Being a Cliche Makes Duke Nukem Unique, Says Gearbox Boss

[Logan Westbrook]

Being a Cliche Makes Duke Nukem Unique, Says Gearbox Boss

A caricature in a world of very serious characters tends to stand out.

Randy Pitchford , the head of Duke Nukem Forever [http://www.amazon.com/Duke-Nukem-Forever-Xbox-360/dp/B002I0HAC6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307012185&sr=8-1] developer, Gearbox Software, says that being stitched together from old action movie tropes and clichés actually makes Duke Nukem one of the most unique characters around today.

Pitchford said a lot of developers - Gearbox included - were aiming for realism with their action game, and so their protagonists were often rather serious. In that environment, he said, Duke's uncomplicated motivations and ridiculously overblown, hyper-macho persona tended to make him stand out. Pitchford also thought that this tongue-in-cheek portrayal of Duke as an "All-American Hero" was what made the character so popular internationally.

While Duke himself may be a relic from an older time, Pitchford wanted to make it clear that his game was not. Pitchford said that because Duke Nukem Forever had been in development for such a long time some people might be expecting for it to feel like a game they might have played ten years ago, but that it was actually a thoroughly modern game. Pitchford said that Gearbox had worked hard to maintain a balance between modern sensibilities and the kind of game experiences that he referred to as "timeless."

Duke Nukem Forever comes out for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 on June 10th in Europe and Australia, and on June 14th in North America.

Source: PlayStation Blog [http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/06/01/duke-nukem-forever-randy-pitchford-talks-ps3-version-playstation-legacy/]


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[Infernai]

Cliche= Unique?

Now that's a paradox if i ever saw one!

 

[Realitycrash]

Cliche= Unique?

Now that's a paradox if i ever saw one!

In a world where everything "Cliché" of old have been frowned upon, a modern "old" cliché will be unique.

 

[TerribleAssassin]

Makes me look forward more. I'd love to see how they balance out ridiculous with realism.

(Typing with the on-screen keyboard is hard :/ )

 

[LiquidGrape]

Ah, this is obviously some strange use of the word "unique" that I wasn't previously aware of.

 

[Pat8u]

Cliche= Unique?

Now that's a paradox if i ever saw one!

In a world where everything "Cliché" of old have been frowned upon, a modern "old" cliché will be unique.

that makes it unique and not a cliche so yea its a very minor paradox that probably could be solved
OT:Not getting the game cause Im saving up for supanova but it still looks pretty good as for the cliche thing I couldn't care less

 

[josemlopes]

Still, they are right, although what is considered now cliche isnt what used to be cliche, Duke was cliche but he sure isnt now, its a rarity to have a character like him nowadays.

 

[Xerosch]

Hmm... I wouldn't mind playing a traditional 'fun' FPS ('fun' as in possibly everything being non-realistic), so 'Duke Nukem Forever' seems to deliver.

I do hope however they keep the driving sequences very limited and short. I suck at it and frankly hate every non-driving game that forces me to drag myself through those sections to continue.

 

[WanderingFool]

Cliche= Unique?

Now that's a paradox if i ever saw one!

In a world where everything "Cliché" of old have been frowned upon, a modern "old" cliché will be unique.

Thats what im thinking. Duke is a set of completely different cliches than all or Ramerez (SP) or Masons.

 

[Anachronism]

Frankly, I look forward to playing a loudmouth, wisecracking, womanising B-movie action hero. It'll be a very nice change from surly, growling space marines wearing twice their own weight in body armour. If the character is enjoying what he's doing, it's far more likely that the player will as well.

On another note: I actually hope they haven't made DNF too modern. I was hoping it would play like an old-school late-90s FPS, which it seems largely to be a throwback too. That said, I'll settle for being able to run faster than a car and carrying ten weapons that need two hands to use.

 

[Spade Lead]

Still, they are right, although what is considered now cliche isnt what used to be cliche, Duke was cliche but he sure isnt now, its a rarity to have a character like him nowadays.

Yeah, and I actually decided to buy this game, so I am excited for it, and I don't care how generic it is, as long as he spews one-liners and manliness the whole time. (We need an overpowered badass to save us from the realistic shooters getting boring.)

 

[bobmus]

Randy Pitchford , the head of Duke Nukem Forver developer, Gearbox Software, says that being a stitched together from old action movie tropes and clichés...

Maybe a little editing required? Just saying...

OT: Yes it makes him unique, but is it because people moved past that being amusing or necessary many years ago? Duke could just be stuck in a bygone era we don't need to relive. Or the game could be very entertaining and over the top, I guess it depends how well Gearbox pull it off!

Also 'a balance between modern sensibilities and the kind of game experiences that he referred to as timeless' - please let that not mean we can carry 10 kinds of weapons in a timeless way but have the modern un-sensibility of cover-based shooting!

 

[Zhukov]

Wait... it's out in Australia before the USA?

Hm. I am tempted to pre-order it just so I can spend four blissful days taunting the Americans.

Y'know, just for a change.

"Ha! This'll teach you to get Portal 2 several days in advance! Also, consider this pre-emptive revenge for Deus Ex and Mass Effect 3!"

 

[Ninjat_126]

It makes sense to me. You've got cliches, and then you've got intentional, over-the-top cliches. And Duke seems to be the second type.

Hopefully it'll make a nice change from the run of the mill protagonists.

 

[Sevre]

Cliche= Unique?

Now that's a paradox if i ever saw one!

He's not just a cliche, he's the meta-cliche. There's two extremes here for originality; 1) avoid all cliches, which is very hard to do, or 2) use every cliche in the book. He's original because he parodies everything about the FPS/Action Hero genre. He's the ultimate pisstake of hypermasculinity high-octane ultra-violent fun.

 

[Sparrow]

No, being an intentional cliche makes him unique.

 

[bam13302]

god i hope it is just as fast paced as all those old games
like unreal tournament (the unreal tournament, not 2004, or ut3, or any of those) *goes back to playing UT while waiting for duke nukem's first access code to be released*

 

[funguy2121]

Cliche= Unique?

Now that's a paradox if i ever saw one!

Ninja'd. 'Cos, y'know, video games have nothing but super-serious characters like Parappa the Rapper, Ratchet and Clank, and Mario. Serious guys, there, Russian novelist serious. Very stoic, that Mario.

I'm pretty sick of developers, especially crappy developers, claiming that they understand satire. Duke Nukem is not Jon Stewart. More like Dolph Lundgren. Without the jazz.

 

[Tsukuyomi]

Hmm...I like and understand what they're trying to say, but I kind of wonder: Why these tidbits?

Certainly they're interesting and all, but it feels like they're defending the game and the character, which I'm honestly torn on if that's the right thing to do or not. Yes there's going to be criticism of the game and the character. That just comes with the territory that is Duke. But would a better answer, instead of responding to the likeliest criticisms, be to just ignore it all and let the game speak for itself?

Part of me says yes, or that it would at least be a more dignified option. (although admittedly the prospect of Duke doesn't exactly imply any kind of dignity)

But part of me still thinks it's at least a positive to tackle such issues and for them to get their own say in now. Ultimately though I'm just not sure if it's the right course of action given all the conflicting views and emotions surrounding this game.

I will agree, though...there is something either unique or at least...gutsy...to have a cliche character in this day and age. The problem may just come in that he's standing alone. Duke strikes me as one of those characters who, while good on his own, may perform even better with a straight-man/serious-face sidekick constantly trying to keep up.