Duke Nukem 64
Reviewed by Gabe Jones
The Name of the game is Duke Nukem 64, it was a monster hit on the Pc and was
well received by many 3D action gamers who were looking for something new,
now that it is on the N64, its a good game as long as you did not totally conquer
the PC version.
Graphics 8 out of 10
The Graphics in Duke Nukem 64 are pretty good, with a lot of 3d explosions, and the
Final Boss has a dramatic new look, another easily noticeable change is that most
of the more obscene stuff from the Pc is gone, some things like the magazine shop
in Red Light District has been changed to a Gun shop, plus you cant kill the babes,
instead you save them, The Stripper in the Movie Theater is replaced by a UFO that
resembles the scene from Independence day. Besides that all the gore is still intact.
The Graphics are very different and a lot of the weapons have totally new looks. The
game also seems a little brighter than the PC version too. Overall the Graphics are
pretty good.
Music and Sound 5 out of 10
First off there is absolutely no Music during the Game. The music is only at the
title screen and a few other spots. Sound effects on the other hand are a direct copy
of the PC version, so they are pretty good, especially the voices, but a lot of the sounds
are standard 3D fair though.
Game Challenge 9 out of 10
This Game is pretty tough. there are plenty of secret cheat codes, but that takes
all the fun out of the game, Although the enemies are pretty stupid, there are tons
of em. There are plenty of awesome weapons to use, some that are not even in the
PC version, which is a plus. The levels are a challenge, with many traps and secrets
to find. The toughest part is easily the bosses, They are HUGE! Plus really a lot of
fun to fight.
Game Play-Fun 8 out of 10
The Control is pretty simple enough, the only problem with it is that you can not
change the button layout, so you cant move the shoot button to A or the jump button
to Z. The control of Duke can get real sloppy too. Duke Nukem is the most fun with
Multi player mode, and Cooperative mode, They give you special Dukematch levels
and all the Regular levels are for play, If you don't have enough people for 4 player,
you can add computer opponents which are actually pretty good at the game. The
Single Player mode does get pretty stale though.
Frustration
There is not much Frustration to this game, you might get mad at the fact that
you cant save at anytime during a level, only at the beginning, so If you die far
into the level then you have to start all over, but at least there are plenty of
items to help you through each level.
Replayability 8 out of 10
Duke Nukem 64 would have had a lot more playability if it had more differences,
instead of just level changes, new enemies, and weapons.. While the PC version has
tons of add-ons, N64 version is very limited, maybe with the 64DD they will create
add-on discs for the game. But other than that, you can get a lot of replay value out
of the Dukematch mode.
Game Value 4 out of 10
Well, to say the least, you will have a much better deal with the PC version than
the N64 version. I found the Original PC version for 10 dollars at a local Wal Mart,
plus the game comes with a ton of free demos and a level editor for building your
own Duke Nukem levels. It beats paying $50 for N64 version. But if you don't have a
PC then Duke Nukem 64 is really a great game.
Overall 7 out of 10
In Conclusion, Duke Nukem 64 is an okay game that has great graphics, good gameplay,
a lot of Dukematch fun, but the real problems with this game is the overall lack of
music, and fact that the PC version is a much greater deal. If you don't have a computer
then Duke Nukem 64 is a very good buy, and is a guarantee for hours of fun.