Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • View Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
Trending
  • Saros review
  • Arc Raiders
  • The Boys S5
  • Best turn-based RPGs
  • Submit your clips. Win prizes
  • Delta Force giveaway
Don't miss these
James Bond in 007 First Light chats with a bartender
Action Games 007 First Light hands-on: "With explosive action and creative spycraft, this might be the best Bond game yet"
In Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, protagonist Edward Kenway lies in wait with his hidden blade for a guard to approach around a corner
Assassin's Creed 13 years on, Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced is finally fixing the biggest problem I had with the original
Best PC games: Screenshots of Baldur's Gate 3, Helldivers 2, Split Fiction and the Resident Evil 4 Remake
PC Gaming The 25 best PC games to play in 2026
Truck-kun art
Action Games Behold, the perfect game for isekai anime and manga fans, and The Simpsons: Hit & Run believers
Best FPS games: A screenshot of the Doom Slayer shooting a Cyberdemon in the game Doom Eternal.
FPS Games The 25 best FPS games to play in 2026
Crimson Desert hero with eyes shut
Open World Games Crimson Desert is just more proof that waiting to play games is the best
Armored tank warrior walking in cathedral
Action Games Meet the dev who quit Rockstar Games during GTA 6 fever to make a single-player MMO-like
Lego Batman Legacy of the Dark Knight preview
Adventure Games Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight hands-on preview
A header image for the Best Games 2026 list with a GamesRadar+ logo, showing Resident Evil Requiem, Pragmata, Marathon, and Monster Hunter Stories 3
Games The best games to play in 2026, so far
An antagonist with a regal mask in 007 First Light has an RPG slung over their shoulder
Action Games 007 First Light isn't about mowing down foes because "it's important that every encounter feels crunchy and dangerous"
Borderlands The best Borderlands games, ranked
Crimson Desert
RPGs Crimson Desert review: "A game that's far better as a sandbox than as a story"
James Bond in 007 First Light eavesdrops on guards while on his phone
Action Games 007 First Light's Bond is more "relatable" than Agent 47, says developer, "rather than an object of absurd fascination"
Mouse: P.I. For Hire screenshot featuring an enemy melting down to their skeleton
FPS Games Mouse: P.I. For Hire is great for a couple hours, fine for several more, and then a long exhausting exercise
Mel staring head-on with one red eye in Hades 2
Hades After 300 hours, Hades 2 has me back under its spell with a console launch and secret new game mode
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
  1. Games
  2. Action Games
  3. Duke Nukem Forever

Duke Nukem Forever: The first two hours

Features
By Tyler_ Nagata published 10 February 2011

Hands-on impressions for the game we've wanted since 1997

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Subscribe to our newsletter

Hail to the king baby!

Aftersending thealiensrunning home with their tails between their legsin the previous game, Duke is living the good life. He’s the most famous man in world. He’s the richest man in the world. All the ladies want him and the all the kids want to be him.

With the world officially saved, Duke Nukem is enjoying every material comfort available to him at his own personal palace, the Lady Killer Casino in Las Vegas. From his penthouse suite, we catch up with Duke enjoying a videogame based on his previous exploits. “So [Duke Nukem] feels a lot like we do,” explained Randy Pitchford, president of Gearbox. Like us, gaming’s manliest FPS superstar has been waiting for years to play the new Duke Nukem game.


Above: DNF quickly throws you in a football arena with this giant boss. After pummeling him to submission, you finish him off by ripping out his eye and kicking it through the field goal for victory


Above: Soon after, the camera pulls back and you find yourself in Duke’s penthouse suite in the Lady Killer Casino

It’s a surprisingly thoughtful way for the game to open up. You’ve got the game-within-a-game, a bit of self awareness, and a subtle nod to the fact that it seems it really does seem like we’ve been waiting forever to play Duke Nukem Forever. But any concerns that Duke has gotten too high-brow and soft for his own good are put to rest when it’s revealed that he was being pleasured by two women the whole time he was playing his own game, which sets the tone for the over-the-top machismo you can expect to come. It’s not long before we’re bombarded with sexual puns and politically incorrect stabs at humor every few steps.

Article continues below
You may like
  • Half-Life screenshot Go behind the scenes of Half-Life with legendary Valve designer Marc Laidlaw
  • James Bond in 007 First Light chats with a bartender 007 First Light hands-on: "With explosive action and creative spycraft, this might be the best Bond game yet"
  • Using Sheath, a gun with a fang-toothed face, in High on Life 2 to blast through Human Con, where aliens party in human mascot costumes High on Life 2 review: "I smiled, I laughed, I sorely wished the combat was a lot better"

Feeding the ego

Duke’s penthouse rests on the 69th floor of the Lady Killer Casino, right down the street from the Fellatio Casino (based on the Bellagio Casino). Posters chronicling his ultra manly exploits line the walls and it’s clear that the only person who loves Duke Nukem more than his fans is himself. You see, Duke Nukem doesn’t have a health bar; he has an EGO meter, which fits perfectly with his narcissistic nature; as long as Duke thinks he’s amazing, he’s invincible – and we love that.


Above: All the girls want Duke and all the kids want to be him. This makes perfect sense

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
  • 1
  • 2

Current page: Page 1

Next Page Page 2
CATEGORIES
PC Gaming PlayStation Xbox Platforms
Tyler_ Nagata
Read more
Half-Life screenshot
FPS Games Go behind the scenes of Half-Life with legendary Valve designer Marc Laidlaw
 
 
James Bond in 007 First Light chats with a bartender
Action Games 007 First Light hands-on: "With explosive action and creative spycraft, this might be the best Bond game yet"
 
 
Using Sheath, a gun with a fang-toothed face, in High on Life 2 to blast through Human Con, where aliens party in human mascot costumes
FPS Games High on Life 2 review: "I smiled, I laughed, I sorely wished the combat was a lot better"
 
 
Mouse: P.I. For Hire key art featuring multiple characters like Jack Pepper
FPS Games The only thing missing from this Cuphead-meets-Doom boomer shooter is the heavy metal soundtrack
 
 
In Hitman World of Assassination, Agent 47 sits at the departure gate in an airport during the loading screen
Roguelike Games After weeks spent locked into Hitman's Freelancer mode, I realize there's one vital thing 007 First Light needs to learn
 
 
Replaced screenshots from release date trailer
Platforming Games Replaced is a side-scrolling cyberpunk beat 'em up that wants to feel like a playable movie
 
 
Latest in Action Games
GTA 6
Grand Theft Auto GTA 6 could sell 45 million copies on PS5 in its first week, Baldur's Gate 3 publishing lead says
 
 
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed Invictus leak has "been heavily altered," probably using AI, Ubisoft says
 
 
GTA 6
Grand Theft Auto GTA 6 should be $80 so the whole "struggling" industry can raise game prices, Bank of America says
 
 
Bond frowns and readiest up in front of another person in 007 First Light
Action Games Hitman dev IO Interactive is open to 007 First Light sequel if fans like the James Bond game enough
 
 
Edward Kenway attacks an enemy in a screenshot from the Assassin's Creed Black Flag Remastered overview trailer.
Assassin's Creed Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced brings a huge change to combat and I kind of love it
 
 
GTA 6
Grand Theft Auto GTA 6 devs aim for "perfection," and Take-Two tries to give "unlimited" resources to do so, CEO says
 
 
Latest in Features
Billy Butcher talks to Hughie in The Boys season 5 episode 6 trailer
Superhero Shows The Boys season 5, episode 6 recap: Easter eggs, cameos, and who dies
 
 
Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) at the trial of Wilson Fisk/Kingpin in episode 7 of Daredevil: Born Again season 2.
Marvel TV Shows An Iron Man Easter Egg in Daredevil: Born Again calls back to the origins of the MCU
 
 
Charlie Cox, Nikki M. James, and Deborah Ann Woll as Matt Murdock, Kirsten McDuffie, and Karen Page in Daredevil: Born Again season 2
Marvel TV Shows Daredevil: Born Again season 2 ending explained: what happens to Daredevil and Kingpin? Are the Defenders coming back?
 
 
Daredevil: Born Again
Superhero Shows Daredevil: Born Again season 3 release date speculation, cast, plot, and everything else we know
 
 
A screenshot of new Arc Raiders map Riven Tides, set along the coast
Third Person Shooters I’ve been burned by the new Arc Raiders map, but that’s what happens on a beach holiday
 
 
Gideon Adlon's Devon Izara and Sam Witwer's Maul clashing lightsaber blades in Maul – Shadow Lord
Star Wars TV Shows After 27 years, Maul – Shadow Lord finally gives us one of the most anticipated Star Wars showdowns, but with a twist
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth characters
    1
    Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 could get DLC, director says, but Rebirth didn't due to worries it'd affect the third game
  2. 2
    The Boys season 5, episode 6 recap: Easter eggs, cameos, and who dies
  3. 3
    New D&D campaign Neon Odyssey blends Cowboy Bebop and SNES games into the perfect setting
  4. 4
    James Cameron is "thinking about" converting Aliens to 3D because "the tools are so much better" now
  5. 5
    GTA 6 could sell 45 million copies on PS5 in its first week, Baldur's Gate 3 publishing lead says

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...