Extra Punctuation: Yahtzee Could Have Written Duke Nukem Forever

[gamegod25]

Too bad they didn't like your idea, I think making it an ironic game about Duke as a relic of the 90's trying to find his place in today's world. Also the start of the game where it turns out it was Duke playing a game, I would have made that the ending.

Here's my synopsis: After the events of 3D, Duke has fallen into obscurity and is looked down upon as an old relic of the past. But then the aliens return and it's up to Duke to show the world how kick ass...90's style!

It's a shame that after such a long wait they couldn't make something that was at least passable, nothing could have lived up to the hype but at least something decent instead of a giant turd.

 

[mbourgon]

The problem with yay/nay is that the mediocre can get a really high rating. Urbanspoon does this, and we keep wishing for a more nuanced scale (even just a yay/meh/nay). Went to an italian restaurant the other day with a 95% on Urbanspoon. It was...fine. Not great, not good. Fine. Harmless. What do I rate that?

 

[rembrandtqeinstein]

I'm still gunshy from Bioshock. Everyone raved how good the story was when it was barely above "has a story" level.

Then nobody wrote about the STALKER story that was totally fresh and original even if it wasn't a LONG story it certainly fit the mythology that was being built.

But between this and the video review it looks like it will be worth picking up.

 

[Starik20X6]

As much as I adored both Infamous games, I agree that this would be a nice place to leave them. If there is another game, I reckon it should be completely unrelated, borrowing only the name and gameplay, kinda like BioShock Infinite is doing. Oooh you know what'd be cool? An Infamous game set in a sort of gothic noir setting a la Batman: The Animated Series.

 

[GeorgW]

As I said in the review, I'm completely dumbfounded by your praise of inFAMOUS 2's story. I loathed it. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.296612-Hypnotic-reviews-inFAMOUS-2#11728410]

But damn, it would be so awesome if you had written DNF. Make the sequel!

 

[Ashcrexl]

"apocolyptic ending"

Yahtzee, i've had the past two games i've played (L.A Noire and portal 2) spoiled by shits on message boards and youtube comments. If this is a big spoiler I swear...

I've had every game ever spoiled to some degree. Maybe you should just avoid the internet?

 

[Adzma]

Infamous as a franchise cannot go anywhere after 2. The plot (both of them) comes to a decisive end. And that, I respect.

I had the same feeling once I had beaten the story. I remember thinking when I first beat inFAMOUS 1 "I wonder how they'll stretch this out to three games?" And while playing inFAMOUS 2 it was starting to become obvious that they really couldn't, which worried me further.

However they ended it after the second one. As you said, respect to Sucker Punch!

 

[Shamanic Rhythm]

Yahtzee's experience with 3D Realms pretty much confirms why this game was so rubbish. They clearly got caught up in their own hype and decided that a macho misogynist action hero was an awesome character and they would base the humour around him being better than everyone else, instead of allowing you to laugh at Duke.

 

[SiegeJack]

Actually, InFamous 3 could be made.

Spoiler: InFamous 1 and 2

In Infamous 1, we are told that The Beast is coming, and would bring about the destruction of the world (and the moon), but in 2, The Beast leaves only Conduits alive and isn't actively apocalypse-causing. Now, this might mean Kessler's timeline's Beast could pull the same thing that Kessler did and go back in time. This raises questions as to the nature of Cole's sacrifice, or his greed, how would he be able to fight an apocalyptic creature when it was actually world ending? Instead of humanity/conduit ending sort. Which makes me ask this, was John actually the Beast in the Kessler's timeline? Or was it another creature/ Evil Cole?

Captcha: "nomeki schonmann," esquire.

 

[Neural.Rust]

***SLIGHT SPOILER WARNING***

If You haven't Yet finished the game, Don't read this post, I warned you, if you do so, Dont cry to me.

good read, Though i'm not entirely sure Sucker Punch did end Infamous 2 with complete finality, the very end of the last clip as the boat drifts away out of sight(good story anyway yet to bother completing evil), a massive lightning bolt strikes in the same area sooo... that COULD lead onto OMG COLE IS ALIVE!... so i'm skeptical on there being No infamous 3.... i've seen sequels come from endings with more finality than that..

 

[MR.Spartacus]

PS. Oh, and about DNF. I can understand why the developers didn't want to make fun of Duke. Can you imagine the fanboy rage that would have ensued? Somehow I doubt the people eagerly awaiting the game wanted to see their hero portrayed as a self-mockery.

No. The people waiting for the game didn't give two shits about the character. It was the gameplay what made 3D fun, not the cliche quote spewing douche-bag of a protagonist. At least that was what I felt.

I wouldn't be so sure. I really can't speak for Duke Nukem fans, since I'm definately not one of them, but I have seen plenty of comments along the lines of, "I just wanted a game that let me play as Duke again."

I was really just speaking for myself. I only ever really got into Duke Nukem 3D though. So naturally all I was after was more of the same but prettier. If someone were to extensively complain about Halo not having ten weapons and a platoon of enemies you could say "It's not trying to be Duke Nukem" but... At least I can play inFAMOUS 2 now.

 

[Triforceformer]

Tell us this, Yahtzee. Did any of your test script get into your sarcastic review?

 

[elitestranger1]

yahtzee needs to be given a project that isn't franchised. that way risks can be taken and he can debute as a scriptwriter. its disapointing to find out he didn't get the go ahead for duke and can also been seen as if he isn't a talented enough writer but i have faith that he could produce a worthy game. that said after reading mogworld which wasn't a work of art but an entertaining worthwhile read.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I dunno, maybe saying this makes me sound like a bit of a prick, but I feel that it says a lot about the overall quality of video game writing that Infamous 2 can be regarded as outstanding.

It has the guise of being very good, because it surprises you in the end by actually ending.

Every new IP these days is marketed from the get-go as a trilogy atleast, and inFamous seemed to be no different. So when the sequel suddenly had a definitive ending, it felt like an unexpected goodbye. I didn't find the story or characters that good either, but both endings to inFamous 2 did leave a positive impression on me, more so then most other games I've played this year.

 

[xdiesp]

The bashers would have had a reason more to bash it.

 

[RockyMotion]

Maybe he should try LBP2. It isn't only based on platforming anymore, it has top-down hack and slash, basic RPG's, point and click, racing and even FPS levels.

 

[viggih7]

Yahtzee pondering the notion of playing the Sly Cooper series... all I can say is DO EET, DO EET NAOO.
In all seriousness I wonder why he hasn't tried them sooner since he is such an avid fan of the Thief games since the only thing you do in Sly is steal shit

 

[The Gatherer]

Man if Yahtzee had written the script it would of drastically changed dukes character, wouldn't really work if duke wondered about calling everyone twat-biscuits and waving his cringe worthy member at pig cops. I'm not exactly apposed to him writing a script for a game, there would be lots of games he would be perfect for, id really like to see what he'd come up with if he were to write a script for a survival horror game, could really have something special.
Oh and am i the only one who would love to see a remake of the infamous Spanish town slaughter in resident evil 4 but instead of gonados it's zero's imps? No?

 

[lowkey_jotunn]

On the subject of DNF, it would only have been a positive step, had our beloved Yahtzee been in charge. Then again, it would have been a positive step had a lobotomized monkey been in charge of the whole thing, so ya.

I could see there be a lot more "have I mentioned I'm not gay" from Duke, had Mr. Croshaw been writing "No, these twin schoolgirl strippers aren't overcompensating for anything. Why would you even think that?" in a cheeky British accent.

.

On the subject of sequels, file me under "I don't get it." I don't get why every game MUST have a sequel hook and a direct followup. Why not follow the RPG strategy (Final Fantasy, Elder Scrolls, Diablo, etc) and just make completely unrelated sequels in a somewhat similar universe.

For example, if Bioshock had gone straight from #1 to Infinite, I'd be much more forgiving. You can still call it BioShock and thus remind people of the awesome game you already made in order to draw in your loyal customers. But at the same time, put it in a completely different setting with completely different characters. You can make some lore tie-in, if you're so inclined, but let games end. Let the stories be told, give us closure and leave it at that. If you want to do a trilogy, set it up as such from the beginning and don't try to shoehorn in a sequel where none deserves to be.

Worst case scenario, your sequel gets delayed over a decade and becomes some crazy internet phenomenon, at which point the FINALLY released sequel sells well enough to pull a profit despite being complete and utter crap. And on the subject of DNF: FULL CIRCLE BABY!