After 14 years, Duke Nukem has finally reached shelves and online in Duke Nukem Forever, though the "steroidal one-man army who never fails and always get the babes" may no longer be that appealing to today's gamers.

Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., launched in Australia and Europe last Friday the long-awaited follow-up to the shooter game, which is available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC. It will launch Tuesday in North America. The game is available for US$59.99 for all the three platforms.

Duke Nukem Forever starts with Duke is on a hiatus, franchising himself on the fame he gained from saving earth from the first invasion. However, Duke is forced to return as a one-man war machine (two weapons at a time, and regenerating health bar) after aliens return to earth, "stealing earth's women, especially the hot ones! And they drank Duke's beer."

Duke Nukem Forever, which features both single-player and multiplayer modes, promises to reinvent the key ingredients that made the franchise successful -- "boiling over-the-top with irreverent humor, catchy one-liners that will make your mama blush, and frantic, bone-shaking action sequences that will simultaneously rock your world and neighbors' walls." The game is rated M for Mature for its intense violence, mature humor, and nudity.

First announced in 1997, Duke Nukem Forever was pushed back a number of times, then was set to be shelved after developer 3D Realms closed up shop in 2009 due to funding woes. The game was resurrected by Gearbox Software, the developer of "Borderlands," which is also published by Take-Two.

The predecessor, Duke Nukem 3D, was released way back in 1996 was a favorite by reviewers and gamers. Selling millions of copies then, DN3D was a hit for its funny one liners, graphic violence and politically incorrect portrayal of women, though it was sold at a time when MS-DOS was still a popular platform.

However, in the age of Halo, Half-Life, and Call of Duty, which are known for their superb gameplay, cutting-edge graphics, photorealistic looks, and smooth pace, Duke Nukem Forever may have difficulty finding its mark.

Early purchasers who gave a thumbs down say the game is graphically inferior to other modern day shooters, has an unpolished gameplay, dull scenes and a slow pace (Duke is stuck in his own house for the first several chapters), and doesn't provide anything new. Gamers who love the game, probably die-hard fans of the franchise, say the game is fun and entertaining, has solid shooting mechanics, and is faithful to the original as Duke's steroidal sexism and hilarious one-liners are still there.

In the aggregate, early reviews of DN Forever have been less than stellar. Website Metacritic scores the Xbox 360 version of DNF at 55 out of 100, while the PC version has a rating of 76 out of 100. PC Gamer rated the game 80/100, noting that years of anticipation will spoil DNF for some.

Saying that Duke Nukem Forever is "boring and original" would probably anger some gamers. Fans of the original -- the teenagers of the 1990s who are in their 30s or 40s by now -- would pay $60 each to see this trigger-happy action star... but not today's teenagers.