Thanks to some modern download service releases and a still-active modding community, Duke 3D runs well on modern PCs and looks better than you may expect.
It's by turns silly and tasteless, but nearly 20 years later Duke Nukem 3D remains surprisingly fun to play. And then, of course, there were the jokes: tongue-in-cheek references to everything from Doom to Army of Darkness, with Duke playing the epitome of the brash action hero. But there was a bit more to it than that.ĭuke Nukem 3D brought in interesting levels to explore and mechanics like the HoloDuke and shrinking enemies. Like Doom, Duke 3D was first and foremost about blasting nasty mosters in the face.
Quake has the greater legacy, eventually paving the way for online multiplayer, but Duke Nukem 3D was a great evolution of iD's other major shooter, a little game called Doom. 'Damn, those alien bastards are gonna pay for shooting up my ride,' says Duke, and he's a man of his word: in 1996, Duke Nukem 3D was a landmark game in the evolution of first person shooters. Pixel Boost is our weekly series devoted to the artistry of games, and the techniques required to run them at high resolutions.
