Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour
Frag like it’s 1996 – this time with even more asses to kick! Join the world’s greatest action hero in Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour as he saves Earth once again, kicking alien ass and saving babes across the globe along the way. Blast your way through hordes of ugly aliens in four classic Duke Nukem 3D episodes plus an additional ALL NEW FIFTH EPISODE from the game’s ORIGINAL EPISODE DESIGNERS with NEW MUSIC from the game’s ORIGINAL COMPOSER and NEW Duke Talk from the ORIGINAL VOICE of Duke Nukem. • ALL-NEW Episode FIVE, created by the original episode designers, Allen Blum III and Richard “Levelord®” Gray! • New, bonus content in Episode 5: Duke Nukem finally gets a INCINERATOR to roast new “Firefly” enemies! • New “Duke Talk” plus high-fidelity re-recordings from Duke Nukem’s original voice actor, Jon St. John! • New musical score for Episode 5 created by Duke’s theme song author and original game composer, Lee Jackson!
Steam User 45
1 star, because it's better than nothing. But a pox on Pitchford for taking the proper Megaton Edition down. And a thousand blessings on the selfless folks who worked on getting eduke32 to work with this junk, and the folks who work on the High Resolution Packs, and the folks who mirror the missing expansions: dukedc.grp, nwinter.grp and vacation.grp.
Steam User 42
Its $2 on sale and its still better than 90% of the games that sell for $70
Steam User 42
I'll cut to the chase: if you have to play this version, go right ahead. But this version sucks ass, EDuke32 is much better and you can purchase a legit copy of the Atomic Edition from Zoom Platform WHICH COMES WITH MORE CONTENT including multiple expansions that this version of the game doesn't have. Genuinely fuck you Randy, Duke Nukem fans deserve more than this package and the fact this is the only version on a major store is a big middle finger. Please sell the rights to the franchise to someone who actually gives a shit about Duke beyond making a half-assed port of a nearly 30 year old game. That being said, Duke Nukem 3D is a must-play.
Duke Nukem 3D's been critically acclaimed since the day it came out, and it holds up extremely well, especially if you're into the "boomer shooter" sub-genre of FPS's.
I'd personally call Duke Nukem 3D a masterpiece, though I'm not alone in that. It features brilliantly designed levels, inventive guns, gripping action, and the most iconic FPS character to ever bless us with his gravely, baritone voice. There's a lot of charm on display, and I'd say in regards to FPS games of this era, very few games match the same level of quality that Duke Nukem 3D is at. It's a truly inspired game.
This, the "20th Anniversary World Tour" port (or as some would call it, the Cursed Randy Edition) of Duke, isn't the best, though. What's included in this version is genuinely great: a brand new episode with levels by the creators of arguably the best levels from the original 4 episodes, new music by Lee Jackson, and new Duke lines from Jon St. John himself. And yeah, it's as good as you'd hope, though I think some of Duke's new lines are a bit iffy and I also think he sounds much better in his original, lower fidelity, crunchy form. Also, I feel the 5th episode has a bit of a "throw a shitton of enemies at the player" problem to the point where I thought each level could be the final level in any of the previous episodes. However, that's not really a problem since, well, it's a kick-ass experience.
The problem with this version is that the controls feel slightly... off. I don't know how to place a finger on it, but Duke feels a bit heavier than normal. This affects just about everything, and it might just be me, but I've seen enough complaints about it to know there's some merit to how I'm feeling. Also, the improved visuals this game boasts are a mixed bag. Personally, I think they're a bit of an eyesore and I much prefer the game's original look, but it does look pretty in some places. I've seen other reviewers say "just download EDuke32" and I think this is truly the best way to enjoy Duke Nukem 3D, it feels much better to play and you'll have more content if you can find the Atomic Edition. You can get EDuke32 working with this version of the game too, but it's a bit tricky.
This version is definitely worth getting for Duke fans, but make sure to wait for a sale. $19.99 is pretty steep when you can get the Atomic Edition for $5.99 on Zoom Platform, and this version of the game can go for as low as $2.
TL;DR: Duke Nukem 3D still kicks ass and is easily in the conversation for best FPS game ever made. This version, however, has some issues. I'd say it's an okay package overall, but you can find a much better version of Duke Nukem 3D on Zoom Platform. Get this on sale to play the last episode which is great.
Steam User 106
⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠿⣛⣡⣄⣀⠄⠠⢴⣿⣿⡿⣄⣴⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⢃⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿
⣿⣿⣿⣿⡏⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣩⡽⡁⢸⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿
⣿⣿⣿⣿⢃⣿⣿⢟⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣮⢫⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣟⢿⠃⠄⢻⣿⣿⣿⣿
⣿⣿⣿⡿⣸⠟⣵⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣾⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣷⣄⢰⡄⢿⣿⣿⣿
⣿⣿⣿⡇⠏⣼⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣦⠹⡎⣿⣿⣿
⣿⣿⣿⣿⢰⠋⡉⠹⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠙⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡟⢁⠙⡆⢡⣿⣿⣿
⣿⣿⣿⣿⠈⢣⣈⣠⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠏⣄⠻⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⣆⣈⣴⠃⣿⣿⣿⣿
⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⡇⠄⠙⠿⣿⡿⠿⢋⣥⣾⣿⣷⣌⠻⢿⣿⣿⡿⠟⣡⣾⣿⣿⣿
⣿⣿⣿⣿⣿⠇⠄⣷⡑⢶ SHAKE IT BABY ⣶⣿⠿⠛⣿⣿⣿⣿
Steam User 25
Great game, TERRIBLE port. Duke Nukem itself is a build engine classic that will never be forgotten and is still one of the most beloved games even in this day and age. This game had everything fun weaponry, versatile level design, Duke's edgy one-liners and a cheesy story. It's a shame the devs didn't do this port justice so I'll recommend an alternative that makes the game not only playable but adds several QoL improvements as well. Use Raze source port made by the GZ Doom community
10/10
Steam User 25
My introduction to Duke Nukem 3D was over at a friend's house back in 1998, he had the big box Atomic Edition. I was 13 years old and had the Duke body parts shower as my computer screensaver.
We didn't invest much time in actual gameplay though. We skimmed through a few levels here and there from each episode, mostly for "research" purposes. Our true obsession lay in spending countless hours crafting our own maps using the included Build Engine level editor. We dissected the original Duke levels, examining their inner workings to understand the scripting. I kept a notebook beside my keyboard, jotting down codes for tasks like making keycard-locked doors operable. We must have created hundreds of maps. I even did a couple of my own Total Conversion mods, incorporating sprites created in MS Paint and sprites stolen from other Build Engine games like Blood, Shadow Warrior and Redneck Rampage. Now, all those maps likely remain forever lost on the hard drive of my 200Mhz Compaq Presario, complete with its built-in JBL Pro speakers and MMX processing.
I practically knew the ins and outs of most levels. But up until now, 25 years later, there was still one thing I had never done: finishing the game! But here I am, at 37, finally delving into Duke Nukem 3D, conquering level after level for the very first time in my life. And I was enjoying it!
A few levels into L.A. Meltdown, the first episode, it dawns on me why I probably didn't progress much in the game back in '98. Duke Nukem 3D isn't your typical run-and-gun, mindless action FPS as the cover and pole-dancing babe screenshots would suggest. For my 13-year-old self, accustomed to Doom and Quake, this game was probably quite the challenge back then. Not that Doom and Quake are any less sophisticated, but their logic differed quite a lot from Duke Nukem 3D.
Progressing in Duke Nukem 3D frequently involves hunting for elusive buttons to unveil doors that seem to be impossible to find. What might be deemed secrets in other games serves as the primary path forward here. Many times, I'd catch a glimpse of something intriguing and went to check it out in hopes of finding a secret area, only to realize it was the very route I needed to take. Yet, as you grasp the game's logic, playing it becomes an enjoyable pursuit — even in 2023. And as a big movie buff, it’s hard not to smile at all the movie references thrown in here.
The level design across the four original episodes is pretty bonkers and all over the place. It's particularly noticeable in the last levels in Episode 1, and virtually all the levels in Episode 2. Personally, I found Episode 3 to have the most engaging set of levels. Episode 4 kicks off with a thrilling first level, followed by a pretty decent lineup. The final underwater boss encounter was quite exhausting.
In the all new Episode 5, Duke embarks on a global escapade, visiting cities like Amsterdam, Moscow, London, and Paris. Each level distinctly embodies its respective city, with a considerable amount of detail and effort invested. Unique sprites, including Russian posters and signs in Moscow, and bikes and bongs in Amsterdam, breathe life into these environments. Among all the new levels, one of my personal favorites was the ancient Egyptian-themed one, set against the backdrop of the Giza pyramids. The Paris and San Fransisco one was pretty neat too.
As far as the whole remastering goes, I’d say they’ve done a decent job. Sure, there are some HD mods and such with voxels and what not. But for me, this remaster worked just fine and I had a lot of fun with it. The big elephant in the room however, is the absence of the MEGATON EDITION.
The Megaton Edition of Duke Nukem 3D was a compilation released back in 2013. Besides the The Atomic Edition (the one included in this 20th Anniversary) it also included the addons "Duke It Out In D.C., Duke: Nuclear Winter and Duke Caribbean: Life's A Beach. The Megaton Edition was discontinued and pulled from the store fronts in February 2016, and have since then not seen the light of day. It was believed/rumored that it would eventually be added as DLC to the 20th Anniversary edition. Now, seven years later there has still not been a word about those addons.
If they are planning a 30th Anniversary edition for 2026, then for the love of the Atom, make it a complete collection of classic Duke Nukem! Give us all the authorized addons (including tropes like Penthouse Paradise). And like Machine Games has done with Quake and Quake II, give us a decent port of Duke Nukem 64. And add the PS1 exclusive Plug 'N' Pray episode that had new enemies. And why not throw in Duke 1 and 2 while they are at it. Make it the complete edition!
Steam User 39
It's time to kick gum and chew ass...
and I'm all out of ass.