JORDAN BOLT
Arts Writer

Duke Nukem Forever has been a running gag in the video game industry longer than it takes most games to be developed. And after 14 years of this rollercoaster ride, does anybody still care about Duke?

Gamers have been hearing that Duke Nukem Forever will be released since before the new millennium. Every announcement, screenshot and trailer released piqued our interest, but as year after year passed our skepticism also grew.

At last summer’s Penny Arcade Expo, I learned that one man still believes. That man is the president of Gearbox Software, Randy Pitchford.

It took me nearly four hours of waiting in line to be admitted into the Duke Nukem booth, but being able to hear and experience this piece of gaming history has convinced me, even after all this time, that Duke Nukem is still the king.

Pitchford speaking from the heart explained the long road of Duke Nukem Forever.

“I owe my career to Duke,” Pitchford said, explaining how he started his career at 3D Realms working on Duke Nukem 3D and leaving in 1997 right as work on Duke Nukem Forever was beginning. Pitchford went on to co-found Gearbox Software and put out hits such as Brothers in Arms and Borderlands, all the while Duke Nukem Forever was still in development.

Pitchford experienced the same range of emotions that his fellow gamers were feeling. Feelings such as, “Holy crap, that trailer’s awesome, when are we going to get it?” to “Oh wow that screenshot kicks ass, maybe it’s real this time,” and “Is this a joke now?”

All of these emotions led up to the announcement in May of 2009 that 3D Realms was closing, laying off all its staff, and being sued by publisher Take Two for not delivering on the publisher’s $12 million investment. “Duke was dead,” Pitchford said with sadness in his voice.

A group of the laid off developers would not allow their 12 years of work to go to waste, as they continued to work on the game in their own homes. Pitchford learned of this and said, “I kind of got myself in the middle there.” But how did Pitchford manage to revive the fallen hero of years past?

Pitchford mentioned his history with 3D Realms and his current team’s track record with the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms as reasons for wanting to give Duke another shot.

“Because of all of these things, I was in a spot that, if I took a bet and got in there and put myself in the line of fire in the middle of this thing, I knew that I could bring all these pieces together and that I could save Duke,” said Pitchford. I just knew it was going to work. I took the risk. I bet on Duke.”

I could have left right then without even trying the game but I was convinced that Duke Nukem Forever is more than a game. Rather, it is a cumulative experience shared, not only by the developers, but by all gamers alike and is a genuine piece of gaming history.

The game has an incredible amount of hype to live up to, but if you enjoyed past Duke Nukem titles then have no fear because Duke Nukem Forever is 100 per cent true to the past installments. The game is very tongue-in-cheek and is not above making jokes at its own expense.

For those interested in kicking ass and chewing bubblegum, you’ll only have to wait until May 3, 2011 to get your fix.

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image: Jordan Bolt