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Merry Christmas from 3D Realms
 It's Christmastime again, and all of us here at 3D Realms wish to pass on our wishes for a happy holiday season to everyone out there. We hope that everyone has a good time this season, and more importantly, a safe time. Make sure you're back next year to kick ass with us.
In addition to our annual tradition of a kick ass Christmas card continues, we have this picture of the Duke girls from this year's E3 show (hey, we have a Christmas themed picture of them, we have to use it!).
This year's Christmas card was a limited edition (and numbered) run of 750 cards. The card has four pages, and is a cartoon - the first panel appears below. Click on it to check out the rest of the card - we think it's damn funny, and we hope you will, too! Our Xmas cards from 1999 and 1998 are still online, too.
That's not the only Christmas fun - Remedy also sent us an image to use in our holiday story here. Check out Remedy's 2000 Christmas card cover by clicking here.
Posted by Joe Siegler at 10:00 AM
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Duke Nukem Forever is Unwanted
In an odd story, FamilyPC has posted their top 10 list of "least wanted" games. In their own words, "For every family-friendly game that's available this season, there are probably three that aren't suitable for the enlightened den or living room. Yes, the usual offenders - blood, gore, misogyny - are out in full force." There are some would think that these things are reasons to want the game, but still. Their article lists games such as Deus Ex, Kiss Psycho Circus, Panty Raider, and our own Max Payne & Duke Nukem Forever! That's kind of odd, as neither Duke nor Max are out yet! Anyway, here's what they had to say:
In 1995, Duke Nukem 3D lent a much-needed dose of humor to the then-fledgling first-person shooter genre. But it also had plenty of blood and guts, and the long-awaited sequel is no exception. This new version adds an eerie human quotient: In addition to monsters, human soldiers are now among Duke's targets.
If renowned director John Woo started making computer games, they'd probably look a lot like this edgy, ultraviolent first-person shooter. Expect gore galore and slow-motion replays of particularly provocative kills. While Max Payne does earn points for style (and incredible graphics), it's definitely not appropriate for young teens.
They even list prices for the games, which is even more bizarre, because that information has yet to be decided! If you want to check out their complete list, take a look at the article.
Old Link: http://familypc.zdnet.com/fungames/family/feature/10unwanted/
Posted by Joe Siegler at 6:15 PM
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Commander Keen is Ten!
Today is a landmark day in computer gaming. Ten years ago today, Episode 1 of Commander Keen was released - and gaming was never quite the same. Commander Keen laid the foundation for many of the computer games that we play today. If not by style, then by it's success, it paved the way for the creation of what we know now.
To this, we have a retrospective on Commander Keen online now. This historical article has pictures, screen shots, little known trivia, and much more! The creation of id Software & Commander Keen is detailed, all seven of the existing official Commander Keen games are discussed, as well as Keen's possible future.
Downloads and lots of cool Keen reading await - so make sure and check out our "10th Anniversary Look Back at Commander Keen" today. If you enjoy the article, make sure and discuss it on our forums!
Posted by Joe Siegler at 6:15 PM
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Duke Nukem: Land of the Babes Walkthrough
Fans of the Playstation game "Duke Nukem: Land of the Babes" will be excited at the newest addition to our site. It's a complete walkthrough for the game. Provided to us by n-Space, the game's authors, this new info will show you how to get to every area in the game, find all the secrets, and become a Land of the Babes Whiz!
Make sure to check out the walkthrough only if you are interested in having the entire game spoiled for you. There is lots of info here, and it will tell you things about the game you may not have seen yet, or don't want to know - so use this at your own enjoyment risk!
If you don't have the game yet, and have a Playstation (or a Playstation II, for that matter), you should check out the game. Click here to order your copy of Land of the Babes, or click here to order a copy of the Strategy Guide for the game which is also available.
Posted by Joe Siegler at 3:10 PM
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Duke Nukem: First, Last, Forever
We were just informed of a historical retrospective on Duke Nukem that was just published over on the Gathering of Developers site. Looking back on the previous PC Duke Nukem games, this article is a nice look at the history of the Duke Nukem games. Here's a tidbit or two:
But in the original Duke Nukem title, Apogee Software laid the groundwork for the one of the most successful franchises in gaming history. Additionally, Apogee created the concept of the game "demo", now an essential element in game publishing's process of releasing finished titles to the public.
Duke Nukem 3D also proved that the exciting run-and-shoot world of 3D gaming need not be limited to a superficial experience of knee-deep immersion. Duke's persistent sense of humor, often pointed at popular culture or competitors' games, provided more than a few chuckles and plenty of light moments. Further, the progression of the storyline and the perfect segues from one level to the next established plot development in a game that rivaled that of feature films.
There's a lot of cool stuff in this article, so head on over to the Gathering site and check it out!
Posted by Joe Siegler at 11:40 AM
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Duke Nukem Finds God
Silly pun aside, the game Duke Nukem Forever has a new publisher. Formerly with Infogrames (who had purchased the original publisher GT Interactive), Duke Nukem Forever will now be published by Gathering of Developers. Yesterday, the Gathering released a press release about the situation, saying this:
Developer-driven computer and video game publisher Gathering of Developers (g.o.d.) announced today that the company has acquired the PC publishing rights for the highly anticipated Duke Nukem Forever game, as part of a broad reaching deal made by Gathering's parent company Take Two Interactive and former Duke Nukem publisher Infogrames. Duke Nukem Forever is being developed by 3D Realms and will be released by Gathering of Developers.
Shortly after this press release hit the net earlier yesterday, our own Scott Miller was interviewed over at Stomped, and had a few things to say about the situation.
Stomped: First, why the change in publishers? Did Infogrames want to get rid of the Duke Nukem franchise or did Take Two simply offer them a deal they couldn't refuse?
Miller: When Infogrames bought GT Interactive, they did seem to lean a little more toward family oriented games, and though that was a small concern for us it wasn�t the impetus for this deal. It was really just a case of both companies, through discussions that began near six months ago, realizing we were no longer the best fit for each other and that the best thing to do was find a new publisher. Take-Two was an obvious choice for us because of our existing relationship with them, including our other big production, Max Payne.
Stomped: How does this change in publishers affect the actual development of Duke Nukem Forever?
Miller: Other than an internal meeting that lasted about 10 minutes, there really is no delay or other effect related to this deal.
Today, there was a wire story that came over Yahoo news' service talking about the deal a little. They add this small tidbit to the fray:
Under the deal, The Gathering will publish Duke Nukem Forever for the PC and Take 2 will own the rights to the entire back catalog of PC and video game Duke Nukem titles, as well as rights to future products.
This means they will own the distribution rights to the old titles - there are no plans at this point for them to repackage them or anything like that.
To sum up:
What does this mean to you, the game player? Not a whole lot really. All this boils down to two things:
1.The game will have a Gathering/Take Two logo on it instead of an Infrogrames logo on it when you buy it.
2.The release date is still "When it's done" (Not Summer 2001 or any other personal interpretation you may have read online elsewhere). The release date is always "When it's done", unless you see it posted otherwise here on the 3D Realms site.
While you're at it, head over to the God Games site to check it out. They also have a poll online now asking which game you're looking forward to the most. Guess which games are on the list?
Posted by Joe Siegler at 11:40 PM
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Fake Screenshot Contest
Check out this Duke Nukem Forever screenshot that we're posting to the site today! Looks kind of funny, doesn't it? Well, it should - it's a fake. This was sent to us by one of our forum users (Tip). It gave us a good idea - we're running a contest where you can send in your best fake Duke Nukem Forever screenshots.
We're going to run the contest through the start of January, and at that time, we'll pick the five best ones that we like, and award prizes to the winners. The winners will get a collection of "Duke Nukem goodies" such as a Duke T-Shirt, some coasters, Duke pen, a copy of Music to Score By, etc (no, not a copy of DNF - it isn't done yet ).
What we want from you is your best "Fake" Duke Nukem Forever screenshot. You can either alter one of our existing shots (like the one above from Tip), or posting one that looks like it's real, but isn't (see example).
So, fire up your copy of Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, or whatever, and send in your best submission! Please send all entries to [email protected]. Entries sent to another place (or posted on our forums) may not be counted - make sure to send them to [email protected] only. Thanks, and good luck!
Posted by Joe Siegler at 5:40 PM
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