Duke Nukem: Zero Hour Review

Nice Looking Levels
Large 3D Environments
Trash Talking
Lots of Weapons & Items
Adult Humor
4 Player Mode

No Mid-Level Save Points
Spazzy Camera
Slow Animated Jumping

Duke Nukem fans who are looking to enjoy Duke in 3D will dig this outing on N64. Everything you've come to expect in a Duke game is intact and this time it's in 3D. The typical Duke humor is here, which means that young children should not be playing this game. Posters of scantily clad women (scantily is being generous...) abound in this game as do the sexual innuendo's used in the advertising around New York. And I thought Mayor Rudy cleaned up the Big Apple... Parents take note: This game is as far removed from Yoshi's Story as you can get. Duke's comments are peppered with minor curse words like Damn, Ass and Hell which are now so common place in our society, I wouldn't be surprised if Big Bird started spewing them. What it comes down to, is knowing what this game is about. If you purchased this game for your child without examining the content, you only have yourself to blame when your son is transfixed by the poster of a females almost completely naked buttocks.

Now don't get me wrong. There is a lot to like about Duke; if you are old enough to get "it". The levels are huge and look great if you are using the Expansion Pak. Duke has his arsenal of weapons and his ego damaging one-liners. Why there are even babes to rescue and if you look close enough you'll spot some Simpson's references like the Mr. Plough posters littered through town and even the Erotic Cakes Store from when Homer went 3D.

Just as in Duke's 3D PlayStation outing, Time To Kill, time travel plays a big part. You'll have to erase the alien menace that are threatening to re-write history through four time periods. Luckily Duke isn't travelling light. You'll have close to twenty different implements of destruction to help you along as well as six helpful items such as gas masks, night vision goggles, scuba gear and protective boots. I'd like to know where the jetpack is! With all of these extras, including a handy dandy sniper rifle, Duke almost comes off as a Solid Snake wannabe. But stealth and patience were never Duke's strong points.

Controlling Duke takes a lot of time to get used to. You'll have to find the controller configuration that best suits your style. Thankfully, GT Interactive gives you eight configurations to choose from. The biggest problem with the control is the spazzy camera. It's not bad outdoors where it can swing around a bit, but indoors the camera is a nightmare for the most part while it swings crazily from left to right. Just trying to get through doors is a challenge at first. Expect a good hour learning curve. If you spend some time at the compound before embarking on your first mission, you can go through some training exercises that will help prepare Duke for the battles ahead. Just like in real life however, you really have to be in the thick of things to really gain experience.

Musically Duke is cool but this game isn't about the tunes, it is about the "dry cool wit" of our action hero pal. Although Duke himself (voiced by John St. Jon) sounds like he has some adenoid troubles, I won't be the one to tell him that, lest he give me an attitude adjustment upside the head. Duke cracks wise throughout the game, and although you will hear him repeat himself, Duke is a man of few words. He won't be talking your ear off like Gex and he for sure won't be saying, "Yeah, baby!" ala Austin Powers, a million times.

Zero Hour's one saving grace is its four player mode. Although not quite as nifty as GoldenEye, it still is a blast to play with a few friends. 4 modes of multi-player mayhem are available that will entertain you for weeks to come. Definitely check out this part of the game for a night or two with some buddies. Being able to have the third players window (if you are only playing with 3) take up the bottom half of the screen is a beautiful idea, especially for those of us who hate playing in a 1/4 sized window.

Complaint Dept. Right out of the starting gate, you had better turn up the brightness control on the television. The last thing you'll want is to die because you can't see an enemy. Luckily that can be fixed. The difficulty, is another issue entirely. This game is BRUTALLY HARD. Without mid-level save points, this game is impossible. It is one of the most frustrating games I've ever played. Dying right near the end of a level is common place and you must always start the level over again from the beginning. Boo hiss! Who cares if that level took you 45 minutes already? Do it again! What could have and should have been a fun outing with a few flaws becomes an exercise in repetition and frustration. I could have lived with the spazzy camera and the ridiculously slow animation of the jumps, but playing a level over and again because of cheap deaths is unforgivable and while I'm at it, just plain mean,

If you think I'm kidding about the level of difficulty, just try the game. The only way most will get through Zero Hour is by cheating their butts off with a GameShark. If the save points were remedied this game would have scored at least 2 points higher, and that my friends, makes me sad, because I do like this game. What could have been a keeper is unfortunately relegated to a renter.

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