(AfroGamers.com) In 6th grade, we had more computer-oriented classes and one of my favorites was this hybrid wood shop-computer science class we had. For the most part, you were graded on attendance and if you made anything in class: a keychain during leather working or something. Most students got on the PCs and played what few games our teacher had on them.
One franchise we had was Duke Nukem. We had the first two which were side-scrolling platform shooters. It was 1996 and these were even dated then. I’d say they would’ve made for good ports to the Sega Master System.
Then my teacher brought in Duke Nukem 3D. I remember we were all trying to figure out Full Throttle on one computer and playing Wolfenstein on the other. Wolf 3D was what we wanted from the Duke games, by the way. We’d played Doom and Doom II, so we had a taste for 3D now.
Duke Nukem 3D Was the Franchise’s High Point
Duke Nukem 3D didn’t disappoint! It was action-packed, violent, packed with 90s edgy dialogue, and it was fun. At that time, Duke was one of those games where it was “F**k the story, give me the action!” Surprisingly, it also handled well controls-wise. In the first Doom, there was some difficulty when I tried to play it years later on Steam because it just didn’t rock with my mouse.
It made me wonder how I even played Wolfenstein without a mouse in 1996. By the time that Duke 3D dropped, mouse functionality was considered and had been implemented in many genres. So, this was a fun experience and made getting Duke 64 worth getting a year later.
As for the console port, I know some folks didn’t care for it for a number of reasons but at the time it was fun playing it in split screen and years later I found it to be pretty enjoyable. It wasn’t the blast I remembered it being, obviously and it made me think: “This deserves another go.”
Reboot the Franchise and Start from Scratch
I’d heard of Gearbox Software scooping up Duke Nukem and later releasing a poorly received game in 2011. Personally, I feel that approach with Duke—while expected—was extremely dated for the 2010s. Hell, for a game at that time it would’ve been creatively lazy. Perhaps only a new Conker’s game could get by with that and that’s because we collectively don’t expect better from Conker.
I mean, it’s a foul-mouthed squirrel living in a twisted world. I wouldn’t be expecting layered storytelling and a long-running adventure out of that character. However, it’s possible with Duke Nukem. As I always mention: writing improved in media across the board.
Cartoons, comics, film, literature—writing is much more detailed. There’s a heavy focus on creating enough to entertain, give the fans and writers lore to work with, and making franchises that could produced series. All you really need to that is bulk up the lore, give characters actual backgrounds and motivations. Maybe we’ll get a spin-off of they will return in a later entry.
The thing now is the make franchises living things that don’t simply sit in the vault for years—like Duke Nukem after Forever didn’t shake any trees. While they’re busy with Borderlands and Homeworld, I believe bringing back Duke would be that big gaming news item that would pique interest.
We all know what Duke Nukem was, what it could’ve been, and what happened with it. Because we know what happened with it, the franchise’s fate is pretty much sealed—until a developer announces there will be a new entry.
One problem is what kind of game would it be. I say go the Bethesda route and just make the new Duke an open-world title. A developer can have more than one of the same type of game. Bethesda has two open-world RPGs, three first-person shooters with two being linear adventures. Gearbox can let Duke run around a wasteland of the U.S slaughtering aliens and cyborgs.
Now, you’d think “It’s Duke Nukem, to hell with a story” but it’s the 2020s. Everything has a story now. We need to know why the world is the way it is in this game, what’s the issue of this story, why Duke is the hero, and what he’s getting himself into.
It’s honestly no different with how fleshed out the Wolfenstein and Doom franchises have become in the late 2010s to present. Releasing just another Duke Nukem with just the humor and gameplay you remember is likely to result in another Duke flop and another decade or so collecting dust.
Staff Writer; M. Swift
This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.