The first half of the game, from alien rape by penis monsters to awkward blowjobs to robotic stripteases, is blatantly misogynistic. And not in a lovable Ron burgundy, Whale's Vagina kind of way. Nor is it ever remotely approaching something sensual or titillating. It's instead misogynistic in the worst sense of the word: like a drunk uncle, a leering stranger, a repeat sex offender.

Advertisement

What's maybe worse still is that, despite the protestations of blinkered fans and teary-eyed nostalgics, the bigot on display in this game is not the Duke Nukem people claim (or wish) him to be. Not the Duke we remember, and not the one he has ever been. If you need to check this, the original Duke Nukem 3D is now available for $6 from the Apogee store; play it and you'll see the action hero pastiche on display in the 1996 game bears little resemblance to the monotone pervert on show for half the 2011 release.

Advertisement

All this made me question why this game has been released the way it has. I will never question the fact it has been released: every game, no matter how shitty, no matter how questionable someone finds its subject matter, has a right to be released. You want to call video games art, that's how it goes.

But I do question why a major developer, Gearbox Software, and one of the world's biggest publishers, Take-Two (through its 2K label), lent their names to the project. It seems slightly irresponsible, given the game's unsavoury content.

Advertisement

Both parties will have seen the offensive material in the game, and surely somebody, at some point along the way, thought, "Hey, it's 2011, some of this stuff isn't cool." The game may have been developed elsewhere, mostly at 3D Realms, but both parties still signed off on the thing.

In doing so, whether explicitly or not, they are endorsing this kind of content. They're willing to actively promote and make a ton of money off a character whose ridiculous quips and bigoted behaviour (which you can see some of in the NSFW videos in this post) would be hurried out the office of every TV network or film studio executive in the developed world.

Advertisement

And that sends a disappointing message. The video game industry, and video game fans, have long been calling for the medium to be treated with a little more respect, that its creative output can be as professional as that produced on the television or silver screen. Take-Two of all companies should be aware of this, what with their constant defence of the excesses of the Grand Theft Auto series, which it also publishes (and which, unlike this game, with its caricatures and satire and quality writing is defensible).

For two companies as powerful and influential as Gearbox and Take-Two to completely ignore that in the name of a quick buck is thus very disappointing. To be expected, perhaps, but still disappointing. Especially for a game that wasn't worth it in the first place.