A bit of the old ultraviolence
After an excruciatingly long countdown, Interceptor Entertainment’scheeky teaser sitehas been updated to revealBombshell, the best little non-Duke Nukemgame that’s actuallyDuke Nukemin Texaswe could have asked for.
The reveal trailer features a svelte beauty with a rugged mechanical arm that looks capable of transforming into several armaments — I’m thinking rocket launcher, perhaps? Shelly “Bombshell” Harrison (Tank Girl?) is a no-nonsense Bomb Disposal Specialist turned mercenary-for-hire who’s traveling across four different planets in a bid to (surprise!) rescue the president from aliens.Bombshellis an isometric action role-playing game as well, so prepare for a different sort of violence than the running and gunning you may be used to. And speaking of reveal trailers, this one actuallyseems a little familiar, doesn’t it?Duke Nukem Forever?Ringing any bells?
Duke fans and 3D Realms followers alike may remember the legal complications that came along with Interceptor Entertainment’s acquisition of 3D Realms. While Interceptor picked up the rights to titles likeShadow Warrior,Rise of the Triad, andDuke Nukem,the end result of the purchase ended up covering only pastDuke Nukemgames rather than the rights to any future releases.
In fact, it turned out that 3D Realms actually sold the rights toDuke Nukemas a franchise years ago, only for Interceptor Entertainment to announceDuke Nukem: Mass Destruction, whichprompted a lawsuitfrom Gearbox Software for breach of contract, and a mass of other sticky matters. Things got even more complicated when 3D Realmsallegedthey actually retained the rights to Duke, and then all hell broke loose.
The end result? Interceptor Entertainment technically can’t create any futureDuke Nukemreleases. As a result, it looks like we’re left withBombshell, which might be a delicious mix of genres and improve on whateverDukegame we may have seen before. It’s one convoluted situation, but at the very least we can look to the future and hope that this game is awesome. And so far, it looks like it will be. If the wait proves to be too much for you though, you may always go back and look at all of these niftyunused Duke assetsfor a rush of nostalgia. Check out the Interceptor Entertainment official reveal interviewhere.
