It’s not all old hat, however. The developers have attempted to update some features of the game to take advantage of new-fangled 21st century technology, and the most obvious introduction is the camera. The game itself is fixed in a two-dimensional plane, but the engine is 3D, and as such it pulls off some surprising tricks now and again. It zooms in and out of its own accord, and follows Duke as he wanders round corners. But do you know, the more things change, the more they stay the same. The frustrations that were endemic in platformers of the bygone era are all too present in this latest incarnation. The camera demonstrates its abilities amply throughout the game, yet it is never under your control, and as such is absolutely no help at all. Making leaps of faith into the unknown is still a staple here, since the only control you have is a zoom-in function. If the developers went to all the bother of a 3D engine in the first place, why not take advantage of it? Its usefulness is entirely cosmetic here. The new 3D engine does admittedly look very nice, however. The models are great looking and detailed, and the backdrops are of similar quality. These environments will be familiar to those of you who played Duke’s previous adventures, with a predictable mix of sewers, skyscrapers and NYC back-alleys providing the stage upon which Duke kicks the ass he was born to kick. Duke is also able to enter certain buildings, with the screen blacking out and re-emerging inside. These sections usually involve some task necessary for progression, or else provide a nice treasure trove of power-ups for Duke to collect.

The levels involve the jumping and gunning we all remember, but with a level of polish that was impossible to provide before. Many of the weapons from earlier Duke games feature here, such as the shrink ray-like GLOPP gun and the pipe bombs, and familiar enemies like the mutant pig cops also make an appearance. There are also some excellent new additions to the cast, including the FemMechs – leather clad, whip-bearing babes devoted to kicking Duke’s ass. As the levels progress Duke must battle increasingly tougher and larger mech-style enemies, until the final confrontation with Mech Morphix himself. These boss battles are traditional old school fare, and require learning the pattern of attack and countering it with big guns of your own. Duke has a total of nine weapons to aid him in despatching his foes, and these are introduced in the usual chronological fashion. Duke begins with his trademark golden pistol, but by the game’s end he is tooled up in a manner reminiscent of Johnny Matrix from Commando. The later weapons are extremely fun to use, particularly the aforementioned GLOPP gun, and the pulse cannon. The GLOPP gun de-mutates Duke’s enemies, allowing him to employ the old favourite – the mighty boot heel.

The control system is simple and works well enough. It does not, however, reflect any advance in design that may have occurred in the interim years since we last saw a major 2D platform release. Duke can only fire along defined axis, with no aiming at anything in between, and this can occasionally frustrate – a mouse-aiming feature would have been nice. Occasionally you’ll find yourself unable to kill a particular enemy without exposing yourself to a direct hit, because of Duke’s inflexibility. Generally speaking, though, it’s not a major issue.

I enjoyed playing through Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project. It’s well made, and balances the twin motivations of providing something nostalgic and introducing enough innovation to keep the interest. It’s a good-looking game, though far from cutting edge, and far more polished than many big name releases that come our way. The game’s greatest fault lies with its aging pedigree – 2D platformers went out of fashion for a reason – yet there is definitely enough here to hold the interest for a good few hours. I suppose the best advice I could give is this: if you are a big Duke fan, and found the humour present in previous games to your liking, then you won’t go wrong here. If you have bothered to read to the end of this review, then I must infer that this game interests you on some level. I’ll say then, that it will hold no surprises. It’s exactly how you imagine a modern 2D featuring Duke to be. DN: Manhattan Project is loud, brash and defiantly old school, and if that floats your boat, then what are you waiting for - Forever?

“Hail to the King, baby!”

80%

By Nick McCrea

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  1. James Unregistered 7 years ago

    Its give nuke not give nukes