* AntiClimaxBoss:
** The Overlord (episode 2 boss). Pretty much all you have to do is circle strafe and shoot him with the devastator till he stops moving. He has his own devastator, however, unless you're [[TooDumbToLive dumb enough to just stand still and let him shoot you]] you should be able to avoid every rocket fired.
** The Cycloid Emperor is in a similar category to the Overlord. So long as you keep moving and stay at a distance, he basically can't touch you.
** Even the Battlelord, who is ThatOneBoss when fought normally, can become this if you exploit a glitch that allows you to reenter the room just before the door closes; once you do that, once you open the door again, it stays open, and since he's too big to go under the door, you can just shoot him and use the room as cover.
** The final boss from ''Alien World Order'' is flat out ''pathetic''. Not only is he just a reskin of the Cycloid Emperor, but his only new attack (the flamethrower) is very short-ranged and thus even easier to evade. This is made even worse by ArtificialStupidity playing in - the boss is programmed to think he is holding the Devastator and thus will stay at distance away from Duke while firing at him - all while his flamethrower burst does not even reach the intended target - and thus become a sitting duck to blast away.
* AuthorsSavingThrow: The divisive "20th Anniversary World Tour" has its own [=Duke3D.grp=] file. And thus, with a little bit of work, it's entirely possible to play the game (including the new episode) in sourceport like Raze, if you don't like World Tour's custom sourceport.
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic:
** The main theme, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iac0T6dnuzM "Grabbag"]], to the point that even Music/{{Megadeth}} {{cover|Version}}ed [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uVmhy3yDwg it]].
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Url3QHHNKSA Here's]] the theme for Shop 'n' Bag from the ''Atomic Edition'', which is basically a smoother, more jazzy version of the main theme.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnTGhaJv4T4 Paris Manson]] from ''20th Anniversary Edition'' is a brilliant tune, which according to the composer was originally an experiment in "french bistro music for accordions".
* DemonicSpiders:
** The Inflatable Sea Monsters in ''Duke Caribbean'' relentlessly barrage you with missiles the millisecond you come into sight, usually from around a corner and with absolutely no warning. Thankfully, they go down with only one shotgun blast, but expect to do lots of SaveScumming.
** The Enforcers are aliens armed with Chaingun Cannons/Rippers and their damage rate is about as dangerous as you'd expect. They also move relatively fast, allowing them to be at point blank range quickly if you don't engage them immediately and take them down. You'll likely learn to eliminate these soldiers with haste as they can quickly do the same to you.
** The Sentry Drone is a hovering robot with a dangerous SuicideAttack that hurts like an explosive blast. Next to Enforcers, they're priority targets as well, and move quickly to top it off.
** The Mini-Battlelords don't have nearly as much health as the Boss equivalent, but they don't lose their dangerous firepower either. They have Rippers like the Enforcers and a Grenade Launcher to keep you on your toes.
* FandomRivalry: With ''VideoGame/QuakeI''. Both games were released in 1996 and received critical praise, with ''Duke Nukem 3D'' for its interactive, realistic looking levels and wisecracking protagonist, and ''Quake'' for its polygonal engine and large multiplayer and modding capabilities; features that are commonplace in first person shooters today. With that said, only ''Quake'' managed to spawn a long running franchise, while ''Duke Nukem 3D'''s [[VideoGame/DukeNukemForever sequel]] stayed in DevelopmentHell for 15 years and was released to mediocre reception.
* FranchiseOriginalSin:
** ''3D'' was the game that fully nailed down Duke's personality as an over-the-top parody of a HollywoodActionHero and a MrViceGuy to no small degree. Though he wasn't free of irritating moments and was always a bit misogynistic, he was mostly lauded for the fact that he had a personality ''at all'', compared to [[HeroicMime non]]-[[FlatCharacter characters]] like the [[VideoGame/{{Doom}} Doomguy]] or [[VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D BJ Blazkowicz]]. However, ''VideoGame/DukeNukemForever'' would double down on Duke's flaws to the point of him losing his few humanizing traits, making him come across as downright unpleasant. What was more, in the years since, fleshed-out protagonists had become the norm in shooters, making Duke's cartoonishly flat personality and generally unsympathetic attitude far harder to ignore.
** Another heavily-criticized element of ''DNF's'' humor, the {{Take That}}s to other franchises and the pop culture references, also hail from ''3D''. The Take Thats worked back then because ''3D'' was a genuinely innovative game that improved on ''Doom's'' formula and managed to become a similar inspiration for many later games, so a bit of gloating didn't feel undeserved. ''DNF'', however, tried to deliver Take Thats [[HypocriticalHumor to games that it]] was [[IndecisiveParody outright copying]], while bringing very little to the table gameplay-wise. For example, there is a gag involving Duke insulting the [[Franchise/{{Halo}} Master Chief]], proudly proclaiming that "power armor is for pussies". This joke probably would have been a lot funnier if ''Forever'' didn't also use the RegeneratingHealth and LimitedLoadout systems that Halo popularised, much less have that joke lead into a level that's only a splash or two of orange and one vehicle section away from looking and playing exactly like ''VideoGame/Halo2''[='=]s New Mombasa levels. Another joke makes fun of keycard hunting (something that was already incredibly dated when the game was ''supposed'' to come out around 2001) before Duke then pulls the door open manually in a QuickTimeEvent (something which had become an even ''bigger'' cliché than keycards ever were by the time it actually came out a decade later - keycards at least had the decency to restrict themselves to one or two genres and not branch out to the entire medium of video games). In terms of pop culture, ''3D's'' jokes were either very topical or referencing sources [[ParodyDisplacement obscure enough that people thought they were original jokes]], while ''DNF's'' infamously long development cycle meant that many of its jokes or references had already become {{Discredited Meme}}s (most infamously a lengthy LeeroyJenkins joke in ''2011'').
** The hive level in particular, where Duke ventures through a dark alien hive filled with traumatized women who have been [[FaceFullOfAlienWingWong raped and impregnated with alien larvae]], attracted widespread criticism for being tasteless and tonally out of place from the rest of the game's goofy action. There was a very similar level in ''3D'', sobbing violated women and all. It was less accepted the second time around for a few reasons: for one, ''Forever'' was working with much more impressive graphical technology (''3D'' is on the Build engine, a [[TwoAndAHalfD fake-3D]] engine which was still in active development and released at a time when 480x360 was considered high-resolution; ''Forever'' runs on a version of the VideoGame/{{Unreal}} engine given a decade's worth of graphical updates to match what the most recent version of the same engine was capable of), giving a better idea of just how horrifying and messed-up the situation was, coupled with the level's dark color palette. The bigger problem, however, was that ''Forever'' made the unwise decision to keep pushing raunchy sex jokes and pop-culture references [[MoodWhiplash in an environment that did not call for them]] - you can tell the game probably isn't treating the situation with the weight it warrants when Duke is opening doors by fingering them, slapping disembodied boobs on walls for an ego boost, and proceeding past the corpse of [[VideoGame/DeadSpace Isaac Clarke]] to find a rape victim who stops crying long enough to make a joke that she thought it was safe to swallow. And most importantly, ''3D'' didn't also have a scene where Duke, whose one humanizing trait is supposed to be his love for women, finds two women who he personally knows and, when it's apparent they're about to die, [[NoSympathy nonchalantly tells them]] "Looks like you're... ''fucked''."
* GoddamnedBats:
** The Protozoid Slimers, which hatch from eggs, hide in vents, and climb up on your screen, tearing you apart unless you kick 'em quickly. They're pretty hard to hit in the open, too. [[GlassCannon Luckily one hit of anything kills them]] if you can connect, including the otherwise damage-less Shrinker.
** Sentry Drones. They explode on contact, they often hide right behind doors or around corners, they can take a lot of damage, they make irritating noises, and they're ''everywhere''.
** Literally appear in Lame Duke (at least episode 2 level 1), as this beta version features a bat enemy which was dropped from the final game.
* GoodBadBugs:
** In [=v1.3D=], you could select the Mighty Foot as a weapon and then kick with the melee button, at the same time. Result: Duke somehow manages to run around while both of his feet are on screen, whacking enemies, apparently doing ThatRussianSquatDance and/or [[Franchise/MortalKombat Liu Kang's flying bicycle kick]]. Unfortunately, it was fixed in later versions.
** The Build engine is notorious for its flaws that allows mapmakers to come up with interesting map ideas. [[http://dnr.duke4.net/maps/Bizarre.html Bizarre]] takes this fact and drives it straight into MindScrew territory.
** There is the possibility that you can die as you're exiting the level. If that happens, you start the next level with your stuff intact and 100 health.
** In the Playstation Vita version, the final level of The Birth has an area where you can clip out of bounds with the help of those rotating gear-shaped things in the water. This counts as completing the level even though only the first half was completed, and will even give you the trophy for beating it. However, you'll be sent back to the cutscene from before entering the first level.
** The game features very glitchy collision detection at times, causing you to be instagibbed due to being "squished" when the game thinks you're suddenly inside an object. Suddenly exploding when you try to open a door, touch a set of bars underwater, or run up a harmless slope is hilarious the first few times, but it becomes a nuisance and you eventually have to get in the habit of saving the game regularly.
* GrowingTheBeard: Considered not just this for [[SequelDisplacement the earlier games]], but for the First-Person Shooter genre as a ''whole''. With prior shooters, everything was still very arcade-focused and mostly put all their quirky jokes in level names or boss dialog, with mazes and hordes to blast through. ''Duke Nukem 3D'' and its Build Engine promoted not only a higher level of interactivity with environments than most other games before (and, to a degree, after), but also the idea of a shooter protagonist ''with character'', setting the stage for the franchise's legacy and for many other protagonists to come. Even by its own merits, this game is still considered one of the best shooters of its era.
* HarsherInHindsight: [[spoiler:Saving the President in ''Duke It Out in D.C'' becomes this when he undergoes a FaceHeelTurn in ''Videogame/DukeNukemForever''. UngratefulBastard much?]]
* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments: The ending of ''Duke: Nuclear Winter'', with a happy snowman thanking the player for SavingChristmas and a poetic parody of ''Literature/TwasTheNightBeforeChristmas''. All set to the tune of "Christmas Eve Sarajevo 12/24" by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra playing in the background.
* HilariousInHindsight:
** The ''Megaton Edition'' was published by Creator/DevolverDigital, best known for publishing the ''VideoGame/SeriousSam'' games, a series that reveled in taking the piss out of ''Duke'', particularly the long development time of ''Forever''. Gearbox later pulled out the ''Megaton Edition'' and replaced it with their ''World Tour Edition'', which includes a [[TakeThat piss take]] on Serious Sam. Makes you wonder if that was put in just as a middle finger to Devolver Digital.
** The ending of episode 4 (the final episode) says to "look for a Duke Nukem 3D sequel soon". Considering [[Videogame/DukeNukemForever said sequel]] holds the world record for longest video game development time (15 years) it's hard to keep a straight face when reading this.
** Earlier in episode 4, the "Going Postal" level, which is set in a post office, gave us the following line:
---> '''Duke Nukem''': Looks like it's time for [[Creator/JonStJohn me]] to Go [[VideoGame/Postal4NoRegerts Postal]]!
* SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome: At the end of episode 2, before fighting the boss, Duke states that he'll rip off his head and shit down his neck. Cut to the post-boss battle cutscene where Duke follows through on the promise.
* MemeticMutation: "[[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/if-you-dont-play-duke-nukem-3d-you-like-men If you don't play Duke Nukem 3D, you like men!]]"[[labelnote:Explanation]]A 1996 advertisement for ''Duke Nukem 3D'' which gained infamy in May of 2022 due to the severe ValuesDissonance of using a homophobic insult against those who don't play the game. Many parodies of the ad were made, often inverting the original message of the ad into something supportive of the LGBTQ+ community. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Y_xFig_6vk This voiced compilation]] by Gianni Matragano helped to further spread the meme.[[/labelnote]]
%% "[[https://youtube.com/watch?v=UWIRozQRAzw CUM IS STORED IN THE BRAIN]]...'''''AND I'VE GOT A HEADACHE'''''"
* SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound: The weird humming noise of the monolith in ''Dark Side'' (the penultimate level of the second episode) is both creepy and strangely pleasant to listen to at the same time.
* NightmareFuel: [[NightmareFuel/DukeNukem3D Has its own page.]]
* OnceOriginalNowCommon:
** A lot of the things in the game were ''amazing'' for a 3D game when it first came out, most of all the destructible walls and underwater mechanics. Nowadays, however, such features are pretty much standard issue - even ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'', originally much more limited than what the Build engine was capable of, can do similar things now through fan-made updates.
** One particular element that would be almost laughable as a selling point nowadays: ''Duke Nukem'' was one of the first shooters to portray environments that looked somewhat like reality. Games like ''Doom'' and ''Quake'' mostly featured nondescript or fantastical locations such as space bases or medieval fortresses. Even their attempts to do realistic environments, like the Earth levels in ''Doom 2'', only superficially resembled their inspirations, with their actual layouts and furnishings not really making sense from an architectural standpoint. ''Duke'' starts you off in a fairly sensible city street, complete with a porno theater that you can enter and screw around in, and it stays this way for the most part, with the majority of levels feeling like locations that could actually exist, spurring on an entire new generation of shooters in the process. Nowadays, saying your game contains realistic environments is about as impressive as saying it can be played with a controller or mouse and keyboard, and anyone looking for realism certainly isn't playing ''Duke Nukem'', of all things.
** When this game first came out, it was unheard of to have an FPS protagonist with any amount of personality, regardless of how [[BondOneLiner flat it is]]. Now, it's pretty standard stuff for your character to already be predetermined in their personality and backstory and not just a blank slate.
* OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight: Somewhat. ''Nuclear Winter'', by Simply Silly Software, is the least liked expansion pack, not helped that the first two levels are just remixed versions of ones from the base game. ''Duke It Out in D.C.'' and ''Duke Caribbean'' are well-liked, however, and were made by Sunstorm Interactive
* ParodyDisplacement: A significant chunk of people, especially in the 90s and 2000s, associated lines like [[Film/TheyLive "It's time to kick ass and chew bubblegum!"]],[[Film/ArmyOfDarkness "Hail to the king, baby!"]], and "[[Film/AceVentura Damn, I'm good!]]" with Duke, rather than the films in which they originated.
* PortingDisaster:
** The Tiger Platform/GameCom version. In fairness, it was actually one of the most advanced handheld games of TheNineties; there was just no way to replicate the ''Duke Nukem 3D'' experience on hardware barely equivalent to a Platform/GameBoy.
** Less so the Platform/SegaGenesis port. It does have a pretty decent framerate, considering how big the "first-person view" screen is, compared to other [=FPS=] games on that console, not to mention the save system which allows you to backup everywhere. Nothing else makes up for it properly, though: the whole port consists of 9 new levels, very loosely based off the Lunar Apocalypse episode, all done in a ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D''-like perspective, all peppered-up with barely audible music and slightly messy controls.[[labelnote:*]]And that's not even for Duke himself: in order to pause the game, you will need to not just press the Start button, [[DamnYouMuscleMemory but also X, Y and Z,]] all at the same time![[/labelnote]] Oh, and it didn't help that shortly after the game was released in Brazil (the only country that received the port), the whole thing got banned. Despite this, it isn't the fault of the Brazilian devs; the game is actually pretty good for what it is and had plenty of effort put into it. The console simply couldn't handle Duke.
** Downplayed in regards to the Platform/Nintendo64 version known as ''Duke Nukem 64''; It is still a good port because its great gameplay and controls are intact, it has a fun 4-player multiplayer mode, the blood hasn't been censored due to Nintendo being more lenient with blood than they were in their NES/early SNES days, [[{{Bowdlerise}} the censorship of certain parts from some levels]] that does ''not'' look out of place in a Duke game, a few weapon sprites are redone to make new weapons (like the Ripper replaced with [[GunsAkimbo twin submachine guns]]), and [[VideoGameCaringPotential being able to rescue women trapped in alien pods instead of killing them]] (not that it's possible to kill them in this port) is a welcome change. That being said, it has no in-game music (due to limited storage capacity on the cartridge), there is a minor audio glitch where, sometimes, when a player uses a Jetpack or Plasma Cannon, the item sounds get locked into a permanent loop that cannot be fixed unless you reset the game, and there's also some weird Expander sprite glitches strewn throughout the levels, which could have easily been corrected if anyone were paying attention during the porting process.
** ''Duke Nukem Total Meltdown'' on Platform/PlayStation has frame rate issues, grainy graphics, and limited control customization options. While there's in-game music, a hyped combination of bespoke and rearranged from the PC original, it drones over you after several minutes becoming repetitive to listen to. Also, unless everyone has their own [=PlayStation=] console with a copy of the game, playing multiplayer is greatly limited because of the lack of split-screen support like in the Nintendo 64 version. Due to these factors, some fans consider the [=PlayStation=] port to be the worst of all the ports together. Due to legal issues, this is the version included in the ''Duke Nukem Collection 1'' on the Platform/{{Evercade}}.
*** The Playstation version did have a few upsides. It received praise for the much upgraded music and sounds in general. It also updated the cinematics and added unique ones on each stage's completion which were not in the original game (although some cutscenes were shorter). The console exclusive Plug N' Pray episode was also highly praised and eventually received a complete conversion to PC by dedicated fans (though the ending cutscene is pure GainaxEnding). It also had a quicksave feature which was unique for consoles since you could do it at any time.
** There's also a somewhat obscure Sega Saturn port by Lobotomy Software. Clear effort was put into it, most notably by the fact that the entire game is ported to Lobotomy's in-house [=SlaveDriver=] engine from ''VideoGame/PowerSlave'' (appropriate considering that game's PC version runs on the Build engine) because it's one of the few 3D engines that could work well with the Saturn's architecture, though all of the levels have been cut down in some form to fit on the console.
* PowerUpLetdown:
** The Holoduke. Its purpose is easy enough to guess: you deploy it, and it creates a decoy Duke to trick and distract enemies, which would be very useful- except it usually doesn’t work. Every enemy aside from the Octabrain will just ignore it and keep chasing after you, because their programming always chases after the player once they’re attacked, making the Holoduke entirely useless in most situations. Adding to the letdown is the way the game really loves putting fresh Holoduke refills into multiple areas of most levels, giving you constant reminders of how pointless it is. It *is* marginally more handy in Dukematch, where you can rely on the human folly of your opponents rather than computer AI, but even then, the fact that the fake Duke doesn’t move or attack gives him away pretty quickly.
** The Night Vision Goggles are, in fact, quite useful in pitch-black areas of the game… which are not common. You’re more likely to have a perfectly easy time running through the game’s largely well-lit areas while the goggles wear a hole into your inventory. Furthermore, they actually just illuminate enemies rather than making the area any brighter, so they’re of no help if there aren’t any monsters around and you just want to better navigate through a dark area.
* TheScrappy: Due to [[GoddamnedBats their]] [[NightmareFuel infamous]] [[InterfaceScrew reputation]], the Protozoid Slimers have become hated by a lot of players.
* SequelDifficultySpike: The new campaign added in the ''20th Anniversary World Tour'', ''Alien World Order'', is noticeably tougher than any of the original Duke 3D campaigns. Notably you'll often be faced with multiple Boss enemies at the same time, ''and'' a number of smaller, DegradedBoss version of the game's 3 Bosses are scattered throughout the levels as well.
* SequelDisplacement: Anybody remember ''VideoGame/DukeNukemI'' or ''[[VideoGame/DukeNukemII II]]''? It's a shame really, since they were decent platformers and ''II'' was an EvenBetterSequel to ''I''. You'd think using ThirdIs3D would have ensured people remember, but you'd be wrong. It certainly doesn't help that ''3D'' is also the game that really nailed down Duke's personality and appearance -- Duke Nukem without sunglasses just looks ''weird''. Due to this, the second game was even re-released after ''Forever'' finally came out with Duke's sunglasses [[RetCanon edited into]] [[GeorgeLucasAlteredVersion his old sprite and pixel art.]] Ironically, it could've averted this as original DOS copies of ''3D'' also had the original two games on the same disc, but there's the issue, it wasn't kept up for console ports, Steam, GOG, etc.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSong:
** The first level of "The Birth" is called "It's Impossible", and it's theme is called "Missing Impossible", and it is (very) reminiscent of ''Series/MissionImpossible'''s iconic theme.
** One of the "Duke Caribbean" levels has music that is very similar to the theme for ''Series/HawaiiFiveO''.
** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAC7t_JUlTA theme]] for "Freeway", a secret level in the "Shrapnel City" episode, has many parts similar to the ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' theme, just slower and more relaxed. In fact, this is the same level where you can find the crushed T-800 with his arm sticking out of the crusher, as a ShoutOut to the iconic ending of the [[Film/TheTerminator first]] ''Terminator'' movie.
* ThatOneBoss:
** The Battlelord in the first episode, mainly due to you [[EarlyBirdBoss lacking half your arsenal]], most of all the devastator. While you do have the RPG he takes about 25 hits to kill, and is shooting mortars and his {{Hitscan}} chaingun at you the whole time. It doesn't help that the boss fight area lacks proper covers which makes dodging the chaingun fire a chore.
** The Queen in Episode 4. Not only does she have more health than the other three bosses (6000 vs 4500) she can [[EnemySummoner give birth to drones to aid her]] and has a {{Hitscan}} lightning attack. Also, the entire fight takes place underwater.
* ThatOneLevel:
** Episode 4 in its entirety in the [=PS1=] version, especially on [[IdiosyncraticDifficultyLevels Come Get Some]], due to the shortage of ammo throughout the levels.
** Episode 1, level 3 features a tricky segment where you have to jump and duck past a bunch of infrared laser sensors. If you didn't find the RPG hidden earlier in this mission, or if you don't realize your missiles can destroy the bombs, the lasers can pose some problems. If you hit one of the lasers, bombs go off and kill you instantly. Not to mention that some pig cops are on their way to kill you as well. And if THEY hit the lasers, it also triggers the explosions. Also, this is the ONLY level in any of the episodes, including the expansion packs, where you start with no weapons because the previous level saw Duke get captured by the aliens before he could hit its exit, and just for good measure, you also start in an electric chair that is turned on.
** The "Smithsonian Terror" level, from the ''Duke it Out in D.C.'' official expansion. Takes place in a gigantic museum complex with lots of floors, sprawling mazelike exhibits and tons of backstage tunnels. It's not a badly designed level by any measure, but its sheer length is enough to make it off-putting. To give you an idea, most levels' Par Times are in the 3-6 minute range, with a select few breaching 10 minutes. This one's Par Time is a whopping 23 minutes.
** From the same expansion we have "Top Secret", the secret level. It has a lot of Sentry Drones and Fat Commanders (sometimes both at once) who just ''enjoy'' ambushing you from behind the corners and in cramped rooms, a lot of hitscan enemies pelting at you from the distance, a pretty confusing layout and a very difficult final part. It does not help that the level is just as big as the aforementioned "Smithsonian Terror".
** The new episode for the ''20th Anniversary World Tour'', ''Alien World Order'', takes the difficulty and skyrockets it back to the Moon. This episode has a new weapon and a new enemy who used that weapon (a flamethrower, which can rapid-burn both an enemy and Duke), with the last boss of the episode using said weapon. This also applies the DegradedBoss trope 3 times over; in addition to the mini-Battlelords, mini-Overlords and mini-Cycloid Emperors have been added to the enemy roster just to make your life a living hell (one level [[spoiler:ends with a confrontation with a standard-sized Cycloid Emperor and another ends with a standard-sized Battlelord, but they're not full boss fights.]] This episode can and will be cruel to a player.
* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: The ''20th Anniversary World Tour'' edition released by Gearbox Software, which replaced the ''Megaton Edition'' on online stores, has been generally seen as inferior: beyond the new episode (which was fairly well-received), it doesn't have any of the expansion episodes, the 20 dollar pricetag is considered too expensive for a largely unchanged 20-year old game, and that Duke's rerecorded lines don't flow as well as the original. Furthermore, the move to Gearbox's own [=SHiFT=] servers also went down poorly with players, especially considering the nefarious track record of going down the servers already have with [[VideoGame/{{Borderlands}} another Gearbox franchise]]. Many people also didn't like the custom sourceport used in "20th Anniversary World Tour", feeling that it messed up the aiming physics and included a number of unnecessary "graphical updates" that looked out of place in Duke Nukem 3D (a matter not helped by the fact that the sourceport was seen as being poorly optimized, and thus, these new effects were quite taxing even on newer computers). However, ''World Tour'' is still well-received with [=PlayStation=] 4, Xbox One, and especially Nintendo Switch owners that just want to be able to play ''Duke Nukem 3D'' on those systems at all. The Switch port, especially, is notable for being the first time Duke Nukem 3D was ever available ''uncensored'' on a Nintendo console!
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: As pointed out in [[WebVideo/LazyGameReviews LGR's]] video, The [[AnAssKickingChristmas Christmas-themed]] expansion ''Duke: Nuclear Winter'' has no new lines for Duke Nukem. This is because Jon St. John was not contacted to record any dialogue for the expansion like he did for ''Duke Caribbean: Life's a Beach'', nor was he aware that the expansion was being made. Which is very unfortunate, since the premise could have at the very least yielded a plethora of hilarious Christmas-related one-liners for Duke to say and made the expansion much more entertaining.
* ToughActToFollow: One of the major factors contributing to ''VideoGame/DukeNukemForever'' entering DevelopmentHell was that 3D Realms was determined to make it as groundbreaking a product as ''Duke Nukem 3D'' had been, which combined with the rapid evolution of first-person shooters in TheNineties and the TurnOfTheMillennium caused relentless feature creep and even prompted the developers to completely restart development several times.
* ValuesDissonance:
** One [[MemeticMutation infamous]] [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/if-you-dont-play-duke-nukem-3d-you-like-men advertisement]] for this game uses the slogan "If you don't play ''Duke Nukem 3D'', you like men!" As recognition and acceptance of queer people advanced, using "you like men" as an insult against potential customers (who are implied to be straight males) would become unacceptable.
** Discussed regarding the pig cops in the developer's commentaries in the 20th anniversary edition: the pig cops were created at time when police brutality was in the news, but as time went on, the joke became less funny. But now, with police brutality becoming a hot button issue again, the joke has swung back into relevance.
* ValuesResonance:
** As mentioned under the dissonance category, due to people caring about police brutality again, the pig cops are as relevant as they were back then.
----