Duke Nukem 3D confirmed for XBLA

By Robert Purchese Published 7 February, 2008

Hopefully this year, says Scott Miller.

3D Realms has said that Duke Nukem 3D is definitely heading to Xbox Live Arcade.

Confirmation came from big shot Scot Miller, who told the Dallas Business Journal it would have co-operative play, online multiplayer, and potentially be available this year. What are you waiting for? Christmas?

"We're really excited about bringing classic Duke to the 360," said Miller. "We're talking to Microsoft about getting a release slot sometime this year."

We heard late last summer that 3D Realms was keen to port its old classic, and was just waiting on the go ahead from the platform holder.

Duke Nukem 3D appeared on PC back in 1996, and is a first-person shooter where you rid the world of an alien invasion.

Key to its success was its low moral values and gruff protagonist, who went around causing a bloody mess in strip clubs and the like. Pretty good looking for the time too, and devilishly fun in four-player LAN mode.

Your face. Your ass. What's the difference?

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (36) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Zomoniac #1 4 years ago

    This year?? You could re-write it from the ground up in less time than that.

  • AcidSnake #2 4 years ago

    My first XBLA download it'll be...
    Joy!

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #3 4 years ago

    sounds like vapour ware

  • FooAtari #4 4 years ago

    Fckin Yes!

    Will be Best Live Game Ever.

    Awesome

  • Xerx3s #5 4 years ago

    \0/

    The mother off all cool fps games returns. With coop! /instantbuy

    This beats anything XBLa, PSN and wii network have to offer hands down.

    /kicks @ss & chews bubblegum

  • BBIAJ #6 4 years ago

    Will this have the Sega Saturn's Death Tank Zwei included though?

    Methinks not...

  • XdarXideX #7 4 years ago

    "This is KTIT! K-tit! Playing the breast.. er.. best tunes in town!"

  • viper_h #8 4 years ago

    Out before Duke Nukem Forever then?

  • jambolio #9 4 years ago

    Shake it baby!
    Ace, 3D Realms wont need to release anything else ever again, every new generation of consoles re-release this, I have had it on PC, N64 and I am sure others over the years, my brains a little addled right now.
    Hence the secret project of Forever, they will be re-selling the same game over and over, muhahaha.
    Edited by 1 at 07/02/08 @ 09:57

  • Rodney #10 4 years ago

    this has aged pretty well, I still play it from time to time. looking forward to the multiplayer on this, should be good fun.

  • xAx #11 4 years ago

    Im looking for an alien toilet to plant my bricks in?

    wait....what?

  • SimonM7 #12 4 years ago

    "This year", what tosh.

    This is exactly why XBLA isn't working the way it's supposed to. People say to look to it for the PS2/Wii alternative of Xbox platforms in terms of low cost, short dev cycles, but if things that are already essentially finished take this long to come out then it's pretty obvious someone somewhere isn't giving it much priority.

    If THEY don't care, then I find it difficult to care myself.

    Will still pick it up though.

  • JayPee #13 4 years ago

    "Release Slot"

    Gosh, harsh.

  • louyfitz #14 4 years ago

    well this is the only game on XBLA apart from Doom that isn't complete shit, so I might download it.

    But wait a minute, you can get a crap PC and download these for free.

    big whoops to Microsoft on the money for old rope count.

  • krudster #15 4 years ago

    Probably the best piece of gaming news this year.

  • space_ace #16 4 years ago

    first xbla purchase for me too...

    ...when it comes out in 2012

  • Diomedes117 #17 4 years ago

    This sounds awesome!!!

  • Gnort #18 4 years ago

    Those alien bastards are going to pay for shooting up my ride!

  • Rirekon #19 4 years ago

    Pass, though if they feel like putting the first 2 on there I'll buy those.

  • espadachin #20 4 years ago

    Fanstastic news, definite purchase for me!

  • Cylinder #21 4 years ago

    "But wait a minute, you can get a crap PC and download these for free. "

    Free? The shareware version is free yes, but if you want all three episodes you do still have to buy it.

  • Walshicus #22 4 years ago

    Duke Nukem 1, Duke Nukem 2 and the Commander Keen games would be better... but this will do.

  • miiiguel #23 4 years ago

    "This is exactly why XBLA isn't working the way it's supposed to."
    Where did you hear that? XBLA is a bigger success than MS imagined, I supose. Americans are crazy for thsese games. MS/devs probably could live on dollars.
    Edited by 1 at 07/02/08 @ 11:53

  • Katsumoto #24 4 years ago

    If I had a 360 i'd snap this up instantly. Awesome news.

    /goes back to trying to get his ancient copy to work with vista

  • NthSimulachum #25 4 years ago

    Commander Keen is annoying. Is there anyway to kill those sentient rocks?

  • SimonM7 #26 4 years ago

    @ miiiguel

    XBLA theoretically allow small games, low cost (in itself a laughable suggestion as they're not even remotely low) to come out faster as an alternative to the full on next gen extravaganzas. This is not the case in practice. The truth is that even something tiny takes forever, and you'll be more likely to get a bigger number of high profile million dollar productions in a certain time span than XBLA ones.

    Even this, even a finished game is talked about in terms of 12 month windows, and I find that depressing.

  • kangarootoo #27 4 years ago

    I'm going to have to don my "cynical, hope its good, but just not sure" hat on this one.

    I loved DN3D to bits when it was current, but it will have aged shedloads by now. I really hope it still kicks ass (no pun intended) but almost every retro title that I've played in recent times has just tarnished a favourable memory.

    I don't know if I ever quite recovered when I discovered that, by modern standards, Double Dragon is a bit shit.

    Fingers crossed.
    Edited by 1 at 07/02/08 @ 13:28

  • kangarootoo #28 4 years ago

    @SimonM7

    The thing with software dev is that the more people you throw at it, the quicker it gets done, but the more it costs. XBLA games are comparatively low return and so they don't get anything near the resources of a front line title. Hence it takes way longer.

    If DN3D on XBLA had the same priority and resources as something like Gears of War, it would be ported and into format QA in under 3 weeks (made up figures, but almost certainly in about the right place).

    Don't know how long XBLA format QA takes mind, the queue could be quite long.
    Edited by 1 at 07/02/08 @ 13:31

  • MGG #29 4 years ago

    @kangarootoo: "The thing with software dev is that the more people you throw at it, the quicker it gets done"

    Ummm, which parallel universe do you live in? The more people you throw at a project, once you get beyond the "peak" number, the quicker it falls apart because of the additional management required to get everyone synchronized.

    yours,
    MSc Management of IT.




    ;)

  • miiiguel #30 4 years ago

    Simon, I wasn't comenting on the time window for some XBLA development, I was on the XBLA reaching its goals thingy. And USers love that shit, I mean I have loadsa of those on my FL who buy every single one, and 360 Arcade SKU sold big numbers during Xmas in the states. So my guess is XBLA is doing very good - although I never got into that. I have 5 LA games, and the last one I bought but haven't even played it yet - Rez HD.

  • FooAtari #31 4 years ago

    "don't have time to play with myself"

  • philw #32 4 years ago

    wow I'm officially jealous of XBLA now.

    /goes back to bodged-together DOSBox version...

  • Ryze #33 4 years ago

    @MGG

    With all due respect... not arsed about the student manager's perspective - have you seen this in practice? I expect though that you're absolutely right.

    Boast about your real world experience!

    As far as the game's concerned... launch day purchase! I can finally give back the Saturn version that I borrowed from my friend last summer! Excellent conversion by Lobotomy.

  • Antwandemarco #34 4 years ago

    I'm suprised at the amount of people that only have a couple of games, i think i have somewhere around the thirty figure. I bloody love xbla, think its on of the systems big plusses.

  • Xerx3s #35 4 years ago

    @SimonM7: In theory one could make a game at no cost at all for XBLA. If you're a bedroom dev with talent and motivation, it's pretty much possible to make something in the evenings and have a small game done in a year or so. I don't know if you're familiar with XNA but it's about the simplest thing I've ever seen for making professional games. One could make basic side scrollers, rts, rpg's, etc. in as little time as one day (I did).

    Of course it's not the development that is the problem. It's QA and getting planned in that's time consuming.

    @saying that they don't need this as it's on the pc: I have it installed atm. Can't play it because the graphics are jut big blocks of pixels. Has glitches all over because even with dosbox, it still doesn't run properly. Does your pc version have HD support (mandatory)? Does it have updated graphics and audio? Does it have achievements? Live integration?
    Even your pc version isn't free (and if it was, you're a pirate). If they can port it over just as well as D2, it will be well worth 800 points.
    Edited by 1 at 07/02/08 @ 22:50

  • keith12354 #36 4 years ago

    Thats Ausome
    I LOVE DUKE NUKEM 3D