Duke Nukem: Time To Kill
Rating: 84%
Maker: GT Interactive
Reviewed By: America Online
Genre: Shooter
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)
--------------------------
If there's one guy you can count on, it's Duke Nukem.
Duke's never going to compromise, he's never going to back down, and he's never going to do things the easy way. He may not be the brightest bullet in the clip, but at least he's consistent.
Even when he leaves the PC to kick console butt, he's still the same old Duke, with nary a censor to keep him down. But you'll see a change-up in the King of Carnage's latest PSX incarnation. N-Space and GT Interactive developed Duke Nukem: Time to Kill exclusively for the Playstation, they decided to put a console spin on Duke's usual shoot-everything-that-moves action. Translation: the Dukester is under the influence of Miss Lara Croft (but not in the way he'd like to be).
Time to Kill is a mix of hard-core Duke Nukem shooting with Tomb Raider jumping and exploration. It's as much of a platform game as an action brawl-- which is kinda funny, considering that Duke started out as a 2-D side-scroller. There are a few gaps in the fusion, but Time to Kill still delivers all that a Duke fan could ask for.
Duke's new story starts off in Club Bootylicious where… ah, who cares about the plot? Here's the important part-- Duke has to hop back and forth in time splattering aliens and spouting one-liners.
The most obvious shift from Duke 3-D to Time to Kill is the perspective. Time to Kill uses a behind-the-back, third-person point of view (ala Tomb Raider). You can shift into a first-person view for precision shots, but you can only turn in that mode-- no other motion is allowed. Most of the time, you'll be looking over the top of Duke's bleached crew as he adds supplemental lead to the diets of the alien hordes.
But don't worry-- Duke wouldn't change perspectives on us just for the hell of it (actually, he would, but that's beside the point). Time to Kill needs the shift for Duke's new moves. He can now make several different kinds of jumps, hang onto ledges, roll while crouching, and climb up ladders, chains, and the like.
That's the second big change in Time to Kill. The controls are geared more toward moving than shooting. Here's the big shocker-- the default control setup has an entire button devoted to holstering and drawing Duke's weapon.
Now that's a little scary-- before, the only reason Duke would holster a gun was to pull out another one. But in Time to Kill, the main action button and the fire button are the same. If you want to jump and hang onto something, climb a ladder, or check for switches, you've got to put up your gun first.
And that's a little annoying. Several times I put my trusty Combat Shotgun in my backpack to climb up on a ledge, only to meet a Pigcop at the top. As he merrily blasted away chunks of my flesh, I had to wait until Duke drew his boomstick to retaliate.
Another big problem with Time to Kill is the auto-aim feature. Since it's tough make a good shot from a third-person perspective, the game automatically points Duke's weapons the right way-- as long as you're looking in the right direction. However, "the right direction" might as well be "exactly lined up with the target." If Duke is pointed a little too far to the right or left, he won't lock onto the bad guys.
The auto-aim also has a lot of trouble with enemies that are above or below Duke. Unfortunately, you can't help it out by looking up or down. Instead, you have to either switch to first-person mode or guess where your enemies are. Either way, you're going to have to stand in some exposed location for a few seconds, and that means you're going to get shot.
But Time to Kill provides some sweet implements of destruction to shoot back with. Duke can use 15 weapons, ranging from his classic Desert Eagle pistol and Rocket Propelled Grenade to new weapons designed around the history Duke visits. You'll pick up dynamite in the Old West and a crossbow in Medieval times. But I can't decide if my favorite new way to draw blood is the flamethrower (I've been waiting to roast those pigs) or the holy hand grenade (be sure to count to three).
There's no shortage of enemies to slaughter. Expect to be surrounded whenever you step around a corner, walk into a room, or use an elevator. You can't just run into a room and start blasting-- you have to be careful to stay behind cover and never turn your back on your enemies. As a result, gameplay falls into a cycle. Here's how it goes:
1. Splatter aliens.
2. Check for switches, keys, secrets, and exits.
3. Sidestep around corners or open doors until you see more aliens. Repeat step 1.
Sometimes, that's all there is to playing Time to Kill, and all the corners and doors start to look the same. However, level layout does have enough variety to keep things interesting (but not enthralling). As Duke jumps back and forth in time, the levels reflect the time period he's in. For example, he's got to make his way through a border town and mines in the Old West, while castles and dungeons await in the Medieval period.
Time to Kill's environments also get a little spice from their interactivity. Unlike most PSX 3-D games, you can blow up almost anything, and Duke can use everything from cigarette machines (which take away health) to urinals (which give you a little extra health, as soon as Duke relieves himself). He can also "interact" with the scantily clad Nukem babes scattered around the levels, usually resulting in a giggle from the girl or a really bad pickup line from Duke.
Most of Time to Kill's levels are pretty big, but that's as much of a minus as a plus. There's no map feature (something essential to every 3-D shooter), and you'll spend of a lot of your time backtracking to figure out where you haven't been and where you need to go next. You can't save in the middle of a level, either-- once you sit down for a game, you'd better be prepared to stay with the PSX for an hour or so.
Although the gameplay needs work, N-Space didn't stumble on the most important element in any Duke Nukem game-- Duke's shining personality. Time to Kill is loaded with all-new quips and quotes from the big man himself. He's got enough movie lines, bad puns, impersonations, and one-liners to keep his gravelly voice from getting old. The more I played the game, the more I became one with the essence of Duke-- we'd say the same things at the same time. Frightening, yet cool.
The music varies according to the time period, but it's not particularly memorable. Duke also varies according to the time period-- he changes outfits to suit the era he's in (more influence from Lara Croft?). But like the music, no Duke makes a lasting impression. Who wants to see Duke in a toga anyway? Focus on the babes!
The graphics in Time to Kill are about average for current Playstation titles. The polygons show edges and are a little angular and flat. Colors need a little more contrast-- I had a hard time picking the enemies out from the backgrounds. However, the animations were nicely done, from Duke's favorite dancing girls to his own Karate Kid crane kick. And the explosions are awesome spectacles, complete with light flashes and shock waves. However, I didn't see any real light-sourcing, and it would have made the interactive levels even cooler.
The graphics in Time to Kill's two-player deathmatch mode are a step down from the normal game-- the framerate really suffers. However, no Duke Nukem game would be complete if you couldn't make your friends pop like blood sausages. Even though the action's not quite as intense and surprising on a split screen (it's impossible to keep your eyes on your side), it makes a good multiplayer break from car-crushing, racing, and sports.
If you're a Duke fan and you've been waiting for him to hit the PSX, Time to Kill will satisfy you. But be prepared for a few problems in the transition. Remember to rent before you buy-- even though the main man himself hasn't changed, his game's a little different.
