#Eat shit and die duke nukem for free

That's what made the first game so genius. That's why what I've seen of DNF looks disappointing.ĭuke would jump a canyon, and he'd certainly stomp an alien's grapes, but those things should be presented with a self-aware smirk. Do I feel like Call of Duty or Mortal Kombat really have anything witty to say? Certainly not. Did I snort when Johnny Cage nut-punched Scorpion? Definitely.

Did my eyes go wide when Soap jumped a canyon in a snow mobile while a pack of rabid Russians are hot for his blood? Absolutely. I get that many people love greased-up, muscled-out dudes smoking bad guys grunting one-liners. Does DNF have the same message? Probably not. Duke 3D was the kind of work that should make someone say, 'Oh wow, this is so dumb!', but at the same time wonder why they put up with the same material in other games.

#Eat shit and die duke nukem for free

But here we are, looking at Duke Nukem Forever trolling people for free press. The strange coincidence is that Duke Nukem 3D pointed out how other games push peoples' buttons just to garner attention.

Don't be lazy by using worn out Mind of Mencia “jokes” for cheap laughs. We'll have a good laugh about it because most video games are inherently ridiculous. In short, go offend gamers and game makers, Gearbox, we can take it. Gearbox should take this chance to point out how it's crazy that a gigantic industry is tailored to such a narrow audience (well, you could make the case that it's two audiences now, but I have to keep this succinct). Duke should point out the absurdity in 'heroic' Elves and Orcs committing genocide for junk, then ripping out the guts of their enemies and handing them to some guy who has a fetish for pig snouts. It should make fun of impossibly huge, gritty, macho guys rattling out fake military chatter, while methodically mowing down hundreds of other human beings. Sure, Duke Nukem 3D had moments where it pushed people's buttons, but it did so to show us how immature video games can be. Conveniently, you don't have to look hard into the world of video games to find all three of those things. It makes fun of a hyper-masculine worldview that revolves around sex, violence, and swearing. It's satire of a medium where women are marginalized and viewed as little more than objects. Yes, Duke 3D was misogynistic, crude, and offensive.

Take a look at a couple of videos 2K has released.Įither the marketing team on Duke Nukem Forever, whom have undoubtedly spent a lot of time analyzing their product, misunderstands their game's tone, or the sequel misses the point of the original. It's like meeting someone who watches The Colbert Report and legitimately wants Stephen on Fox News. After all, males are the largest consumer of video games, and I'm willing to bet most of them don't care how women are presented in DNF (though many men and women have spoken out against Duke Nukem Forever).Īm I being too quick to judge? The game isn't out yet, but the marketing released is indicative of a product that saw all the crudeness of the original, but never realized it was all a big, sarcastic joke. They're riling people up by picking on groups whose business they can afford to lose. However, it appears Gearbox is settling for pushing peoples' buttons without saying anything meaningful. Like Duke Nukem 3D before it, DNF could affect the industry by taking shots at current game trends, or its own audience. Gearbox is wasting an entry into a franchise that has been otherwise used to point out how juvenile video games can be. What's worse is Gearbox looks to be doing it for the same reason as the common, loudmouthed troll – easy attention. Maybe Gearbox thinks today's consumers can't pick up on The Duke's tongue-in-cheek humor? What I've seen of DNF reminds me of a kid in a chatroom who spouts out racial slurs just to rile up everyone else. But it's funny when you realize what makes Duke Nukem Forever so offensive is its completely generic attempt at being offensive. But do they capture Duke's brand of offensive satire?

Now, all eyes are on Gearbox's homage to our Lord and Savior Duke Nukem. Duke Nukem Forever had enough time to float through the lofty arches of this cycle, somehow landing in center stage. Anticipation morphs into contempt, which gives way to cynicism, turning into complete disinterest. Over a decade of buildup for a game does some strange things.