DUKE NUKEM 3D

In the first 3D interesting Doom-like, DOOM, the player had the point of view of the game's character. He could principally walk forward and backward, run, turn and strafe...

DOOM 2 is the first game interesting in Deathmatch. The "DOOM-LIKE" style is born from this game... DOOM 2 is like DOOM, but it contains new monsters, more interesting levels for the Single Player, and an amazing weapon, the Super Shotgun, which is worshiped by a lot of players. By the way, the first level of this game, Entryway, is a real masterpiece. Even if this level is rather small and simple, it's very well designed for the deathmatch mode...

However, you can see water and acid, but you can neither take a swim, nor fly or jump... and it's a pity...

Then IdSoftware attempted to make another kind of Doom-Like (with a heroic fantasy atmosphere) : HERETIC. In this game, the player can fly and use magic items... but the playability of the would-be "jetpack" isn't satisfying, and this flying mode isn't very interesting and useful... In fact, HERETIC seems to be not complete, and the weapons aren't fun. Moreover, the Single Player is quite annoying, because the DOOM atmosphere is missing... in a nutshell, let's say that this game is a failure...

Then 3DRealms decided to revive the Doom-Like, by using the little sprite of a 2D platform game, Duke Nukem 1 (and the sequel to this game : Duke Nukem 2) ... They decided to use this character (because he seemed to have the good "personality" for a Doom-Like), and to put him in a 3D environment... so they made the famous DUKE NUKEM 3D. In this game, 3DRealms proofreads all the shortcomings of the previous Doom-Like, and they add a cool fly mode, the jetpack, plus the ability to swim, and the steroids mode, which is very useful in Dukematch. The game engine isn't a "fake 3D" one, like the engines of Doom 1 and 2, Heretic and HEXEN, but a real 3D engine... The main innovation is the ability to make buildings with overlaping floors (for example : Hollywood Holocaust, Hotel Hell, and so on...). Then the Dukers discovered that it provides a new dimension to the game (but it's unintentional) : the Bugs... the latters allow the player to go through some walls (for example) so as to reach another place of the level, and it can work even if the two places are remote...

The steroids, the jetpack and the bugs give another dimension to the game. As a result, Duke3D is the only "thrilling game", because the "shopping" is very important : the player has to take a lot of items very quickly if he wants to live. Moreover, it's very easy to escape from a battle, so the opponents are much more difficult to shoot up (except if you're much more skillful than your opponent). In a nutshell, such close battles were never seen in any other Doom-Like...

But, in my opinion, there is a bug shortcoming in Duke3D : the weapons are not balanced contrary to SHADOW WARRIOR (the successor of Duke) and Doom 2 (which is THE best Doom-like, I guess). In Duke3D, the shotgun is really too powerful, and only the Rpg is mightier (and useful inside the buildings). It's a pity... but on the other hand, the game might have been less fun, if the weapons were "too" balanced... For example, in BLOOD, the weapons are balanced, but most of them are too powerful, like the shotgun or the rocket launcher, which can almost kill you in one shot, even if you have 200% health...

In a nutshell, we can say that Duke nukem 3D is an excellent Doom-Like, and the only which contains the concept of the Bugs. However, the fun dimension of Shadow Warrior or Doom 2 is missing in Duke3D, because the player can escape very easily (with the jetpack, the steroids or the bugs) ... but, we must know what we want ;-)

* Children *

* Translation by Ray Tracer *