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Duke Nukem 3D

EMAIL PRINT pc

9.5 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 8 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 28 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: FormGen

Developer: 3D Realms

Genre(s): First-Person Shooter, Action

Players: 8

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Release Date: January 29, 1996

Summary

Prepare yourself for the ultimate 3D Slugfest. Murderous aliens have landed in futuristic Los Angeles, and the humans suddenly find themselves atop the endangered species list. The odds are a million-to-one. Just the way Duke likes it. Dive into realistic 3D scenarios, with 28 totally realistic levels, as you drive the sinister aliens through the streets of LA, out to an orbiting station, and onto the surface of the moon itself! An you'll be armed to the teeth with 10 hi-tech weapons. Clear crowds with the pump action Assault Shotgun, blast through enemies and walls with the Rocket Propelled Grenade, splat enemies under foot after blasting them with the Shrinker, cut through trouble with the 3-barel Ripper machine gun, set DukeMatch traps with the wall-mounted Laser Mine, watch enemies shatter after cooling them off with the Freeze Cannon, and 4 more! [FormGen]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: Duke Nukem Forever Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central GameSpot

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

PC Gamer

It's the ultimate game for unleashing all your pent-up aggression. It is the most astonishing game we've laid our eyes on for ages! In fact, it makes pretty much every PC game we've ever seen - "Doom" included - like slightly dull. Honestly! [July 1996, p.78]

Computer and Video Games

It's more inventive, and more entertaining, than "Doom." I know they've had long enough to get it right (but so have many others, who've tried and failed). [PC Zone]

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Game Revolution

Where Duke really excels is it's beautiful backgrounds. The game settings are magnificently rendered. They have all kinds of animated objects built into them, and the attention to detail is terrific. Hopefully, with Duke Nukem on the scene, the days of endless identical looking corridors and rooms are finally gone for good!

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PC Gameworld

I couldn't stop laughing while playing this extremely enjoyable trip through what unfolds like a 1950's science fiction B-movie: Space Aliens Invade Earth for Women!...Duke Nukem has what most first-person shooters don't - character!

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Adrenaline Vault

Alien scum in the final version of DN3D are still tricky devils ducking for cover, teleporting in and out, lying in ambush, and even laying traps in later episodes. However, the monsters are still stupid enough to walk into a tripbomb so overall intelligence isn't perfect.

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All Game Guide

Prepare yourself for total meltdown. [Box]

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GameSpot

It's rare when a game comes along that really kicks your ass. 3D Realm's full version of Duke Nukem 3D is just that kind of posterior pummeler. With its free-flowing 3D action, over-the-top weapons, and ruthlessly attitudinal protagonist, Duke Nukem will have PC gamers worldwide rubbing their rumps with spine-tingling glee.

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Computer Games Magazine

Gameplay is ultimately what we're interested in, and in this area, Duke is the king. But so what? If 3D Realms really wants to impress us, they can move beyond this type of gameplay.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 9.5 (out of 10) based on 28 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

[Anonymous] gave it a10:
Totally amazing! This was one of my first computer games ever! I liked it then, I like it now and I believe that I'm going to like it forever! Great work 3D Realms!

Elena gave it a10:
How many 10-year old games can still be downloaded on the internet and have fans writing adapters so you can play them on an OS 5 versions out? Duke Nukem 3D is the THE game that turned me on to gaming (especially network play) and is STILL, outdated graphics and all, one of the most fun shooters i've ever played. it was not as pretty as Quake, but Quake was never as entertaining. in fact I have to say that every game I've ever played or bought since 1996 has been measured by the DK3D standard and most have been found wanting. you just can't replace that spark of true originality and creative inspiration with glitzy graphics.

Shawn H. gave it a10:
A classic. I can still remember some of the dialogue years later. "Shake it baby", or "Do you wanna dance?", and the classic "That's gotta hurt". The game featured 28 levels, and an extra 11 levels were added later. The wide open levels kept me playing for hours, especially since I was obsessed with finding every hidden area in the game. Duke Nukem and Lo Wang (from Shadow Warrier) were my two favorite characters from the 90's era. "You want to wash Wang, or you want to watch Wang wash wang?"

Philter 137 gave it a10:
It's almost a decade old now, but marking Duke Nukem 3D down for it's age would be unfair. Duke Nukem 3D is a real ADVENTURE shooter! A huge variety of maps with a sense of contunity missing from previous First-Person Shooters. From inside a sinking submarine, to the surface of the moon, to the depths of the city sewers and - At last - a 3D game in which you could blast through walls (some) swim underwater, strap on a jetpack and fly, shrink your enemies and crush them like bugs, play pool and flush toilets. Almost everything you saw could be blown up, kicked apart or interacted with in some way - and there was always so much for you to see! Visual gags and references from movies, other computer games (Doom and Quake) and the news at the time (the "Innocent?" and "Guilty!" billboards and the TV screens with OJ simpsons bronco - all references to his trial) There were many verbal tributes to "Evil Dead" and "Aliens" and who can forget the lack of political correctness - the strippers and Pipe bombs for a start. The humour in this game set it apart from it's contemporaries. Quake had the edge in technology and multiplayer, but Duke had real humour, depth and heart. I loved every second of it.

[Anonymous] gave it an 8:
Even after playing a lot of FPS games up through 2003 vintage, I still like to break out Duke Nukem 3D frequently. For a technically antiquated game, the gameplay is a hoot, and some of the weapons have never been duplicated, such as the freezer and shrinker. One of the first 3d shooters, still fun even today.

beeR D. gave it a 10:
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Duke Nukem 3D

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