Techtite's PC Game Reviews!

"If you think rail-based movement limits this game's playing value: think again. "

---from the review

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Sidebar :

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That Star Trek Game, redux... I mention Star Trek Armada 2 a lot less in this review than I did the original game. However, there's no denying that a space battle would've been cooler than a land-based army of clones. How cool would it have been to have those powerful seismic charges at your command, which Jango Fett used against Obi-Wan in the asteroid field? Regardless, I mention Armada 2 a lot less in this review for a very good reason; there's a whole lot more to love here than there was in the original game. 'nuf said.

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Duke Nukem was originally a pair of 2D games in the olden days of pre-Pentium PCs. Be this as it may, it was irrefutably Duke Nukem 3D where the series shone most brightly; the best game the Doom genre ever offered. With amusing wit, inspired enemies, imaginative areas to explore and amusing secrets, it is one of the best games of all time. The only downside is that Duke has yet to make the leap to 3D accelerated glory yet. In Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project, he's at least halfway there. That halfway mark is thanks to a rail-based movement system. Though, hey, Duke's back...what more do you want?

Here's a short gist of rail-based movement, to the Quake or Unreal fan bases. Saluting Nukem's roots, this is a fully 3D accelerated game, yet with linear movement left-to-right, not unlike a 2D scroller. Movement is limited to up and down, right-and-left, yet the path twists and turns and the camera angles shift, with the quality precision of a 3D game title. The environment is still decidedly 3D accelerated, however, and very interactive (press "up" near a phone for an amusing joke each level; press near a soda machine for a power up; you can even enter the Men's room in the subway!). For me, I never saw a reason to miss the interface of a typical 3D Third-person shooter.

If you think rail-based movement limits this game's playing value: think again. There are still a considerable number of options of where to go next, thanks to staircases, doorways, transporter pads, and holes in the floor which link to areas of the map in alternate ways, making a decidedly twisting, turning game map, as opposed to just a left-to-right 2D "scroller." Along the way, of course, there are villains to defeat, thanks to your newest nemesis who is toying with a mutant sludge to turn common bugs and animals into creatures to do his bidding.

Of course, it wouldn't be Duke without a decidedly PG-13 flair. Each game level has a damsel in distress to save, and finding where she is is half the puzzle, for each new game map. Free them from the container which would've made them into monsters, and get major kudos, with the typical macho retort from Duke. This is a nice touch of the game and keeps the game from becoming another "shoot everything and proceed to the exit" cliché.

The humor is equally present. One-liners by Duke are rampant, including: "I'm an equal opportunity butt-kicker!" "You are the missing link...good-BYE!" and "Guns don't kill mutants...*I* kill mutants!" Use a phone to hear a cute homage to Trinity from The Matrix. Save one of the babes from the Gloop bombs, and you often hear Duke muse, "This is why I have games named after me!" Indeed. Best of all, though, are the times Duke pokes fun at the game's own typical shenanigans, particularly when Duke gripes about all the, "[beep]ing key cards" he has to search for!

In the end, I had a lot of fun playing Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project. What does the game has to do with Manhattan? Not much, aside from a stroll down Chinatown. However, it does have Duke, he's 3D, and he has a bevy of 3D beauties to save. The ending shot is also totally typical of the action movie genre, and therefore totally cool. Fans should be more than a bit pleased...though admittedly, the longing for the upcoming Duke Nukem Forever (with full control of Duke) is now even stronger.