Is hard to believe that Duke Nukem Forever was released 15 years ago for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Duke Nukem was developed by Gearbox Software and published by 2K and was the last main entry within its series. Duke Nukem Forever was the first main installment within its series since Duke Nukem 3D from ’96 and its a game that ended up being underwhelming despite technically being successful from a sales standpoint. While there had been at least five spin-off games within the Duke Nukem series between the late 90’s-early 2000’s it had significantly declined by that time period. Duke Nukem Forever was supposed to be a modern day reboot during the PS3/Xbox 360 era. The graphics for Duke Nukem Forever looked great and first-person shooter gameplay was fast-paced and exciting. Duke himself looked badass in terms of looks and overall presentation which is one of the biggest strengths Duke Nukem Forever had.Duke felt like a larger than life character because by 2011 he was despite his lengthy absence in the video game world. In Duke Nukem Forever Duke himself is a celebrity who lives in a Las Vegas casino penthouse with beautiful women. One of the cool things that added to the appeal of Duke Nukem Forever was the fact that Duke felt more like hero in a action movie opposed to a video game.

However, when it comes down to actual gameplay while trying to combat hoards of aliens during an invasion Duke Nukem Forever kinda feels like Gears of War. Duke Nukem Forever was probably the only entry in the series that adopted the raw yet cinematically stylish first-person shooter aesthetics of the late 2000’s-early 2010’s. While Duke Nukem Forever is a game that many would considered underrated the game did have its faults. The dialogue was entertaining but came off as cheesy because of its 90’s lingo. Also, many would argue that the plot felt a bit convoluted and lacked depth. During the 2000’s many video games adult themed video games became more story-driven with the gameplay was just as important. Duke Nukem Forever was rated “M” during its 2011 release which is not surprising. However, its shocking that Gearbox Software and 2K could make a character like Duke Nukem somewhat relevant in the early 10’s. The fact that Duke Nukem Forever could sell around 1.5 million copies from 2011 onward was impressive. Even though, the Duke Nukem series should have been more popular in gaming the character’s name made him feel like a really big deal.

Duke Nukem Forever was one of those games that ended up being way better than people expected in comparison to prior entries within the series. The campaign mode was fun and the multiplayer maps felt more creative visually in comparison to many generic first-person shooters you see today. Duke Nukem Forever featured more than a dozen different weapons including AT Lasers, Enforcer Guns, Freeze Rays, Pipebombs, Shrink Rays, etc. Dual-wielding was also pretty cool feature included in Duke Nukem Forever which often gets overlooked. Duke Nukem Forever ended up having two expansion packs including the “Hail To The Icons Parody” and “The Doctors Who Cloned Me” packs. Its a shame that Duke Nukem Forever never got an official remake. Its also disheartening that we never got another mainline entry within the Duke Nukem series in over a decade either. Its hard to predict whether or not Duke Nukem would still be a major attraction in the 2020’s or even the 2030’s decade. The landscape of gaming has changed so much since 2011 and games like Duke Nukem Forever reminds many people of how awesome life was back then.