same outrageous firepower, new perspective

Duke Nukem -- Time to Kill is one of those games that is hard to appreciate. In reading some of the negative reviews here, I saw a lot of PC Duke fans using their 100-120 words to complain about how it was not like the PC game. FYI, it's also not like the other PSX Duke Nukem game, which is like the PC game everyone loves. Time to Kill is more in the idiom of the Tomb Raider series, and it definitely requires some adaptation to become comfortable with the new perspective. Instead of an enigmatic warrior who can only be seen in mirrors and the like, this game features a burly little Duke character who is normally controlled from a perspective just above and behind his position. Though Duke's sleazy wit and surreal arsenal remain intact, this is a different game from previous Duke Nukem titles, and direct comparisons to the PC releases miss the point of this very different game.

As I have suggested, this is a difficult game to get into. When I first bought it I was disappointed, and I never even made the effort to solve the first level. While I still have not completed the game, I have recently started playing again, and I have discovered that it really can be a great deal of fun. One of the barriers to enjoyment of the product is a somewhat awkward method of control combined with some subtle but annoying features of the game engine. It is possible to get caught up on small objects that are not immediately visible, and a small amount of skill may be required to cope with climbing and jumping tasks, some of which seem as if they should be more basic. Also, though this feature has been a part of the genre since the days of Wolfenstein 3D and Doom, the puzzles involved in getting out of each level can be a little frustrating. This is definitely a game where resorting to a strategy guide or online FAQ is no shame. In fact, knowing where the power ups and keys are in advance was essential to getting past the frustration of wandering around a level that has been mostly cleared of enemies, doing the extremely unfun activity of searching for that last crystal/scrap of paper/whatever that is required to move on to more combat.

Another thing that helped with my personal enjoyment of the game was the intervening purchase of Tenchu: Stealth Assassins. In most of the "shooter" games, it is par for the course if a player charges into a room and starts blasting away. I found Duke Nukem -- Time to Kill much more enjoyable when I started exploiting cover and stealth. There is a greater investment of time required to wait until enemies show you their back sides, but the payoff that comes from a series of nice clean kills is well worth it. The controls are actually quite helpful for actions like peaking around a corner or hanging from a ledge. Fans of that ninja game are likely to enjoy the way firepower and stealth can be combined for a thrilling and bloody adventure.

One of the most praiseworthy things about this game is the AI of the creatures. Throughout much of this genre, enemies are programmed to stand and deliver at all costs. Here is it not so. Wounded enemies may flee at a full run, making them difficult targets. The bad guys seem to know enough to rally together and confront Duke in groups rather than offering themselves up as part of an endless trickle of slaughter. After the first couple of stages, there are even kamikaze enemies that will strap on some high explosives and then run straight at Duke the moment they see him. This kind of threat makes it all the more important to stay alert and have an instant, lethal response to any enemies in motion you see. Though I would not say the gun violence in this game is remotely realistic, it is tremendously fun and at the same time a real challenge, even at the default skill level.

For those not familiar with the Duke Nukem series, part of what makes the games so appealing is the way Duke reacts to his environment. Though you would have to be a particularly prudish Puritan to regard the animations and comments as erotic, the game does offer a good stream of humorous remarks. Though there are not really any "laugh at loud" comments, Duke's quips and the occasional moments of speech from others in the game help give the characters enough depth to avoid looking at them all simply as computer animations. After playing a good level or two, you start to take an interest in Duke's adventure and feel compelled to press on through extremely difficult situations. The game even has the wit to include some mocking remarks about its rivals, such as the Tomb Raider series or the GEX games.

Though I do not consider this game to be one of my favorites, and I might agree with those who say that the first-person perspective Duke games were better, I do believe that Duke Nukem -- Time to Kill is a fun experience worthy of the considerable amount of time required to work through all the various levels. It clearly is not for everyone, and it may require a little dedication to achieve the comfort level required to really enjoy the game, but it is not a failure by any means. I do recommend the use of a strategy guide, and I do offer a warning that the game will not really begin to shine until one rises to a level of skill that enables sustainable progress through the levels, but with that in mind I would recommend this game to friends. Compared to others of its genre, I would say it is more fun than Ultimate Doom but not quite as enjoyable as Maximum Descent. If you do decide to play it as a rental rather than a purchase, try to get it for a week or so, because completing the game is not as easy as most walkthroughs make it sound.