Duke Nukem II

The Good
Duke Nukem 2 is, not surprisingly, the sequel to the original Duke Nukem game, and the series is at this point still a side-scroller. Unfortunately, this game is forgotten compared to the first, classic part of the Duke series and the blockbuster Duke Nukem 3d, but don't let this discourage you from it!

Duke Nukem 2 has much improved graphics from its predecessor, and is stocked full of cool new features, such as drivable flying vehicles, a new variety of weapons like rockets and flame throwers, teleporters, and much more, but most importantly above all else, bigger and cooler explosions. :)

Duke Nukem is at this time developing more and more into what he is today, everybody's favorite ass-kicker, even if he STILL is resigned to only talking his trademark one-liners during cut-scenes. The only problem with the man is they messed with his hair...what happened to the flat-top here?! In the original Duke game, he faced off against robots and cyborgs, but Duke Nukem 2 marks the first time Duke kicks the asses of his most well-known and often fought enemies...those stupid ALIEN BASTARDS!...

Oh, and it is also worth mentioning that instead of the previous game's PC speaker sounds, here not only is there sound-blaster sound, but also background music...and GOOD background music too!

The Bad
As great as it is, this game doesn't quite measure up to the fun to be had from it's prequel...

The Bottom Line
Duke Nukem continues kicking MAJOR ass...in a good way!...

The Good
Damn, this game is just SO GOOD! The entire atmosphere of the game is so ridiculous you'll spend your time rolling on the floor... Duke's attitude adds just so much to the game you won't believe it!

This game features excellent graphics, great music and sound effects, great controls and most importantly hours of fun gameplay. If you love platform games, better get this one - it rocks!

The Bad
Que? Bad? Hell no, mate!

The Bottom Line
Another thumbs up for Apogee!

The Good
The original Duke Nukem was released by Apogee back in 1991. It mimicked platform games for other consoles such as the Sega Genesis at the time, with its spectacular landscapes, sound, and gameplay that was quite rarely seen on any system. Everything about it was so good that it deserved a sequel, which the company delivered two years later. After defeating Dr. Proton (about three times) and his army of TechBots, Duke wasn't given much of a break. Embarrassing for him, he was abducted during a TV interview by aliens that wants to use his mighty brains to wipe out Earth.

There are four episodes in the game with eight levels each, with the final one having you to deal with a boss that takes a bit of pounding to destroy. Each episode contains amazing backdrops, some of them are animated. Of these, my favorite one has got to be where the levels where there is an earthquake and you can see red storm clouds moving across the screen. In between levels, the "Get Ready" screen where you see a red bar getting longer and longer is excellent, too.

Duke Nukem II features the same elements that made the first game great. He can somersault in the air, grab onto ledges and skimmy across, teleport himself to another place, and grab his own merchandise. Almost each level of the game features laser barriers and other obstacles that will require certain items needed to get by them. In addition to this, there are restart points, hint globes, and space vehicles. The space vehicles can be used to progress through the level faster and kill enemies quicker, and you can mount or dismount it at any time. I really didn't need to use hint globes since I spent enough time in the level exploring and working out things.

Each level usually takes a bit more than ten minutes to complete, because of the amount of laser barriers and locked gates you have to deal with. The great thing is unlike the original game, you can pass through restart points so that when you run out of health, you don't have to go back to the beginning of the level, taking up more of your time than you need.

Duke has the ability to grab a variety of weapons along the way, and these weapons very much help him defeat the baddies quickly. One weapon worth mentioning is the flamethrower. Not only does it have some extreme firepower, which can kill everything in a chain reaction, but it also has the ability to be used as a jetpack. I remember somewhere in the last episode, I grown tired of getting up to three platforms above me, so I used the jetpack to get to the platform I wanted. But then, one of the turrets blew me down to where I was and I couldn't get back up as I exhausted its fuel supply.

There is actually rock music during the game, and some of this music is excellent. I enjoyed listening to the music while you are defeating the boss; it really fits the occasion. There are digitalized sound effects which make playing the game more realistic. When I first played this game, my system crashed half-way through the level, and I thought it had something to do with the sound effects.

The highlight of this game is the superb introduction to the game. The introduction, ten minutes long, gives you an insight of what happens to Duke. The picture of Neo Los Angeles, is the best artwork I seen in the game so far. The skyscrapers and the gradient colors really make the artwork stand out. Besides Alien Carnage, there are no introductions like this one in any of Apogee's games. Cut-scenes can also be seen after you defeat each boss.

The Bad
I had so much fun with the game, that I couldn't find any flaws with it.

The Bottom Line
Duke Nukem II is so much better than the original game. It uses the same gameplay, but now you have these new features that really blow it away. I would really like to see this game remade in the near future, with updated graphics and sound, and even better, the introduction and cut-scenes in which Duke is actually voiced by Jon St. John, not some Schwarzenegger impersonator.