The Alien Invasion of New York

Lore & Background

After a nuclear explosion devastates New York City, Duke Nukem must fight his way through alien hordes to save the city and the world.

In Their Own Story

The bar was half-empty when the sky went green. Duke was mid-sentence, a half-finished drink sweating on the sticky table, when the window shattered inward and a pod the size of a delivery truck slammed through the second-floor wall. Dust. Glass. The wet, clicking sound of something unfolding itself out of the wreckage. He didn't stand up. He just tilted his head, watched the thing drag itself over the bar top, and said, "Well, that's new."

The first shot was a shotgun blast close enough to smell the cordite on his own hands. The second was a rocket, because the first one hadn't been enough. By the time the bouncer looked up from the floor, Duke was already out the back door, into the alley, into the screaming street where the taxis were abandoned and the sirens had gone quiet—because there was nothing left to hear over the shrieking. He walked. He always walked. The city was his, and it was going to stay his.

Reader's Guide

Duke Nukem: Critical Mass is largely a run and gun shooter game, however, several different game modes are available throughout the game. There are first-person shooting sequences when the player picks up a sniper rifle, and several third-person and top-down shooting elements. The boss battles are presented in pure third-person shooter gameplay. The game includes about 36 levels, many different weapon types, enemies, and bosses.

Did You Know?

• Development started on Critical Mass in 2008.
• A version for the PlayStation Portable began development, but it was never released.
• An unfinished copy of the game was discovered in 2014.
• Upon release, the game was panned by critics.