''Duke Nukem 3D'' is a 1996 first-person shooter game developed by

3D Realms 3D Realms Entertainment ApS is a video game publisher based in Aalborg, Denmark. Scott Miller founded the company in his parents' home in Garland, Texas, in 1987 as Apogee Software Productions to release his game '' Kingdom of Kroz''. In the ...

and published by

FormGen FormGen Corporation was a developer of business software and publisher of video games based in Scottsdale, Arizona. History FormGen was founded in 1987 by friends Randy MacLean and Robert Van Rycke in Bolton, Ontario. It was a software producer a ...

for

MS-DOS MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few op ...

. It is a sequel to the

platform game A platformer (also called a platform game, and sometimes a jump 'n' run game) is a subgenre of action game in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are characterized by levels wi ...

s ''

Duke Nukem ''Duke Nukem'' is a video game series and media franchise created by the company Apogee Software Ltd. (now 3D Realms). The franchise follows the titular Duke Nukem as he battles against a military or extraterrestrial force. Originally a serie ...

'' and ''

Duke Nukem II ''Duke Nukem II'' is a 1993 platform game developed and published by Apogee Software. The game consists of four episodes (of eight levels each), the first available as shareware. It is the follow-up to 1991's ''Duke Nukem'', and followed by ''Du ...

'', published by 3D Realms. ''Duke Nukem 3D'' features the adventures of the titular

, voiced by Jon St. John, who fights against an

alien invasion Alien invasion or space invasion is a common feature in science fiction stories and films, in which extraterrestrial lifeforms invade Earth to exterminate and supplant human life, enslave it, harvest people for food, steal the planet's resource ...

on Earth. Along with ''

Wolfenstein 3D ''Wolfenstein 3D'' is a 1992 first-person shooter game developed by id Software and published by Apogee Software and FormGen for DOS. It was inspired by the 1981 Muse Software video game '' Castle Wolfenstein'', and is the third installment ...

'', ''

Doom Doom is another name for damnation. Doom may also refer to: People * Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed * Daniel Doom (1934–2020), Belgian cyclist * Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitche ...

'' and '' Quake'', ''Duke Nukem 3D'' is considered to be responsible for popularizing first-person shooters, and was released to major critical acclaim. Reviewers praised the interactivity of the environments, gameplay, level design, and unique risqué humor, a mix of pop-culture satire and lampooning of over-the-top Hollywood action heroes. However, it also incited controversy due to its violence, erotic elements, and portrayal of women. The

shareware Shareware is a type of proprietary software that is initially shared by the owner for trial use at little or no cost. Often the software has limited functionality or incomplete documentation until the user sends payment to the software developer. ...

version of the game was originally released on January 29, 1996, while the full version of the game was released on April 19, 1996. The ''Plutonium PAK'', an expansion pack which updated the game to version 1.4 and added a fourth eleven-level episode, was released on October 21, 1996. The ''Atomic Edition'', a standalone version of the game that included the content from the ''Plutonium PAK'' and updated the game to version 1.5, was released on December 11, 1996. An official fifth episode was released on October 11, 2016, with ''20th Anniversary World Tour'' published by

Gearbox Software Gearbox Software, L.L.C is an American video game developer, video game development company based in Frisco, Texas. It was established as a limited liability company in February 1999 by five developers formerly of Rebel Boat Rocker. Randy Pitch ...

. A direct sequel titled '' Duke Nukem Forever'' was released in 2011, after fifteen years in

development hell Development hell, also known as development purgatory or development limbo, is media and software industry jargon for a project, concept, or idea that remains in a stage of early development for a long time because of legal, technical, or artistic ...

Gameplay

As a

first-person shooter A first-person shooter (FPS) is a video game genre, video game centered on gun fighting and other weapon-based combat seen from a First person (video games), first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action directly through t ...

whose gameplay is similar to ''

'', the gameplay of ''Duke Nukem 3D'' involves moving through levels presented from the protagonist's point of view, shooting enemies on the way. The environments in ''Duke Nukem 3D'' are highly destructible and interactive; most props can be destroyed by the player. Levels were designed in a fairly non-linear manner such that players can advantageously use

air duct Ducts are conduits or passages used in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) to deliver and remove air. The needed airflows include, for example, ''supply air'', ''return air'', and ''exhaust air''. Ducts commonly also deliver '' ve ...

s, back doors, and sewers to avoid enemies or find hidden caches. These locations are also filled with objects the player can interact with. Some confer gameplay benefits to the player; light switches make it easier to see, while

water fountain A drinking fountain, also called a water fountain or water bubbler, is a fountain designed to provide drinking water. It consists of a basin with either continuously running water or a Tap (valve), tap. The Drinking, drinker bends down to the ...

s and broken

fire hydrant A fire hydrant, fireplug, firecock (archaic), hydrant riser or Johnny Pump is a connection point by which firefighters can tap into a water supply. It is a component of active fire protection. Underground fire hydrants have been used in Europe a ...

s provide some health points. Others are simply there as a diversion. Tipping

strippers A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at private events. Modern forms of stripping m ...

provokes a quote from Duke, and a provocative reveal from the dancer. Duke's arsenal consists of the "Mighty Foot" (a basic kick attack), a

pistol A pistol is a type of handgun, characterised by a gun barrel, barrel with an integral chamber (firearms), chamber. The word "pistol" derives from the Middle French ''pistolet'' (), meaning a small gun or knife, and first appeared in the Englis ...

, a

shotgun A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, peppergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge (firearms), cartridge known as a shotshell, which discharges numerous small ...

, a triple-barrelled

chain gun A chain gun is a type of autocannon or machine gun that uses an external source of power to cycle the weapon's action via a continuous loop of chain, similar to that used on a motorcycle or bicycle, instead of diverting excess energy from the ...

, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher,

pipe bomb A pipe bomb is an improvised explosive device (IED) that uses a tightly sealed section of pipe filled with an explosive material. The containment provided by the pipe means that simple low explosives can be used to produce a relatively larg ...

s, freezethrower and

shrink ray In science fiction, a shrink ray is any device which uses energy to reduce the physical size of matter. Many are also capable of enlarging items as well. A growth ray typically only has the ability to enlarge. Scientific Science fiction writer a ...

s, laser

land mines A land mine, or landmine, is an explosive weapon often concealed under or camouflaged on the ground, and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets as they pass over or near it. Land mines are divided into two types: anti-tank mines, whi ...

, and the rapid-fire "Devastator" rocket launcher. The ''Atomic Edition'' version of the game also has an "Expander", the opposite of the shrink-ray weapon. Lastly, the ''20th Anniversary World Tour'' version of the game also has an "Incinerator", the opposite of the freezethrower (with fiery projectiles instead of ice). Various items can be picked up during gameplay. The portable medkit allows players to heal Duke at will.

Steroid A steroid is an organic compound with four fused compound, fused rings (designated A, B, C, and D) arranged in a specific molecular configuration. Steroids have two principal biological functions: as important components of cell membranes t ...

s speed up Duke's movement, as well as instantly reversing the effects of the shrink-ray weapon and increasing the strength of Duke's Mighty Foot for a short period.

Night vision Night vision is the ability to see in low-light conditions, either naturally with scotopic vision or through a night-vision device. Night vision requires both sufficient spectral range and sufficient intensity range. Humans have poor night v ...

goggles allow players to see enemies in the dark. The "HoloDuke" device projects a

hologram Holography is a technique that allows a wavefront to be recorded and later reconstructed. It is best known as a method of generating three-dimensional images, and has a wide range of other uses, including data storage, microscopy, and interf ...

of Duke, which can be used to distract enemies. Protective boots allow Duke to cross dangerously hot or toxic terrain. In sections where progress requires more aquatic legwork, an aqua-lung allows Duke to take longer trips underwater. Duke's

jet pack A jet pack, rocket belt, rocket pack or flight pack is a device worn as a backpack which uses jets to propel the wearer through the air. The concept has been present in science fiction for almost a century and the first working experimental d ...

allows the player to move vertically and gain access to otherwise inaccessible areas. The game features a wide variety of enemies; some of which are aliens and other

mutated In biology, a mutation is an alteration in the nucleic acid sequence of the genome of an organism, virus, or extrachromosomal DNA. Viral genomes contain either DNA or RNA. Mutations result from errors during DNA replication, DNA or viral rep ...

humans. The

LAPD The City of Los Angeles Police Department, commonly referred to as Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), is the primary law enforcement agency of Los Angeles, California, United States. With 8,832 officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the th ...

have been turned into "Pig Cops", a

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

on the derogatory term "pig" for police officers, with LARD emblazoned on their uniforms. As is usual for a first-person shooter, Duke Nukem encounters a large number of lesser foes, as well as bosses, usually at the end of episodes. Like Duke, these enemies have access to a wide range of weapons and equipment, and some weaker enemies have jet packs.

Plot

Setting

''Duke Nukem 3D'' is set on Earth "sometime in the early 21st century". The levels of ''Duke Nukem 3D'' take players outdoors and indoors through rendered street scenes, military bases,

desert A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the la ...

s, a flooded city,

space station A space station (or orbital station) is a spacecraft which remains orbital spaceflight, in orbit and human spaceflight, hosts humans for extended periods of time. It therefore is an artificial satellite featuring space habitat (facility), habitat ...

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...

bases, and a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

restaurant. The game contains several humorous references to pop culture. Some of Duke's lines are drawn from movies such as '' Aliens'', ''

Dirty Harry ''Dirty Harry'' is a 1971 American action-thriller film produced and directed by Don Siegel, the first in the Dirty Harry (film series), ''Dirty Harry'' series. Clint Eastwood plays the title role, in his first appearance as San Francisco Polic ...

'', ''

Evil Dead II ''Evil Dead II'' (also known in publicity materials as ''Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn'') is a 1987 American comedy horror film directed by Sam Raimi, who co-wrote it with Scott Spiegel. The second installment in the ''Evil Dead'' film series, i ...

'', ''

Full Metal Jacket ''Full Metal Jacket'' is a 1987 war film directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick from a screenplay he co-wrote with Michael Herr and Gustav Hasford. The film is based on Hasford's 1979 autobiographical novel '' The Short-Timers''. It stars ...

'', '' Jaws'', ''

Pulp Fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American independent crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino from a story he conceived with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; It tells four intertwining tales of crime and violence ...

'', and ''

They Live ''They Live'' is a 1988 American science fiction action horror film written and directed by John Carpenter, based on the 1963 short story " Eight O'Clock in the Morning" by Ray Nelson. Starring Roddy Piper, Keith David, and Meg Foster, the ...

''; the captured women saying "Kill me" is a reference to ''Aliens''. Players will encounter corpses of famous characters such as

Luke Skywalker Luke Skywalker is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He was introduced in the original film trilogy as the main protagonist and also appears in the sequel trilogy. Raised as a poor moisture farmer on the desert planet Tat ...

Indiana Jones ''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise consisting of five films and a prequel television series, along with games, comics, and tie-in novels, that depicts the adventures of Indiana Jones (character), Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, ...

Snake Plissken S. D. Bob "Snake" Plissken is a fictional character who served as the protagonist of the films ''Escape from New York'' (1981) and '' Escape from L.A.'' (1996). Portrayed by Kurt Russell, the character was created by John Carpenter and Nick Cast ...

, the protagonist of ''

'', and a smashed

T-800 T8 or T-8 may refer to the following: Measurement * T8, a Torx screwhead size * T8, a 1 inch fluorescent lamp formats, fluorescent lamp size * A tornado intensity rating on the TORRO scale Biology * The 8th thoracic vertebrae, thoracic vertebra * ...

. In the first episode, players navigate a tunnel in the wall of a prison cell hidden behind a poster, just like in ''

The Shawshank Redemption ''The Shawshank Redemption'' is a 1994 American Prison film, prison Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont, based on the 1982 Stephen King novella ''Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption''. The film t ...

''. During the second episode, players can see a

Monolith A monolith is a geological feature consisting of a single massive stone or rock, such as some mountains. Erosion usually exposes the geological formations, which are often made of very hard and solid igneous or metamorphic rock. Some monolit ...

(from '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'') on the Moon and use it as a teleport to complete the level.

Story

There is little narrative in the game, only a brief text prelude located under "Help" in the Main Menu, and a few

cutscene A cutscene or event scene (sometimes in-game cinematic or in-game movie) is a sequence in a video game that is not interactive, interrupting the gameplay. Such scenes are used to show conversations between characters, set the mood, reward the ...

s after the completion of an episode. The game picks up right after the events of ''

'', with Duke returning to Earth in his space cruiser. As Duke descends on

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in hopes of taking a vacation, his ship is shot down by unknown hostiles. While sending a distress signal, Duke learns that aliens are attacking Los Angeles and have mutated the

. With his vacation plans now ruined, Duke hits the "eject" button, and vows to do whatever it takes to stop the alien invasion. In "Episode One: ''L.A. Meltdown''", Duke fights his way through a

dystopia A dystopia (lit. "bad place") is an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives. It is an imagined place (possibly state) in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmen ...

n Los Angeles. At a

strip club A strip club (also known as a strip joint, striptease bar, peeler bar, gentlemen's club, among others) is a venue where strippers provide adult entertainment, predominantly in the form of striptease and other erotic dances including lap dances. St ...

, he is captured by pig-cops, but escapes the alien-controlled penitentiary and tracks down the alien cruiser responsible for the invasion in the

San Andreas Fault The San Andreas Fault is a continental Fault (geology)#Strike-slip faults, right-lateral strike-slip transform fault that extends roughly through the U.S. state of California. It forms part of the tectonics, tectonic boundary between the Paci ...

. Duke confronts and kills an Alien Battlelord in the final level. Duke discovers that the aliens were capturing women, and detonates the ship. Levels in this episode include a movie theater, a red-light district, a prison, and a nuclear-waste disposal facility. In "Episode Two: ''Lunar Apocalypse''", Duke journeys to

space Space is a three-dimensional continuum containing positions and directions. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions. Modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless ...

, where he finds many of the captured women held in various incubators throughout space stations that had been conquered by the aliens. Duke reaches the alien mother ship on the Moon and kills an alien Overlord. As Duke inspects the ship's computer, it is revealed that the plot to capture women was merely a ruse to distract him. The aliens have already begun their attack on Earth. In "Episode Three: ''Shrapnel City''", Duke battles the massive alien presence through Los Angeles once again, and kills the leader of the alien menace: the Cycloid Emperor. The game ends as Duke promises that after some " R&R", he will be "...ready for more action!", as an anonymous woman calls him back to bed. Levels in this episode include a sushi bar, a movie set, a subway, and a hotel. The story continues in the ''Atomic Edition''. In "Episode Four: ''The Birth''", it is revealed that the aliens used a captured woman to give birth to the Alien Queen, a creature which can quickly spawn deadly alien protector drones. Duke is dispatched back to Los Angeles to fight hordes of aliens, including the protector drones. Eventually, Duke finds the lair of the Alien Queen, and kills her, thus thwarting the alien plot. Levels in this episode include a fast-food restaurant ("Duke Burger"), a supermarket, a Disneyland parody called "Babe Land", a police station, the oil tanker '' Exxon Valdez'', and

Area 51 Area 51 is the common name of a highly classified United States Air Force (USAF) facility within the Nevada Test and Training Range in southern Nevada, north-northwest of Las Vegas. A remote detachment administered by Edwards Air Force B ...

. With the release of ''20th Anniversary World Tour'', the story progresses further. In "Episode Five: ''Alien World Order''", Duke finds out that the aliens initiated a world-scale invasion, so he sets out to repel their attack on various countries. Duke proceeds to clear out aliens from

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, Paris, the

Giza pyramid complex The Giza pyramid complex (also called the Giza necropolis) in Egypt is home to the Great Pyramid of Giza, Great Pyramid, the pyramid of Khafre, and the pyramid of Menkaure, along with their associated pyramid complexes and the Great Sphinx of G ...

, and

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, with the final showdown with the returning alien threat taking place in Los Angeles, taking the game full circle. There, he defeats the Cycloid Incinerator, the current alien leader, stopping their threat for good.

Development

''Duke Nukem 3D'' was developed on a budget of roughly $300,000. The development team consisted of 8 people for most of the development cycle, increasing to 12 or 13 people near the end. At one point, the game was being programmed to allow the player to switch between first-person view, third-person view, and fixed camera angles. Scott Miller of 3D Realms recalled that "with ''Duke 3D'', unlike every shooter that came before, we wanted to have sort of real life locations like a cinema theatre, you know, strip club, bookstores..." ''LameDuke'' is an early prototype of ''Duke Nukem 3D'', which was released by 3D Realms as a "bonus" one year after the release of the official version. It has been released as is, with no support. ''LameDuke'' features four episodes: ''Mr. Caliber'', ''Mission Cockroach'', ''Suck Hole'', and ''Hard Landing''. Certain weapons were altered from the original versions and/or removed. Lee Jackson's theme song "Grabbag" has elicited many covers and remixes over the years by both fans and professional musicians, including an officially sanctioned studio version by

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...

band

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal—alo ...

. Another version of the song was recorded by Chris Kline in August 2005.

featured it on the front page of their website and contracted with Kline to use it to promote their

Xbox Live The Xbox network, formerly known and commonly referred to as Xbox Live, is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Gaming for the Xbox brand. It was first made available to the origina ...

release of ''Duke Nukem 3D''. The original official website was created by Jeffrey D. Erb and Mark Farish of Intersphere Communications Ltd.

Release

PC versions

* ''Shareware Version'': The shareware version, released on January 29, 1996 as version 1.0, contained only the first episode. This version uses 3D Realms's shareware distribution model, which means that it can be distributed for free. The shareware version was re-released as version 1.1 on February 20, 1996, and re-released once again as version 1.3D on April 24, 1996. * ''Full Version'': Released on April 19, 1996, as version 1.3D. 3D Realms started shipping the full registered version to customers on May 5, 1996. The company streamed the process of packing and shipping the first copies using a webcam. The full version contains the original three episodes, and includes the full versions of ''Duke Nukem'' and ''Duke Nukem II'' as bonus content. * ''Plutonium PAK/Atomic Edition'': The ''Atomic Edition'' of ''Duke Nukem 3D'' was released in November 1996 as a standalone game. It contained the original three episodes, as well as a new eleven-level fourth episode, bringing the level total to 41 as opposed to 30 in the original ''Duke Nukem 3D''. The ''Plutonium PAK'' was released as an upgrade package to convert the original release of ''Duke Nukem 3D'' (v1.3d) to the ''Atomic Edition'' (v1.4, updated to v1.5 with the standalone ''Atomic Edition'' release and via a free download patch for the ''Plutonium PAK'' version on 3D Realms' website). It introduced two new enemies, the Protector Drone and the Pig Cop Tank, a new final boss, the Alien Queen, and a new weapon, the Expander. Changes to the script made the game easier to mod, and players could set up a multiplayer session against CPU

bots The British Overseas Territories (BOTs) or alternatively referred to as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs) are the fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom that, ...

. This is the only official add-on for the game developed by 3D Realms. Unlike the original release of ''Duke Nukem 3D'', however, the ''Atomic Edition'' does not include ''Duke Nukem'' and ''Duke Nukem II''. * ''Macintosh Version'': The Macintosh release was ported by Lion Entertainment Inc. and released on June 6, 1997, in Minneapolis, being shipped by MacSoft. * ''East Meets West'': Released in 1998, includes ''Duke Nukem 3D: Atomic Edition'' and the full version of ''

Shadow Warrior ''Shadow Warrior'' is a series of first-person shooter video games that focuses on the exploits of Lo Wang, a modern ninja warrior who fights through hordes of demons. The original series is made up of one game, '' Shadow Warrior'' (1997), and t ...

''. * ''Duke: The Apocalypse'' contains ''Duke!ZONE II'', ''Duke Xtreme'', and a T-shirt. * ''Duke: The Apocalypse 2'' contains ''Duke!ZONE'', ''Duke It Out In D.C.'', a strategy guide, and a T-shirt. * ''Kill-A-Ton Collection'': The ''Kill-A-Ton Collection'' was released in 1998 and includes: ''Duke Nukem I'' (''Duke Nukum''), ''Duke Nukem II'', ''Duke Nukem 3D'' (both v1.3d and v1.5), ''Duke It Out In D.C.'', ''Duke!ZONE II'', ''Duke Xtreme'', and various editing utilities. * GOG release: The ''Atomic Edition'' was released on GOG.com along with Duke Nukem 1, 2 and Manhattan Project in 2009. The entire catalog was removed from the website on December 31, 2015, due to a licensing agreement with

. *''Megaton Edition'': Developed by General Arcade and published by

Devolver Digital Devolver Digital, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Austin, Texas, specializing in the publishing of indie games. The company was founded in June 2009 by Nigel Lowrie, Harry Miller, Graeme Struthers, Rick Stults, and Mike Wil ...

, it was released through

Steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...

on March 20, 2013. The ''Megaton Edition'' includes ''Duke Nukem 3D: Atomic Edition'', ''Duke It Out In D.C.'', ''Duke Caribbean: Life's a Beach'', and ''Duke: Nuclear Winter'' all running on OpenGL, as well as the original MS-DOS version of ''Duke Nukem 3D: Atomic Edition''. It supports SteamPlay for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, and is based on the code of the ''JFDuke3D'' source port by Jonathon Fowler. Online multiplayer was added to the game in January 2014. However, about a year later, the Megaton Edition was removed from all digital distribution as Devolver Digital's agreement with Gearbox Software has ended now that the latter company currently owns the

intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, co ...

. In 2016, Gearbox informed TechRaptor that they have plans to "bring the game back this year," and that game became the 20th Anniversary World Tour. * ''Kill-a-Ton 2015 Collection'': Released in May 2015 on

, includes everything that Kill-a-Ton Collection contained (with exception of ''Duke Nukem 3D'' v1.3D and ''Duke Xtreme''), plus two other expansions, ''Duke Caribbean: Life's a Beach'', and ''Duke: Nuclear Winter'', as well as '' Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project'' and the '' Balls of Steel'' game. Like with the GOG.com release and Megaton Edition, it was removed from Steam at the end of 2015. * ''20th Anniversary World Tour'': Developed by

Nerve Software Nerve Software, LLC was an American video game developer that was co-founded by ex-id Software employee Brandon James. Many of the original employees at Nerve were previously employed by Rogue Entertainment, another U.S.-based software company ...

and Gearbox Software and published by Gearbox Publishing. It was announced by Gearbox Software on September 2, 2016, at PAX East, and it's a re-release for the

Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...

, and PC via Steam. World Tour includes an all-new 5th episode by the original episode designers, new music by composer Lee Jackson, re-recorded voice lines by Jon St. John, new enemies and new lighting effects. However, it does not contain the expansions from ''Kill-A-Ton Collection'' and ''Megaton Edition''. World Tour was released on October 11, 2016. * ZOOM Platform release: The ''Atomic Edition'' was released on ZOOM Platform along with Duke Nukem 1, 2 and Manhattan Project in 2014. As of 2020, it includes ''Duke It Out In D.C.'', ''Duke Caribbean: Life's a Beach'', ''Duke: Nuclear Winter'', ''Duke Nukem's Penthouse Paradise, Duke!ZONE'' and ''Duke!ZONE II.'' Since 2022, it also includes ''Duke - It's Zero Hour.'' As of 2024, ZOOM Platform is the only digital store where the ''Atomic Edition'' is available.

Expansion packs

* ''Nuke It'': This is an expansion pack developed by Micro Star in 1996, consisting of 300 custom made levels. Although it was made with the Build Editor, Micro Star was charged by FormGen and 3D Realms of copyright infringement for unauthorized sales of the pack. Ultimately Micro Star lost their case. * ''Duke It Out In D.C.'': This is an authorized add-on developed by

Sunstorm Interactive Sunstorm Interactive was an American video game developer founded in 1995 by Anthony Campiti, which specialized in hunting simulators and first-person shooters. The majority of their titles were small-scale "value titles", priced between $20 and ...

and published by

WizardWorks WizardWorks Group, Inc. was an American video game developer and publisher based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The company was founded in 1980 and, in 1993, WizardWorks opened the CompuWorks and MacSoft divisions. In 1996, WizardWorks was acquire ...

; it was released in March 1997. President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

is captured by alien forces, and Duke must save him. This expansion pack featured 10 new levels that were based on real-world locations, such as: the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

, the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

headquarters, the Smithsonian museum, the

Washington Monument The Washington Monument is an obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father of the United States, victorious commander-in-chief of the Continen ...

, and other areas in Washington, D.C. The add-on was also included as part of an official compilation called ''Duke Nukem: Kill-A-Ton Collection'' through business deals with 3D Realms. Charlie Wiederhold created levels for this add-on. * ''Duke Caribbean: Life's a Beach'': This is an authorized add-on developed by Sunstorm Interactive and published by WizardWorks; it was released in January 1998. Duke is relaxing on a tropical island when he discovers that the aliens are having their own "vacation". This add-on includes a sunny Caribbean theme with 12 new levels that take place on beaches and vacation hotels. The add-on also reskins Duke's weapons with a summer theme, such as water guns. Charlie Wiederhold created several levels for this add-on. Wiederhold was later hired by 3D Realms to work on the sequel '' Duke Nukem Forever''. * ''Duke: Nuclear Winter'': This is an authorized add-on developed by Simply Silly Software and published by WizardWorks; it was released in January 1998.

Santa Claus Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...

is being mind-controlled by aliens into causing trouble on Earth. Several of the levels take place in

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

and the

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distingu ...

. * ''Duke!ZONE'': An authorized add-on released in 1996, published by WizardWorks, which includes 500 fan-made levels and various editing utilities. * ''Duke!ZONE II'': An authorized follow-up add-on to ''Duke!ZONE'', published by WizardWorks and released in 1997. ''Duke!ZONE II'' contains three new episodes, each containing seven levels, created by Simply Silly Software and the same 500 fan-made levels from the original ''Duke!ZONE''. * ''Duke Xtreme'': An authorized add-on released in 1997 and developed by Sunstorm Interactive, containing 50 levels (25 for single player and 25 for multiplayer) and various editing utilities. * ''Duke Assault'': An add-on released in 1997 containing over 1,500 levels for ''Duke Nukem 3D''. It was published by WizardWorks and created by fans in the ''Duke Nukem 3D'' modding community. * ''Duke Nukem's Penthouse Paradise'': This is an official add-on for ''Duke Nukem 3D'', created by Jeffrey D. Erb and Mark Farish of Intersphere Communications Ltd. and available exclusively from

GT Interactive Atari, Inc. is an American video gaming company based in New York City, and a subsidiary of the Atari SA holding company. It is the main entity serving the commercial Atari brand globally since 2003. The company currently publishes games based o ...

and

Penthouse Magazine ''Penthouse'' is a List of men's magazines, men's magazine founded by Bob Guccione and published by Los Angeles–based Penthouse World Media, LLC. It combines urban lifestyle articles and Softcore pornography, softcore pornographic pictures of ...

in May 1997. Taking place between ''Duke Nukem 3D'' and the ''Atomic Edition'', aliens interrupt Duke's R&R and a couple of Penthouse photo shoots. Duke has to fight his way through a hotel, clubs, and, finally, the Penthouse offices. The level features music from the industrial rock band Needle. * ''Duke - It's Zero Hour'': An add-on developed by ZeroHour Software and released in November 1997. It was originally slated to be a retail product via WizardWorks, but the developers ended up releasing it for free. It has 11 new levels that feature 12 all-new monsters, five new weapons, music, and sound effects.

Console versions and add-ons

''Duke Nukem 3D'' was ported to many consoles of the time. All of the ports featured some sort of new content. * ''Duke Nukem 3D'' ( Game.com) was released in 1997 in the USA only. Unlike every other version of the game, Duke Nukem cannot turn; he can only move forward, backward, and strafe to the left or right. Due to the Game.com's monochrome screen, it is also the only version to lack color. It only includes four levels from each of the original three episodes for a total of 12 levels. These levels were modified to accommodate Duke Nukem's inability to turn. * ''Duke Nukem 3D'' (

Sega Saturn The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it is the successor to the succes ...

) was ported by Lobotomy Software and published by

Sega is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...

in 1997. It retains the original name and uses Lobotomy Software's own fully 3D ''SlaveDriver'' engine. This version uses the

Sega NetLink Sega Net Link (also called Sega Saturn Net Link) is an attachment for the Sega Saturn game console to provide Saturn users with internet access and access to email through their console. The unit was released in October 1996. The Sega Net Link f ...

for online gaming, and has built-in support for the Saturn's analog pad. It also includes a hidden multiplayer mini-game called '' Death Tank Zwei'', and an exclusive bonus level called Urea 51, accessed through the level "Fahrenheit". It was the final game branded by Sega of America under the Deep Water label, employed for games featuring adult content such as '' Eternal Champions: Challenge from the Dark Side''. * ''Duke Nukem: Total Meltdown'' (titled simply ''Duke Nukem'' in Europe), the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...

port released on December 2, 1997, was developed by

Aardvark Software Nick Pelling is a British people, British-born computer programmer and Investigative journalism, investigative writer best known as the creator of the 1984 game ''Frak!''."Desert Island Disks: Nick Pelling". ''Retro Gamer'' 26, pp. 82–85. Ga ...

. It contains all three original episodes, plus an exclusive fourth episode, ''Plug 'n' Pray'', which includes six new levels and a secret level. The secret level was also included in the PC version of ''Duke Nukem 3D''. The new episode features several new enemies, including three new types of Pig Cops, and a new final boss, the CyberKeef. This version also features remixed music, some rearranged from the PC version, and some original, in streaming XA-Audio made by Mark Knight. It includes support for analog pads and the

PlayStation Link Cable The PlayStation Link Cable (SCPH-1040) is a peripheral cable for the first generation PlayStation console. Utilizing the serial I/O port found on the back of most PlayStation models, it allows for two consoles to be connected in order to play ...

. * ''Duke Nukem 64'' is a port released on November 14, 1997, for the

Nintendo 64 The (N64) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on June 23, 1996, in North America on September 29, 1996, and in Europe and Australia on March 1, 1997. As the successor to the Super Nintendo E ...

and features a

split screen Split screen may refer to: * Split screen (computing), dividing graphics into adjacent parts * Split screen (video production), the visible division of the screen * ''Split Screen'' (TV series), 1997–2001 * Split screen, a focusing screen in a ...

4-player mode. It was developed by

Eurocom Eurocom Entertainment Software was a British video game developer founded in October 1988 by Mat Sneap, Chris Shrigley, Hugh Binns, Tim Rogers and Neil Baldwin, to develop games for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Eurocom expanded to Handh ...

. In-game music was removed due to limited storage capacity, many items were renamed to avoid drug and sex references, and new lines of dialogue were recorded specifically for this version to remove profanity. Several levels were altered to include areas from the ''Atomic Edition'', such as a Duke Burger outlet in the second level which was not in the original PC version. Levels are played sequentially instead of as separate episodes. Other changes include the addition of

Rumble Pak The is a removable device from Nintendo that provides force feedback while playing video games. Games that support the Rumble Pak cause it to vibrate in select situations, such as when firing a weapon or receiving damage, to immerse the player i ...

support, four new weapons, dual sub-machine guns, a grenade launcher, a missile launcher, and the Plasma Cannon, alternative ammo types for the pistol, shotgun, and missile launcher, and a fully 3D model for the Cycloid Emperor boss. The Protector Drone, an enemy from the ''Atomic Edition'', also appears a few times in the standard levels. Originally, the weapons and end bosses were going to be polygonal. * ''Duke Nukem 3D'' ( Mega Drive/Genesis) was released in 1998 by

Tec Toy Tec Toy S.A., trading as Tectoy since 1997, is a Brazilian toy and electronics company headquartered in São Paulo. It is best known for producing, publishing, and distributing Sega consoles and video games in Brazil. The company was founded b ...

. The visuals were drastically simplified, being closer to early shooters like ''

''. It consisted solely of ''Lunar Apocalypse'', the second from the original game's three episodes, which was heavily modified to suit the game engine. This version was initially released in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

only. In 2015, Piko Interactive acquired the rights to the port from Tec Toy and released it worldwide in cartridge form on October 16, 2015. * ''Duke Nukem 3D'' (

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...

) was released on September 24, 2008. This version features: the ability to "rewind" the game to any prior point upon dying, save clips of gameplay, and play cooperatively online, as well as the standard "Dukematch" online multiplayer mode. The music received a slight quality upgrade with modern

MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface (; MIDI) is an American-Japanese technical standard that describes a communication protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, ...

tools. * ''Duke Nukem 3D'' (

iPhone The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at ...

iPod Touch The iPod Touch (stylized as iPod touch) is a discontinued line of iOS-based mobile devices designed and formerly marketed by Apple Inc. with a touchscreen-controlled user interface. As with other iPod models, the iPod Touch can be used as a po ...

) was released on August 11, 2009, and ported by MachineWorks Northwest. The game employs a new engine, which uses a trademarked touch-screen system called TapShoot to allow players to lock onto and dispatch foes. An update in September 2009 made the game compatible with the first and second-generation

. It also added a new control scheme which lets players control Duke by dragging their finger around the screen. * ''Duke Nukem 3D'' (

Nokia N900 The Nokia N900 is a smartphone made by Nokia, launched at Nokia World on 2 September 2009 and released in November. Superseding the Nokia N810, the N900's default operating system, Maemo 5, is a Linux-based OS originally developed for the Nokia ...

) was released on December 29, 2009. As shown in a MaemoWorld's video, Duke is controlled using the Qwerty keypad and touchscreen. * ''Duke Nukem 3D: Megaton Edition'' (

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...

PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, then in other international territories on February 22, 2012, and was produced ...

) was released on January 6, 2015, in North America, and January 7, 2015, in Europe. It is a port of the ''Megaton Edition'' released on Steam for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It was developed by General Arcade for the PC, ported to consoles by Abstraction Games, and published by

. It features cross-buy and Cross-Play between both platforms. As of February 2016, the game is no longer available for purchase in North America due to publishing rights returning to Gearbox Software. Previously purchased copies can still be downloaded and played. * ''Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour'' (

Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...

, PC): Released on October 11, 2016. Includes a new 5th episode, made by the original designers and new music by Lee Jackson, the original composer. The Nintendo Switch version released on June 23, 2020.

Sales

''Duke Nukem 3D'' was a commercial hit, selling about 3.5 million copies. In the United States alone, it was the 12th best-selling computer game in the period from 1993 to 1999, with 950,000 units sold. NPD Techworld, a firm that tracked sales in the United States, reported 1.25 million units sold of ''Duke Nukem 3D'' by December 2002.

Source ports

Following the release of the ''Doom''

source code In computing, source code, or simply code or source, is a plain text computer program written in a programming language. A programmer writes the human readable source code to control the behavior of a computer. Since a computer, at base, only ...

in 1997, players wanted a similar source code release from 3D Realms. The last major game to make use of the ''Duke Nukem 3D'' source code was TNT Team's '' World War II GI'' in 1999. Its programmer, Matthew Saettler, obtained permission from 3D Realms to expand the gameplay enhancements done on ''WWII GI'' to ''Duke Nukem 3D''. ''EDuke'' was a semi-official branch of ''Duke Nukem 3D'' that was released as a patch as ''Duke Nukem 3D'' v2.0 for ''Atomic Edition'' users on July 28, 2000. It included a demo mod made by several beta testers. It focused primarily on enhancing the CON scripting language in ways which allowed those modifying the game to do much more with the system than originally possible. Though a further version was planned, it never made it out of beta. It was eventually cancelled due to programmer time constraints. About a month after the release of the ''Duke Nukem 3D'' source code, ''

Blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood is com ...

'' project manager Matt Saettler released the source code for both ''EDuke'' v2.0 and EDuke v2.1, the test version of which would have eventually become the next ''EDuke'' release, under the GPL. The

to the ''Duke Nukem 3D'' v1.5 executable, which uses the Build engine, was released as

free software Free software, libre software, libreware sometimes known as freedom-respecting software is computer software distributed open-source license, under terms that allow users to run the software for any purpose as well as to study, change, distribut ...

under the GPL-2.0-or-later license on April 1, 2003. The game content remains under a proprietary license. The game was quickly ported by enthusiasts to modern operating systems. The first ''Duke Nukem 3D'' port was from icculus.org. It is a cross-platform project that allows the game to be played on

AmigaOS AmigaOS is a family of proprietary native operating systems of the Amiga and AmigaOne personal computers. It was developed first by Commodore International and introduced with the launch of the first Amiga, the Amiga 1000, in 1985. Early versions ...

AmigaOS 4 AmigaOS 4 (abbreviated as OS4 or AOS4) is a line of Amiga operating systems which runs on PowerPC microprocessors. It is mainly based on AmigaOS 3.1 source code developed by Commodore International, Commodore, and partially on version 3.9 develop ...

AROS AROS Research Operating System (AROS, pronounced "AR-OS") is a free and open-source multi media centric implementation of the AmigaOS 3.1 application programming interface (API) which is designed to be portable and flexible. , ports are availab ...

BeOS BeOS is a discontinued operating system for personal computers that was developed by Be Inc. It was conceived for the company's BeBox personal computer which was released in 1995. BeOS was designed for multitasking, multithreading, and a graph ...

FreeBSD FreeBSD is a free-software Unix-like operating system descended from the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD). The first version was released in 1993 developed from 386BSD, one of the first fully functional and free Unix clones on affordable ...

Linux Linux ( ) is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an kernel (operating system), operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically package manager, pac ...

Mac OS X macOS, previously OS X and originally Mac OS X, is a Unix, Unix-based operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 2001. It is the current operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. With ...

MorphOS MorphOS is an AmigaOS-like operating system designed for Power and PowerPC based computers. The core, based on the Quark microkernel, is proprietary, although several libraries and other parts are open source, such as the Ambient desktop. The p ...

Solaris Solaris is the Latin word for sun. It may refer to: Arts and entertainment Literature, television and film * ''Solaris'' (novel), a 1961 science fiction novel by Stanisław Lem ** ''Solaris'' (1968 film), directed by Boris Nirenburg ** ''Sol ...

, and

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

rather than MS-DOS. The icculus.org codebase would later be used as the base for several other ports, including ''Duke3d_32''. Another popular early project is Jonathon Fowler's ''JFDuke3D'', which, in December 2003, received backing from the original author of Build, programmer

Ken Silverman Ken Silverman (born November 1, 1975) is an American game programmer, best known for writing the Build (game engine), Build engine. It was most notably utilized by ''Duke Nukem 3D'', ''Shadow Warrior'', ''Blood (video game), Blood'', and mor ...

. Fowler, in cooperation with Silverman, released a new version of ''JFDuke3D'' using Polymost, an

OpenGL OpenGL (Open Graphics Library) is a Language-independent specification, cross-language, cross-platform application programming interface (API) for rendering 2D computer graphics, 2D and 3D computer graphics, 3D vector graphics. The API is typic ...

-enhanced renderer for Build which allows hardware acceleration and 3D model support along with 32-bit color high resolution textures. Another project based on ''JFDuke3D'' called ''xDuke'', unrelated to the ''xDuke'' project based on ''Duke3d_w32'', runs on the

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...

. Silverman has since helped Fowler with a large portion of other engine work, including updating the network code, and helping to maintain various other aspects of the engine. Development was semi-active between 2005 and 2020, since then, new versions are regularly published. While a few short-lived

DOS DOS (, ) is a family of disk-based operating systems for IBM PC compatible computers. The DOS family primarily consists of IBM PC DOS and a rebranded version, Microsoft's MS-DOS, both of which were introduced in 1981. Later compatible syste ...

-based ''EDuke'' projects emerged, it was not until the release of ''EDuke32'', an extended version of ''Duke3D'' incorporating variants of both Fowler's

Microsoft Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

''JFDuke3D'' code, and Saettler's ''EDuke code'', by one of 3D Realms' forum moderators in late 2004, that ''EDuke's'' scripting extensions received community focus. Among the various enhancements, support for advanced shader model 3.0 based graphics was added to ''EDuke32'' during late 2008-early 2009. In June 2008, thanks to significant porting contributions from the

DOSBox DOSBox is a free and open-source MS-DOS emulator. It supports running programs primarily video games that are otherwise inaccessible since hardware for running a compatible disk operating system (DOS) is obsolete and generally unavailab ...

team, ''EDuke32'' became the only ''Duke Nukem 3D'' source port to compile and run natively on

64-bit In computer architecture, 64-bit integers, memory addresses, or other data units are those that are 64 bits wide. Also, 64-bit central processing units (CPU) and arithmetic logic units (ALU) are those that are based on processor registers, a ...

Linux systems without the use of a 32-bit compatibility environment. On April 1, 2009, an

Shader Model 3.0 renderer was revealed to have been developed for ''EDuke32'', named ''Polymer'' to distinguish from Ken Silverman's ''Polymost''. It allows for much more modern effects such as dynamic lighting and

normal mapping In 3D computer graphics, normal mapping, or Dot3 bump mapping, is a texture mapping technique used for faking the lighting of bumps and dents – an implementation of bump mapping. It is used to add details without using more polygonal modeling, ...

. Although Polymer is fully functional, it is technically incomplete and unoptimized, and is still in development. As of the fifth installment of the ''High Resolution Pack'', released in 2011, the Polymer renderer is mandatory. In 2011, another significant development of ''EDuke32'' was the introduction of true room over room (TROR), where sectors can be placed over other sectors, and can be seen at the same time. In practice, this allows for true three-dimensional level design that was previously impossible, although the base engine is still 2D. On December 18, 2012, the ''Chocolate Duke Nukem 3D'' source port was released. Inspired by '' Chocolate Doom'', the primary goal was to refactor the code so developers could easily read and learn from it, as well as make it portable. In February 2013, a source

code review Code review (sometimes referred to as peer review) is a software quality assurance activity in which one or more people examine the source code of a computer program, either after implementation or during the development process. The persons perf ...

article was published that described the internal working of the code.

Reception

All versions of the game have earned a positive aggregate score on

GameRankings GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...

and

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

. The original release on MS-DOS holds an aggregate score of 89% on GameRankings and a score of 89/100 on Metacritic. The version released on Nintendo 64 holds an aggregate score of 74% on GameRankings and a score of 73/100 on Metacritic. The version released on Xbox 360 holds an aggregate score of 81% on GameRankings while it holds a score of 80/100 on Metacritic. The iOS version holds an aggregate score of 64% on GameRankings. Daniel Jevons of ''Maximum'' gave it five out of five stars, calling it "absolutely perfect in every respect." He particularly cited the game's speed and fluidity even on low-end PCs, imaginative weapons, varied and identifiable environments, true 3D level designs, and strong multiplayer mode. A '' Next Generation'' critic summarized: "''Duke Nukem 3D'' has everything ''Doom'' doesn't, but it also doesn't leave out the stuff that made ''Doom'' a classic." He praised the imaginative weapons, long and complex single-player campaign, competitive multiplayer, built-in level editor, and parental lock. Reviewers paid a lot of attention to the sexual content within the game. Reception of this element varied: Tim Soete of ''

GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...

'' felt that it was "morally questionable", while the

Game Revolution Mandatory (formerly CraveOnline Media) is a lifestyle website based in Los Angeles with sales offices in New York City, Chicago and San Francisco. The site is owned by media company Evolve Media, LLC. Mandatory focuses its contents into the male ...

reviewer noted that it was "done in a tongue-in-cheek manner," and he was "not personally offended". GamingOnLinux reviewer Hamish Paul Wilson commented in a later retrospective how the game's "dark dystopian atmosphere filled with pornography and consumerist decadence" in his view helped to ground "the game's more outlandish and obscene moments in context", concluding that "in a world as perverse as this, someone like Duke becoming its hero seems almost inevitable." ''Next Generation'' reviewed the Macintosh version of the game and stated that "Though it took a year, the Mac port of ''Duke Nukem 3D'' is an impressive feat, both for the game's own features, and the quality of the port." The Saturn version also received generally positive reviews, with critics particularly praising the use of real-world settings for the levels and Duke's numerous one-liners. Reviewers were also generally impressed with how accurately it replicates the PC version.

AllGame RhythmOne , a subsidiary of Nexxen, is an American digital advertising technology company that owns and operates the web properties AllMusic, AllMovie, and SideReel. Blinkx was founded in 2004, went public on the Alternative Investment Market, ...

editor Colin Williamson highly praised the Sega Saturn port, referring to it as "one of the best versions" and that it was "probably one of the best console ports ever released." ''

GamePro ''GamePro'' was an American multiplatform video game magazine media company that published online and print content covering the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software. The magazine featured content on various video ...

'' summarized that "All the gore, vulgarity, go-go dancers, and ultra-intense 3D combat action that made Duke Nukem Dexcel on the PC are firmly intact in the Saturn version, making it one of the premier corridor shooters on the system." However, some complained at the limitations of this version's multiplayer. Dan Hsu of ''

Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The magazine was fou ...

'' said it was unfortunate that it supports only two players instead of four, while ''

Sega Saturn Magazine ''Sega Saturn Magazine'' (originally known as ''Sega Magazine'') was a monthly magazine from the United Kingdom covering the Sega Saturn, a home video game console. It held the official Saturn magazine license for the UK, and some issues incl ...

'' editor Rich Leadbetter complained at the multiplayer being only supported through the

and not the Saturn link cable, since the NetLink was not being released in Europe, effectively making the Saturn version single-player only to Europeans. The Nintendo 64 version was likewise positively received, with critics almost overwhelmingly praising the new weapons and polygonal explosions, though some said that the use of sprites for most enemies and objects makes the game look outdated. While commenting that the deathmatch gameplay is less impressive than that of '' GoldenEye 007'', critics also overwhelmingly applauded the port's multiplayer features. ''Next Generation'' stated that "The sound effects and music are solid, the levels are still interactive as heck, and it's never quite felt so good blasting enemies with a shotgun or blowing them to chunks with pipe bombs." ''GamePro'' opined that the censoring of sexual content from the port stripped the game of all uniqueness, but the vast majority of critics held that the censorship, though unfortunate, was not extensive enough to eliminate or even reduce Duke's distinctive personality. Peer Schneider of ''

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

'' called it "a better and much more intense shooter than '' Hexen'' and '' Doom 64'', and currently the best N64 game with a two-player co-op mode. If you don't already own the PC or Saturn version of Duke, do yourself a favor and get it." Crispin Boyer of ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'', while complaining that the large weapons obscure too much of the player's view in four-player mode, assessed that "You're not gonna find a better console version of Duke." The PlayStation console port met with more mixed reviews. ''GamePro'' and Tim Soete of ''GameSpot'' both found this conversion technically inferior, particularly the

frame rate Frame rate, most commonly expressed in frame/s, or FPS, is typically the frequency (rate) at which consecutive images (Film frame, frames) are captured or displayed. This definition applies to film and video cameras, computer animation, and moti ...

. Both also complained that the control configuration only provides three presets, with no option for custom configuration. Soete also found the game had become dated by the time this version was released, though he still recommended it for those who do not own a PC. ''IGN''s Jay Boor gave it a more enthusiastic recommendation, saying it "plays exactly like its PC predecessor" and praising the PlayStation-exclusive levels and link cable support. ''Duke Nukem 3D'' was a finalist for CNET Gamecenter's 1996 "Best Action Game" award, which ultimately went to '' Quake''. In 1996, ''Next Generation'' ranked it as the 35th top game of all time, called "for many, the game ''Quake'' should have been." In 1996 ''

Computer Gaming World ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American Video game journalism, computer game magazine that was published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 199 ...

'' named ''Duke Nukem 3D'' #37 overall among the best games of all time and #13 among the "best ways to die in computer gaming". It won a 1996 Spotlight Award for Best Action Game. In 1998, ''

PC Gamer ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games m ...

'' declared it the 29th-best computer game ever released, and the editors called it "a gaming icon" and "an absolute blast". ''

'' magazine's readers' voted it #13 on its all-time top games poll.April 2000 issue The editors of ''PC Game'' ranked it as the 12th top game of all time in 2001 citing the game's humor and pop-culture references, and as the 15th best games of all time in 2005. ''

'' included it among the most important video games of all time. In 2009, IGN's Cam Shea ranked it as the ninth top 10 Xbox Live Arcade game, stating that it was as fun as it was in its initial release, and praised the ability to rewind to any point before the player died.

Controversy

''Duke Nukem 3D'' was attacked by some critics, who alleged that it promoted

pornography Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is Sexual suggestiveness, sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolv ...

and murder. In response to the criticism encountered,

censored Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governmen ...

versions of the game were released in certain countries in order to avoid it being banned altogether. A similar censored version was carried at

Wal-Mart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...

retail stores in the United States. In Australia, the game was originally refused classification on release. 3D Realms repackaged the game with the parental lock feature permanently enabled, although a patch available on the 3D Realms website allowed the user to revert the game back into its uncensored U.S. version. The OFLC then attempted to have the game pulled from the shelves, but it was discovered that the distributor had notified them of this fact and the rating could not be surrendered; six months later, the game was reclassified and released uncensored with an MA15+ rating. In Germany, the BPjM placed the game on their "List B" ("List of Media Harmful to Young People") of videos games, thus prohibiting its advertisement in the public. However, it was not fully confiscated, meaning that an adult could still request to see the game and buy it. In 1999, ''Duke Nukem 3D'' was banned in Brazil, along with ''Doom'' and several other first-person shooters, after a rampage in and around a movie theater was supposedly inspired by the first level in the game. Despite such concerns from critics, legislators, and publishers, Scott Miller later recounted that 3D Realms saw very little negative feedback to the game's controversial elements from actual gamers or their parents. He pointed out that ''Duke Nukem 3D'' was appropriately rated "M" and had no real nudity, and speculated that that was enough to make it inoffensive to the general public.

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