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Duke Nukem (computer game)
Encyclopedia
Duke Nukem is a platform game
developed and published by Apogee Software (now 3D Realms), featuring the adventures of the fictional character Duke Nukem
. The game was released on July 1, 1991.
with his army of Techbots. Duke Nukem, the eponymous hero, takes upon the task of stopping him. The first episode takes place in the devastated city of Los Angeles. In the second episode, Duke follows Dr. Proton to his secret moonbase. In the third episode, Dr. Proton escapes into the future, and Duke pursues him through time, to put a permanent end to his mad schemes.
. Many objects onscreen can be shot including boxes, obstacles and blocks. Besides points, some collectibles include health powerups
, gun powerups, and some inventory items with special abilities. The final level of each episode has no exit, and is instead completed by finding and defeating Dr. Proton.
At the end of every level
(with the exception of the last level in each episode), the player can receive up to seven 10,000 point bonuses, earned by making certain achievements
in the level, such as destroying all cameras
. At least two other Apogee titles, Duke Nukem II
and Rise of the Triad
, have similar end-of-level bonuses.
Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure
and Duke Nukem II
. Console and arcade platform games would typically perform this using dedicated hardware, such as the PPU
in the NES
which can scroll the background.
The graphics
borrowed heavily from other games, such as Turrican
and the MS-DOS
version of Mega Man.
s.
in 1993, featuring the same hero still without the dark sunglasses
, and later Duke Nukem 3D
in 1996. A third sequel, Duke Nukem Forever
, was announced in 1997. Plagued by various developmental problems and delays, the game would later be picked up by Gearbox Software
and released in 2011, fourteen years after the game was announced. Several spin-offs were developed for console
s only, such as the PlayStation
titles Duke Nukem: Time to Kill
and Duke Nukem: Land of the Babes
, and the Nintendo 64
game, Duke Nukem: Zero Hour
.
In 2002, Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project
was released to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Duke Nukem. It uses a 3D engine and elements from Duke Nukem 3D, but with the side scrolling style of the first two titles.
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
developed and published by Apogee Software (now 3D Realms), featuring the adventures of the fictional character Duke Nukem
Duke Nukem (character)
Duke Nukem is a fictional character and action hero who has been the protagonist in over a dozen video games.The character first appeared in the 1991 video game Duke Nukem developed by Apogee Software...
. The game was released on July 1, 1991.
Story
The game is set in the year 1997 (which was the "near future" at the time of game release). Dr. Proton is a madman, determined to take over the worldEarth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
with his army of Techbots. Duke Nukem, the eponymous hero, takes upon the task of stopping him. The first episode takes place in the devastated city of Los Angeles. In the second episode, Duke follows Dr. Proton to his secret moonbase. In the third episode, Dr. Proton escapes into the future, and Duke pursues him through time, to put a permanent end to his mad schemes.
Gameplay
The main objective of the game is to get to the exit of each level, while destroying enemies and collecting pointsScore (game)
In games, score refers to an abstract quantity associated with a player or team. Score is usually measured in the abstract unit of points, and events in the game can raise or lower the score of different parties...
. Many objects onscreen can be shot including boxes, obstacles and blocks. Besides points, some collectibles include health powerups
Power-up
In computer and video games, power-ups are objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to the game character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a benefit and can be used at a time chosen by the player...
, gun powerups, and some inventory items with special abilities. The final level of each episode has no exit, and is instead completed by finding and defeating Dr. Proton.
At the end of every level
Level (computer and video games)
A level, map, area, or world in a video game is the total space available to the player during the course of completing a discrete objective...
(with the exception of the last level in each episode), the player can receive up to seven 10,000 point bonuses, earned by making certain achievements
Achievement (video gaming)
In video gaming parlance, an achievement, also sometimes known as a trophy or challenge, is a meta-goal defined outside of a game's parameters...
in the level, such as destroying all cameras
Closed-circuit television
Closed-circuit television is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors....
. At least two other Apogee titles, Duke Nukem II
Duke Nukem II
Duke Nukem II is a platform game developed by Apogee Software and released December 3, 1993. The game consists of four episodes , the first available as shareware...
and Rise of the Triad
Rise of the Triad
Rise of the Triad: Dark War is a first-person shooter video game that was first released on February 17, 1995 and developed by Apogee Software . The members of the development team involved referred to themselves as "The Developers of Incredible Power"...
, have similar end-of-level bonuses.
Technical implementation
Due to technical limitations the game world scrolls by shifting 8x8 "blocks" rather than individual pixels. Similar techniques are used in e.g. ZeliardZeliard
Zeliard is a platform-action RPG video game developed for the NEC PC-8801 and published by Game Arts in 1987 in Japan, and re-published for MS-DOS PCs in 1990 by Sierra Entertainment in Europe and North America...
Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure
Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure
Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure is a video game programmed by Todd Replogle and published by Apogee Software in 1992. It is a two-dimensional side-scrolling platform game produced for the PC platform, and features 16-color EGA graphics at 320×200 screen resolution...
and Duke Nukem II
Duke Nukem II
Duke Nukem II is a platform game developed by Apogee Software and released December 3, 1993. The game consists of four episodes , the first available as shareware...
. Console and arcade platform games would typically perform this using dedicated hardware, such as the PPU
Picture Processing Unit
The PPU , more specifically known as Ricoh RP2C02 / RP2C07 , is the microprocessor in the Nintendo Entertainment System responsible for generating video signals from graphic data stored in memory....
in the NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
which can scroll the background.
The graphics
Computer graphics
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....
borrowed heavily from other games, such as Turrican
Turrican
Turrican is a 1989 video game programmed and designed by Manfred Trenz. It was first developed for the Commodore 64 by Rainbow Arts, but was ported to other systems later. In addition to concept design and character creation, Trenz personally programmed Turrican on the Commodore 64...
and the MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
version of Mega Man.
Name changes
After the game's release, Apogee became aware of a Captain Planet villain called Duke Nukem, and to avoid a lawsuit Apogee renamed the 2.0 version of its game Duke Nukum, having rejected the idea of discarding the pun on "nuke" and respelling the name Newcomb or Newcombe. It later turned out that Duke Nukem was not a registered name, so Apogee registered it and used the original Duke Nukem name in the sequelSequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
s.
Sequels
Duke Nukem was followed by Duke Nukem IIDuke Nukem II
Duke Nukem II is a platform game developed by Apogee Software and released December 3, 1993. The game consists of four episodes , the first available as shareware...
in 1993, featuring the same hero still without the dark sunglasses
Sunglasses
Sunglasses or sun glasses are a form of protective eyewear designed primarily to prevent bright sunlight and high-energy visible light from damaging or discomforting the eyes. They can sometimes also function as a visual aid, as variously termed spectacles or glasses exist, featuring lenses that...
, and later Duke Nukem 3D
Duke Nukem 3D
Duke Nukem 3D is a first-person shooter computer game developed by 3D Realms and published by GT Interactive Software. The full version was released for the PC . It is a sequel to the platform games Duke Nukem and Duke Nukem II published by Apogee...
in 1996. A third sequel, Duke Nukem Forever
Duke Nukem Forever
Duke Nukem Forever is a 2011 first-person shooter video game for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 developed by 3D Realms and Triptych Games and finished by Gearbox Software and Piranha Games...
, was announced in 1997. Plagued by various developmental problems and delays, the game would later be picked up by Gearbox Software
Gearbox Software
Gearbox Software, LLC is an American video game development company based in Plano, Texas.-History:Gearbox Software was founded in January 1999 by five members of the content team from the defunct developer Rebel Boat Rocker: Randy Pitchford, Brian Martel, Stephen Bahl, Landon Montgomery, and Rob...
and released in 2011, fourteen years after the game was announced. Several spin-offs were developed for console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
s only, such as the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
titles Duke Nukem: Time to Kill
Duke Nukem: Time to Kill
Duke Nukem: Time To Kill is a third-person shooter video game for the PlayStation.-Gameplay:The gameplay and controls are very similar to those of Tomb Raider, a fact humorously referenced throughout the game...
and Duke Nukem: Land of the Babes
Duke Nukem: Land of the Babes
Duke Nukem: Land of The Babes is a third-person shooter video game in the Duke Nukem series of video games. This game is a direct sequel to the 1998 title, Duke Nukem: Time to Kill.-Plot:...
, and the Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
game, Duke Nukem: Zero Hour
Duke Nukem: Zero Hour
Duke Nukem: Zero Hour is a third-person shooter video game in the Duke Nukem series, developed by Eurocom for the Nintendo 64. The game uses a relatively large 32 megabyte cartridge and could also utilize the Expansion Pak to allow for better graphics but slowing down the frame rate...
.
In 2002, Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project
Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project
Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project is a platform game developed by Sunstorm Interactive, produced by 3D Realms, and published by Arush Entertainment. It was released on Microsoft Windows on May 14, 2002 in North America and on June 14, 2002 in Europe...
was released to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Duke Nukem. It uses a 3D engine and elements from Duke Nukem 3D, but with the side scrolling style of the first two titles.