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Duke Nukem: Zero Hour

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Duke Nukem: Zero Hour
North American box art
Developer(s)Eurocom
Publisher(s)GT Interactive
Composer(s)Neil Baldwin
SeriesDuke Nukem
Platform(s)Nintendo 64
Release
Genre(s)Third-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Duke Nukem: Zero Hour is a 1999 third-person shooter game in the Duke Nukem series, developed by Eurocom and published by GT Interactive for the Nintendo 64. The game uses a relatively large 32 megabyte cartridge and can also use the Expansion Pak to improve graphics, though this slows down the frame rate.[3] It features a 4-player split-screen multiplayer mode that uses a first-person view.

The plot revolves around time traveling aliens attempting to alter the course of history by eliminating Duke's ancestors. Locations, weapons, items, and clothing correspond to the time period Duke is in. Compared to the comically over-the-top tone used throughout most of the series, this game incorporates more mature plot elements, such as an encounter with Jack the Ripper near the still-fresh murder scene of Mary Jane Kelly in Victorian England and a serious depiction of a future New York devastated by atomic warfare.

Plot

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Duke is called into action by the government as aliens have once again landed and are wreaking havoc. Duke battles the alien menace through the streets of New York with the help of some Marines and eventually gains access to the Statue of Liberty. There, Duke uncovers the aliens' true plan: to travel back in time and alter historical events, ensuring Earth becomes a world they can easily conquer. However, during the fight, Duke is teleported to the future, where the aliens have won, and humans are on the brink of extinction. In this future, Duke battles new alien breeds and the zombified corpses of those who didn’t survive the fallout. He eventually meets a small band of resistance fighters in the remnants of the U.S. Army headquarters in New York. The resistance informs Duke that the aliens are tampering with history, creating alternate futures. To restore the original timeline, Duke must fight back. The humans have developed a time machine to send a soldier back to rewrite history and destroy the aliens. Duke is sent to the Old West, where the aliens have taken control of parts of the American frontier and plan to detonate a bomb in Earth's core, threatening to destroy the planet.

In the Old West, Duke faces technical difficulties that force him to rely mostly on period-appropriate weapons, although a few of his modern weapons are sent back by his allies. The aliens have begun creating super-soldiers to fight both Duke and the humans of the future. After destroying a ship carrying the super-soldiers, Duke heads to Roswell, where he prevents the aliens from detonating the bomb. Duke is then informed that the aliens are not only altering America's past but have also traveled to the Victorian Era in London.

In Victorian London, Duke faces the alien-created biological weapons. Zombies roam the streets, and Brains float in the air. Duke fights his way toward a castle that the aliens have seized, blowing up a Zeppelin along the way. Inside the castle, he confronts the most horrific of the aliens' creations and finally faces off against the alien general—a giant brain. After destroying the castle and neutralizing the alien threat in this time period, Duke is ready for some rest and relaxation. Unfortunately, the aliens have caused a rift in the space-time continuum, and now more aliens from various points in history are flooding into New York in a last-ditch effort to wipe out humanity.

Duke once again fights through the city streets, eventually entering the alien mothership. He battles wave after wave of enemies, finally confronting the mastermind behind the chaos: Zero. Using the alien technology aboard the mothership, Duke battles Zero on the rooftops of the city. After defeating the creature, Duke restores the timeline and rids Manhattan of the alien menace. He then prepares to enjoy his well-deserved "reward."

Reception

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Zero Hour received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[4] Nintendo Power gave it a favorable review over a month before its release in the United States.[16] Jeff Lundrigan of Next Generation advised that the game should be avoided "like radioactive bat droppings."[15]

References

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  1. ^ "Duke Nukem : Zero Hour sur Nintendo 64". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Retrieved 2023-04-30.
  2. ^ "3D Realms - Firepower Matters". Archived from the original on 2001-11-01.
  3. ^ Elephan (November 15, 2008). "Duke Nukem Zero Hour N64 by GT Interactive". The Game Goldies. Archived from the original on August 1, 2012. The graphics on one hand look nice but when the expansion pak is used, the frame rate goes down the drain.
  4. ^ a b "Duke Nukem: Zero Hour for Nintendo 64". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 12, 2019. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  5. ^ Lomas, Ed (July 1999). "Duke Nukem: Zero Hour". Computer and Video Games. No. 212. Future plc. p. 24. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  6. ^ Edge staff (May 1999). "Duke Nukem: Zero Hour". Edge. No. 71. Future plc. p. 80. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  7. ^ EGM staff (1999). "Duke Nukem: Zero Hour". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Ziff Davis.
  8. ^ Fitzloff, Jay; Anderson, Paul; Reiner, Andrew (September 1999). "Duke Nukem: Zero Hour". Game Informer. No. 77. FuncoLand. Archived from the original on May 21, 2000. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  9. ^ Mylonas, Eric "ECM"; Chau, Anthony "Dangohead"; Rodriguez, Tyrone "Cerberus" (September 1999). "Duke Nukem: Zero Hour". GameFan. Vol. 7, no. 9. Shinno Media. p. 16. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  10. ^ Ngo, George "Eggo" (September 1999). "Duke Nukem: Zero Hour". GameFan. Vol. 7, no. 9. Shinno Media. p. 48. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  11. ^ Atomic Dawg (September 1999). "Duke Nukem: Zero Hour". GamePro. No. 132. IDG Entertainment. p. 142. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  12. ^ Ferris, Duke (September 1999). "Duke Nukem: Zero Hour Review". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on September 8, 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  13. ^ Roff, Adam (September 1999). "Duke Nukem: Zero Hour". Hyper. No. 71. Next Media Pty Ltd. pp. 60–61.
  14. ^ Casamassina, Matt (September 3, 1999). "Duke Nukem: Zero Hour". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  15. ^ a b Lundrigan, Jeff (September 1999). "Duke Nukem: Zero Hour". Next Generation. No. 57. Imagine Media. p. 85. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  16. ^ a b "Duke Nukem: Zero Hour". Nintendo Power. Vol. 123. Nintendo of America. August 1999. p. 115. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
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