Duke Nukem 64 is the Nintendo 64 port of the first-person shooter MS-DOS/PC game Duke Nukem 3D.
The Nintendo 64 port features significant changes from the PC version, including modified and expanded levels and a different set of weapons. The port also includes a four-player deathmatch mode and a two-player co-op mode via split-screen. The game's mature themes have been minimized to satisfy Nintendo's adult content standards.
In July 2020, the game was ported to the PC as part of the Rednukem project.
Levels
See Also: Level Changes in Duke Nukem 64
Singleplayer
In the Nintendo 64 version, levels are not divided into episodes. Instead, levels are always completed in an unbroken sequence beginning with Hollywood Holocaust and ending with Stadium. In the PC source port, levels are divided into the original Duke Nukem 3D episodes.
Almost all of the original levels from Duke Nukem 3D are present, but the secret levels Spin Cycle and Tier Drops have been replaced by two levels from the Atomic Edition, namely Duke-Burger (accessible via Gun Crazy) and Area 51 (accessible via Movie Set).
In addition, The Abyss and Overlord have each been split into two levels.
Many of the levels exhibit significant changes from the PC version, most notably Rabid Transit.
The levels progress as follows:
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1. Hollywood Holocaust |
11. Warp Factor |
21. Bank Roll |
Multiplayer
There are also four multiplayer-only levels. Piracy is a modified section of the level Babe Land from the Atomic Edition, and Noctis Labyrinthus is a secret level, only accessible via a secret exit button in Shaft.
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Weapons
Main Article: Weapons in Duke Nukem 64
Some weapons have been replaced with new ones, and three weapons now support secondary ammo types.
Weapons found in Duke Nukem 64:
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1. Mighty Foot |
6. Pipe Bombs |
Secondary ammo types:
Changes from Duke Nukem 3D
New gameplay mechanic: Freeing captive women
In Duke Nukem 64, captive women can be freed from alien pods, a feature that did not exist in Duke Nukem 3D. Alongside the number of enemies killed and secrets found, the total number of "Babes Saved" during a level is now displayed on the level-end screen after hitting the exit button.
Concomitant with this change, captive women can no longer be killed, and they no longer say "Kill me..." when Duke is standing near them. In addition, all captive women found underwater or hanging from ceilings have been replaced with mangled corpses, since they cannot be freed. In the game's memory, there are unused animations of the captive women breaking free from alien pods, but in the final version, they merely sparkle and vanish when freed.
Retired gameplay mechanics
A few gameplay mechanics from Duke Nukem 3D have been removed from this version of the game.
- The level-end screen no longer displays level times. This means that levels no longer have a "Par Time" or "3D Realms' Time" associated with them.
- It is no longer possible to save the player's progress during the course of a level. Instead, progress is only saved upon completing each level. This may explain why The Abyss and Overlord have each been split into two levels; they have been split in such a way that the player's progress is saved immediately before the boss battles.
Boss battle with the Battlelord. The option to save game manually has been removed, but progress is automatically saved before boss battles.
Level changes
Main Article: Level Changes in Duke Nukem 64
Nearly all the levels have been modified, and a handful of levels have been profoundly expanded.
(Image: Noctis Labyrinthus)
Weapon changes
Main Article: Weapons in Duke Nukem 64
All of the weapons have been graphically redrawn, and a few new weapons have been introduced. Three weapons now support multiple ammo types.
Left: Regular Shotgun Shells. Right: Explosive Shotgun Shells. Bottom: Plasma Cannon.
Enemy changes
Main Article: Enemies in Duke Nukem 64
- Protector Drones from the Atomic Edition have been added to some of the levels, and they have been renamed "Alien Beasts." Notably, however, Pig Cop Tanks from the Atomic Edition do not appear anywhere in the game.
- Although the Alien Beasts are still capable of shrinking Duke, they are no longer able to shrink Duke while the God Mode cheat is active.
Overlord Sentry - The game features Overlord Sentries, which are smaller and weaker versions of the Overlord. The Overlord Sentries would not make an appearance on the PC until roughly two decades later via the 20th Anniversary Edition.
- The Battlelord Sentries and Overlord Sentries can now be inflated by the Expander, but they are no longer affected by the Shrinker.
Assault Trooper & Assault Captain - Assault Troopers and Assault Captains have been redrawn with blue armor and larger red eyes. Assault Troopers and Assault Captains are now visually indistinguishable.
- The Cycloid Emperor in the final level is now rendered with a fully 3D polygonal model.
- Alien corpses can now be destroyed by being kicked or shot with any weapon, in addition to the explosives that could destroy their corpses in the PC version.
Inventory changes
- The Steroids have been renamed "Vitamin X."
- The player's Armor amount is now displayed under the inventory as an item, rather than having its own unique place in the HUD.
Cinematic changes
- Explosions are now rendered in 3D, and they are accompanied by smoke and semi-transparent visual effects.
- All mirrors in the game are shattered. Duke's reflection is never shown.
- The skies and/or backdrops on each level are a solid color. Stated more technically, there are no parallax effects.
- The game begins with an introductory cutscene, explaining Duke's previous exploits in Duke Nukem I and Duke Nukem II.
Audio changes
- Except for the menu music, there is no in-game music.
- Duke's one-liners have been re-recorded by Jon St. John, with potentially offensive language rephrased or removed entirely. For example, the line "those alien bastards" has been replaced with "those alien scum," and the line "you're the disease, and I'm the cure" has been replaced with "die, you son of a bitch." Other phrases, such as "eat shit and die," are nowhere to be found. However, some crude phrases, such as "it's time to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and I'm all out of gum," are still present.
Bugs
Main Article: Bugs in Duke Nukem 64
Duke Nukem 64 has many known software bugs. Briefly, these include the appearance of multiplayer-only Expander sprites during singleplayer, looping sound effects, scrambling map layouts when standing atop certain doors, enemies spawning inside of walls, exploding when touching certain surfaces, and multiplying elevators during multiplayer.
Trailers
External links
- Official game manual
- Wikipedia article
- MobyGames article
- Cheat codes via Cheat Code Central
- Video walkthrough by 420Stig
- Duke Nukem 64 Total Conversion for Duke Nukem 3D
- N64 Music Pack for EDuke32
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