I'd just get the rental. The reason its getting such low rating is mainly the graphics which are very outdated by over about 10 years but there's still value in the fact that Duke is still Alpha Male. Running around shooting aliens and peeing in their eyesockets, getting blowjobs and lap dances, and taking steroids and drinking beer for power-ups.
I just find it sad that it took so long to complete it that the graphics were just dated. It is truly the last game around that used the Unreal Engine.
It is what it is, trust me I know what you mean, I've waited almost 20 years for this game too and was laughing at the last 15 years when every year 3d realms would say they're almost done working on it, this game has been the greatest cluster fuck in the history of video games, they went through something like 4 engines, maybe 6 different teams of developers and artists, etc. etc.
Truth be told this game was never really meant to be released, and I'm as shocked as anyone that it made it out, having said that I got my copy for free and it is a lot of fun to play, definetly stuff that's missing in all of today's games, you can watch tv, drink, take steroids, take a piss, break a wall down, get a lap dance all fun things that make games awesome, yes the graphics are terribly outdated (I already mentioned the old unreal engine it's based on) but the game is still a shitload of fun if you don't t hink about it too much, I play it in bed in front of a wall mounted 56" plasma with surround sound and a cold beer next to me, I'm digging it.
Also, nothing and I mean NOTHING will ever touch the original Duke3d, that godamn game is responsible for my insomnia and almost failing grade 11, when that game came out probably half my high school went from A students to failing it was the most addictive feeling in the world, setting laser triggers for pipe bomb at 4:30am with school the next day! LOL
