First person shooters have come a long way on the Gameboy Advance. At first, there was Dark Arena, which only received lackluster reviews at best, followed by Ecks Vs. Sever, with the same result. Duke Nukem has always been one of those classic PC first person shooters that I could play over and over again, mainly because of its mature subject matter and its insane ability to allow the player to destroy aliens with nukes, rockets, and attitude. As a result, Duke Nukem: Advance has been a long time coming.
Let’s start off by establishing how this game was on the PC. Was it a worthy game to port in the first place? Well, of course it was! Have you ever seen a strip club as a place to kill bad guys before? If you haven’t played Duke Nukem, then you probably haven’t, because Duke Nukem was the first game to do it. (Actually, Dead To Rights later had a clever homage to it.). Duke Nukem first relied on word of mouth to spread its popularity, because the gameplay kept gamers coming back.
Now, first person shooters often consist of a myriad of weapons, levels, and of course, fun (if you like the genre). They also tend to require the player to touch switches to trigger the opening of doors, collect key cards to open other parts of the level, and at times, run his or her ass off in a certain time limit. Now, to have all of these elements in a PC game is one thing, but to port them (and beautifully, I must add) to a cartridge smaller than a saltine is something extraordinary.
This game was delayed several times prior to release and I was initially afraid that they delayed it because it was not a good representation of what the PC version had to offer; most of the time when a game is delayed, it’s because the developer is not satisfied with the product, which is what made me a little uneasy about purchasing Duke Nukem: Advance.
Well, the extra months of producing this game really paid off; it has more depth than 90% of the other Gameboy Advance titles out there. Honestly, though, when you hear “Gameboy Advance”, chances are that “depth” is not going to be the first thought that pops into your mind. That lack of depth is what a lot of GBA gamers such as myself have had to suffer through during the lifespan of this handheld. Sure, you’ve got games like Final Fantasy Tactics and Advance Wars, but there are only a handful of games that really catch my eye on the Gameboy Advance.
My first reaction to this game was my mixed feelings on the control. The D-Pad on the GBA hurts this game’s control factor, making moving around a little jittery, but with some practice, you will start to use the L and R triggers to strafe left and right. At first, I have to say that I felt extremely awkward about controlling Duke through the first level, and the D-Pad does very little to help matters. After a while though, I got the hang of the controls, but it’s still a little tricky at first.
Actually, to tell the truth, when I first saw screenshots for this game, I have to say that I was not too impressed with the graphics, as the screenshots I saw looked really blocky and unattractive. Well, let me tell you, what I found from playing this game right away was that Duke Nukem: Advance has some of the most impressive graphics that I have ever witnessed on the Gameboy Advance. The screenshots do not do the game justice whatsoever; you have to see it in action to believe it. The smooth framerate was astonishing, especially considering that you are playing on a handheld. If you’ve put the GBA down by saying it’s weak and puny, Duke Nukem will prove you all wrong. Explosions all look fluid and beautiful, although you will notice blocky textures and graphics here and there. But honestly, these are some of the best graphics that you will ever see on the GBA…..period.
But with all of the guts and gore, was it a fun game to play? The answer is an emphatic YES! Duke Nukem: Advance’s gameplay is tough to compete with. Only a few games come to mind when I try to compare how much fun I’ve had playing this title on this handheld. You have to remember, the Gameboy Advance is home to a lot of awful titles, but those few gems that it does produce are worth the purchase no questions asked.
Trust me, the second you kill your first alien with a rocket launcher or quad-shotgun, you will be hooked. You have the ability to obtain 9 different weapons, play through 19 different levels and destroy countless aliens that are loads of fun to kill. If that’s not enough, you can even change what kind of crosshair you have on the screen! Talk about fine detail. There is also a multiplayer mode, although it requires an additional copy of the game.
At any rate, Duke Nukem Advance raises the bar of all handheld first person shooters. It’s certainly a genre new to portable systems, but it will hopefully continue to evolve, as I can see other well-ported titles executed nicely on the Gameboy Advance. After all, I have heard that Doom and Wolfenstein’s handheld counterparts were only mediocre when it came to depth and gameplay.
I just have to say how impressed I am with this game. Its gameplay is virtually exact to the PC version. All of the gory deaths will still be had in this miniature version of this game. Every ounce of blood you saw in the original version of the game was kept and stored onto this one. Fans of the PC version should feel right at home with their new GBA edition. This game makes for fun and addicting gameplay. I must say that I had a lot of fun using the rocket launcher. There’s nothing quite like seeing alien creatures being thrown across the room by an explosion.
Overall, this game is easily a great purchase. Notice how I use the word “great” to describe a Gameboy Advance title. This does not happen too often. In my opinion, handheld gamers everywhere deserved a first person shooter that would satisfy their gaming needs. After all, the GBA is home to many awful and lackluster games; it’s only fair to throw us a bone every once and a while. Once again, the graphics and the gameplay will surprise you immensely. It’s not everyday that you see a title like this on a small screen. Duke Nukem Advance will take you by surprise. You heard right, now go out there and pick up your copy.
