Duke Nukem Review causes storm

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Demon_Skeith

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The Redner Group, a third-party public relations agency, was dropped by its client 2K Games today after the firm threatened to withhold future review copies of games sent to media outlets due to the reviews surrounding Duke Nukem Forever.

The Redner Group, which represented Duke Nukem Forever, said on Twitter yesterday, "Too many went too far with their reviews…we r reviewing who gets games next time and who doesn't based on today's venom." The tweet has since been deleted. Jim Redner, the owner, later apologized for the tweet and sent an e-mail to press members saying, "Though I didn't name names, I did say that I thought some reviews had gone too far in tone. Meaning, that the tone of some of the reviews was poor. I respect the scores, it had to deal with the tone. I was unable to properly convey that in 140 characters."

Additionally he said in the letter, "We are all entitled to our opinions regardless of score, tone or meaning. My response was a juvenile act on my part. I know better and my emotion got the best of me. I have worked very hard on this project. I want it to succeed. I just got upset and acted out."

Earlier this morning, 2K Games issued a statement saying. "2K Games does not endorse the comments made by Jim Redner and we can confirm that The Redner Group no longer represents our products. We have always maintained a mutually-respectful working relationship with the press and do not condone his actions in any way."

Below is the letter from Jim Redner posted in full:

Hello,

I would like a quick moment of your time to humbly ask for your forgiveness. I made a major error in judgment. I acted out of pure emotion without any thought to what I was saying. It is with a sad heart that I come to you now asking that you forgive me. I posted a Tweet this evening saying that I was reviewing The Redner Group's policy for future reviews of video games based on today's Duke Nukem Forever scores. I must state for the record I was acting on my behalf. 2K and all other clients had nothing to do with my comment. I want to be very clear that this came through me and was in no way affiliated with any of my clients especially my former client 2K.

Though I didn't name names, I did say that I thought some reviews had gone too far in tone. Meaning, that the tone of some of the reviews was poor. I respect the scores, it had to deal with the tone. I was unable to properly convey that in 140 characters. But that it beside the point. We are all entitled to our opinions regardless of score, tone or meaning. My response was a juvenile act on my part. I know better and my emotion got the best of me. I have worked very hard on this project. I want it to succeed. I just got upset and acted out.

I believe we are all allowed to voice our opinions and that opinions by their very nature are correct. Many of you quickly pointed out my error in judgment. For that I thank you and apologize.

I truly respect what you do. You have helped me achieve a little bit of success in this industry. I depend upon you. Your coverage is of the utmost importance to me. You have helped me secure coverage for all of the projects that I have touched. I have tried to treat you all with respect, dignity and honesty. Tonight I threw that all away, and I am extremely sorry.

The video game industry is an industry that I love. I have tried to dedicate myself to this industry. Tonight I failed the industry.

With much respect, I hope that when we meet again you will be able greet me with a smile and without malice. I will gladly do the same.

I am truly sorry for what I did. I know better than that. If I have caused you any issues, now or in the past, I apologize.

Best of luck,

Jim Redner
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To be honest though, they should have known it was going to be bad. The developers must have known it was going to be bad unless they were pretty dim. They chose to stick to their guns however and as a result we have the game. Most people bought it because it was Duke Nukem and not because they thought it would be any good. The whole game just reeks of immaturity and bad design from the launch video. But then again, it is the immaturity that will sell it. Frankly the game is irrelevant in today's modern age and though I may enjoy it for its cheap gimmicks when I eventually get round to getting it, it won't stop the game from being a steaming pile of shit.
 
Yeah but this doesn't come down to the company really. Bethesda could have made Duke Nukem forever and it would still would have been bad. The reason for this is thus:

Duke Nukem embodies themes and concepts that are completely immature and do not hold any weight as a good game meaning that it can only sell on Nostalgia. In order to make a good shooter, you would need to abandon these concepts and focus on ones more relevant for this day and age. This creates the conundrum of creation. The game is either a good game but abandons all the principles that make it a Duke Nukem game OR the game is a classic re-imagining of Duke Nukem and as such abandons all quality of gameplay and credibility as a serious game due to the shallowness of the concept. This means that no company could have taken this and done it well. Gearbox chose what was probably the better of 2 bad games and stuck to the Duke Nukem nostalgia and as a result created a game that holds nothing but Nostalgia value and nothing else.
 
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