Duke Nukem (video game)

Image:Dukenukem1.png

The main objective of the game is to get to the exit of each level, while destroying enemies and collecting points. Many objects onscreen can be shot including boxes, obstacles and blocks. Besides points, some collectibles include health powerups, gun powerups, and some inventory items with special abilities. The final level of each episode has no exit, and is instead completed by finding and defeating Dr. Proton.

At the end of every level (with the exception of the last level in each episode), the player can receive up to seven 10,000 point bonuses, earned by making certain achievements in the level, such as destroying all cameras.

The game is set in the year 1997. Dr. Proton is a madman, determined to take over the world with his army of Techbots. Duke Nukem, the eponymous hero, takes upon the task of stopping him. The first episode takes place in the devastated city of Los Angeles. In the second episode, Duke chases Dr. Proton to his secret moonbase. In the third episode, Dr. Proton escapes into the future, and Duke pursues him through time, to put an end to his mad schemes.

According to programmer and co-creator Todd Replogle, John Carmack helped him program some low-level parts of the game code in assembly language.{{cite web|title=Todd Replogle interview (from 2001)|url=http://www.strifestreams.com/ToddReplogleInterview2001|website=www.strifestreams.com|access-date=19 September 2017|language=en}} The game world scrolls by shifting 8x8 "blocks" rather than individual pixels. The game's original title was Heavy Metal, but producer Scott Miller hated the name and chose to name it after the lead character, similar to comic books. He proposed Duke, which he felt sounded strong, and Replogle proposed Nukem as his last name.{{cite web|url=https://www.apogeeent.com/devblog/duke-little-known-facts|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525215820/https://www.apogeeent.com/devblog/duke-little-known-facts|title=Duke Nukem - Little Known Facts|url-status=dead|last=Miller|first=Scott|publisher=Apogee Entertainment|date=May 25, 2022|archive-date=May 25, 2022|access-date=May 25, 2022}}

After the game's release, Apogee Software became aware that the Captain Planet and the Planeteers animated series featured a character with the same name (Duke Nukem) and therefore to avoid a lawsuit, the software house renamed the 2.0 version of its game Duke Nukum. It later turned out that Duke Nukem was not a registered name, so Apogee registered it and used the original Duke Nukem name in the sequels.{{cite web|url=http://legacy.3drealms.com/duke1/index.html |title=3D Realms Site: Duke Nukem I |access-date=June 21, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110115045/http://legacy.3drealms.com/duke1/index.html |archive-date=November 10, 2014 }} Apogee also received a legal letter from Duke University alleging trademark violation. Apogee successfully fought back, and agreed to use the full Duke Nukem name in all their marketing materials.

Duke Nukem Collection 1, which includes remastered versions of Duke Nukem and Duke Nukem II alongside a port of Duke Nukem: Total Meltdown, was released for the Evercade retrogaming console in November 2023.{{cite web |url=https://evercade.co.uk/evercade-game-spotlight-duke-nukem-12-remastered/ |title=Evercade Game Spotlight: Duke Nukem 1+2 Remastered |first=Pete |last=Davison |date=November 28, 2023 |website=Evercade |access-date=March 5, 2025}}{{cite web |url=https://evercade.co.uk/cartridges/duke-nukem-collection-1/ |title=Duke Nukem Collection 1 |website=Evercade |access-date=March 5, 2025}}

File:Dave gnukem (2) Game for OS-2.png

Scott Miller estimates that the game eventually sold between 60,000 and 70,000 copies.{{cite web |title=20 Years Of Evolution: Scott Miller And 3D Realms |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/programming/20-years-of-evolution-scott-miller-and-3d-realms |work=Gamasutra |publisher=UBM |first=Benj |last=Edwards |date=2009-08-21 |access-date=2017-11-30}} In 1995, Flux magazine ranked the game 39th on their Top 100 Video Games writing: "Without a doubt, the best platform game for the pc ever created."{{Cite journal |date=April 1995 |title=Top 100 Video Games |url=https://archive.org/details/flux-issue-4/page/n29/mode/2up |journal=Flux |publisher=Harris Publications |issue=4 |pages=30}} A free software parody of the game was made by fans entitled Dave Gnukem.{{cite magazine|last=Zymaris|first=Con|date=July 2001|title=The Open Source Lucky Dip|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=niCRTTknircC&dq=Dave+Gnukem&pg=PA52|magazine=AUUGN|location=Australia|publisher=AUUG|access-date=2023-02-06|quote=Written by David Jaffe, Dave Gnukem is a 2D scrolling platform game, similar to Duke Nukem 1. It includes a sprite and level editor. It uses GGI and thus runs on the console as well as X, windowed or fullscreeen. It also runs on Windows, using DirectX. Download it and blow yourself away}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [https://3drealms.com/catalog/duke-nukem-1_24/ Official Duke Nukem website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118085605/https://3drealms.com/catalog/duke-nukem-1_24/ |date=November 18, 2021 }}
• {{moby game|id=/duke-nukem}}

{{DNgames}}

{{Apogee Games}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duke Nukem 1}}

Category:1991 video games

Category:Action-adventure games

Category:Apogee games

Category:DOS games

Category:Duke Nukem

Category:Games commercially released with DOSBox

Category:Linux games

Category:MacOS games

Category:Platformers

Category:Science fiction video games

Category:Shareware games

Category:Side-scrolling platformers

Category:Single-player video games

Category:Video games developed in the United States

Category:Video games set in 1997

Category:Windows games