Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour (2016)

Duke Nukem 3D was one of the first games I ever played, and what a game to start with. As a kid, I was not skilled enough to finish this epic game, but as an adult, I finally finished the game, and all it’s expansions in 2017. It did not disappoint and it was a ride full of joy and nostalgia.

Duke Nukem 3D is a simple game with a simple story. Aliens invade the earth and are abducting all the woman, or “babes”. Duke is on vacation after the events of Duke Nukem I and II, but is called to earth via a distress signal.

You start in L.A. and see the devastation that has ravaged the city. You fight your way through the alien horde, desperately seeking and rescuing the women that have been abducted. Throughout the four episodes, you fight an Alien Battle lord, infiltrate an alien mothership to discover that the women are being “incubated” by the aliens. But then, you discover they were just a distraction to lure Duke away from earth, while the aliens launch a full invasion of the earth. This is a great example of the simple mind of a man. Lure him away with beer and/or titties and he will follow like a dog.

Anyway, you return to earth, fight the Cycloid Emperor and save the day, or so you think. However, in the next episode, you learn that one of the incubated women from the mother ship is used to “give birth” to the Alien Queen. You get your gun and go to work once again. You venture through “Babe Land”, a parody of Disneyland, Duke Burger, and even Area 51. You kill the Alien Queen but learn that there is another invasion that takes place all around the world. In the last episode, you liberate world capitols like Amsterdam, Paris, London, the pyramids of Giza, Rome and end your ass kicking back in Los Angles. You defeat the Cycloid Incinerator and stop the alien threat once and for all.

In terms of graphics, I still think Duke Nukem 3D looks great. Many items, furniture and walls are destructible, giving this game a realistic look, even back then. The many different areas, regions, unique buildings and settings makes this game stand out in comparison to Doom and Wolfenstein in my opinion.

Sound wise, Duke Nukem 3D is on par with Doom. Gunfire, enemy grunts and explosions all sound great. But of course, the best part of Duke Nukem, is its rocking soundtrack.

You can collect many different items in Duke Nukem 3D. New weapons, portable health kits, speed boosting steroids, holograms and many more. The inclusion of those items give this game an RPG feeling. Most of them are hidden away so exploring the levels thoroughly is a rewarding experience.

The humour and references to pop culture are hilarious. Many of them, I could not understand as a kid, but when growing up, many of these jokes and parodies are still as dark or funny as they were back then. When I found the corpse of the Doom Guy in one of the many secrets in the game, I could do nothing more than love the game even more.

The best part of Duke Nukem 3D, is the controversy that it spawned when it came out, something I did not understand as a kid, but which is somewhat hilarious in hindsight. The fact that you dope yourself up with steroids for extra boosts, the fact that Duke is actually a horny playboy/pimp that does not give a crap about people, except hot babes, and the foul jokes that I could finally understand when I grew up learned the English language.

Although the main game was epic enough, I also really enjoyed the three Expansions that the game offered.

In Duke It Out In D.C., you need to save Bill Clinton in Washington D.C. by blasting your way through 10 levels, set in the White House, the FBI headquarters, and the Smithsonian Museum. It was a fun experience, but a really hard one. Just like real life, the White House was heavily defended by aliens.

In Duke Caribbean: Life’s a Beach, I experienced a whole new theme, namely sunny and relaxing, instead of dark and gloomy. You shoot seagulls for enemies right at the start, who are annoying as hell. The plot here is simple, you are enjoying your well earned vacation, when you discover that the aliens have a little vacation there too. It was hilarious to see Duke blast away a reptile alien, wearing an Hawaii shirt. You clear out the many resorts and hotels in this 12 level campaign and restore the peace once more, in which afterwards you resume your vacation.

The Last DLC is my personal favorite, and I play this one almost every year to get myself into the Christmas Spirit. It is Duke: Nuclear Winter and it is all about fighting a brainwashed Santa Claus who is causing trouble on earth. You blast your way through evil snowmen with bazooka’s, all while listening to jolly Christmas music. You eventually whoop the floor with Santa and end the DLC.

Overall, I enjoyed every minute of Duke Nukem 3D and its expansions, and along with Doom, it will always have a special place in my game library, and in my black heart.

Definitely recommend this gem.