ARUSH’s CEO talks about the latest Duke Nukem adventure
By Michael Lafferty

He’s baaack!

The king of the shooters has returned with a brand new adventure, plenty of action, more than its share of ‘babes,’ and targets galore.

Duke first appeared in the gaming world in 1991, and has had two follow-up titles. Fans salivating over the promised Duke Nukem Forever title are still doing just that. However, Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project will, in all likelihood, sate their appetites.

As the story goes in this title, Duke is up against Mech Morphix, an evil mastermind who is spreading a substance called GLOPP around Manhattan, creating mutants and mayhem.

Duke will have to explore the city, from its undergrounds to its rooftops, defeating an array of evildoers, rescue the damsels, and dispensing his famous one-liners.

Some of the features, according to the Web site for the game, of the program include:

•  A zoomable camera which will let players watch the action from a variety of angles.

•  Eight New York missions in huge environments, which include Rooftop Rebellion, Chinatown Chiller, Metro Madness, Unholy Underworld, Fearsome Factory, Tanker Trouble, Deviant Drilling and the final out-of-this-world episode

•  More than 25 enemies ranging from the Gator-Oids, mutated Uzi-wielding alligators, to Fem-Mechs, female robot mutants with deadly whips. Classic Duke enemies like the PigCops will also return.

•  Fast-action third person perspective in a three-dimensional environment

•  True Duke Nukem action and attitude, great weapon effects and sarcastic one-liners

•  Nine powerful weapons, which include the Golden Eagle Pistol, Shotgun, Assault Rifle, Pipe Bomb, GLOPP Ray, Pulse Cannon, Pneumatic Rocket-Propelled Grenade Launcher and the Mighty Boot kick (upgrades are available)

Jim Perkins, president & CEO, ARUSH Entertainment, took time to talk with GameZone about the Duke’s return.

Question: Duke could almost be considered one of the 'granddads' of modern shooter games. To what do you attribute his longevity and his appeal? What kind of demographics does he draw?

Jim: “Duke is immensely appealing…he’s a shoot first, ask-questions-never kind of guy. He’s a confident hero, and the ladies flock to him like housewives falling over Mel Gibson. Who couldn’t admire that? The demographics of Duke followers are mostly male, (though I do stumble across a few female Duke fans from time to time) between the ages of 18-40, who like blood, bullets and babes.”

Q: Let's talk about Manhattan Project? What features will separate it from the other Duke games? Has any new technology been incorporated into the program?

Jim: “Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project is a nice mix of old and new. It’s in a platform environment, similar to Duke I and II, but is set in a fully 3D world with the humor, sarcasm and one-liners thrown in, which gives it a true Duke 3D flavor. The gameplay is really something unique and fresh, thanks to the awesome 3D world that Sunstorm and the Prism 3D engine have created.

Q: Mech Morphix is the latest bad guy to cross Duke's path. What makes him unique? What other memorable characters will game players be introduced to?

Jim: “Mech is a truly evil blend of man and metal. He’s got a plan to take over New York, and then the world, by using his new creation, GLOPP, to mutate creatures into hideous beasts that will ravage the city and harass its residents.

“Some of the most memorable characters in the game are the FemMechs. Sure, they look approachable in those tight leather outfits with curves in all the right places, but Duke isn’t fooled. He sees the gears behind their bedroom eyes, and the oil flowing through their android veins.“

Q: If you had to guess, what would you suppose comes first in Duke's life - guns or babes? And why?

Jim: “Nobody told me these questions were gonna be this tough!

“Babes or guns? I guess I’d have to say guns, because there’s always another babe around the corner, but a good gun will last a lifetime. Kidding…Duke is a peace-loving guy, so if there’s peace then babes come first. But if there’s trouble then he grabs his guns.”

Q: What are the key elements designers have to bring to a Duke Nukem title?

Jim: “I’d say that creating awesome weapon effects is something very important to Duke games. We’ve made sure to give our weapons a cool feel and great results. The Pulse Cannon is really versatile, able to rapidly fire bursts of electricity at enemies, or you can let it charge up into a ball of electricity that will vaporize an enemy on contact.”

Q: Duke's fans are not only very loyal, but could be termed 'rabid.' How much input does general fan opinion have in creation of a Duke title?

Jim: “We ran a contest asking for Duke one-liners back in the summer of 2001, and received nearly 10,000 entries in two weeks. Of those, we picked a Grand Prize winning line that is in the game, and was also featured in our print ads. Many of the other lines that were submitted found their way into the game as well. The fans know Duke, and we value their opinions.”

Q: What was the most challenging aspect of creating this adventure? What has been the most satisfying accomplishment (thus far) in this title?

Jim: “The most challenging aspect has been ensuring that we make a game that measures up to fans’ expectations. There have been some Duke games on the consoles that left a bad taste in some Duke fans’ mouths, and they are now once bitten, twice shy. We’ve seen that change though, as we released screenshots, opened the official DNMP site at www.DukeNukemMP.com  and released a gameplay movie. The jaded Duke fans are coming around, fast.

“One of the most rewarding feelings so far has been the reaction of those that have played the 3-Episode preview build. We have received a universal thumbs-up for the fun factor, and everyone has come away quite impressed. It’s good to see that everyone else is as thrilled with the game as we are.”

Q: Where do you see the industry heading, and what peripheral technology would you like to see developed that would enhance the gaming experience?

Jim: “I feel there will be an effort to make games easier to play. So many games today require multiple keystroke combinations to accomplish small tasks, and that can take away from the action. But the easier it is for a gamer to jump right into your game, the quicker they will fall in love with it.

“For example, look at Black & White. In that game, it was possible to move around, zoom, pick up and throw objects, and cast miracles in that immense world with mainly just your mouse, while never losing the micro-management feel of a ‘God-style’ game. Sure, you could use keyboard commands as well, but you didn’t have to.

“I think there is going to be a lot more experimentation like this, and in many different genres. As graphics continue to become so outstanding that every game ‘looks’ good, I think more people are going to start focusing more on simpler, more engrossing gameplay.”

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