Duke Nukem (character)

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Duke Nukem is an action hero created by computer game developers Todd Replogle, George Broussard, Allen Blum and Scott Miller of 3D Realms/Apogee Software. In all of his appearances since Duke Nukem 3D he has been voiced by voice actor Jon St. John.

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[edit] Background

Duke Nukem, killing an Enforcer, on the box cover of Duke Nukem 3D
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Duke Nukem, killing an Enforcer, on the box cover of Duke Nukem 3D

Duke Nukem first appeared as the title character of the Apogee platform game Duke Nukem, which was published in 1991. This game was written for the IBM PC compatible, and featured 320×200, 16-color EGA graphics with vertical and horizontal scrolling. The original game consisted of three episodes, the first of which was distributed as shareware. A sequel, entitled Duke Nukem II, was published by Apogee in 1993. This sequel took advantage of 256-color VGA graphics, MIDI music, and digitized sound. Although the graphics were stunning for 1993, only 16 colors were actually used on-screen at once; however, three different 16-color palettes were used in the game.

The first Duke Nukem game was titled Duke Nukem, but Apogee learned that this name might have already been trademarked, so they changed it to Duke Nukum for the 2.0 revision. The name was later discovered not to be trademarked, so the spelling Duke Nukem was restored for Duke Nukem II and all successive Duke games, and is preferred even when referring to the original. The trademark in question was that of Captain Planet's Duke Nukem character.

The character is now best known from the first-person shooter game Duke Nukem 3D, developed by Apogee's 3D Realms division and released in 1996. Duke Nukem 3D was one of the most controversial games at the time due to its gratuitous violence, sexual content, strong language and racy content.

Duke Nukem also received a short-lived toy line from now-defunct toy company ReSaurus. Primarily centered around Duke Nukem 3D, the line featured three versions of Duke (with a fourth "internet only" Duke that came with a CD-ROM and freezethrower accessory), the Pigcop, Octabrain, and Battlelord. The toys were relatively popular but were prone to breakage (Duke's legs were held on by a thin plastic rod which was easy to snap and the Octabrain had numerous fragile points). More toys were planned to coincide with the release of Duke Nukem Forever, but the game's delay halted these toys, and ReSaurus eventually went out of business completely. Further details about the action figures are available on the 3D Realms website.

Plans for a live action Duke Nukem movie produced by Threshold Entertainment were announced back in 2001, but the film never made it to production.

[edit] Character

Though initially a disgruntled TV viewer who took offense to Dr. Proton interrupting the soap operas, Duke's personality in all his games since Duke Nukem 3D has been that of a hyper-masculine, egotistical, machismo-filled womanizer, and his missions generally involved killing aliens that had invaded Earth to enslave its women. Duke Nukem's character is based on a number of Hollywood-action heroes such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Campbell, Bruce Willis and most of all, the hero from John Carpenter's movie They Live and Ash Williams from Evil Dead. The main character of Serious Sam is an homage to Duke Nukem.[citation needed]

Like the characters often played by Schwarzenegger and Stallone, Duke Nukem is a confident, aggressive, and frequently politically incorrect muscle-man, who, although not technically superhuman, nonetheless manages to achieve incredible physical feats of violence and conquest through sheer machismo and expertise with automatic weapons. Like the characters played by Bruce Campbell, Duke Nukem is also a smart-mouth (although Duke's humor is somewhat less sarcastic and more straightforwardly aggressive, several of Duke Nukem 3D's phrases are taken directly from the Campbell film Army of Darkness), and his sneering visage is often found speaking one-liners while slaughtering his enemies. He is also apparently extremely sexually adept and irresistible to women, and circumstances generally find him surrounded by many buxom women (though certain signs in the games seem to indicate a girlfriend- current or ex- named Lani). Duke is rumored to be in the area of 29 to 33 years of age. There is also an inside joke that circulated on the internet that compares Duke's looks to that of former NFL player Howie Long.

Other than a wide array of automatic firearms, explosives, and energy weapons, Duke is best known for his trademark jet pack, which gives him the ability to fly short distances in quick bursts. He is also known for his sunglasses, which he hasn't been seen without since Duke Nukem 3D, and his blond hair, which is existent since the first game.

[edit] Catchphrases

Some of Duke's catchphrases:

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
  • "Hail to the king, baby!" (a reference to Army of Darkness)
  • "Groovy!" (a reference to Army of Darkness)
  • "Shake it, baby!"
  • "It's time to kick ass and chew bubble gum, and I'm all outta gum" (a reference to They Live)
  • "I'm Duke Nukem, and I'm coming to get the rest of you alien bastards!"

[edit] Duke Nukem games

As of 2006, there have been three "main" Duke Nukem games, and a number of other games in which the character starred.

A long-promised sequel to Duke Nukem 3D, Duke Nukem Forever, has been in development since 1997. This lengthy development cycle has led to numerous derogatory puns on the game's title, such as Duke Nukem Whenever and Duke Nukem Will Be In Development Forever by fans and videogames magazines. The official company line is that Duke Nukem Forever will be released "When it's done". Over the years 3D Realms executives have asserted the game remains in development. Most recently, in February 2006, executive producer George Broussard quoted that DNF is "in full production," though jokingly said "I think it'll be out when pigs fly." [1]. Recent speculation from publisher Take 2 hints that the game may be released by the end of 2006, and may be coming to the some or all next-generation video game consoles (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii).[citation needed] However, executive producer George Broussard has been quoted saying. "PLEASE don't let this game suck."[2].

[edit] Other Duke Nukem games

Duke Nukem has made cameo appearances in a few other Apogee games. He appeared in Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure (1992) and Death Rally (1996). Additionally, there was a Duke Nukem table in the 1998 pinball title Balls of Steel from Apogee's Pinball Wizards division—the title Balls of Steel is a reference to a pinball machine seen in Duke Nukem 3D. Duke Nukem is on the default high score lists of Crystal Caves, Death Rally, Paganitzu, Realms of Chaos and Stargunner.

[edit] External links

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Duke Nukem (character)
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