DNF Launches Overseas with Mixed Reviews
After a fourteen-year wait, Duke Nukem forever has finally launched over in Europe. Unfortunately, the reviews are mixed so far.
Apparently hell has frozen over and pigs can now fly, as the long-awaited Duke Nukem Forever has officially shipped for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC... overseas, that is. The game isn't due to hit our hardware here in the States until Tuesday (Game Day), June 14.
Unfortunately, reviews stemming from overseas are already mixed at best, leading us to wonder if the long, drawn-out expectations building up over the last 14 years have set the bar too high for the highly-anticipated sequel. Joystiq has given the game two out of five stars, labeling its review as "Fail to the King, Baby." PC Gamer is a bit more favorable, offering a score of 80 out of 100. The Guardian wasn't quite so nice though, rating the game with 2 out of 5 stars.
Joystiq (2/5)
I can really only recommend this as a rental to those of you who, like me, are determined to see this thing through to the bitter end. For everyone else, allow me to borrow Duke's trademark line which he, in turn, borrowed from a fellow 1990s artistic endeavor, Army of Darkness: "Don't come get some."
The Guardian (2/5)
A mark for nostalgia then – it's the Duke, after all – and one for the game. If this was 15 years in the making, it makes you wonder what they did for the other 14 years and 10 months.
AusGamers (5 out of 10)
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Alas, what many had hoped would be a glorious trip down memory lane, is a muddled affair that lacks spit and polish across the board. Hail to the king, baby? No. Sadly, it’s more akin to, ‘Fail to the king, baby.’
Videogamer Zone (German) (77/100)
Duke Nukem is a relic of bygone days when action was simple. No one knew who Michael Bay and Jean Claude van Damme was for demanding entertainment. And Forever is like a 80's action film: an outrageous story, half-naked women, flat characters and a coated central character that could hardly be cool.
PC Gamer (80-percent)
Don’t expect a miracle. Duke is still the hero we love, but struggles to keep up with modern times. Crude humor and classic weaponry keep him in the game.
Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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burnley14 Obviously I don't know about the gameplay, polish, etc., but to criticize the game for having a "coated character" that was made for the 90s, DUH it's DUKE!!! What else would you expect?Reply -
stingstang I think it'll be just what the fan-based crowd is expecting. Other gamers...which is unfortunately most of them, probably won't like it.Reply
But "Fail to the king, baby" is pretty funny. -
mlopinto2k1Like no one seen this coming? Such a waste of a great name.Reply
So true. They should have released the game in 01 / 02. However, I never listen to reviews. They're nonsense :) -
RazberyBandit I'm in the States and in my mid-30's, so I remember Duke well from his hay-day. After playing the DNF demo, despite finding it's graphics pleasing, it's humor amusing, and the ass-whooping I handed some aliens fun, it didn't fill me with desire to play the full version. Not for it's asking price, anyway. I'm more inclined to wait and buy it for nostalgia's sake once it hits the $20 bin. Based on the rather harsh reviews so far, that may only take a month or so.Reply -
rohitbaran I played the demo. Good, but not worth the $60 price. Still better than the repetitive and ephemeral Call of Duty campaigns.Reply -
rooket At least it wasn't a catastrophe that we know well as "Bulletstorm" overhyped pile of poo. I like the Duke Nukem Forever game. It is entertaining and a breath of fresh air from our typical 3rd party run-of-the-mill FPS that are prevelant these days. I'm hoping their team comes out with something for the current gen Fermi gpus with what ideas they initially had but did not implement (graphically) in this game. I liked the level designs and gameplay of the Duke Nukem 3D game better but this game is fun anyway.Reply