evercade: duke collection 1

content/games/evercade/_index.md

@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+---
+title: Evercade
+type: platform
+platform: evercade
+ignore: true
+aliases:
+  - /platforms/evercade
+image: /img/evercade-cover.png
+---
+
+Blaze's 2020 obsucre retro revival system that comes with proper physical cartridges and colorful (literally) manuals, true to its inspirations. Evercade carts usually contain compilations of forgotten gems, new old indie releases, and a few big bombs that are in dire need of re-releasing. 

content/games/evercade/duke-nukem-collection-1.md

@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+---
+title: "Duke Nukem Collection 1 (Evercade)"
+date: 2024-04-07T20:42:00+01:00
+score: 3
+howlongtobeat_id: -1
+howlongtobeat_hrs: 10
+game_name: "Duke Nukem Collection 1"
+game_genre: '2D Platformer'
+game_release_year: 2023
+game_developer: 'Various'
+---
+
+when I heard about Blaze's intentions to re-release the 1991 and 1993 classics Duke Nukum[^nuk]/Nukem I/II [on an Evercade cartridge](https://evercade.co.uk/cartridges/duke-nukem-collection-1/), I knew I wouldn't have the backbone to resist pressing that buy button, and after finishing the games for the 3458th time, I'm glad that I didn't, as this release really is something special. 
+
+[^nuk]: [NUKUM](https://www.mobygames.com/game/14344/duke-nukum-episode-1-shrapnel-city/) appeared in the original title screen in November 1991, which was later reworked as NUKEM.
+
+Is this a simple re-release wrapped in DOSBox, a remaster or a complete remake? Difficult to tell, as it _can_ look like a re-release, but is actually remade from the ground up. Nikolai Wuttke disassembled, reverse-engineered, tweaked, pushed, and pulled until the result looked and felt exactly as the original:
+
+> There was never any source code released for the original game, so this project is based on reverse engineering. Disassembly from the original executable served as basis for writing new code from scratch, while video captures from DosBox were used for frame-by-frame verification. See [my blog post](https://lethalguitar.wordpress.com/2019/05/28/re-implementing-an-old-dos-game-in-c-17/) to learn more about the process.
+
+Yet this Evercade cart does much more than simply run Duke (II): it comes with smooth scrolling at 60 FPS instead of the very choppy 15-20 frames I was used to in DOS, its parallax scrolling effect is more evocative, it has achievements, a new HUD/UI that's better suited for widescreen play, and a handy quicksave feature. 
+
+The smooth scrolling and framerate changes are mind blowing if you grew up with Duke I/II back in the early nineties. If you press `SELECT` during play, the game transitions into "retro mode"---using the authentic framerate, UI, and resolution:
+
+{{< video "/vid/dn1-collection.mp4" >}}
+
+The difference is astonishing, and you'll likely never want to go back. Unless you really want to play on the authentic hardware itself. 
+
+For the Evercade handheld systems, widescreen support is a godsend. It does away with the sudden appearance of projectiles and enemies that was especially tiresome in Duke II with its beefier sprites. In a recent [Retronauts Podcast episode](https://retronauts.com/topic/podcast/), the team over at Blaze discussed remaking the game and having to adjust the level layout to support widescreen mode among other minor level design changes, otherwise sudden holes in the levels would become visible. It's all very well done. For me as someone who grew up with Duke I/II, knowing most levels by heart, I was not bothered by any of the changes.
+
+What I _was_ bothered with, however, was the music. Duke I never had any sound except for a few PC speaker-powered bleeps or bloops that became part of the charm. As part of this package, a new set of tracker music songs was produced---that can be disabled---that suddenly starts playing as soon as you fall down into the first level of Duke I. Wowza! Great, right? Except that that same music is also played in Duke II. Where's Robert/Bobby Prince's original soundtrack? Poof. Gone. 
+
+![](dn2.jpg "That cool environmental metal-esque sondtrack in DN2, perfectly accompanying this creepy level 6 of episode 1? Sorry. Gone.")
+
+If there's one thing I hate about retro re-releases, it's licensing issues[^lic]. Which this game is another victim of, according to [Clint "LGR" Basinger in this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUw2fpJmY8I). Prince's original was perhaps a bit too inspired by famous metal bands and there have been issues with his tracks before, so Blaze understandably side-stepped this by producing a new set. The new tracks sound all right, but most of them are remixes of songs from Duke 3D which in my opinion totally breaks the atmosphere of the first two 2D platformers.
+
+[^lic]: Based on findings by [nemmelheim.de](http://www.nemmelheim.de/turrican/news/duke/) that prove the Duke staff ripped off many Turrican sprites, I'd say music licensing issues is just one of the many problems.... Yet the graphic artists somehow get away with it?
+
+That's the same reason why I don't like the new menus where _Grabbag_ of course is played and art of The Duke in his "3D Era" is displayed. Gone is the cool menu of the original two games or the hallway after finishing each level in Duke I where bonuses fly upwards. I'm not too upset that these are gone, I'm upset because their replacements are too much Duke 3D aligned. At least all the new bells and whistles (except for the menus) can be turned on and off in the configuration.
+
+I'd say the _Duke Nukem Collection 1_ is the definitive way to play Duke Nukem I as you can disable the new soundtrack and choose whether or not you want the new UI in combination with smooth scrolling. But for Duke II, a part of my memories is inseparably intertwined with Bobby's soundtrack. I tried humming the original tunes while playing the new mode, but it still doesn't feel right. Just like _Sonic Origins_' Sonic 3 Carnival Zone track that's suddenly gone because of whispered Michael Jackson involvement that was apparently too expensive to put right. In the end, the gamers with fond memories of the original are the victim here. 
+
+![](dn1.jpg "DN1, the last level of the last episode. After getting used to widescreen, there's no going back...")
+
+So what else is on this cart? Well, there's a Duke Nukem 3D Playstation port on here... That's hardly worth talking about. It runs like crap, doesn't contain everything the _Atomic Edition_ has to offer, and feels awkward to play on my original Evercade handheld. I guess from a preservationist point of view, having a physical copy of _Total Meltdown_ next to my DOS original feels all right? The soundtrack hasn't been replaced here: it's pretty much a straight port. 
+
+I still think this Evercade cartridge is worth buying: it's `$20`, you get an awesome version of Duke 1 and a great version of Duke 2 if you don't care about the music in the original. Consider the PSX port of Duke 3D to be a free extra---one of those freebies that you usually toss in the bin once you get home. 
+
+![](titlescreen.jpg "The Evercade cart title screen, showcasing DN1+2 remastered games as 'one' entity, while DN3D: Total Meltdown as another.")
+
+I really hope Blaze has set their eyes on the Apogee platformer selection and is planning to remaster more of these forgotten DOS gems! These feel right at home on the handheld platform (or on the _Evercade VS_, I guess) and the smooth widescreen mode is simply fantastic.