"well how would you make Duke Nukem Forever?"

[Treblaine]

Basically, to make the game work as a true parody of American pop culture, I'd have to completely retool the character, or, rather, retool the way the world around Duke reacts to him. Duke Nukem is not cool

There is another way of approaching this than "Parody", something that is considered within the scope of parody: the Pastiche

No, that is not Sean Connery trying to order some Cornish Pasties, a Pastiche is something like Austin Powers of Team America, it is an irreverent and over-the-top take on something without going to the point of satire, which in this case would be attacking it through the humour of subversion.

Now Austin Power and Team America are pastiches of what they represent, parody but still having them as ultimately be the heroes and beneficial to the values we all agree with.

Look I liked Austin Powers but I wouldn't want EVERY protagonist to be like him, he is good because he is unlike all the others. Same with Duke Nukem. He was somewhat of an anachronism when he first appeared and is definitely one now, and that is where the humour can come.

Jim Sterling IS RIGHT, Duke Nukem thinks he is cool when he is not cool, but he is wrong as that in itself can make him cool again just like for the Austin Powers character. Austin Powers (the character) thought he was cool, though he was not not cool with his swinging 60's attitude in the 90's... so uncool that he actually became cool again from his sheer chutzpah.

That's what Duke needed to do, and seems to have failed to do, he needs to have his 80-90's excess fail flat yet not give up and persevere anyway. Also confound his critics by having his enemies just the way he knows best to counter.

Duke needed to have those Liz Hurley "Reaaaally, Austin" moments as in "Duke, This isn't the 90's any more..."

By the way, Team America only worked because it had an over the top representation of Kim Jong Ill as the antagonist, same for Austin Powers vs Dr Evil, what Duke Nukem needed was a larger than life villain that means they'd need him even in this modern 2010's. Something it lacked.

 

[Twilight_guy]

How would I make it? After 12 years and being canceled I'd take it behind the woodshed and put a bullet through its brain. Seriously no good could have ever come of the delays and non-sense that came with this game it was DOA a long time ago.

 

[P.Tsunami]

Is this a serious question? If so, here's a serious answer: I wouldn't. You're talking about a fourteen-years-in-the-making vaporware sequel to, what? A series consisting of two mediocre platformers and one mediocre, lackluster, immature FPS. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who was there to witness Duke Nukem when he first came out; it was actually kind of underwhelming. There was a moment of two of "oh wow, a stripper" (I was thirteen or so when DN3 came out), but other than that? For the most part I was wondering why we weren't playing DOOM2 instead.

So we're talking about the long-awaited (snort) sequel to an IP that had almost nothing in its favor in the first place. I would not make that sequel, since the only place to go with it is low.

 

[RedLister]

Drop the modern (realism) FPS mechanics which FPS devs seem to enjoy using so much.

Health regen while in cover. (bring back health packs and armour pickups or that bible of duke thing in land of the babes if its ego still)
2 weapon carry limit?! This is DUKE! he should be allowed to carry everything but the kitchen sink if he wants to!

Sum it all down. like the machanics in DUKE3D. If i wanted realism id go outside.

I like some of Treblaines ideas on the Ego metre changes too. Being rewarded for being kickass...which is kind of the point with duke in the first place?

 

[RedLister]

Drop the modern (realism) FPS mechanics which FPS devs seem to enjoy using so much.

Health regen while in cover. (bring back health packs and armour pickups or that bible of duke thing in land of the babes if its ego still)
2 weapon carry limit?! This is DUKE! he should be allowed to carry everything but the kitchen sink if he wants to!

Sum it all down. like the machanics in DUKE3D. If i wanted realism id go outside.

I like some of Treblaines ideas on the Ego metre changes too. Being rewarded for being kickass...which is kind of the point with duke in the first place?

 

[Smooth Operator]

If it happens a third time, I'm fucking calling it. These big publishers are FORCING developers to conform to generic game mechanics protect sales.

Well they are forcing them only indirectly with yearly release pushing, so time is extremely tight and suddenly these bullshit barely gameplay options(QTE, button mash, health regen, two weapon cap, railroad levels, single color pallet,...) are suddenly very appealing to every designer.

Good gameplay needs alot of time on refinement, time the publishers do not want to spend, and that is why all the recent shooters feel so middle of the road gray tasteless slush, noone takes time to really make things feel right.

 

[Hamish Durie]

our expectations change and duke didn't end of story <---- short version

 

[WhiteFangofWhoa]

Most of what Treblaine said. Plus instead of trying to embrace annoying modern shooter conventions they should have spoofed them mercilessly. Have caricatures of popular FPS/action heroes to battle as bosses. 'Rock Serpent's' attack is an interface screw- a meaningless hour-long radio dialogue that gets in your way (speaking as someone who liked MGS).

No automatic regeneration of Ego. Have it recharge by doing things that appeal to the guy's insanely anachronistic mindset, like say examining a poster of himself or mirror, tearing up a competitor's merchandise, finding a secret area filled with rocket launchers and yes, fragging enemies.

 

[Daverson]

I would have finished the version on the Quake 2 engine.

Let's face facts, if 3D Realms didn't bother trying to switch to the Unreal engine, it'd be released, say, '99, or thereabouts. You know, before the whole thing became a big joke...

 

[Treblaine]

If it happens a third time, I'm fucking calling it. These big publishers are FORCING developers to conform to generic game mechanics protect sales.

Well they are forcing them only indirectly with yearly release pushing, so time is extremely tight and suddenly these bullshit barely gameplay options(QTE, button mash, health regen, two weapon cap, railroad levels, single color pallet,...) are suddenly very appealing to every designer.

Good gameplay needs alot of time on refinement, time the publishers do not want to spend, and that is why all the recent shooters feel so middle of the road gray tasteless slush, noone takes time to really make things feel right.

Of all games, you cannot possibly say that Duke Nukem was rushed for time.

Well I'm suggesting it is less Developers being overworked that necessitates taking short-cuts, and much more Publishers being oppressively conservative by actively saying "You HAVE to use these derivative gameplay mechanics".

Why? Because they are paranoid bout losing their investment by trying something "too different"

They probably banked that because Duke Nukem was superficially so different from everything else that was enough, not realising that the appeal of the superficial difference was that that was an INDICATION that the gameplay would be unique!