Gaming Target - Game Boy: Duke Nukem Advance

Written by Kyle Williams on July 26, 2002

Final Glimpse: "Get Some!"

After being delayed nearly a year, Duke Nukem is finally going to be hitting the Game Boy Advance next month in a brand new adventure. Australia's Torus Games has taken the developmental reins on this one and is promising one hell of an action packed time. Taking some of its cues from the wildly popular Duke Nukem 3D, Duke Nukem Advance is the next evolution in GBA first person shooters.

Not a straight port of the classic PC title, Duke Nukem advance is sporting an original story and an array of new locations and features. This time around, alien scientists have taken over the Earth and only our favorite hero can stop them from executing their evil science experiments. Duke's quest to save the world is taking him to the four-corners of the planet, including such exotic locales as Australia and the Temple of Amun in Egypt. "One of the things I really wanted in the game," laments game producer Brian Uniacke, "was to have the Temple blowing up as you escape - a homage to my childhood TV adventures."

We have already seen some impressive "3D" first person shooters already released on the GBA, but Duke Nukem Advance is looking to take things to the next level. The first thing that you are going to notice when you fire DNA (huh, I didn't realize the game's initials were so cool) up is that the frame rate soars. The development process that Torus took helped to insure that they were able to implement everything that they wanted to. Additionally, the "develop, then adjust" mentality that they took with the game allowed them to continually coax better performance out of the little handheld. In fact, by converting their C development code into machine code, they have been able to push the frame rate even faster.

There are also going to be a few control improvements that Duke sports over the competition. The first is the substitution of a jump button for the action button. The jump button is going to open the door to a whole new type of puzzle that GBA action titles can include. Second, the ability to look up and down is going to give players the chance to fully appreciate the dramatic level design... and pick enemies off of high ledges. These two features have been staples in PC titles of this nature, but up to this point have been neglected on the GBA.

It has always looked like Duke Nukem Advance would have an enjoyable single player experience, but until recently it looked like multiplayer modes might be neglected. Fortunately, last September saw a reevaluation of the project and the game was granted an extension on its development time. While we have had to wait almost a full extra year for the game, it looks to be worth the wait. Multiplayer has been one of the features implemented with the extra time and as we all know, there is nothing quite like blowing your roommate's head off. As an added little extra, Torus is attempting an asynchronous multiplayer system that would allow players to pull out their link cable, plug it back in, and be able to continue playing. If successful, this should help avoid those "accidental" exits from multiplayer arenas.

Everyone that has ever played a Duke Nukem game knows that Duke's colorful personality is what really made the game stand out. You can count on the fact that this game will feel like a Duke game. Most importantly, voice-overs for Duke are making an appearance and will help to make players feel right at home. However, don't expect that things will be quite as liberal as they were on the PC. Duke Nukem Advance is locked into a teen rating and as such, some of the background elements have had to be toned down. Don't expect the nightclubs in DNA to be quite as flavorful as in the past.