Duke Nukem (video game)

Did You Know?

• Scott Miller estimates the game sold between 60,000 and 70,000 copies.
• Flux magazine ranked the game 39th on their Top 100 Video Games in 1995, calling it the best platform game for the PC ever created.

Gameplay

The goal in each stage is to locate the exit, blasting foes and gathering points along the way. Players can shoot many on-screen items like crates and barriers. Pickups include health, weapon upgrades, and special inventory items. The final stage of an episode lacks an exit; instead, players must find and defeat Dr. Proton. After most levels, players can earn up to seven 10,000-point bonuses for specific feats, such as destroying every camera.

Plot

The year is 1997. A mad scientist named Dr. Proton and his Techbot army are trying to conquer the world. Only Duke Nukem can stop him. The first part of the game happens in a ruined Los Angeles after the Techbots attacked. Duke then follows Dr. Proton to a secret base on the moon. Finally, Dr. Proton escapes to the future using a time machine, and Duke chases him across time to end his plans.

Development and release

Todd Replogle, who co-created the game, got John Carmack to write some of the lower-level code in assembly language. The screen moves by sliding 8x8 blocks, not pixel by pixel. The working title was Heavy Metal, but producer Scott Miller hated it. He wanted to name the game after its main character, like a comic book, and suggested Duke. Replogle added Nukem as the surname. After the game came out, Apogee Software found out the cartoon Captain Planet and the Planeteers had a character also called Duke Nukem. To dodge a lawsuit, they changed version 2.0 to Duke Nukum. It later turned out nobody had registered the name Duke Nukem, so Apogee registered it and went back to the original for sequels. Duke University also sent a legal letter claiming a trademark violation. Apogee fought back successfully, agreeing to always use the full Duke Nukem name in ads and packaging. In November 2023, the Evercade retro console got Duke Nukem Collection 1, which includes remastered versions of Duke Nukem and Duke Nukem II, plus a port of Duke Nukem: Total Meltdown.