Duke Nukem 3D

Like Doom before it, Duke Nukem 3D was a juggernaut in the adolescence of the first-person shooter. And also like Doom, it still stands tall as a fantastic FPS on a system full of great shooters — despite the fact that it’s over a decade old.

The Arcade release of Duke is arguably the ultimate version. Besides the original three-episode arc that takes the cocky movie-star-turned- planet-savior from Hollywood to outer space and back as he rescues Earth’s ladies from alien abduction, this Duke also includes the Atomic Edition’s awesome fourth episode, which offers such memorable levels as the Duke Burger restaurant. We also dug the new features like online co-op play and the TiVo death system, where your playthrough is recorded, allowing you to go back one second or all the way to the level’s start when you die.

In all, Duke packs its 40-or-so levels with pop-culture references both subtle and obvious, ranging from Terminator to Indiana Jones to its biggest competitors at the time — Doom and Quake. In fact, veterans of Doom will feel right at home with the Duke, as both come from the same era of lightning-quick avatars, hordes of monsters, and, in Duke’s case, stupid puzzles. Yes, the only part of Duke’s gameplay that fails the 2008 test is its reliance on annoying three-and- four-switch puzzles you must “solve” to proceed. Do you flip switches 1 and 2? 3 and 4? 2 and 4? Argh!

And while the Arcade version of Duke controls well enough overall, the gamepad does generate occasional frustration. The bumpers are the only way to cycle through weapons, so in the heat of the moment you can and will take damage while feverishly clicking through to what you want. Also, the Use key (X button) is often finicky, requiring a click in the exact right spot — not good when you’re scrambling around underwater and about to drown.

Nevertheless, these niggles don’t keep Duke from greatness. The one-liners and parodies are still funny, the level design is outstanding (including secrets-aplenty on each map), the inventory items are genius (here’s looking at you, jetpack and HoloDuke), and the weapon stash — notably the pipebombs and Shrinker — remains one of the genre’s most unique and fun to wield…

…Especially in the eight-player “Dukematch” mode, which is as addictive as ever and is bolstered by a fleshed-out lobby system that keeps you and your pals together after each match ends. So if you’ve been itching to kick ass and chew bubblegum, we’ve got some good news: we’re no longer all outta bubblegum.