Critical reception On the review aggregation site
Metacritic,
Duke Nukem Forever has a range score between 49–54/100, indicating "mixed or average reviews" on the PC and PlayStation 3 versions and "generally unfavorable reviews" on the Xbox 360 version. and
Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw, creator of
Zero Punctuation, named it among the worst games of the year. Many critics disliked the level design and shooting. Kevin VanOrd of
GameSpot felt that the "joy" of the
Duke Nukem 3D combat had been "flattened", with "little sense of impact", and found the design tedious. He called
Duke Nukem Forever a "bad, boring, bargain bin kind of game".
The Escapist agreed: "Having been almost cryo-frozen for more than a decade, then awoken and peppered with modern touches,
Duke Nukem Forever feels so out of place." Another common criticism was with the game's lack of technical sophistication, including inconsistent graphics and unacceptably long loading times, which
GameTrailers called "unholy";
Edge wrote that "the myriad technical shortcomings – particularly prevalent on the console ports – only get worse the further you progress into the campaign", The PC version has since been patched to greatly decrease loading times and to add two optional inventory slots. The use of the series' trademark humor received a mixed response. In one regard, some critics such as
Team Xbox praised the voice work of
Jon St. John, who did an "excellent job as always with Duke's persona", while others such as
Machinima.com appreciated the comedic gameplay tips and pop culture references. However, the same critic also noted that "parts of the narrative and dialogue show clear evidence of the game's elongated development. Many pop culture references refer to media in the early 2000s, with one-liners co-opted from 'guy' movies like
Old School,
Highlander, and
Commando, which in itself could cause blank stares from most of the current potential audience." Croshaw found that the level was "as jarring a shift of tone as you can get without splicing five minutes of
The Human Centipede into the middle of
Mallrats".
Destructoid wrote: "Duke does not come across as cool, witty or likeable in the least. He comes across as a vile, callous, thoroughly detestable psychopath ... According to Gearbox, seeing women tortured was funny enough." Critics cited the long development time as a factor in the finished product. In a positive review
PC Gamer noted that "years of anticipation will spoil
Duke Nukem Forever for some", adding, "There's no reinvention of the genre here, no real attempt at grandeur... Check unrealistic expectations at the door and forget the ancient, hyperbolic promises of self-deluded developers", and concluded, "Don't expect a miracle. Duke is still the hero we love, but struggles to keep up with modern times." Jake Denton of
Computer and Video Games wrote that parts of the game were fun to play and listed it as one of the "5 most underrated games of 2011", while admitting the game's overall faulty structure. Joseph Milne of
FPSguru.com featured the game on his list of "Top 5 underrated games" at number 4 on the list.
Sales According to research firm NPD,
Duke Nukem Forever sold 376,300 units in its first month, not including digital copies.
Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of
2K Games, revealed in July 2011 that the game sales were half of their initial expectations. However, in an earnings call on August 8, 2011, Take-Two said that
Duke Nukem Forever would prove profitable. == Legacy ==