Duke Nukem (computer game)
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- This article is about the PC game. For the Game Boy Color game of the same name, see Duke Nukem (Game Boy Color).
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| Developer(s) | Apogee Software (Todd Replogle Jim Norwood Allen H. Blum III George Broussard Scott Miller) |
| Publisher(s) | Apogee Software |
| Release date(s) | July 1, 1991 (PC) |
| Genre(s) | side-scrolling platform game |
| Mode(s) | single player |
| Rating(s) | OFLC: G |
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS PC |
| Media | floppy disks |
| Input | keyboard, joystick |
Duke Nukem is a platform video game developed and published by Apogee Software, featuring the adventures of Duke Nukem. The game was released on July 1, 1991.
The game was notable in its time because of its smart level design which allowed very fast gameplay. Additionally, it allowed almost everything onscreen to be shot: obstacles, as well as enemies, could be destroyed by gunfire.
The game is set in the near future. Dr. Proton is a madman, determined to take over the world with his army of Techbots. Duke Nukem, a self-proclaimed hero, is hired by the CIA to stop him. The first episode takes place in a devastated city. In the second episode, Duke follows Dr. Proton to his secret moonbase. In the third episode, Dr. Proton escapes into the future, and Duke pursues him through time.
Duke Nukem's graphics borrowed heavily from other games, like Turrican and the PC version of Mega Man, and a longstanding rumor is that originally Apogee planned to port Mega Man to the PC, but could not get the rights.
At the end of every level (with the exception of the last level in each episode), the player can receive up to seven 10,000 point bonuses, earned by making certain achievements in the level, such as destroying all cameras. At least two other Apogee titles, the games sequel Duke Nukem II, and Rise of the Triad, had similar end-of-level bonuses.
[edit] Development
After the games release Apogee became aware of another Duke Nukem character, and to avoid a lawsuit Apogee's game was renamed Duke Nukum in version 2.0 of the game. It later turned out that Duke Nukem was not a registered name, and Apogee registered it, using the original Duke Nukem name in the sequels. People have speculated that the Captain Planet villain Duke Nukem was the character involved; a member of the 3D Realms staff confirmed this [1].
[edit] Sequels
Duke Nukem was followed by Duke Nukem II in 1993, also featuring the same hero still without the dark shades, and later Duke Nukem 3D in 1996. As of 2006, a third sequel, announced in 1997—Duke Nukem Forever—is still in development. The release date is listed as simply "when it's done", and has become infamous for its long development time. In the list of titles of 'Duke Nukem Saga' also features a Playstation console title named Duke Nukem: Land of the Babes, expansion packs for the Duke Nukem 3D, among them the Plutonium Edition which features a new episode, a new alien and new weapon, and an expansion pack CD containing 500 new levels for the Duke Nukem 3D. Many years later, a new special title was released to conmemorate the 10th anniversary since the first Duke Nukem. This title was Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project done with a heavy engine but with the arcade style of the first 2 titles also containing elements from Duke Nukem 3D such as the weapons and aliens but also featuring new elements of each.
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Duke Nukem video games
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| Duke Nukem • II • 3D • Manhattan Project • Forever 64 • Zero Hour • Time to Kill • Land of the Babes Duke Nukem (Game Boy Color) • Advance • Mobile Duke Nukem (character) |
