Duke Nukem 3D (Game.com)

Duke Nukem 3D
Duke Nukem 3D on the Game.com
Developer(s)	Tiger Electronic
Publisher(s)	GT Interactive
Platform(s)	Tiger Game.com
Release date(s)	January 1, 1997
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Play mode(s)	Singleplayer
Released on	Cartridge

Duke Nukem 3D for the Tiger Game.com is a handheld first-person shooter inspired by the PC version, though like the Sega Genesis version it is profoundly different than the original.

Story

The story in the Tiger Game.com version of Duke Nukem 3D is the same as the PC version. It follows the same levels and episodes minus the boss battles and secret levels of the PC version. Additionally there are small images before each new episode that set the tone for that episode. In addition at the beginning of Episode 1: Hollywood Holocaust Duke utters the same line as in the original. "Damn, those alien bastards are gonna pay for shooting up my ride."

Gameplay

Duke Nukem 3D (Game.COM version) - Full Playthrough

The gameplay in Duke Nukem 3D for the Tiger Game.com is similar to the PC version, except that it is very cut down to fit on the Tiger Game.com. The game is similar to the old "dungeon crawling" games of the 1980s where you would explore a dungeon one grid block at a time in pseudo-3D first person. This is how the Tiger Game.com version operates, utilizing scaling algorithms for its "3D-like" effects. Players are allowed to move from one grid block to the next and can move forward, back, and strafe left and right, but the game does not allow you to turn per se - players can turn when they approach a hallway that has a bend in it. However, this is an automatic response to forward movement that only simulates a "turn".

Screenshot

The game behaves largely the same as the PC version, as players still walk around shooting enemies and collecting various weapons and using keycards to open doors. Progress through the level continues until you make it to the end and find the nuke button. Then the level ends and you continue on to the next. The game cannot save your progress as there is no internally battery powered SRAM on the cartridge, however there is a password function that allows you to continue your progress. Additionally you get a score based on the number of kills you have accumulated during your playtime. There are no end of level stats beyond your kill count like the original game.

The game has no real ending unlike the PC version after the completion of the the Shrapnel City episode players are taken back again to Hollywood Holocaust and all the levels repeat themselves until players decide they are finished playing or get a game over.

Levels

The game features three episodes with four levels each. The levels follow the same order as the PC version beginning with the episode Hollywood Holocaust and ending with Shrapnel City. Despite the simplistic flat layout of the levels, they are still interestingly decorated with objects and textures adapted from the PC version. For example, Hollywood Holocaust E1L1 still is laid out like a movie theatre. There are movie posters and movie seating in that level. In Rabid Transit you can also see the magazine dispensers and other things as well. This touch helps maintain series continuity and feeling.

Level list

Episode 1 - L.A. Meltdown

1. Hollywood Holocaust
2. Death Row
3. Toxic Dump
4. The Abyss

Episode 2 - Lunar Apocalypse

1. Spaceport
2. Warp Factor
3. Occupied Territory
4. Dark Side

Episode 3 - Shrapnel City

1. Raw Meat
2. Movie Set
3. Rabid Transit
4. Hotel Hell

Weapons

Duke is able to find a few weapons in the game less than the PC version, but they behave exactly the same.

• Mighty Boot
• Pistol
• Shotgun
• RPG

Items

Duke is able to collect various items in the game.

• Portable Medkit: Different than the original game, works like a regular health pack.
• Access Card
• Shotgun and Shotgun Ammo
• Pistol Clip
• RPG and RPG Ammo
• Armor

Enemies

There are four enemies that will try and stop Duke on his quest to finish levels.

• Assault Troopers
• Pig Cops
• Octabrains
• Assault Enforcers

Trivia

TV commercial differences

The Game.Com commercials have a much more fluid animation of the title screen and Duke saying much clearer than the system can muster: "Let's Rock", even though this line never appears in the game.

Grabbag

The Game.Com version has the same title screen animation as the original game, and a very low quality Game.com version of Grabbag using the Game.com hardware.

Duke Talk

The frequency of Duke Talk in the game is higher than the original game. Duke will utter, "Damn I'm Good." or one of his other lines very frequently even every few seconds or after almost every kill.

Reception

Despite the mixed to negative reception received by the console entirely, the version of Duke Nukem 3D was considered a highlight. Ultimate Console Database was impressed by the system's amount of licensed games, noting it "has a lot of Sega conversions like Fighters Megamix (one of the better games, but still pretty sad,) Daytona USA, and Panzer Dragoon, as well as PC conversions like Duke Nuk'em", but ultimately found the games themselves lacking. The online gaming video series 2-Bit Gaming considered the conversion of Duke Nukem 3D to be the only really playable game for the Game.com, though did note "it gets boring fast" and satirized the concept stating "and they took the 3D out of Duke Nukem 3D". Similar opinions were shared by Classic Game Room, CGR Undertow, Gaming Palooza Empire, Pomelo Retro, Nostalgia Nerd, and FrameRater. Rerez found the lack of turning made the levels confusing as "you always feel like you're moving forward, even when you're not" and criticized the the three directional aiming and lack of ability to see enemies from a distance of more than a few tiles. Top Hat Gaming compared it to a shooting gallery. The Video Game Critic concluded that one would "come for the first-person shooting action but stay for the morbid curisoity."

External links

• The End of The Game.com
• Universal Videogame List
• Giant Bomb
• Tiger Electronics Game.Com Catalog (1997) (600DPI)
• Duke Nukem 3D Game.com & Mega drive guides and detailed level maps (in Japanese) Google translated version
• game.com Review by David Lection, March 25, 1999 (the gadgeteer)
• All Tiger Game.com Games - Every gamecom Game In One Video

Duke Nukem 3D Episodes L.A. Meltdown • Lunar Apocalypse • Shrapnel City • The Birth • Alien World Order Weapons Mighty Foot • Pistol • Shotgun • Chaingun Cannon • RPG • Pipe Bomb • Shrinker • Expander • Devastator • Laser Tripbomb • Freezethrower • Incinerator Items Access Cards • Health Items • Holoduke • Jetpack • Night Vision Goggles • Portable Medkit • Protective Boots • Scuba Gear • Steroids Enemies Assault Captain • Assault Commander • Assault Trooper • Battlelord Sentry • Cycloid Sentry • Enforcer • Firefly Trooper • Octabrain • Overlord Sentry • Pig Cop • Pig Cop Tank • Protector Drone • Protozoid Slimer • Recon Patrol Vehicle • Sentry Drone • Shark • Turret Bosses Battlelord • Overlord • Cycloid Emperor • Alien Queen • Cycloid Incinerator Editions Classic • Shareware • Atomic Edition (Plutonium PAK) • Megaton Edition • 20th Anniversary World Tour Expansions Duke Assault • Duke Caribbean: Life's A Beach • Duke It Out In D.C. • Duke Nukem 3D Level Design Handbook • Duke Nukem's Penthouse Paradise • Duke Xtreme • Duke: Nuclear Winter • Duke!ZONE • Duke!ZONE 150 • Duke!ZONE II • Unofficial Expansions Community High Resolution Pack • Mods & Total Conversions • Source Ports • Speedrunning • User Maps Other Build Engine • Cheat Codes • Difficulty • Duke Nukem (character) • Multiplayer • Music • Ports • Prototypes • Quotes • Scrapped Content