The Space Station Defense

Lore & Background

Twelve years after saving Earth from an alien invasion, Duke Nukem has become a celebrity multimillionaire. After playing a game based on Duke Nukem 3D, he arrives on the set of a talk show for an interview. On his way, he witnesses a news broadcast announcing that aliens have returned. Initially appearing peaceful, the aliens soon attack, and Duke fights through his casino, witnessing aliens abducting women, including his two pop-star girlfriends. Duke travels to the Duke Dome, where he finds the missing women impregnated with alien spawn; his girlfriends die after bearing alien babies. Duke kills the Alien Queen but is wounded. He later kills the Cycloid Emperor in 'The Mothership' level, then destroys Hoover Dam to shut down a portal, and announces his intent to run for President.

Reader's Guide

Duke Nukem Forever is a first-person shooter combining combat, exploration, and puzzle-solving. The game switches to third-person view during vehicle use. Players control Duke Nukem as he battles alien invaders through Las Vegas, a highway, and Hoover Dam. Areas feature boss fights, fetch quests, and driving sequences. Minigames include air hockey, whack-a-mole, and pinball. Players can carry only two weapons at a time, and health regenerates automatically. Weapons include a shotgun, trip mines, a shrink ray, and a freeze ray. Multiplayer modes include deathmatch, capture the flag, and king of the hill.

Did You Know?

• Duke Nukem Forever holds the Guinness world record for the longest development for a video game.
• The game began development under 3D Realms and was announced in 1997, but was not released until 2011.
• An additional episode, The Doctor Who Cloned Me, was released as downloadable content later in 2011.