30 Years of Duke Nukem 3D. Remembering one of the best shooters of the '90s

When veteran gamers hear the name Duke Nukem, they immediately think of a muscular, blond guy who made dirty jokes and destroyed aliens in large numbers. They also associate the hero with the 1996 shooter, not with the games that came before or after. In honor of the 30th anniversary of Duke Nukem 3D, we decided to explain why it remains unique and remains relevant even today.

The first two games bearing the Duke Nukem name were decent action platformers with 2D graphics. The series' hallmarks were already evident in these games: interactive environments, alien opponents, and a charismatic muscleman as the protagonist. Specifically, in the second game, he even actively commented on the action.

Duke Nukem 3D is not a platformer, but a first-person shooter. At the time, almost all other games in the genre were inspired by Doom (1993) and used John Carmack's programming. Games in this genre combined 3D environments with 2D objects and had problems displaying different heights. However, even in this form, shooters seemed like the pinnacle of technological progress and attracted the attention of millions of players worldwide.

While Duke Nukem 3D isn't officially linked to any specific film, the game contains numerous references to iconic action films from the 80s and 90s. The protagonist resembles a young Dolph Lundgren; throughout the game, he actively quotes The Evil Dead and Die Hard, sees images reminiscent of Alien, and uses a holographic double, as in Total Recall. There were also jokes at the expense of colleagues — for example, in one level, the corpse of the main character from Doom can be seen.

It's worth noting that many attribute the iconic phrase "It's time to kick ass and chew bubblegum. And I'm all outta gum" to Duke. However, this is almost an exact citation from the film They Live, where the main character also fought aliens who had invaded Earth.

Of course, Easter eggs are found in many games. But in Duke Nukem 3D, they set the atmosphere and blend perfectly with the protagonist's sarcastic remarks. The result is a fully-fledged action comedy in a video game format. Even today, this approach is rare — perhaps only Bulletstorm comes to mind. But we'll discuss that in more detail below.

In the vast majority of first-person shooters, we don't see the protagonist — they don't show any personality and often remain silent. In this regard, Duke Nukem is surprising, as he constantly comments on what's happening, throws out wisecracks, and even breaks the fourth wall to talk to the player. His jokes are timeless, and some of them might seem a bit too bold today. Special praise goes to actor Jon St. John, who provides the inimitable voice of Duke Nukem 3D's protagonist.

First and foremost, I'd like to highlight the local levels. It's not just that they're large and multi-level. The first and third story campaigns take place on the streets of American cities, in bars, subway stations, skyscraper rooftops, and football fields. Some locations even featured trains that ran in circles, and the scenery changed depending on our actions. For example, you could start a movie in a cinema or demolish an entire building with a powerful explosion. For 1996, all of this seemed incredibly realistic, especially compared to other shooters of the time. And the second scenario allows you to clear a large interplanetary station of aliens and land on the lunar surface.

Furthermore, the developers at 3D Realms placed great emphasis on detail. For example, there are fully functioning mirrors in which you can see the protagonist's reflection. The environment boasted a high level of interactivity — many objects shattered when hit by bullets, you could turn lights on and off, and if you handed the strippers a bill, they would happily open their bras and show you their naked bodies.

Against the backdrop of the general irony, the levels that attempt to scare the player are particularly unusual. The gloomy scenery, dim lighting, growling monsters, and suspenseful music — it all looked truly terrifying, especially for early 1996, when the survival horror genre hadn't yet fully developed.

The basic gameplay of Duke Nukem 3D seems standard. We wander through levels, search for colorful keys, and kill monsters. In addition to a pistol, shotgun, machine gun, and grenade launcher, the arsenal includes exotic weapons—the Shrinker and Freezer. These, respectively, allow you to shrink aliens or turn them into blocks of ice. Afterwards, all that's left to do is finish them off with a heavy boot.

In addition to standard enemies armed with various firearms, you'll encounter flying and swimming monsters, sucker-like parasites, drones that explode on contact with the protagonist, and giants with miniguns. To defeat them, you'll need to manage your available arsenal wisely and adapt your tactics depending on the enemy you're fighting.

Inventory also plays a key role. Boots allow you to walk through poisoned liquids, scuba gear allows you to swim underwater, and steroids allow you to run at incredible speeds. The jetpack, which allows for flight, deserves special attention. It's essential for some levels. It's important to keep an eye on the battery, as it can run out at the most unexpected moment.

Six months after Duke Nukem 3D, Quake was released, the first truly 3D shooter. id Software once again took a technological leap forward. And although it was clear that the future lay with John Carmack's new solutions, Duke's Built Engine was embraced by third-party developers. It was used in many games released in 1997. Among them, the brutal Blood, the stylish Shadow Warrior (1997), and the pleasantly trashy Redneck Rampage deserve special mention.

From 1998 to 2002, several third-person shooters were released in the Duke Nukem series. However, fans were waiting for a direct sequel to the 1996 game. It turned out to be a real drag—the developers switched engines, changed the concept, and were unable to realize their ideas. The project was released only in 2011, and it was brought to completion not by 3D Realms, but by Gearbox Software, known for Borderlands. The project called Duke Nukem Forever was outdated and simply boring at the time of its release, and therefore disappointed fans.

Furthermore, a few months before it, Bulletstorm was released, which seems like a much more worthy successor to Duke. It features high-quality shooter gameplay, unique mechanics using the environment, signature boot attacks, and plenty of humor. Moreover, the Full Clip Edition re-release features the option to replace protagonist Grayson Hunt with Duke Nukem, still voiced by Jon St. John.

Although Duke Nukem 3D is based on classic action films, a film based on the game was planned. New information about the film surfaced relatively recently, with wrestler John Cena, known for his role in the TV series Peacemaker, being tipped to star. Unfortunately, the film never went beyond rumors.

So-called boomer shooters are popular today — modern games that are stylized as classic 90s games. An example is Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, which is soon getting a direct sequel. If you're interested in this genre, be sure to check out Duke. High-quality old-school gameplay combined with diverse locations and borderline humor is still enjoyable even today.

We recommend the remastered version of Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour, which retains the original graphics and adds new levels. But most importantly, it runs perfectly on modern computers and current consoles.

In conclusion, I'd like to share a personal experience. For me, the author of these lines, Duke Nukem 3D was the very first game I ever played. In the second half of the 90s, computers were still a novelty, so guests would often gather around them and watch me or my friends shoot aliens on space stations and city streets. And since so many people wanted to play, we assigned roles: one walked and aimed, while the other shot. Moreover, the controls were controlled exclusively with the keyboard, without the mouse.

Duke Nukem 3D directly influenced my gaming tastes and made shooters my favorite genre for many years. And relatively recently, I decided to add a licensed boxed edition of Duke to my collection.

Duke Nukem 3D is an iconic first-person shooter that stands out from the crowd thanks to its excellent humor, charismatic protagonist, interactive levels, and high-quality gameplay. It influenced the entire genre in its time and is now considered a classic.

Have you played this game? Or is this the first time you've heard of it? Share your thoughts in the comments!