One of the best first-person shooter games from the 1990s is finally coming to the Nintendo Switch. Announced via Twitter, Gearbox and Sonka have revealed that the current iteration of the game, Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary Edition World Tour, will be arriving on Nintendo’s home console on June 23 which is less than a week away. While it is called the 20th Anniversary Edition, this version of the game actually came out back in 2016 which coincided with the anniversary of the original Duke Nukem 3D which released for PC in 1996. It may have taken a while, but Switch owners will finally be able to get their hands on this timeless classic.
For those who don’t know, Duke Nukem 3D was the third entry of the Duke Nukem series. Duke Nukem I and II launched in 1991 and 1993 respectively, both for PC. The first two games were side-scrolling titles that were successful in their own right, developer 3D Realms decided to make the jump to full 3D with a 360-degree camera view similar to other major games like id Software’s Doom and Quake. The resulting Duke Nukem 3D was a resounding success and is considered one of the best games in the 1990s.
3D Realms was looking to continue the burgeoning FPS trend with their next entry, Duke Nukem Forever. Unfortunately, the game became infamous for going through a 15-year development-hell cycle that has been well documented over the years. When it finally did come out in 2011, 3D Realms no longer had anything to do with the project as it was sold to Gearbox Software back in 2010 under the 2K Games banner. Just like it’s development lifetime, it was completely eviscerated by reviews and gamers alike, becoming one of the industry’s biggest flops of all time.
This updated version of the 1996 classic comes with the standard FPS gameplay that we all know and love, as well as an additional campaign mission that was not included in the original version. The Switch version even has its own features which include optional motion controls, gyroscopic aiming, and local wireless multiplayer.
Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary Edition World Tour will launch for the Nintendo Switch next week on June 23. It’s available now for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.