There was a time when 3D Realms/Apogee was part of an early movement in gaming that helped usher in the first-person genre, most notably with the 1996 release ofDuke Nukem 3D. Sitting up there with the likes ofQuakeandDoom, this entry into the antics of the titular Duke is consideredone of the best FPS games of its era, with its high-octane action, adult themes, and satire on uber-masculine Hollywood. Then there wasDuke Nukem Forever, which stopped the franchise dead in its tracks, but a very early build of the game has now become public.
The latest entry in theDuke Nukemseries came out in 2011 and was considered a flop, largely because the game spent so long in development that its themes aged, and it couldn’t live up to all the changes that it had gone through. But for those interested, a build of the game from all the way back in 2001 has leaked and can now be downloaded. According to a report from DSO Gaming, it wasn’t supposed to see the light of day until next month, but perhaps the attention it was receiving motivated the leakers to release it early.
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Allegedly,Duke Nukem Foreverin this state is pretty much playable, with the majority of its assets in place. While the final release went on to become thegame that derailed the belovedDuke Nukemfranchise, this 21-year-old build will no doubt be intriguing for many. Images show a somewhat darker take on the 1996Duke Nukem 3Dfollow-up. A series of videos on the download page demonstrate that it still has the action and slick dialogue of the muscular hero that made the previous entries such hits.
Some may even lament that this leaked version ofDuke Nukem Foreverwas not the game that was released in 2011. Instead, the world received what Gearbox Software had polished up since acquiring the IP in 2010. It just seemed that the final product could not live up to the long wait, not to mention the fact that the humor of the previous installments had aged badly. Some of thedevelopers ofDuke Nukem Foreverhave been pointing the finger, laying the blame on each other for what was ultimately one of the worst games of its generation.
There may beone studio out there who can doDuke Nukemjusticeonce more. With the huge success of theDoomreboot, not to mention the continued success of theResident Evilseries, it’s still possible for retro games to either make a comeback or enjoy more time in this modern day limelight.
Duke Nukem 3Dwas released in 1996 for PC, with numerous ports over the years.
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