Hi everybody! I hope you’re enjoying this fine Fourth of July. Whether you’re sipping on a glass of Iced Tea, munching on a burger or hot dog, or enjoying a fireworks show, I hope your day is going well. However, for those who are staying indoors, whether it’s because of bad weather in your area, sickness, or you just want a more quiet kind of day, I figured you deserve a little treat. So, for your pleasure, here’s a patriotic & surprise review of Duke It Out In D.C.!
Story
As with all the other Duke games, this one is no different in terms of a silly story. Aliens have invaded Washington D.C., taking it over, and kidnaping (then) President Bill Clinton in the process. It’s up to Duke Nukem to traverse the city, mow down alien scumbags, and rescue the president.
Like all the Duke Nukem stories so far, I can get behind this.
Settings
As the name of this pack states, the game takes place in Washington D.C. To name a couple places, Duke journeys through the White House, United States Capitol, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and the Smithsonian Institution (More on this level in a bit). Though there aren’t portrayed even remotely accurately to the real thing, the spirit of those places infuse their video game counterparts.
There’s other levels you journey through as well, such as the D.C. metro, sewer system, submarine docks, the NORAD Control Center, and a mysterious warehouse as the secret level. Although the warehouse is completely fictional (There’s a time machine and a alien spacecraft stored in the complex), the other levels feel a tiny bit realistic.
Characters
There’s Duke. Nuff said!
Gameplay
Just like Duke Nukem 3d, Duke It Out In D.C. follows the step-by-step plan of find weapons, kill aliens, solve small puzzle, find keys to unlock doors, etc. Having said that, there are some minor changes.
For starters, there aren’t any new enemies to fight. Despite being finished around the time of the Atomic Edition of Duke Nukem 3d, we don’t see any sign of the Pig Cop Tanks or the Queen Protectors, despite them being available for this pack. Instead, we’re given the same crew of enemies from DN3d, without any new skins or noises. It would have been cool to see the Pig Cops look like Secret Service agents, but hey, I guess some things just weren’t meant to be.
Secondly, the level design are a little....odd. I’m not the only one who thinks this: the chief complaint of Duke It Out In D.C. was that the design of the levels were done in a strange fashion. Nowhere is this more evident than in the fourth level of the pack, Smithsonian Terror. When I first played Duke It Out In D.C. back in 2009 and got to this level, it took me almost 40 minutes to beat, simply because of it’s design (It was based off a portion of the actual museum), and just how large it was! I eventually found my way out of the place, but man did it take me a while!
Finally, we come to a more minor complaint about this pack. If don’t know if it’s me, but I swear to god just about every level has air vents to crawl through. Sometimes it’s only a portion or two, but other levels are absolutely filled with them. Maybe one or two of the levels don’t have any, but all the other have them! Does anybody else have the same opinion as me?
Graphics & Sounds
One thing that’s different from Duke It Out In D.C. when compared to the original DN3d is the textures. The individual that made this pack created some original textures, just to use in this game. Custom signs, custom pictures, and custom floor & wall textures can be found in many of the levels. Other than that, the graphics are the same as in Duke Nukem 3d. The sounds are the same as well, with Jon St. John coming back to voice the starring lead. Like Duke: Nuclear Winter, he has no new lines at all, save for one in the last level. As you make your way down an elevator, and into a control room, there’s one lone alien. After you bump him off, Duke promptly says “What, there’s only one of you!?”. It’s great to hear at least one new line, but a couple more would have been appreciated.
One other thing. The soundtrack for Duke It Out In D.C. uses the music from the 3rd episode of the original game. It’s disappointing that there’s no new music, but at the same time the music fits.
Overall & Rating
If Duke: Nuclear Winter was the worst of the three Duke packs from 1997, then Duke It Out In D.C. is the middle one. It’s got it’s problems, but at the same time there’s plenty of fun to be had. Despite being designed weird, the levels are pretty damn good to move through & explore. It’s only weaknesses are a lack of new enemies and weapons, no new one-liners, and a rehash of game music. A lot better than Duke: Nuclear Winter, but still not up to snuff.
Duke It Out In D.C. gets a 6 to 7 out of 10.
Hope your Fourth of July is nice. Until the next time I see you, stay Otaku!
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For more info on Duke It Out In D.C., click on the link below:
http://dukenukem.wikia.com/wiki/Duke_It_Out_In_D.C.
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