Do the strippers' nipples still look like tentacles?

But Jason Statham [i]is[/i] the embodiment of the classic action hero....

If anyone has any questions on what I saw/played, feel free to ask here. I'll do my best to answer you!

See, I really, REALLY wanted Jasmine to make this event. Any female journalists show up for a round in Titty City?

@Rus: I saw at least three (there may have been more, but I don't know if they worked for 2K or what). I talked to two of them, and while I didn't ask them directly about being female in that environment, they didn't seem to care or mind at all. One of them, Amanda from CheatsCC, seemed to know a lot about the franchise and its perception, but she didn't look like she was turning her nose up at it.

@Dan, my dad (rather foolishly) let me play DN3D when I was a kid, so I'm pretty familiar with the franchise. Still, I'm in two minds about DNF.

The humour seems to be old style Duke, which I'll probably enjoy, but do you think the gameplay will push the nostalgia button of DN3D? Or will it feel archaic, even to people who enjoyed DN3D?

I get the impression that a lot of modern shooter fans won't get so much out of it, but if it feels like a meaty expansion pack for DN3D, I think I'll be happy. That trailer at the end has given me hope, but I'm not 100% sure...

Also, any word about modding the PC version?

I just want to know if we can mod in custom taunts ripped from classic 80s/90s films for multiplayer. Oh, and whether Duke Nukem Forever ships with a level editor. I used to enjoy making my own maps since that was a lot easier with Duke Nukem 3D than with Doom.

Yeah, Bulletstorm makes Duke Nukem look like a kiddie game.

I'm sure that the game probably won't reach the hype levels of the modern day shooting crowd. I'm still somewhat interested. It has that kitschy value of the shooters of old and I'd really like to hear Duke Nukem's one-liners. They're probably funnier than Bulletstorm's.

I usually spend more time playing Half-Life 2, but what the heck. I'm more eager to play this game than to try out Bulletstorm. Duke gives me that warm nostalgia of the old days.

I love how you worked that Fox News link we were kicking around into this article.

How was the AI?  From the vids I've seen, it just looks like waves and waves of different creatures coming at you, but nothing that is going to have to make you think about how to outsmart them.  Looked like an updated Serious Sam to me.

@Chris: The gameplay will be nostalgic if for no other reason than you'll see a lot of the same weapons, which greatly defined Duke Nukem 3D's personality, IMO. I smiled when I got even that simple three-barreled machine gun, for instance. But other than the weapons and the humor, this game doesn't remind me all that much of the original. Perhaps it's because of the Vegas setting vs. a normal city?

@Chris/Rob: No word about modding or level editors, sorry! I hope so, because I used to have the most fun in multiplayer on user maps...though I suspect I'll probably be playing on 360.

@James: Not just that but the comparisons to Bulletstorm, too (from our email threads). :)

@Jason: A.I. is fairly simple. In that respect, this feels like a game from the '90s as well. I didn't see anything resembling FEAR or even Halo here in terms of A.I. They had some jetpack guys that would teleport if they took some damage, so that was an interesting way to have a dynamically moving enemy. They had those hulking beasts that would run and charge at you. But no one was flanking or taking cover or anything like that.

I know Gearbox is trying to replicate the feel of the old Duke games, but you can't take steps backwards when it comes to visuals (COD: BO), controls (GTA:IV, RE), or gameplay/hit detection (Kane and Lynch) compared to other big titles. (games in parenthesis took steps back in those departments IMO). Same thing for AI. You could get away with endless waves of mindless enemies back in the '90s, but not now.

Hey Shoe, how well does the game control when compared to Duke Nukem 3D and modern shooters like Call of Duty?

@Kyle: You can't really count the original Duke 3D anymore. Those engines back in the day didn't really have true vertical 3D (didn't need it...you always autoaimed everything on a vertical axis). I wasn't crazy about Duke's L-trigger "aim"...it was slow and didn't fit this run-and-gun shooter, so I rarely used it.

I still think COD and Halo are the best-controlled first-person shooters (on consoles). Duke wasn't as precise and didn't feel quite as nice as those games, BUT...remember, this game isn't finished yet, so I don't want to judge mechanical stuff like that just yet. :)

"Hell, Bulletstorm is so evil, it might cause otherwise wholesome Americans to startn raping people."

This quote has to be on the back -- or front -- of Bulletstorm's box. For real.

Dan, did you get a chance to play with the [i]intended[/i] control scheme (you know, a keyboard and mouse)? Heh.

@Rob, haha, no. They only had the 360 version there. :)

Well, if they're trying to evoke '90s FPS design, they certainly dropped the ball there.

So can you sort of describe your feelings about the graphics?  I mean with the setups you guys had, 30 inch T.V.s that you're 10 inches away from, any game will look like arse.  But how do you feel the graphics were when you were a reasonable distance from the T.V.s?  Good, great, meh, or cat's rectum?

@Daniel: Good at times (the stadium-battle recreation was wow), meh some other times (some generic casino hallways, rooms, walkways, etc.). Overall, it didn't really blow me away, but I didn't think it looked awful or anything. Just...standard.

Was Titty City the best place to demo Duke Nukem Forever? I can't help but think that 2K supplied you with "strategic distractions" during the event for reasons other than eye candy.

@Spencer: Hahaha...well, it's 2K's job to get publicity for the game or event, and it worked. I was tweeting away about being there, and it got some attention. I think the vibe fit, too. I would've been strange to play the game in some swanky bar or hotel. They didn't have real strippers there, though. They hired models to dance on the stage and to serve drinks, but they were wearing revealing schoolgirl outfits -- they weren't nude or topless or anything. After a while, you really didn't notice they were there. Well, maybe that's not completely true, but I don't think they were distracting.

2K surely made it an event by the sounds of it. But I feel it isn't the most appropriate way to demonstrate a title. 2K isn't about to make a Titty City out of the gaming room of every person who buys a copy of DNF. The event reflects nothing but itself. I feel bad for any consumer who is more excited for DNF because 2K hired models during the demo day.
But hired models in schoolgirl outfits passing out copies of DNF at every video game retailer? Now that would be an event the average consumer could get excited about.

True. But I think the point was to get more exposure and publicity, not necessarily to generate direct sales to the consumer from that event. Mission accomplished. The press widely tweeted that day (I did as well, as you can see on @bitmobshoe), so it's definitely raised more awareness around that game.