It would seem my last comments on Duke Nukem Forever never arriving were a little premature. After discussions with friends and a couple of Google searches, it turns out that Gearbox Software have recently resurrected the project.
Officially announced on September 3 at the Penny Arcade Expo 2010, Gearbox stated they bought the intellectual property from 3D Realms and 2K Games and now hold the exclusive long-term publishing rights of the game.
Gearbox is the developer behind Halo, Half Life and Borderlands, providing an impressive pedigree to complete the game known by many gaming media journalists as Duke Nukem Forever In Development.
Duke Nukem Forever has now been in development for over 13 years, mainly due to staffing issues and engine changes and rewrites.
After Duke Nukem 3D was released, the original game engine, Build, was antiquated, so development had moved to the Quake II engine, then Unreal Engine in 1999. With everything full steam ahead, in 2004 it was rumoured that the game was to be redeveloped to suit the Doom 3 engine. This was neither confirmed nor denied by the developers, but would explain further extended delays.
In typical Duke fashion, the game has a number of in-jokes about its lengthy development, which is an issue that the gaming industry has continuously reminded the teams working on the game since 2001. As game trailers and footage from PAX 2010 have shown, Duke can be seen using a urinal for an extended period of time and exclaiming, “This is taking forever!”
There are a number of videos on YouTube showcasing the game, but as usual, it is difficult to determine what is real in game footage and what is not. Either way, I enjoyed the teaser trailer and the other in game footage, whether it is authentic or not.
If the footage is real, I’m looking forward to the game even more-so. Not only do the environments and enemies appear to be rich and detailed, the ability to utilise vehicles and effectively use cover are also a big plus and expected in today’s games.
Improved physics, such as those that enable you to blow up enemies in mid air and push them to the side is also quite appealing.
Duke Nukem Forever is finally expected to be released in 2011 on all major platforms. With Gearbox in control, will it be the final announcement or will fans be let down yet again? Only time will tell.
What games have you been waiting forever on?
I was pretty pumped when I read that Gearbox had taken over development of Duke, but as with all other gamers, I won't believe it till I see it.
ReplyDeleteOn the topic of other games, there isn't really anything else that I have waited an eternity for. It would have been GT5 if I didn't lose interest in driving sims so early in the development cycle.
I'm still waiting for a sequel/re-issue of Crusader: No Remorse, and the slightly less memorable, No Regret.
ReplyDeleteDid you read about GT5's unbelievable installs? You got an extra 10gb on the hard drive champ?
I played GT5 on the weekend and its pretty sexy. I've heard stories of a 45 minute install process but hadn't heard of the massive HD requirement. That's insane.
ReplyDeleteIf it were available on 360, I'd need to fork out for a new HD or just suck it up and get the new version. I'm usually flat out finding space for new demo's let alone DLC or installs.
I can remember the good (read: bad) old days, where I had a 20GB hard drive for the 360. My music collection on the console dwindled with every XBLA release and demo to the point where I was listening to Prince and Mastodon while playing Gears of War. Good times!
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