The fans have been waiting for a true sequel to Duke Nukem for several years. And we know that Duke Nukem Forever is in the works, but the only thing that we have been told is that we will get it when it's done. What must the Duke Nukem fan do until then? Well, out of nowhere comes Arush Entertainment. They say, "You want Duke? Well we got Duke!" But its not the same Duke Nukem that everyone has been drooling on for years now. This Duke pays homage to the classic side-scroll action shooter games that were the thing to play in the 8 and 16-bit eras. And let's face it; if fans were not waiting so long for the true Duke sequel, this game may not have received the press that it has been lately. But it has been picked up on the gaming radar, and with good reason. Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project is a fun action game that is full of the one-liners, bra-busting women, and pigs, pigs, and more pigs. It's just too bad that this adventure is so short.

As the title hints, Duke's latest adventure takes place in Manhattan, New York. A new enemy named Mech Morphix has unleashed his radioactive substance (known as GLOPP) onto the inhabitants of Manhattan. The GLOPP mutates any creature that comes into contact with the slime, becoming a servant of Morphix. Duke is called in to kick ass, and chew bubble gum. But as we all know he is fresh out of gum. The story in general is never hard to follow, and makes sure you are informed on where he is going. This story has "Tromaville" written all over it.

Gameplay:

Duke Nukem comes packed with eight missions, which is then divided into three different stages. These stages take place in various locations, ranging from the GLOPP filled sewers, to Morphix's spaceship. Each stage requires you to rescue a keycard as well as rescue a scantily clad woman from the bomb that is bound to her. You can't continue to the next stage without acquiring both of these items, so prepare to look in places where you wouldn't think that they would hide these commodities. This is all that each level boils down to, with no extra or unique objectives for you to accomplish.

The formula to Manhattan Project is very simple. Move from level to level, while blasting baddies left and right. This classic style of gameplay definitely shows significant strengths and weaknesses. What's good about this style in dnmp is that for the time that you play this game, dnmp takes whisks you away from the current pile of 3D first-person shooters littering the PC. But it also brings back some memories of how us gamers used to get our kicks in videogames. And on top of that the game is fun, addictive, and you will not want to stop until you have completed the game. Unfortunately, it's completing this type of game is what hurt action shooters of the past. Like old school videogames, dnmp is very short. If you can't beat this game within two days, then I suggest you go find an 8-bit Nintendo somewhere, and restart your videogame journey. And once you complete the game, other than finding some secret areas, there really is no incentive to go through the game again.

If you have ever played Contra, or any other action shooter that fits that mold, then Manhattan Project shouldn't be too hard for you to grasp. Besides the weapons, Duke is also given the ability to kick. Should a situation render without any ammo or weaponry, Sunstorm has given the player the choice to kick butt the old-fashioned way. When running, Duke can even pull off a slide maneuver which is not only an effective attack, but Duke can also use this maneuver to slide through some tight spots. The kick would have been great, but most of the game there is never any reason to use it. In addition to the kick, Duke also has the ability to perform a double flip. This allows Duke to double the height or length at which he can jump. This move will be used much more than the kick, as some parts of a particular level are totally unobtainable without performing the double flip.

When it comes to the enemies, most of them really lack any sense of challenge. But I must say that the FemMech units can break out a can of whoop ass on you in a heartbeat. The enemy AI doesn't show any sign of intelligence, except for when they hide behind a crate to avoid your projectiles. Now the bosses are a different story. Most are the traditional bosses, where they unleash a ridiculous amount of enemy fire, which you are supposed to dodge while attacking the boss. Then there are some that actually blend in with the environment, or require you to kill them more than once. One level in particular, you have to dodge this bug, but the longer you fight, the more cars the boss will derail, forcing you to keep moving forward the train. These kinds of bosses are a nice distraction from an otherwise straightforward game. The weapons that you can use range from the basic Golden Eagle pistol, to the GLOPP Ray, which de-mutates creatures to their original form. You also have access to pipe bombs, which can cause massive damage within a concentrated area. The pulse cannon is cool, because its effectiveness is based on how long you charge up the weapon. So if you charge it to the max, well let's just say that your target will become a distant memory.

Graphics/Sound:

I think it is fair to say that if the graphics weren't as good as they are, this title would have very little heat. Thankfully, Sunstorm has taken advantage of current 3D technology to bring the world of Duke to life. But let me confuse you, this is still played on a two-dimensional plane. But what they have done is used several camera tricks to give the game a 3D perspective while still keeping the player restricted to two-dimensional physics. One trick is the panning of the camera when turning certain corners. In some events, it zooms out, but most of the time the camera is zooming in while panning. While it becomes frustrating not to be able to move in 3D, I am fairly impressed with how they used the camera angles.

Now when comes to the actual look of the game, there is nothing that gives you the impression that you are in Manhattan. Other than the pre-rendered cinematics, you won't notice any particular landmarks. But what you will see is GLOPP infested suburbs, industrial plants, and sewers. Probably one thing you won't miss is some of the billboards featured on some levels. Some are outright funny, while some should have never have been approved to be put on a billboard. I mean you would find it really hard to find a large billboard that is trying to sell horny goat weed for enhanced sexual performance in men. Trust me when I say it gets a lot more grotesque than this. But then again it probably would not feel like Duke if you lots of billboards trying to sell feminine hygiene products. The other thing you will more than likely notice is the models in the game. They are very blocky, and lack any sense of smoothness. It kind of reminds me of the blocky characters in Final Fantasy 7. Even the busty women are a bit blocky, despite the obvious "roundness" that they possess. Manhattan Project does feature some impressive lighting and special effects. The explosions kick major butt, and the weapon projections really light up an area. That GLOPP has a real intense glow, which does a good job of illuminating its environment. As long as you have a decent P3 level system, coupled with a Geforce 2 card, you shouldn't have any problems running this game.

In case you didn't know, this little action shooter is packed with an "M" rating. It isn't because of the gore factor, because the violence isn't all that violent. The mature rating more or less has to do with the sound in the game. Sunstorm has taken off the gloves, and has allowed Duke to freely express himself. So expect to hear a lot of profanity and obscene words in this game. But the one-liners are really good, and even funny most of the time. Instead of just recycling the famous one-liners used in the original Duke Nukem 3D, Sunstorm has updated his one-liners that are suitable for the new millennium. You will even hear some one-liners from recent events, such as the whole Enron collapse. He says these quite often, especially when he rescues a babe. This is when Duke turns on the charm, and comes with some of the cheesiest lines that I have ever heard. If you ever hear any guy tell a woman, "you must be 18 or older to ride", then you need to slap some sense into him. I'm amazed how successful he is with the ladies with those kinds of lines. But the voice acting isn't just limited to Duke, as many of the characters and bosses have the same degree of vulgarity that he has. This game is loaded with sound effects, ranging from the weapon effects to the sounds of the opposition when they are attacked. All of this is accompanied with some intense hard rock that kind of gets the heart pumping a little faster.

Multiplayer/Devices:

The adventure is only for the single player, which is too bad considering how well a two-man shooter a la Contra would have worked well with this type of game. But no sense of complaining, we'll just have to wait until Duke Nukem Forever for our multiplayer fix. But that might just take forever for us to play it.

The best way to play this type of shooter is with a gamepad of some sort. Manhattan Project is fully compatible with many gamepads currently on the market, so you shouldn't have any trouble properly configuring them. And with force feedback support, you get to feel all of the hard-hitting shots and explosions that will occur in the game. I personally tried the Nostromo n45 Dual Analog, as well as the Sidewinder Pro. While both were more than adequate, the n45 feels much more comfortable when playing Manhattan Project.

The Wrap-up:

While gamers are waiting endlessly for Duke Nukem Forever to be released, it was nice to see a company like Sunstorm to provide us with a nice appetizer before the main course. With some decent visuals, addictive gameplay, and some of the funniest on-liners to date, Duke Nukem has entered 2002 without missing a step. It's too bad that the game's longevity leaves a lot to be desired. Nevertheless, Manhattan Project is a good action shooter that any fan of Duke Nukem shouldn't miss.