Duke Nukem 3D is a beloved classic shooter that not only took pride in being a Doom clone, but ran with the idea and injected copious amounts of '90s attitude. For better or for worse, Duke Nukem 3D is a great snapshot of its era. While leaning into the pop culture spoofs at the time worked, the nostalgia ran dry in more recent entries that really failed to capitalize on what made fans love the game: the gameplay.
Speaking of nostalgia and references, some of the details in this game have aged like milk, with others aging like a fine wine. From Terminator references to Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry, the king makes sure you know he has seen it all. While Duke has his quippy one-liners, the game's environment is filled with references that can get set off the feeling of nostalgia in an instant.
User iNfANTcOMA (creative name, huh?) posted a screenshot of a bar playing the infamous OJ Simpson car chase. For many users, this reference flew over their heads because they were not closely following the situation as they were not from the United States. Other users finally put two and two together and realized that the compressed image was the infamous car chase. Even if these references can be grating for some, the dedication to going all out with the fourth wall breaks, and references are something to take notice of.
One thing is for certain this game can definitely make some players feel old when they take into consideration how long it has been since these references were relevant. Not all the details in Duke Nukem 3D have aged perfectly, which ironically for some have made them even funnier.
The super-macho Duke has received flack over the years, with dialogue and views that may not have aged well for many. While some may argue Duke Nukem is a satirical creation poking fun of the 90s action hero, others claim that defense is giving the franchise far too much credit.
As that debate continues, one thing seems certain, and that's that Duke isn't coming back for quite some time. It might be a good thing to let sleeping dogs lie.