What do you think of Duke Nukem in today's climate?

[Deleted member 2254]

We're finally seeing plenty of women in the #MeToo movement finding the strength to come out and talk about their horrible experiences in a sexist world. Hell, the fact we're on this site right now is an indirect effect of that. For once, women mistreated aren't insulted by the majority, but they get the right support and media coverage. We're actually seeing heads roll. The perception of a lot of people are visibly changing, I personally saw people radically change their stance as more info and cases emerged.

So here is where Duke Nukem comes into the scene. Since Duke Nukem Forever was a mess, it's unclear if we'll ever get a proper sequel or reboot (Gearbox cancelled their prequel Duke Begins ages ago). But let's assume it's getting a remaster or something: where do we put Duke Nukem in today's climate?

It has to be mentioned Duke Nukem is obviously a caricature of macho dudebros and 80's 90's action heroes. It is literally the exaggeration of decades of action hero tropes, where big explosions go hand in hand with the fact all the ladies "want a piece" of this macho hero. It is as tongue-in-cheek as it gets.

Having said that, I can see how or why people could find him offensive. Hell, nazis being mocked in the Wolfenstein 2 ad campaign ruffled a lot of feathers, it wouldn't be unexpected to have backlash if a trailer came out where Duke treats women as sex objects. Even if it's a parody or joke, it can offend people - rightfully so, I say, despite being a fan of Duke Nukem games.

So, in short: what do you think Duke Nukem would mean in 2017? Would it be buried under a heavy backlash as it gives certain people a tool to live their mysogin fantasies? Would it need to be heavily "censored" as sexism, even as a joke, is a lot less okay compared to when this saga began? Or could such a game stand as a reminder that this (bar a few exaggerations) is literally how a lot of sexist pigs behave?

 

[Yoshichan]

It's offensive and down-right not funny.

 

[ViewtifulJC]

it wasnt even funny in the 90s, we were just young and stupid

 

[violent]

Its attempt at humor is outdated and tired. Level design is still fun though.

 

[Bandage]

Copy the 2D games where the most controversial thing was killing the Energizer Bunny.

 

[Monogatari]

As a male, I actually find it insulting.

The only redeemable thing from it is Jeff Gertsmann's parodies of the voice.

 

[Silky]

Duke Nukem 3D was never good. It was an overdesigned bloated mess of a game that got by on how raunchy it was.

Shadow Warrior is still better.

 

[MCN]

I would hope it would serve as a parody of toxic masculinity. Unfortunately some people would take such a parody seriously, and would see it as a validation of their own toxicity. This is a tough one.

 

[CalamityPixel]

I'm completely fine with it. Heck, I'd be okay with a new installment where he is a relic of the past and people treat him like Johnny Bravo.

 

[ElectricBlanketFire]

Duke Nukem as a franchise is dead. It would garner little controversy because it wouldn't be popular.

 

[Orayn]

I think a Duke reboot could theoretically work, but it would take a deft hand that Gearbox doesn't have.

You basically need to go back and deconstruct the idea of this crass, egocentric action hero and put it back together in a way that's entertaining and much better than before. I feel you'd almost have to make him more of a Bruce Campbell type character, where there's some tacit acknowledgement of how ridiculous the premise is while still having some ability to be serious when needed. It would be a very different Duke.

 

[Vazduh]

The 90s were a different era where it played well to the nostalgia of the players who grew up on the 80s trash such as Commando (I love that movie, btw, just so you know lol) or Cobra... Basically, the 80s macho template who was simultaneously a parody of- and a homage to all those beloved characters.

However, the trends have changed a lot since, and that type of humor wouldn't fly anymore.

Basically - Duke as he was in D3D and DNF is done. Either reinvent him for the new era (something irreverent, but topical) or just stick a fork in it IMHO.

 

[gcwy]

I don't think would be received well at all.

it wasnt even funny in the 90s, we were just young and stupid

Click to shrink...

Who's this 'we'?

 

[Prime]

I'm pretty sure it's dead after Forever. It was never funny, at best I got a small chuckle out of it. I'm pretty sure there is room for a tongue in cheeck alpha male character if the humor was actually more clever. I wouldn't mind if it juggles on what might be borderline offensive, but well we can all be sure that Duke Nukem isn't the character for that kind of endeavour.

 

[Belker]

I enjoyed the games then and the character was amusing. I might be a bit weird seeing it now if there weren't any changes - I'm reminded of the It's Always Sunny episode that's like an 80s sex comedy - but it could still work. It's enjoyable playing characters like Trevor in GTA V, who's expressly awful, so playing someone like Duke could still be great fun. He's not a bad guy; he's an anachronism.

We don't have to like characters or what they do to find them engaging or intriguing. We also can't choose what makes us laugh.

 

[Xater]

Duke is a relic from a bygone era that doesn't work anymore. He'd need major reworks to not just be an annoying dirtbag, that also offensive. I mean have you seen the Duke stuff in Bulletstorm for example? Your eyes might never stop rolling again.

 

[Deleted member 19066]

I think a Duke reboot could theoretically work, but it would take a deft hand that Gearbox doesn't have.

You basically need to go back and deconstruct the idea of this crass, egocentric action hero and put it back together in a way that's entertaining and much better than before. I feel you'd almost have to make him more of a Bruce Campbell type character, where there's some tacit acknowledgement of how ridiculous the premise is while still having some ability to be serious when needed. It would be a very different Duke.

Click to shrink...

I would love to see a Duke game where he's just a washed-up has-been trying to prove to the world (and himself) he's still worth a damn.

Machine Games would be a great fit. Their wolfenstein games showed how you could mix cartoonish absurdity and real, relatable characters and stakes.

 

[famousmortimer]

I loved Duke Nukem 3d. Like super loved it. I won a level design contest on TEN (Total Entertainment Network, a paid PC multiplayer service - lol). But it wasn't funny. I can't say I was some beacon of 90s moral authority, but I just didnt find the game funny. Though to be fair, I dont find many games funny. My sense of humor and videogame humor rarely jive.

But in the 90s, in my teens and twenties, I was ok with disliking the humor but still liking the game. Now at the grampa age of 40 I definitely would not. Live and learn.

 

[MagitekDad]

Duke's attitude was stale, unfunny, and downright garbage from jump street. Nothing has changed.

 

[Aygomyownroad]

Duke Nukem 3D is still a fantastic fps, with great levels, sound, performance and graphics for the time.

It was bad ass game to play and was the epitome of 90s excess. It was juvenile and knew the gaming audience at the time.

I recently played it again for nostalgias sake and still think it's a great game. The paying strippers to see a few pixel of breast was great when you were young but now you just walk past them, clearly there at the time to cause controversy for more sales.

Never played Duke Nukem Forever because it doesn't have a proper fit in today's gaming industry. Most who played 3D have grown up and youngsters have never heard of him.

 

[low-G]

Regardless of anything else, Forever tanked the series. Nobody trusts Gearbox. I think people would be really sceptical of a new Duke, even if it was by Machine Games or something.

As far as political climate, I don't know if you'd have to shift it too far to get widespread appeal. If you brought out 3D today there'd be GG types that would think it'd been 'censored', yet it'd still offend others.

Forever just seemed extremely stupid and crass, even compared to 3D. 3D wasn't funny but even apart from the misogyny by and large there was a style that could easily go forward. The name Duke would be loaded enough that there'd be no sweet spot of where you'd put the "humor", even if the humor could be developed.

 

[Orayn]

It'd be pretty surreal if a new Duke kept the pig cop aliens and got accusations of being antifa, alt-left, etc. for it.

 

[Bulebule]

Same way it would receive well if you made a parody about toxic people. Not that I'd mind such a game. Duke Nukem was never meant to take itself seriously.

 

[The Joker]

Ah the memories of Duke3D. When I first got into multiplayer through serial cable, and dominating on that stadium map with a friend, it was awesome. I've played Duke Nukem 3D regularly since its release, but DKF killed the whole franchise for me, and I never finished it. I remember seeing some PC gaming magazines in the late 90s or early 00s, with some pictures of a DKF game that seemed to have potential, nothing like what we finally got served though. I agree with others that the attitude has become a bit stale, but in the 90s it was all just pure fun.

Maybe if Machinegames gets their hands on it?

 

[Weiss]

Duke could function as a parody of toxic macho dudebros, but I think his time has passed.

Gaming needs more Kazuma Kiryu.

 

[Majukun]

it's ok, not every character is a statement, and the intent behind the duke nukem character is clear

 

[Indelible]

Duke should've stayed in the 90's, it is a character that really dosen't translate into modern gaming.

 

[Pai Pai Master]

The only way to modernize the character is to treat him as a tired joke in-universe. Which might not be able to carry an entire game unless the actual gameplay is excellent.

 

[Cid]

Duke Nukem should stay Duke Nukem.
Don't play it if you don't like it. There are a million other games to play.

 

[Briarios]

The only way to modernize the character is to treat him as a tired joke in-universe. Which might not be able to carry an entire game unless the actual gameplay is excellent.

Click to shrink...

Or make him the villain ...

 

[Syril]

Duke could function as a parody of toxic macho dudebros, but I think his time has passed.

Gaming needs more Kazuma Kiryu.

Click to shrink...

Or at the very least Gearbox isn't likely to be the one to pull that off, considering what DNF was like.

 

[Sgt. Demblant]

3D was mildly amusing back when I was 11. The games themselves are fine aside from Forever I guess but the character's time is past. We've moved on, thankfully.

 

[Deleted member 9327]

It has to be mentioned Duke Nukem is obviously a caricature of macho dudebros and 80's 90's action heroes. It is literally the exaggeration of decades of action hero tropes, where big explosions go hand in hand with the fact all the ladies "want a piece" of this macho hero. It is as tongue-in-cheek as it gets.

Click to shrink...

This. That's the reason why I wouldn't mind if Duke continues as he ever was. It is just a silly game which doesn't want to be taken serious. Somehow "censoring" it because of 2017's mindset doesn't seem right to me. It would severly damage the Duke as fans are used to him. I rather would prefer they don't bring a new game if they would decide to make it political correct (aside from the quality of the games since Duke 3D, which on hindsight is a all-time fave of mine).

As much as I welcome #metoo and share it's views I don't think it would be right to slap it on games. Which imo are some kind of art and art shouldn't be censored in any way.

 

[Phediuk]

I'm going with Jeff Gerstmann's idea that a new Duke Nukem only works if it's completely ironic and the game (and all the characters in it) treat him as a washed-up, unfunny douchebag.

 

[DarlingDixie]

Nothing, I don't care for Duke Nukem and I wouldn't play any potential new games.

The sexist jokes/tone don't bother me, if I don't like something then I won't consume it.

 

[Xater]

The only way to modernize the character is to treat him as a tired joke in-universe. Which might not be able to carry an entire game unless the actual gameplay is excellent.

Click to shrink...

I mean the current Shadow Warrior games try to do that. Basically everyone in that last game openly talks about how much of a shithead Lo Wang is. I don't think it's entirely successful with that approach though.

 

[LooneyLMD]

Duke Nukem could work in 2017.

I think doing him like Batman from The Lego Batman movie would do wonders.

 

[Akalance]

Bury him. Then lay the cement.

 

[TemplaerDude]

Let him die. Duke Nukem has no place in this world anymore. I'd rather never hear his name again.

 

[Jonbjohns]

I'm going with Jeff Gerstmann's idea that a new Duke Nukem only works if it's completely ironic and the game (and all the characters in it) treat him as a washed-up, unfunny douchebag.

Click to shrink...

Pretty much came here to say this. There was one scene in Duke Nukem Forever when an NPC cared nothing for Duke. It has to be the entire game. It also can't cater to him at all.

 

[Atolm]

A Duke's reboot would require more talent than what Gearbox has so it's not happening. We'll see ports of 3D for years to come and that's it.

Which is OK because 3D is still a god damn fine videogame.

 

[Wislizeni]

It wouldn't work. He's definitely a relic of his era. I don't see a reason to try to fit him with the times, either. The most I could see them do is drop the womanizer shtick and double down on parodying old action movie heroes, but even if they did that, fans would just get upset, and I don't think many people unfamiliar with the series would suddenly care to give it a shot. Personally, I love a good shooter, but Duke never did anything for me, even on a mechanical level. I think we'll be OK without him.

 

[Rock And Roll]

Duke Nukem 3D was never good. It was an overdesigned bloated mess of a game that got by on how raunchy it was.

Shadow Warrior is still better.

Click to shrink...

3D is still a great FPS to this day.

As others have stated, a new Duke game would have to keep the character more or less the same but make the reaction to him different. He has to be a complete joke that no one likes. He should have to save the world and no one thanks him in the end because he's a giant douche.

Doom 2016 really made me want to see a new Duke game done right. Unfortunately the franchise is dead.

 

[Cap G]

Soldier 76 is pretty popular, so I wouldn't be so quick to chuck the "one liner spewing murder specialist bro" archetype in the garbage as so many have done in this thread. It's being done well elsewhere.

Duke's bigger problem is that it's been 20 years since he had either entertaining writing or good game design, and so anyone taking the reins of the character would basically be starting from scratch.

 

[StoveOven]

A game that acts as a systematic deconstruction of the Duke Nukem character and leaves him as a sad, broken person would be tough to pull off but potentially incredible if done correctly. A game with the same tone and attitude of the old games would be lame and shitty in 2017.

 

[Eion]

Honestly, anything I could say about Duke I feel like Jeff Gerstmann has said it better when he got announced for the Bulletstorm remaster.

Of all the companies in the industry today, Gearbox is one of the WORSE when it comes to writing and they do not have the skill to pull off what a modern day Duke Nukem needs to be.

 

[mrtl]

If I recall correctly, 3D was quite good from a technical perspective. That said, it was also pulp garbage. I played it with friends for the shooty action, not for Duke as a character.

 

[Squarehard]

I've always ignored the antics part of the games, and just played the game.

I actually found his personality to be a bit bland and generic, but of course, that's sort of the point as many have mentioned.

I never played any of the games from the series because I wanted to play the character, as there are plenty of other games I can get that from.

 

[Philly Cheesesteak]

BLOW IT OUT YOUR ASS

 

[DrArchon]

Like pretty much everyone else has said, I have less than zero faith in Gearbox making a compelling story for Duke Nukem with good writing. They're not the company for it. At all.

I think it can be done though. I think having Duke be the odd man out where everyone else looks at him acting like a goofy action hero and says "what the hell is wrong with you?" could work, especially if Duke grew as a character and learned that he's not cool anymore.