But, you don’t have to “break the mold” to make a great game, or a great new addition to the series.
The new DOOM doesn’t reinvent the genre by any means, but it’s still an amazing entry in the series and one of the best FPS games in years.
It does this simply because of the love and attention put into it. The polish and dedication to a specific vision.
Wolf:TNO doesn’t break any molds, but it delivers a brilliant new entry in the Wolf series. The Shadow Warrior reboot isn’t amazingly original… but, Flying Wild Hog made it their own.
DNF did not have that.
3DR were trying far too hard to keep up with the market, they lost focus of simply striving to make DNF a great game.
The goal for a new Duke game should be clear before development starts. The style, tone… it should all be nailed in before they even try to create one asset.
You have to be confident in your work, and a lot of DNF just gives me the feeling that 3DR kind of… were not. There are times it hits the right beats, but they are few and far between.
Instead the game feels sporadic. Almost frantic in how it switches gears and alternates back and forth between various styles.
Attempting to grab a hold of a piece of fame from this game or that series. Taking elements that were window dressing (humor and sexual content) in DN3D and using them to try and cover up other short comings.
The next Duke Nukem game doesn’t need to break any molds, it doesn’t need to reinvent the genre.
But, it does need to know what it is completely. That’s how DOOM, Wolf:TNO and SW delivered such amazing titles. The studios knew what they wanted. And they took the right steps to get there.