Duke Nukem 20th anniversary edition

Just wondering if anyone has downloaded it and is it worth another go around?
i have the 2011 re-release on xbox 360 so I'm in two minds where to purchase or not.

Haven't played it, but this is probably the right place to check for opinions from veteran Duke community members:
https://forums.duke4.net/topic/8853-duke-nukem-3d-20th-anniversary-world-tour/

I haven't read the entire thread but here's some highlights that have caught my attention:

o It is my understanding that most of the new levels received only a lukewarm response from the community, but they seem quite okay to me from the playthrough videos. The two major points are: a) the maps aren't innovative enough, people have expected something more unique and b) there are minor errors and glitches in map design/structure (misaligned textures etc.). In fact, there's been quite a lot of criticism from mappers regarding point (b) but I think most players will just not notice the majority of such issues that mappers are aware of due to their expertise in this area.

o While you can play the game both in classic software renderer mode and in the brand-new in-house 3D renderer (not related to anything from EDuke32 I think), the new episode apparently was designed with the 3D renderer in mind and will lose part of its visual aesthetics in software mode (something people have complained about).

o One major problem seems to be sound effects. John St Jon has recorded all the Duke speech anew, and these lines are in stark contrast with the other sound effects which sound muffled, either due to original lower audio quality or to some failed attempt at resampling. (I think this issue can be fixed by a community patch.)

o The new episode adds one new monster and one new weapon, but apparently they are more of a gimmicky thing and not balanced well.

o Everyone praised Lee Jackson's soundtrack for the new episode.

o Hopefully not a spoiler, but everyone apparently got disappointed by the end boss, both its design and the final battle itself.

Some people have expressed an opinion that the new episode is not enough extra content to warrant purchase, although they have admitted that it might be enjoyable.

Spoilers within.

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I've played through the whole thing myself (tried to stream it too, but Perth internet was having none of it), and while it has its technical issues like the sound, and the 3D renderer being a bit crash-happy, I do hope people can see past simple-pimple flaws like texture misalignments and so-called "lack of innovation". I mean, the first map features a "drug trip" segment which has you avoiding enemies in a 720-degree arena while weird alien faces appear on walls. It's trippy and different, and kind of cool, plus it reminds you that the Build engine can pull off some really neat shit, in case you forgot about "Tier Drops" or "Lunatic Fringe". There's also plenty of faked-3D multi-storey buildings that take place in the urban settings in the episode.

The new weapon, a Freezethrower reskin called the Incinerator, is pretty throwaway, honestly. Doesn't feel good to use. It has its uses early on, but you basically won't be using it once you get the devastator. (I think you get them in the same level, heh.)

The new enemy, the Firefly, is pretty interesting from a conceptual standpoint - it shrinks itself which makes it harder to hit, and its attacks set you on fire, so you take residual damage on top of the initial hit. Sadly these guys aren't a huge amount of fun to fight en masse, and their design is an extremely lazy rush job - they're just alpha lizard troopers (they use the same sounds as well), and they don't even have a proper death animation, instead flipping a few times before exploding in a fireball. Kinda lame.

The ending boss also does suck turds, be warned, but never fear, the community has a subtle improvement on it in the works. (<- What became of this? Anyone know?)

Aside from those gripes I have which honestly do not get in the way of the overall experience, the new episode is highly enjoyable. There's perhaps 3-4 hours of content just in the new episode, as the levels are lengthy and rich, on top of looking very very nice in both renderers.

There's also some pop-culture jokes injected into the level design like the Egyptian temple's interior looking like the one from The Fifth Element, and an easter egg of a slain Serious Sam.

The new episode is full of climactic encounters to keep you on your toes, with high monster counts and several boss encounters. They reuse the E2 and E3 bosses in smaller forms, like previous episodes did the Battlelord - although bizarrely they both suffer from splash damage meaning they can easily take their dumb selves out. Pretty cool though - Mini-Cycloids are still a pretty serious threat. You also fight the big bosses several times, in the middle of levels too, which is pretty neat. The fight with the Cycloid Emperor in the House of Commons is a bit rubbish, but that was the only incidental boss battle I didn't think was just a super cool setup.

Definitely get this if you're a rabid Duke fan like I, who worships the work of Lee Jackson and deeply admires the level design of the original episodes. This new one honestly fits in like a glove, I feel, despite its flaws and the sheer breadth of time that elapsed between it and The Birth.

Nice one Jimmy and MrFlibble (nice to see theres another Red Dwarf fan on the boards)
Fantastic posts.
Found both very helpful and gave more in-sight than any review I've come across.
Duke 20th is on sale on the PS4 , may have to go grab it now. sounds like the upgrade could be worth the six quid at least.

Yeah, the final boss was much too easy since it has a very limited range with a flamethrower attack and you can easily blast it from a distance, the original Cycloid Emperor was a much greater threat.

I am really not so sure about its level design in the new episode as it felt a bit off, they were a bit more uniform and linear compared to the original maps imo.

The New episode levels are actually well designed IMO, and the usage of a lot of previous boss monsters really put me on edge because I wasn't expecting to see them as early as they appeared.

The biggest beef I have with this release is that it doesn't have any of the previous expansions. I want to play the Duke It Out In DC and Caribbean expansions without resorting to shady downloads or insane prices.

I kinda liked it but it's not worth more than a few bucks.

I'm a poor peasant so I mainly play Xbox One and from what I've heard and seen the Xbox port (and possibly PS4) have no features that make it worth getting.

- There are no leaderboards and demos like in the 360 port.

- The multiplayer straight up refuses to work like 95% of the time.

- The sound quality is terribad and you are stuck with it.

On PC at least they did do a patch fixing the audio quality a while ago.

I love World Tour, Alien World Order is an incredible episode, some of my favorite maps ever. Levelord and Allen Blum doing great work, I love the city maps, they have the twists turns and clever stuff you'd hope for, and lots of great detail. Then you've got the great Pyramid level, a couple other unique levels, it's just freakin' sweet. Agreed with all that the final boss is kinda broken since you pretty much would have to be asleep to get hurt. But that's the only downside for me.

I recommend this new episode more than anything else released in the FPS genre in a long long time, for fans of level design. (needless to say the new DOOM is great too)