Posted January 02, 2010
Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project is a throwback to the first two Duke Nukem games. It definitely has the very retro feel to it, but upgraded with flashy 3d graphics for more ass kicking action.
DN:MP has all that you'd want in a Duke Nukem game, or a sidescroller shoot-em-up for that matter - it's got guns, gore and babes. The action is fast paced, as you'd expect from any other Duke Nukem game. Sound effects are solid, with every weapon having a nice resounding boom or bang or whatever gunshot sound you can think of. Of course, Duke's also back with his huge arsenal of witty one-liners, though occasionally, they do get a bit repetitive, but not enough to really annoy you.
The graphics are decent, not spectacularly stunning, but they are definitely Duke Nukem. Explosions rock the screen, and there's plenty of action going on. Each episode really feels fresh and unique, with its own suited backgrounds and themes. Duke Nukem 3D fans will definitely feel right at home with all the fanciful explosion and gunfire effects.
The game itself has a retro feel to it, but at times the developers try to inject some new life into it, for example having differing camera angles. This works like a double edged sword. On one hand, having changing camera angles helps prevent the game from looking the same all the time, but then it gets a bit quirky and you can't see the enemy (but they can see you). Also, the game's enemies sometimes feel like they're cheating. Some of them can shoot you in less than a second's notice the moment they come out from the side of your view, before you even have time to react to them. Of course, there are tricks that Duke can employ to overcome this, but it still makes the game a bit unfair at times. Nevertheless, the action never stops being frantic, especially since the game is very generous with health...um I mean ego packs (health gets replaced with ego here. How cool is that?!)
Another issue with the game is that the controls are a bit fiddly at times. For instance, it's a bit tricky to get up certain ledges, especially since Duke accelerates a little when moving forward. Also, the quickfire key for pipebombs is rather quirky. Until you get used to the key, the initial getting used to it can become quite an exercise in frustration.
That being said, Manhattan Project is one hell of a ride. It's loads of fun, despite being a retro game. I would have given it 5 stars if it weren't for the problems above. This is almost as close to a perfect sidescroller as it gets. Just get used to some of the initial frustration, and enjoy the ride.
DN:MP has all that you'd want in a Duke Nukem game, or a sidescroller shoot-em-up for that matter - it's got guns, gore and babes. The action is fast paced, as you'd expect from any other Duke Nukem game. Sound effects are solid, with every weapon having a nice resounding boom or bang or whatever gunshot sound you can think of. Of course, Duke's also back with his huge arsenal of witty one-liners, though occasionally, they do get a bit repetitive, but not enough to really annoy you.
The graphics are decent, not spectacularly stunning, but they are definitely Duke Nukem. Explosions rock the screen, and there's plenty of action going on. Each episode really feels fresh and unique, with its own suited backgrounds and themes. Duke Nukem 3D fans will definitely feel right at home with all the fanciful explosion and gunfire effects.
The game itself has a retro feel to it, but at times the developers try to inject some new life into it, for example having differing camera angles. This works like a double edged sword. On one hand, having changing camera angles helps prevent the game from looking the same all the time, but then it gets a bit quirky and you can't see the enemy (but they can see you). Also, the game's enemies sometimes feel like they're cheating. Some of them can shoot you in less than a second's notice the moment they come out from the side of your view, before you even have time to react to them. Of course, there are tricks that Duke can employ to overcome this, but it still makes the game a bit unfair at times. Nevertheless, the action never stops being frantic, especially since the game is very generous with health...um I mean ego packs (health gets replaced with ego here. How cool is that?!)
Another issue with the game is that the controls are a bit fiddly at times. For instance, it's a bit tricky to get up certain ledges, especially since Duke accelerates a little when moving forward. Also, the quickfire key for pipebombs is rather quirky. Until you get used to the key, the initial getting used to it can become quite an exercise in frustration.
That being said, Manhattan Project is one hell of a ride. It's loads of fun, despite being a retro game. I would have given it 5 stars if it weren't for the problems above. This is almost as close to a perfect sidescroller as it gets. Just get used to some of the initial frustration, and enjoy the ride.