Duke it out in D.C.

The Good
As it says in the description, Duke it Out in D.C. is an add-on episode for Duke Nukem 3D. Expect nothing new from it: same weapons, same enemies, no more music, and the same gameplay.

DukeDC takes place in Washington, DC. As usual, aliens have invaded the city, but this time they kidnapped President Clinton, so you must make your way blasting them through famous locations like the White House, Smithsonian, FBI, Subway System, the Lincoln Memorial, Control Center, Weapons Plant, and D.C. Sewage. Looking through some of these icons thoroughly is worth it.

As usual with any episode, there are secret areas for you to find out about, which can be found by usually blowing up walls or jumping through some of them. These areas can also contain hidden passages. On the subway level, for examle, blowing up a toilet and walking through the passage that is revealed will lead you to a big station, complete with a big TV and arcade, each of them is surrounded by enemies.

As DukeDC is only an add-on, don't except to fight a new boss or get a different ending. In fact, if you get through all nine levels and save the president, all you get is the boss from Duke3D's episode two, and the ending from episode one. And as I said before, there are no new music or sounds to listen to.

The Bad
There is actually a 10th level that is hidden, which involve Duke going back in time to kick some more alien butt, but WizardWorks found a way to disable access to this level using the DNSCOTTY cheat, without affecting all of the other levels. This is rather unfortunately for gamers like me who use this cheat to reach secret levels right before the boss level, if they haven't already found this level.

The Bottom Line
I'm impressed that someone has gone and actually went on tours through most of Washington's famous landmarks, then memorized and portrayed them in DukeDC. When I played this game, I believed that there was a lot more to the White House then I actually thought. Buy this game if you love Duke3D, or if you can't afford going to Washington to take the guided tours. ***

The Good
Trying to cash-in on the fps megahit that was Duke Nukem 3D WizardWorks released a series of licensed add-on packs to try and squeeze the last bucks out of the series fans. What sets this particular disc (and the other ones produced like Duke Caribbean) apart from the usual WizardWorks "122312444 master levels for XXX game" discs is the fact that the levels included come tied up in an original campaign of sorts that ties the levels together and gives the whole thing a meaning of sorts.

In this particular case the clincher is that US president Clinton has been abducted by the classic Duke 3D aliens and it's up to "The Man" to get him back so he can keep testing cigars with interns on the oval office. Thus you embark on an fps journey through recognizable Washington landmarks infested with plenty of aliens for you to shoot at.

Essentially that's it, as I mentioned earlier the game does tie the levels and makes the whole campaign feel like an unified whole, with huge levels presenting new challenges to Duke vets and newbies alike, and all without things falling apart as a loose collection of Washington-themed levels with new textures.

The Bad
Nothing new really. Just new levels and new textures, no new enemies, weapons or anything that comes close, not even new cutscenes that explain the new mission...

Aside from that there's the fact that the game is just more of Duke 3D, so if you didn't like it or are just fed up with it, Duke D.C. will just annoy you.

The Bottom Line
As far as licensed expansions go, Duke D.C. doesn't make the mistake of just being a collection of loose missions burned to a cd, and provides plenty of amusement by essentially delivering more Duke.... Problem is there's zero additions and innovations in it, and unless you need a serious fix of Duke3D action I would suggest merely ignoring it and re-installing the original. A bunch of (rather good) new levels with some white house textures just ain't worth it.

The Good
Duke it out in D.C. was the first of three add-ons for Duke Nukem 3D, and it definitely packs a punch. DC is a ten-level episode with large, high-quality maps. You'll see historically accurate locations such as the Capitol Building, the Smithsonian, and the White House. You also see what hides outside the commonly-known areas including the DC sewer system and a secret government time machine. Levels are entertaining with excellent design and little to no mistakes. Duke it out in D.C. also includes a new ending animation that concludes your quest for the president.

The Bad
Well, Duke it out in D.C. was pretty much perfect for me. There is no new music, but the episode 3 music really fits with the levels so there's nothing wrong with that I guess. There's also a couple texture choices that weren't so smart but there's so little it doesn't matter.

The Bottom Line
Duke it out in D.C. is an amazing add-on with superb levels. With unique locations and lots of replay value Duke it out in D.C. is an excellent purchase for any fan of Duke.