Duke Nukem 3D

• Release Date: 1997
• Genre: Shooter
• Style: First-Person Shooter
• Similar Games: Doom (Atari Jaguar), Quake (Macintosh), Doom (IBM PC Compatible), Quake (IBM PC Compatible), Doom (Sega Genesis 32X), Doom (Sega Saturn), Powerslave (Sega Saturn), Quake (Sega Saturn), Doom (PlayStation), Powerslave (PlayStation), Doom (3DO), Powerslave (IBM PC Compatible), Doom (Super Nintendo Entertainment System), Quake (Nintendo 64)

Game Description

"No one steals our chicks...and lives!" It seems that aliens have invaded Los Angeles and have been abducting the women of earth, mutating them into horrible creations. The only guy man enough to stop'em is Duke Nukem, who is back on Earth after a few months of kicking alien butt on distant planets. Instead of getting to kick back with a few beers, the trash-talking Duke's gotta take out the alien menace!

Loaded with snappy one-liners and a fierce amount of bad-ass attitude, Duke Nukem 3D on the Saturn features dozens of highly detailed, real-world 3D levels to explore, all populated with angry aliens and mutants ready to rip Duke a few new orifices. But by wielding weapons like the Devastator, the Rocket-Powered Grenade, and even the Mighty Foot, Duke's ready to stop anything that gets in his path. Level backgrounds can be interacted with as you can destroy almost anything, you can even break toilets and drink water for health!

Roots & Influences

Duke Nukem 3D was influenced by the original Duke Nukem and Duke Nukem II by Apogee/FormGen. Another influence is Power Slave by Lobotomy Software as both games use the same engine.

Review: Overall

After Duke Nukem rocked his way onto the PC, it only seemed like a matter of time until he'd pop up on 32-bit game consoles. And if you're in possession of a Sega Saturn, you're in luck, one of the best versions of Duke Nukem is within your reach.

After destroying an army of aliens on far-off planets, butt-kicking madman Duke Nukem has returned to Earth in pursuit of hot chicks and free beer. Unfortunately, his spaceship is torched by aliens during re-entry, and he lands on the top of an LA skyscraper, delivering the classic line "Damn, those alien b_stards are gonna pay for shooting up my ride." Visibly angry and with a bone to pick, Duke sets off in search of vengeance.

Duke Nukem 3D is a first-person shoot'em up like Doom, with exponentially more gameplay and overall attitude. You start off with a standard pistol (which you have to periodically reload), and work your way up to better weapons, like the Shrinker (which reduces your enemies to easily-squishable size) and the Freeze Ray (which captures your opponents in a ball of ice). Duke must fight his way through a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, from sleazy movie theatres to strip bars (yes, complete with strippers). This is an incredibly interactive environment, too: glass shatters, toilets break open, walls explode, and subways move through extensive tunnel systems.

The graphics are nothing short of excellent. Powered by Lobotomy Software's SlaveDriver engine, Duke Nukem 3D features enormous levels with great texturing, lots of well-animated enemies, and special lighting effects never seen in the PC version. The game also sounds amazing, with screaming guitar background tunes, sinister alien grunts, and plenty of profanity-laden chatter from Duke.

It's also worth mentioning that Duke Nukem 3D is not a game for children. With its boatloads of swearing, partial nudity, and bloodsoaked carnage (just wait until you get the Devastator weapon!), it gets the equivalent of an "R"-rating.

Packed full of action, violence, and snappy one-liners, Duke Nukem 3D is a brilliant addition to any Saturn gamer's library, and is probably one of the best console ports ever released.

Review: Enjoyment

Brilliantly designed levels and spot-on control.

Review: Graphics

Fast, fluid, and powered by the excellent SlaveDriver engine(also used in Powerslave).

Review: Sound

Rock guitar tracks and alien screams aplenty pepper the soundscape.

Review: Replay Value

Lots of hidden areas, and complete secret levels like "Area 52."

Review: Documentation

Gives the {%Duke Nukem} back-story and explains the controls.

Production Credits