Levels are designed well, but there are a few annoying issues. Controls are rather loose - even with a controller, it's easy to misjump and fall to death. Couple this with numerous checkpoints spaced with severa; very hard jumps between them - and you got a recipe for trial & error. The game locks boss levels and you need to get a certain rating on every level of the same world to unlock them. When I hit the very final level I had to replay three levels - as those levels are the hardest in the game, this wasn't fun. The game is quite difficult and suffers from frustrating spikes, especially boss fights. The absolute epitome of trial & error, it won't be difficult to find people who died 50, 60, even 100 times on the last boss, which isn't challenging - it's just plain unfair. I 'd give a higher score had the developer playtested it more and realized how badly unbalanced the difficulty is. As it is - I would only recommend it for how gorgeous it is, much less for the gameplay experience provided here.
DN:MP is a great throwback to the days of the original side-scroller, including the attitude, theme song and one-liners Duke has been so beloved and famous for. There are very fun weapons like the GLOPP cannon and other classics like the shotgun and the one that shrinks enemies for a good stomping. Sometimes level design is a bit awkward and the 3D camera gets in your way, but Duke is mostly easily controlled and never falls to frustration. Boss fights are hit and miss - some of them (including the final boss) are simply a blast while others are just glorified versions of regular enemies. While the game does have some flaws it's still a highly enjoyable, light-hearted game that will offer you six to nine hours of good humorous fun. I'd definitely recommend Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project to every one who knows Duke or is just looking for a fun, good-looking side-scroller to pass the time with.
