The last time somebody on Planet Earth mentioned Duke Nukem Forever, it was to file a lawsuit against Gearbox. By contrast, interest in its distant predecessor (and very distant relation) continues to merit support for a plethora of modern platforms. A Steam patch yesterday introduced comprehensive Linux support to Duke Nukem 3D. And. That’s. Not. All.
The update has also made user maps accessible from the main menu, infused the game with widescreen compatibility for weapon sprites, added three new Steam achievements and replaced the intro videos with hi-res equivalents. Bugs have been fixed and the list of possible keybindings expanded. What’s more, the options menu has been augmented with something that should be industry standard by now: separate sliders for sound and music.
Players can now also plump for the arguably superior SC-55 version of Duke’s soundtrack, which is nice.
Who’s done the updating, you ask? Look to Devolver Digital, the publisher responsible for introducing both Duke’s comprehensive Megaton Edition and Shadow Warrior: Classic Redux (now also with its own Linux version) to Steam. It was them what done it.
I played partway through Duke Nukem 3D about a year and a half ago. People do still do it. Coming off the back of the original Doom, though, I was mildly disappointed by the way scripted goings-on seemed to cut the corners off player freedom.
Anybody else been living out the ‘90s two decades late?