Duke Nukem Forever this year?

If someone gave you half a million bucks to hurry up and work faster, would it motivate you? The industry is now watching 3D Realms, the studio behind PC first-person shooter Duke Nukem Forever, to see if Take Two'sfinancial incentive for getting the game completed and on sale before the end of this year hasthe desired effect.

And the reason for it? Well, if you're not aware of Duke Nukem Forever's tortuous and hilariously lengthy development period, then we reckon you're telling fibs. Having floated around in limbo for a decade, it's in the best interest of publisher Take Two to get this big-name PC FPS out there as soon as possible. Prey came back from the dead; why not Duke?

Will this cool half-million carrot-on-a-stick finally get Duke out of accidental retirement, or will it remain Duke Nukem Whenever? Jokes about the game's lateness have been unfunny for many years now, so much so that they're probably about to get funny again. Let's hope 3D Realms can bring the game out before that happens.

June 12,2006