Duke Nukem Forever Release Date Revealed

stupid_is writes with news that Duke Nukem Forever has now gotten a firm US release date: May 3rd. It will release worldwide three days later. The game was resurrected last fall by Gearbox Software and 2K Games after 3D Realms' 12-year attempt at development came to an end in 2009 when the company closed its doors.

Comments

Well done, Gearbox

[RogueyWon]

Well done to Gearbox for finishing this off - it would have been a sin if it didn't see the light of day in the end. The previews look good and I'm looking forward to picking it up when it reaches Europe on 6 May (PC version, of course, the Duke doesn't need some stinking console). I'm hoping for a shooter which emphasises funky weapons, crazy situations and bad jokes over "balance" and other hardcore trappings. Back when I was a student, DN3D was always the game for a fun blast while Quakeworld was for whose who took things a bit more seriously.

Anyway, Gearbox, how about you get cracking on Aliens: Colonial Marines now - or will that be done "when it's ready"?

Re:Well done, Gearbox

[TrisexualPuppy]

Finishing this off? Please. We have only just seen the beginning.

I predict that the moment before the game is to be "released," a wormhole will open, occupying half the sky over Los Angeles. From it, millions of Octabrains will come forth, wreaking havoc and destruction while Battlelords appear and L.A.P.D. pigs are turned into L.A.R.D. cops. No, we have only just seen the early prophecy. In this Hollywood Holocaust, only those yielding laser tripmines, pipebombs, and microwave guns will survive.

I, for one, welcome our new DN3D Overlords. (Someone desperately needed to upgrade the sprites to DNF models!)

Re:Well done, Gearbox

[dunezone]

The Duke was King back in 1995/1996. Back then I didn't have any form of income being a 12 year old and my folks didn't believe in allowance. I had to rely on some older kids in the neighborhood that would allow me to borrow the install CD's for Duke Nukem, Doom 2, and Quake.

Starting with Doom back in late 94 early 95, I must have spent hours playing it and going over every square inch of the maps. By the time Duke and Quake arrived there was always those discussion among the older kids of which was better. I never understood why Quake was better, no one in the neighborhood was online back then nor could do multiplayer of any form. Between Quake and Duke, the Duke had attitude, character, some depth you felt like you were playing as someone awesome. Quake though was just a man who would grunt every so often, not much different from Doom 2. As for the graphics, sure Quake was 3D in both objects and map but this was early primitive 3D. A decent art team making sprites could outshine 3D graphics back then.

The Duke will always be King.

Re:Well done, Gearbox

[Anonymous Coward]

Well it looks like Duke Nukem Forever WILL release before Half Life 2 Episode 3.

W

Re:Well done, Gearbox

[Foobar of Borg]

Yeah, but now we'll have to look for a new nerdy injoke that is the equivalent of "When hell freezes over".

"When slashdotters all date hot girls." There, that wasn't so hard, was it?

Re:Well done, Gearbox

[Anonymous Coward]

Gearbox didnt finish the game.. Triptych Games did(former 3D Realms employees). All that Gearbox did was port the finished PC game to the game consoles.

Re:Well done, Gearbox

[pak9rabid]

Agreed. Not to mention the other niceties of Duke3D, such as blood dripping off the walls, the mirrors where you could actually see your own reflection, and being able to leave footprints when stepping over a blood puddle or out of water. I thought the graphics in Quake were awful compared to Duke3D back in that day, even though it was true 3D (granted, this was before glQuake made it's debut).

Re:Well done, Gearbox

[dreamchaser]

Personally, I can't wait for Duke Nukem Forever 2 to get released. By then, it will be available as a holonovel, and we will finally have flying cars.

I'm not so sure there will be holonovels or flying cars here after the Sun swells to a red giant and engulfs us.

Re:Well done, Gearbox

[davester666]

Larry just wanted to make sure that if there was anything bigger than his ego in this solar system, that he would at least own it.

As I've said for 12 years...

[A. B3ttik]

I'll believe it when the credits are rolling past my screen.

Old Times sake

[0racle]

They should let the release date slide a few times, for old times sake.

Mirage in the Distance

[Sponge Bath]

Practical nuclear fusion is always 30 years away.
Fast non-volatile memory tech to replace RAM and HD is always 10 years away.
Duke Nukem Forever is forever 6 months away.

Kudos for Gearbox in keeping the myth alive.

Pre-Order

[hal2814]

So is my Pre-Order from Electronics Boutique still good?

Re:Pre-Order

[dunezone]

Possibly...
http://www.videogamesblogger.com/2010/10/09/did-you-pre-order-duke-nukem-forever-gearbox-wants-to-reward-you.htm

This might be my last chance.

[eternalelegy]

I refuse to miss what may be my last chance to make the same horrible joke I made 10 years ago.

Duke Nukem Forever? More like Duke Nukem Fornever!

There, I feel better now.

Re:the fine print

[Drakkenmensch]

Just as long as your system is DirectX 3.0 compatible, you'll be just fine.

Fool me once shame on you, fool me 37.4 times....

[Chas]

Repeat after me.

Until it ships, it is still VAPORWARE!

Re:Shouldn't this be in "idle"?

[mrmagos]

It's no joke. And stop calling me Shirley.

Re:Oh hell yeah

[TheCycoONE]

Like others here I can verify it works well in DOSBox. For multiplayer in windows xDuke + YANG seems to have online players whenever I check. For the single player experience I recommend eduke32 (which can be further extended with the High Resolution Pack and Polymer 3d engine)

YANG - http://yang-online.com/
xDuke - http://vision.gel.ulaval.ca/~klein/duke3d/
eduke32 - http://www.eduke32.com/
HRP - http://hrp.duke4.net/

Lessons learned: None

[Andy Smith]

"US release date: May 3rd. It will release worldwide three days later"

Games companies are forever bleeting on about piracy, so why the hell do they release a game in one country and tell everyone else in the world that they have to wait THREE days? As if loads of those people aren't going to pirate the game, when they may well have gone and bought it if they'd had the chance.

Re:Lessons learned: None

[brkello]

Why are gamers such dicks they can't wait 3 days before they come up with yet another justification to not pay for a game?