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Duke Nukem: Endangered Species is a first-person shooter and big-game hunting-style video game that was canceled in late 2001. After the game's cancellation, the company that had been developing the game, Action Forms Ltd., proceeded to develop Vivisector: Beast Within (2005) using some of the assets originally intended for Duke Nukem: Endangered Species.

On December 18, 2022, x0r_jmp shared a playable build dated October 30, 2001. The prototype remains freely available to download.

History

Development

Duke Nukem: Endangered Species was announced on May 1, 2000 and was to be released in the second half of 2001.[1] The game would have used an improved version of the AtmosFear engine from the Carnivores series by the same developers, Action Forms Ltd. The game was canceled on December 18, 2001.[2]

Canceled sequel

A sequel to the unreleased game was mentioned during the course of development. In an interview with GameSpy,[3] Apogee and 3D Realms founder Scott Miller stated that multiplayer was being saved for a sequel, as they would not have enough time to implement it properly in the first game.

Spiritual successor

In 2005, some of the assets that had been designed for Duke Nukem: Endangered Species were repurposed in Vivisector: Beast Within, which was developed by the same studio.

Prototype

In 2010, Duke Nukem Wiki founder Nach0 interviewed the game's lead designer, Andriy Sharanevych, and was later given a prototype of the game. However, Nach0 signed a non-disclosure agreement and has thus far been unable to share the game publicly.

On December 18, 2022, a complete prototype dated October 30, 2001 was posted online by x0r_jmp. The prototype's original link is taken down due to Anonfile's shutdown, but an archive remains.

Gameplay

Duke Nukem: Endangered Species would have pitted Duke Nukem against an exotic assortment of wild animals,[4] modified so as to be stronger than their natural counterparts.[5] The animals would have exhibited realistic instincts such as anger, fear, hunger, and pain, and they would have used sight, hearing, and smell to avoid or to track Duke. Duke would have also been able to use several items and equipment to help track or even alter the behavior of certain animals, similar to the Carnivores series by the same developers. Although Duke would have been tasked with hunting one specific animal per mission, other animals would have been present on each level.[5] The developers were aiming for approximately twenty different animals in the final game.[5]

Plot

In various regions of the world, a large rogue animal is on the warpath and threatening human life as we know it. Local law enforcement has been ineffective, so Duke Nukem is hired to track and exterminate the beast. The creature now finds itself on the endangered species list because Duke is the top of the food chain.[1] As Duke eradicates more and more creatures, he gets closer and closer to uncovering who or what is behind these terrible events.[5]

Levels

1. Gorilla Island

Boss: Gorilla

2. Grizzly

Boss: Grizzly

3. Lion Safari

Boss: Lion

4. Werewolf Night

Boss: Werewolf

5. Alligated City

Boss: Alligator

6. Tiger Escape

Boss: Tiger

7. ChernoBull

Boss: Werebull

8. Egyptian Secret

Boss: Scorpion

9. Frozen Reptile

Boss: T-Rex

10. Volcano Island

Boss: Shark

11. Alien Ship

Boss: Alien3

12. The Very End

Boss: Final Animal

Weapons

  • Knife
  • Pistol
  • Shotgun
  • M16
  • Optical Rifle
  • RPG
  • Shrinker
  • Freezer
  • Alien Weapon
  • Hand-Carried Mines

Enemies

Common

  • Alien1
  • Alien2
  • Black Wolf
  • Boar
  • Brown Bear
  • Crocodile
  • Grey Wolf
  • Gorilla
  • Hyena
  • Jaguar
  • Lion
  • Lynx
  • Panther
  • Polar Bear
  • Tiger
  • White Tiger

Bosses

  • Alien3
  • Alligator
  • Gorilla
  • Grizzly
  • Final Animal
  • Lion
  • Scorpion
  • Shark
  • T-Rex
  • Tiger
  • Werebull
  • Werewolf

Screenshots

References

External links


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