The Games of 2011

Duke Nukem Forever

Publisher: 2K Games
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, PS3
Release Date: When it’s done

It seems unbelievable that Duke Nukem Forever, which has been in development since 1997, is finally nearing release, but we’re confident that it will actually happen this year. Why? Well, mainly because developmental responsibilities have been taken away from 3D Realms, who insisted on constant remakes and upgrades, and handed to Gearbox Software.

Gearbox won’t be restarting or overhauling the content, however. Instead, publisher 2K Games has put the Borderlands developer in charge of finishing what’s already there and carrying the game to the finish line. As such, the story and most of the features and levels will be in-keeping with 3D Realms’ vision of the fourth Duke Nukem game.


What that basically means is that Duke Nukem Forever will be even cruder than you might expect, apparently. We recently got our hands on the latest builds, and were treated to a game that opened with interactive urination and ended with content of even more questionable taste. Between those two points? Smearing poop on the walls.

There’s still plenty of alien ass-kicking though, naturally. Our preview of Duke Nukem Forever featured gargantuan boss fights, vehicle sections and enough one-liners to make even Bruce Campbell blush. We’re still a little concerned that Duke’s next outing might feel a bit dated compared with modern gamers, but we’re willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for right now.

The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings

Publisher: CD Projekt
Platforms: PC Exclusive
Release Date: May 17, 2011

Easily the most impressive game that we saw demonstrated at GamesCom 2010 last year, The Witcher 2 ranks very highly on our personal wish lists and is something we plan to talk about a lot more in the coming months. After all, CD Projekt’s stance on piracy and DRM is an interesting enough topic of discussion.

Once more dropping players into the well-worn leather boots of monster hunter Geralt of Rivia, The Witcher 2 focuses on a political scandal that results when the downtrodden Elves and Dwarves hire an assassin to kill the king. Another wave of racism runs through the world as a result and Geralt, mutated by decades of witcher training, gets caught in the middle of it.


As well as a new story, The Witcher 2 will also bring a bunch of other enhancements to the table. The combat engine, for example, has been completely overhauled so that it’s more than a simple click-fest this time around, and there’s an increased focus on stealth for some quests. Geralt’s medallion can also now switch to a context sensitive detection mode, which highlights noisy puddles and threats when you’re trying to be evasive.

Of course, the graphics have been fancied up a lot too, and CD Projekt has elected to discard the Aurora Engine that powered the first Witcher game in favour of a homemade one. It looks utterly fantastic from what we’ve seen, equally adept at rendering huge battlefields and fine detail.