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Is A “Top-Down Action/RPG” Duke Nukem A Big Mistake?

Ben-Dutka 15 Comments

When I first saw the idea for Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction , I was immediately intrigued.

Then I wondered if the developers might be making a colossal mistake.

No idea if this game will ever happen – what with the whole Gearbox/Interceptor/Apogee snafu concerning the Duke Nukem IP – but if it does, and if we actually get a "top-down action/RPG" that exists within the Duke Nukem universe, I'll have difficulty wrapping my brain around it. I just will. I understand that that's probably the point but even so, such a drastic departure from FPS land may be ill-advised. Remember, Duke is a pioneer in the shooter genre; to ditch that is like slapping history in the face.

At the same time, I can't help but remember that Duke Nukem Forever was a freakin' travesty. A 13-year wait for a less-than-mediocre game. The Duke deserves better. Maybe we should just let him recede into the shadows and hopefully, over time, we'll only remember all the good times we had blowing up aliens and ogling strippers. We can simply pretend DNF never existed. I'm good with that. Or, maybe we should let another developer try again…question is, should they try something so ridiculous? A top-down action/RPG? Really ?

Hey, I love those kinds of games. I loved me some Dark Alliance and Champions of Norrath back in the PS2 days. But Duke Nukem in such a format? I'm not even sure how that work, honestly. Further, I'm not even certain it can work.

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New Duke Nukem Invites Lawsuit

Ben-Dutka 9 Comments

If you've been following the news, you know Apogee Software and Interceptor Entertainment recently teased a new Duke Nukem game . There's just one problem with that.

Neither company owns the Duke Nukem IP.

That's why Gearbox Software has filed a lawsuit against Apogee and Interceptor based on their intentions to release a "top-down action/RPG" called Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction . You may recall the teaser site that went along with the pseudo-unveiling.

Prior to the lawsuit, that site was counting down to February 25. Now, however, if you click through, you'll see the countdown has been replaced with a fake emergency broadcast signal. If you were wondering, 3D Realms was closed down in 2009 and the studio's legal name is now Apogee Software. As for the suit, Gearbox is seeking damages for trademark and copyright infringement, which "stems from efforts to illegally exploit Gearbox's intellectual property rights in the Duke Nukem video game franchise."

Gearbox's lawyers sent a cease and desist letter to 3D Realms' CEO Scott Miller:

"You and 3DR are colluding with other, equally-unauthorized parties to develop a new video game based upon the Duke Nukem IP. No developer reveres Duke Nukem and its fans more than Gearbox; it’s why Gearbox committed so much to rescuing Duke back in 2010. As you well know: 3DR’s rights were reduced under the terms of that rescue, not expanded."

3D Realms' Miller and George Broussard responded with a signed document acknowledging Gearbox's rights to the Duke Nukem IP. And yet, the teaser site remains…

Well, you know, if Gearbox was my studio, and we had been responsible for putting out that abominable piece of trash that was Duke Nukem Forever , I'd be denying all ownership – and indeed, all knowledge – of owning the franchise. "Who, us? Oh no…we don't own that IP…nope, don't know anything about it. Duke Nukem Forever ? …nope, never heard of that, either."

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Next-Gen Duke Nukem Teased, And It’s A “Top-Down Action/RPG”?

Ben-Dutka 8 Comments

Oh no. Here we go again.

Developer Interceptor Entertainment is apparently teasing a new Duke Nukem title, which – according to some clever fans – is called "Mass Destruction," and is coming to PlayStation and PC. If that's the case, it'll most likely drop for Xbox as well.

The studio first asked for 10,000 Facebook likes to translate a chunk of text for fans, but the message got cracked before that happened:

"The king makes his next generation debut in Duke Nukem: Mass Destruction. A top-down action role-playing game for PC and PlayStation."

A telling new teaser site has a countdown clock that ends on February 25, and there's a picture of Kick-Ass Gum. Yeah, veteran gamers well remember that line. Perhaps most interesting of all is that this game isn't a first-person shooter. Historically, that's what Duke really is; in fact, the franchise was one of the original FPS pioneers.

But it's actually gonna be an action/RPG? Experience and tech trees? Seriously? That's not really in the grand Duke tradition but hey, the last entry was so freakin' appalling (all the more because we had to wait 13 years for it), that maybe a change is required.

By the way, Interceptor Entertainment does have experience with the series. They produced a couple side-scrolling Duke Nukem titles for iOS, and they're supposedly working with the original creator, Scott Miller.

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