Duke Nukem Forever's multiplayer forgoes the now standard 8 Vs 8 play for a more conservative 4 Vs 4 setup across all modes. According to the details that appeared this morning players on either side will be divided between a red and blue team with the color of their Duke's shirt representing their respective side.
5 different game modes were revealed in the leaked details. The standard free-for-all Dukematch (deathmatch), Team Dukematch, Hail to the King (king of the hill) and an odd take on Capture the Flag called "Capture the Babes". In Capture the Babe each time must capture the opposing teams Babe and bring her back to their side of the map to score a point. If the leak is correct then at some points when you capture the babe she will not co-operate. In order to bring her to the opposing side you must "give her a gentle smack to calm her down". Misogynistic? Yes. Hilariously over the top? I think so!
Several weapons from Duke Nukem's past return in Duke Nukem Forever. Players can expect to wield Duke's classic golden pistol, shot each other with the shotgun, shrink down their foes with the Shrink Ray and obliterate the opposition with the RPG Launcher. It was also confirmed that trip-mines can be attached to enemies in both the single player and multiplayer modes.
Weapons aren't the only goodies that players will find scattered around the 10 available maps. Several power-ups are available to help Duke accomplish his goal of alien ass kicking. The series staple - Steroids- are back and provide Duke with a one hit kill he can use on any opponent. It also raises his running speed but disables Duke's ability to wield weapons while the power-up is active. The last power-up that the leak mentions is the Holo-Duke. This holographic clone of Duke would sit beside him and mimic his movements. In an added twist the new Holo-Duke will also cloak the player, giving them an added advantage in combat.
Just because Duke Nukem Forever doesn't live up to modern standards in terms of the number of players per match doesn't mean Tryptic and Gearbox Software haven't implemented other advancements from the last generation of online games. Duke uses an experience system similar to those found in the Call of Duty franchises. Players will earn experience at the end of each match as well as bonus experience for "achievements" - such as killing yourself with a pipe bomb or going on a killing spree.
There is certainly a lot of information to digest and it sounds like the folks at Gearbox have an excellent experience waiting for us. Will you play Duke Nukem Forever when it releases on May 3rd? I will be the first in line at midnight. Look for our full review a few days after the May 3rd release date.
