last 13 years. They did a great job to keep it oldschool!
It should have been clear that Duke Nukem Forever would never be the Saviour of modern gaming. It was always clear to me that DNF gives us old grown gamers what we have missed, a game to sit back and to get entertained by the “infant humor” we loved in the past. Duke Nukem Forever isn’t stuck in the “90”. Duke Nukem Forever brings back the “90” to every gamer that remembers well how exiting and entertaining it was to play shooters like it back then. The young gamer generation doesn’t got the “memories”, the “nostalgic feeling” old gamers have. And if an old gamer dislikes the new Duke, then he maybe is just a nerdy fanboy that had too high expectations.
Since, this is a positive review, doesn’t mean it has to be positive all the way.
Here is what I disliked on the new Duke Nukem Forever. With a good eye, you will see that most of the game was created to fit onto the console market. Duke walks from happening to happening in a linear manner. This is like a punch in the balls for free exploring. One of the hints in the sometimes too long staying loading screens encourage the player to explore the area. But these areas are very small and limited. There are no areas that allow the player to take different ways or to find some nice goodies at dead ends. Do you remember the large, sometimes confusing levels of Duke3D? Weren’t they great? You gonna miss them in Duke Nukem Forever.
Duke Nukem Forever brings back the style of 90s first person shooters and an old hero that may be is stuck with his thinking in the 90s, but still got the humor and skills to beat the asses of ugly women taking aliens. Sure, there could have be larger levels and even more destructible environment, but screw that. The Duke is oldschool, immature and more retro than any other character in the large gaming world.
You either like or dislike Duke. The choice is yours! But don’t trust the so called “videogame journalists” and the young gamers of this generation that never experienced the cool and innovative gaming industry of the 90s, they just don’t got the balls of steel. ;)
By the way: The modding community will soon change the game to make it the Duke you may miss! Trust me! Poor owners of the console version…
A3D's Let's Plays 
Got the Balls of Steel? Read what a 90s gamer has to say about Duke Nukem Forever and foul critics.
I got the same feeling about those journalists and theirs criticism. Best one was from IGN where he wrote that level design is bad, because you can get lost!
I have played the demo, liked it. I have watched some gameplay vids and what seems like a bigest setback are small and narrow levels. But I am planing to buy Duke anyway. But not right now, I have way too many games to finish, so I decided not to buy any new videogame this year with exceptions of Skyrim and SW:TOR.
First of all, nice review :)
I agree with you that I like this return of The Duke, but there are some points that I just don’t like: like the only two weapons rule exported from CofD. I can understand that CofD uses this method because it adds realism, but in Duke Nukem it just doesn’t fit. Duke must be an one man’s army capable of carrying a lot of weapons like the previous games of the 90s.
Another thing is the regeneration, but I think that is personal preference because I always prefer to use a medkit or a medhypo or something similar to cure me instead of hide and wait until the life regenerates :S
This Duke Nukem Forever is good. It has the immature humor, interesting levels like The Casino, platforms, big boss battles… But I think that if they had continued with some older factors of the 90s games, it could have been better.
Well, at least we can change that with the mods, can’t we? :)
That’s not my review. I am working on a longer article. Most of the things you mentioned are in there already. Gonna post that end of the next week or so.