Duke Nukem Series

Duke Nukem
Duke Nukem is a 2D platform game developed and published by Apogee Software (now 3D Realms), featuring the adventures of the fictional character Duke Nukem. The game was released on July 1, 1991.

Plot
The game is set in the year 1997 (which was the "near future" at the time of game release). Dr. Proton is a madman, determined to take over the world with his army of Techbots. Duke Nukem, the eponymous hero, takes upon the task of stopping him. The first episode takes place in the devastated city of Los Angeles. In the second episode, Duke chases Dr. Proton to his secret moonbase. In the third episode, Dr. Proton escapes into the future, and Duke pursues him through time, to put a permanent end to his mad schemes.

[edit] Gameplay
The main objective of the game is to get to the exit of each level, while destroying enemies and collecting  points. Many objects onscreen can be shot including boxes, obstacles and blocks. Besides points, some collectibles include health  powerups, gun powerups, and some inventory items with special abilities. The final level of each episode has no exit, and is instead completed by finding and defeating Dr. Proton.

At the end of every level (with the exception of the last level in each episode), the player can receive up to seven 10,000 point bonuses, earned by making certain achievements in the level, such as destroying all cameras. At least two other Apogee titles, Duke Nukem II and Rise of the Triad, have similar end-of-level bonuses.

Sequels
Duke Nukem was followed by Duke Nukem II in 1993, featuring the same hero still without the dark sunglasses, and later Duke Nukem 3D in 1996. A third sequel, Duke Nukem Forever, was announced in 1997. Plagued by various developmental problems and delays, the game would later be picked up by Gearbox Software and released in 2011, fourteen years after the game was announced and twenty years after the first game was released. In a DLC (downloadable content) for that game, titled "The Doctor Who Cloned Me", Dr. Proton made his return.

Several spin-offs were developed for consoles only, such as the PlayStation titles Duke Nukem: Time to Kill and Duke Nukem: Land of the Babes, and the Nintendo 64 game, Duke Nukem: Zero Hour. In 2002, Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project was released to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Duke Nukem. It uses a 3D engine and elements from Duke Nukem 3D, but with the side scrolling style of the first two titles.

Duke Nukem II Duke Nukem II is a platform game developed by Apogee Software and released December 3, 1993. The game consists of four episodes (of 8 levels each), the first available as shareware. Not to be confused with the second episode of Duke Nukem 1<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;line-height:19.200000762939453px;text-align:start;">, it is the second Duke Nukem<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;line-height:19.200000762939453px;text-align:start;"> game, following the 1991 Duke Nukem<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;line-height:19.200000762939453px;text-align:start;"> debut and being followed by Duke Nukem 3D<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;line-height:19.200000762939453px;text-align:start;"> in 1996 and Duke Nukem Forever<span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;line-height:19.200000762939453px;text-align:start;"> in 2011.

Plot
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">In the "near future" year 1998 (Duke mentions that he had defeated Dr. Proton the previous year), the evil Rigelatins plan to enslave Earth, and they kidnap Duke Nukem (who was performing in an interview about his new autobiography Why I'm So Great), to use his brain to plot the attack for their forces. Duke breaks free to save the world, again.

[edit] Gameplay
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The player's goal is to proceed through the levels collecting items, destroying enemies to the level exit and at the final level, defeat the super alien boss. In one level of each episode Duke needs to destroy radar dishes to progress.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Duke Nukem can pick up weapons along the way. There are four types of weapons: His regular default gun, the flamethrower (which can shoot through walls and launch him in the air), the laser (which can shoot through anything) and the rocket launcher. Duke can also get a rapid fire powerup. Health items can be collected to heal damage Duke receives or to boost score points at full health. Keycards need to be collected to access past the force fields and keys must be obtained to get past locked doors. A cloaking device makes Duke temporarily invincible and disables the super force fields.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Movement through the levels mainly consists of jumping onto platforms, climbing ladders, operating elevators, using teleporters, hovering over blowing fans and climbing hand-over-hand across pipes or girders. At the end of every level (with the exception of the last level in each episode), the player can receive up to seven 10,000 point bonuses, earned by making certain achievements in the level, such as destroying all cameras.

Duke Nukem 3D
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Duke Nukem 3D is a first-person shooter video game developed by 3D Realms and published by GT Interactive Software. The full version was released for the PC (the shareware version was released on January 29, 1996). It is a sequel to the platform games Duke Nukem and Duke Nukem II published by Apogee. An expansion pack, Plutonium Pak, was released in November 1996.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Duke Nukem 3D features the adventures of the titular macho Duke Nukem (voiced by Jon St. John), who fights against an alien invasion on Earth. Along with Wolfenstein 3D and Doom, Duke Nukem 3D is considered responsible for popularizing first-person shooters. It was released to major acclaim; reviewers praised the interactivity of the environment, level design, gameplay and unique risqué humor (a mix of pop-culture satire and lampooning of over-the-top Hollywood action heroes). Its lasting appeal and impact on modern video games has lead it to be considered one of the most important video games of all time.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3" style="line-height:1em;">[4] It was a commercial hit, selling about 3.5 million copies.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4" style="line-height:1em;">[5] The game's violent nature, erotic elements and portrayal of women have incited controversy. After fifteen years indevelopment hell, a direct sequel was released called Duke Nukem Forever.

Gameplay
As a first-person shooter, the gameplay of Duke Nukem 3D involves moving through levels presented from the protagonist's point of view, shooting enemies on the way. The environment of Duke Nukem 3D is highly destructible and interactive; most props can be destroyed by the player.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-history1_5-0" style="line-height:1em;">[6] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-gamespotr_6-0" style="line-height:1em;">[7]

[edit] Level design
Levels were designed in a fairly non-linear manner such that players can advantageously use air ducts, back doors and sewers to avoid enemies or find hidden caches. These locations are also filled with objects with which the player can interact, that either benefit the player in some form (light switches make it easier to see, while water fountains and broken hydrants provide some health points) or simply provide diversion (tipping strippers provokes a quote from Duke and a provocative reveal from the dancer).

[edit] Weapons and equipment
Weapons include the "Mighty Foot" (a basic kick attack), a pistol, a shotgun, a chain gun (similar in design to the Nordenfelt gun), a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, pipe bombs, freeze- and shrink-rays, laser trip mines, and the rapid fire "Devastator" rocket launcher. There is also an extra weapon known as the 'Expander' which is only available in the Atomic edition of the game.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">Other items can be picked up during play. A portable medkit allows the players to heal Duke at will. Steroids speed up Duke's movement, as well as instantly reversing the effects of the shrinker.Nightvision goggles allow players to see enemies in the dark. The "HoloDuke" device projects a hologram of Duke that can be used to distract enemies. Protective boots allow Duke to cross dangerously hot or toxic terrain. Where progress requires more aquatic legwork, scuba gear (an aqua-lung) allows Duke to take longer trips away from air. Duke's jetpack allows the player to move vertically.

[edit] Monsters
The game features a wide range of monsters, some of which are aliens, other mutated humans (the LAPD has been turned into "Pig-cops", a play on the derogatory term "pig" for police officers, withLARD emblazoned on their uniforms). As is usual for a first-person shooter, Nukem encounters a large number of lesser foes, and a small number of boss enemies (usually at the end of chapters). Like Duke, these enemies have access to a wide range of weapons and equipment (some weaker enemies have jet packs).

[edit] Multiplayer
Duke Nukem 3D features multiplayer. At the time of its release, Internet-based gaming was just beginning. Duke Nukem 3D did not support the TCP/IP client/server model, instead basing its network play on the IPX LAN, modem or serial cable. Duke Nukem 3D players often either battled modem-to-modem, using the IPX network utility Kali or the Total Entertainment Network (TEN) online pay service.<sup class="Template-Fact" style="line-height:1em;white-space:nowrap;">[citation needed] Kali allowed users to connect to a chat room to host and join games. The Total Entertainment Network featured hundreds of Duke 3D players online at any given time and players had to pay a monthly fee.<sup class="Template-Fact" style="line-height:1em;white-space:nowrap;">[citation needed]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">In 1996 TEN hosted a first of its kind, nationally participated in "online tournament" rewarding the champions with cash and prizes sparking an immediate surge in online gaming. Some of the first prizes were $500 cash and a lifetime membership to the service.<sup class="Template-Fact" style="line-height:1em;white-space:nowrap;">[citation needed]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">Duke Nukem 3D ' s levels were often used as the battlegrounds for these encounters and users were even able to create their own levels (or maps) via the in-game Build engine.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-dukemaps_7-0" style="line-height:1em;">[8] The game also features co-operative play (co-op) which allows players to complete the story based single player mode together. In the Atomic version, a new game play mode was introduced: Duke-Tag, a "capture the flag" style mode.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;">Duke Nukem 3D has been ported to run on modern Microsoft Windows variants including Windows XP and Windows 7. This has been possible since the source code was publicly released. Various ports have been made including hDuke, xDuke, and EDuke32. All three offer the original visual appearance of the game whereas EDuke32 also supports OpenGL rendering including the capability to use fan-created modern graphics using the High Resolution Pack.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-hrp_8-0" style="line-height:1em;">[9] hDuke and xDuke can still be played online in multiplayer 'DukeMatch' format using launchers such as Duke Matcher and YANG, both freely available. EDuke32 ' s multiplayer is in a state of development hell following an attempt to rewrite the network functionality using a client-server model.

[edit] Setting
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Duke Nukem 3D is set on Earth "sometime in the early 21st century".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-3drealms_9-0" style="line-height:1em;">[10] The levels of Duke Nukem 3D take the player outdoors and indoors through rendered street scenes, military bases, deserts, a flooded city, space stations, moon bases and a Japanese restaurant.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The game contains several humorous references to pop culture, like some of Duke's lines that are drawn from movies like Aliens, Dirty Harry, Evil Dead II, Full Metal Jacket,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-stuff_gaming_greats_10-0" style="line-height:1em;">[11] Jaws, Pulp Fiction, andThey Live;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-stuff_gaming_greats_10-1" style="line-height:1em;">[11] the mutated women begging "Kill me" are also a reference to the latter. The player will encounter corpses of famous characters such as Luke Skywalker, Indiana Jones, Snake Plissken,the protagonist of Doom, and a smashed T-800. In the first episode the player navigates a tunnel in the wall of a prison cell, hidden behind a poster, just like in The Shawshank Redemption. During the second episode, the player can see The Monolith (from 2001: A Space Odyssey) on the Moon.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The game cover itself is a parody of Army of Darkness, while Duke poses as Ash Williams.<sup class="Template-Fact" style="line-height:1em;white-space:nowrap;">[citation needed]

[edit] Story
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">There is little story in the game except for a brief text prelude located under "Help" in the Main Menu, and a few cutscenes after the completion of an episode. The introduction establishes that the game picks up right after the events of Duke Nukem II, with Duke returning to Earth in his space cruiser. As Duke descends on Los Angeles in hopes for a vacation, his ship is shot down by unknown hostiles. While sending a distress signal, Duke learns that aliens are attacking Los Angeles and have mutated the LAPD. With his plans now ruined, Duke hits the "eject" button, and vows to do whatever it takes to stop the alien invasion.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">In "Episode One: L.A. Meltdown", Duke fights his way through a dystopian Los Angeles. At a strip club, he is captured by pig-cops, but escapes the alien-controlled penitentiary and tracks down the alien cruiser responsible for the invasion in the San Andreas Fault. After killing the first boss, the alien Battlelord, Duke discovers that the aliens were capturing women, and detonates the ship. Levels in this episode include a movie theater, a Red Light District, a prison, and a nuclear-waste disposal facility.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">In "Episode Two: Lunar Apocalypse", Duke journeys to space, where he finds many of the captured women held in various incubators throughout space stations that had been conquered by the aliens. Duke reaches the alien mothership on the Moon and kills an alien Overlord. As Duke inspects the ship's computer, it is revealed that the plot to capture women was merely a ruse to distract him. The aliens have already begun their attack on Earth. The levels in this episode consist mainly of space stations, including a moon base.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">In "Episode Three: Shrapnel City", Duke battles the massive alien resistance through Los Angeles once again, and kills the leader of alien menace: the Cycloid Emperor. The game ends as Duke promises that after some "R&R", he will be "...ready for more action!", as an anonymous woman calls him back to bed. Levels in this episode include a sushi bar, a movie set, a subway, and a hotel.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The story continues in the Atomic Edition. In "Episode Four: The Birth", it is revealed that the aliens used a captured woman to give birth to the Queen, a creature which can quickly spawn deadly alien protector drones. Duke is dispatched back to Los Angeles to fight hordes of aliens, including the protector drones. Eventually, Duke finds the lair of the alien Queen, and kills her, thus thwarting the alien plot. Levels in this episode include a fast-food restaurant (Duke Burger), a supermarket, a Disneyland parody called "Babe Land," a police station, the Exxon Valdez, and Area 51.

Duke Nukem Forever
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Duke Nukem Forever is a 2011 first-person shooter video game for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 developed by 3D Realms and Triptych Games and finished by Gearbox Software and Piranha Games. It is a sequel to the 1996 game Duke Nukem 3D, as part of the long-running Duke Nukem video game series.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">Intended to be groundbreaking, Duke Nukem Forever became a notable example of vaporware due to its severely protracted development schedule; the game was released in 2011 after fifteen years of development. The game was a financial success but received middling to negative critical reception.

Plot
<p style="line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The game takes place about twelve years after the events of Duke Nukem 3D. Duke is now a worldwide icon, and has achieved great fame from his heroic deeds. After sampling a video game based on his past heroics (the game Duke plays is a revamped version of the final level of the third episode of Duke Nukem 3D), he arrives on the set of a talk show for an interview. On his way to the show, Duke witnesses a news broadcast on a nearby television screen announcing that aliens have once again invaded. Unlike previous encounters, the aliens initially appear peaceful and at first seem to pose no harm to the humans of Earth. Duke's talk show appearance is cancelled to allow television stations to cover the alien invasion, and he retires to the "Duke Cave".

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">There, he receives a call from the President and General Graves of the Earth Defence Force (EDF). The president orders him not to harm the invaders, and adds that he is in diplomatic talks with the alien overlord. Duke obliges this request, but remains uneasy about the whole situation. However, before he can leave his chambers, he is attacked by hostile aliens. Duke is forced to disobey the president's orders and fight his way through the alien hordes in an effort to save Earth. Whilst fighting through his casino, Duke witnesses the aliens abducting women including his two live-in pop star girlfriends. Graves tells Duke that the women are being held in the Duke Dome, and that the aliens have a vendetta to settle with Duke. He also warns Duke that the aliens are using the Hoover Dam to power a wormhole so more aliens can come through. Nukem travels to the Duke Dome, using a wrecking ball to damage the building to gain access. Inside, he finds swarms of Octabrains and the missing women, who have been impregnated with alien spawn; Duke's girlfriends die after giving "birth" to alien babies. Duke finds the Alien Queen in control of the Dome and kills her, but is wounded in the process and blacks out.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">After regaining consciousness, Duke fights Pigcops and aliens in through the Duke Burger. Soon he travels to the Hoover Dam in his monster truck; after battling through the dam, he finds his old friend Dylan, mortally wounded. He tells Duke that the Cycloid Emperor is at the dam, and that the only way to shut down the portal is to completely destroy the dam. Before dying, he gives Duke his demolition charges and wishes him luck. Duke places the explosives and destroys the dam, but the currents nearly drown him. Duke is revived after an EDF soldier performs CPR on him; he awakens to find the portal gone. The President, who was also at the dam, rages at Duke for ruining his plans to work with the Cycloid Emperor and that he has ordered a nuclear strike at the site of the dam to wipe out the remaining aliens, intending to leave Duke there to die. However, the Cycloid Emperor emerges and kills the President and his security detail. Duke kills the Cycloid Emperor and is rescued by Graves just as the nuclear bomb explodes.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.200000762939453px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;text-align:start;">The game ends with a satellite surveying the detonation area and listing Duke Nukem as killed in action, to which Duke replies off-screen, "What kind of shit ending is that? I ain't dead. I'm coming back for more!" A short scene after the ending credits depicts a press conference, where Duke announces his intent to run for the President of the United States.

Credits
Duke Nukem Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Nukem_(1991_video_game)

Duke Nukem II Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Nukem_II

Duke Nukem 3D Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Nukem_3D

Duke Nukem Forever Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Nukem_Forever

Duke Nukem Wikia: http://dukenukem.wikia.com/wiki/Duke_Nukem_Wiki

All information, citation, and reference can be found on these Wiki's.