3D Realms' infamous shooter Duke Nukem 3D has returned to Apple's App Store on iTunes (link), costing fans a measly $2.99 and 12.3 MB of storage space. The game still lists as v1.0, indicating that Machineworks Northwest didn't applied any upgrades to this classic port while it went on hiatus. So far, there's no word on why the game was pulled despite a previous theory that the approval team had second thoughts about the game's content.
As reported earlier, the game looks and performs like the original PC classic, however the clumsy controls--both analog and digital settings--need serious work to make the game more than just playable. Duke Nukem 3D includes all three of the original episodes--L.A. Meltdown, Lunar Apocalypse, and Shrapnel City--and even includes a new TapShoot feature that supposedly makes it easier to... well, shoot the enemy.
According to the App Store listing, Duke Nukem 3D offers over twenty hours of game time, however this edition does not include multiplayer support. Fan of 3D Realms may also want to check out Prey Invasion (link), the newest portable edition to the Prey universe (and probably one of the shortest), the awesomely tasty Wolfenstein RPG by id Software (link), and a overhauled version of the original Wolfenstein 3D Classic (link). Additionally, while this has nothing to do with 3D Realms, fans of the MechWarrior series might want to check out iMech (link), a $0.99 iPhone game similar to the popular franchise that even offers online multiplayer capabilities.
As for Duke Nukem 3D, the game is rated 12+ for cartoon or fantasy violence, realistic violence, sexual content or nudity, profanity or crude humor, mature/suggestive themes, and "intense" horror/fear themes. Duke Nukem 3D does not work on the first generation of the iPod Touch, however it performs rather well on the iPhone and iPod Touch 2G.
