Duke Nukem Forever

Infamously in development since April 1997, Duke Nukem Forever has had a turbulent life to say the least. 3D Realms company director George Broussard had teased gamers for over a decade about the game’s future, and the now-infamous quote of “when it’s done” has now become standard industry lingo for games that require further fine-tuning beyond their original release window. Now that Gearbox Software has taken the reigns, how good can Duke Nukem really be, and is this a game we should be getting excited for?

It would be pretty difficult to ignore the noise 2K made at PAX last week, confirming the game was indeed still in development and that it would see a release sometime in 2011. It’s also difficult to not take that information with a grain of salt, considering we’ve been given around ten different release windows for the badass space marine’s newest adventure since it was announced over 13 years ago.

Publisher 2K Games was obviously keen to get the game onto shelves, filing a lawsuit against developer 3D Realms for not getting the game out. The developer replied, essentially saying 2K had only their best interests as a publisher in mind, and not the best interests of the franchise or game. That’s a valid argument, but considering the time and money already spent on the game, it was clear that the folks over at 2K had had enough of 3D Realms’ delays.

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Broussard, who was a high school chum of Duke Nukem creator Scott Miller, obviously had a strong emotional attachment to the character and game, as his expectations often exceeded the capabilities of available game engines. Despite the first Duke Nukem Forever trailer receiving critical acclaim from critics at E3 1998, Broussard was not impressed with the title’s development using the Quake 2 Engine. Delays to get the engine into the developer’s hands meant staff had to spend a lot of their time improvising and creating mock-ups, meaning a further delay was imminent.

It was perhaps Broussard’s excessive dedication and commitment to the title that doomed it from the start. Despite the title being near-complete, the development team decided to scrap almost everything they had done in order to work with Epic Games’ recently released Unreal Engine, which was more powerful than the Quake 2 Engine at the time. Despite advice that particular areas could be cut to accommodate the original engine (3D Realms was struggling to render the Nevada desert using the Quake 2 Engine), Broussard and the team decided to make the move, which only further delayed the title.

Furthermore, staff at 3D Realms supposedly had a running joke that Broussard wasn’t allowed to see any new games, as any unique features he saw gave him new (and complicated) ideas for Duke Nukem Forever. Staff were also unsure if he actually had a distinctive idea of how the finished game would look, which would signify that the development team had no designated goal or creative direction.

A new trailer was shown at E3 2001, once again to critical acclaim. Publications praised the game’s incredible graphics and physics, noting it had a number of aspects that no other game in history had possessed (in-sync facial expressions and high-quality character designs). Despite the praise, Broussard still did not have a finished product in mind. The title’s publisher, Gathering of Developers, eventually died and was absorbed by Take-Two Interactive.

Since then, development seems to have been taken up a notch. Gamers got the first teaser in over six years in December 2007, and while the 3D Realms team had shrunk to a mere 18 employees (a fact that the remaining staff actually resented), Broussard asked for further funding to put finishing touches on the title. However, 3D Realms and 2K Games couldn’t reach an agreement and development was eventually halted. That led to a lawsuit, with both companies parting ways and 2K Games becoming the sole proprietor of the Duke Nukem franchise.

Having been through so much turmoil, it’s difficult to see Duke Nukem Forever being a good game. However, Broussard’s passion for the title should be worth something, and now that acclaimed developer Gearbox Software has come on board to finish things up, it’s perhaps time we started getting excited about Duke Nukem again. If 2K didn’t think the game was up to the standard it should be after so long in development, why would they risk releasing it after going to so much trouble to ensure it gets finished? Despite the obvious factors that come into play regarding 2K Games’ intentions as a publisher, they obviously see incredible potential, be it in the franchise or the actual game up until now. Gamers should take light in the fact that the game hasn’t been thrown to the dogs, but instead been give the green-light to go through a “polishing” stage.

Still, ambition doesn’t automatically lead to success, and while Broussard can be commemorated for his sheer dedication and ideas for the game, it may have been his very infusion of complexity and hope to make Duke Nukem Forever the best game ever that ultimately brings it down once it’s released.

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What are your expectations for Duke Nukem Forever? Do you think it will be as good as Broussard always intended it to be? And are you excited for it?