Duke Nukem : Total Meltdown

Duke Nukem: Total Meltdown is the PlayStation version of Duke Nukem 3D, a first-person shooter in which Duke returns to an Earth overrun by aliens. The campaign begins after his ship is shot down over Los Angeles, sending him into streets, nightspots, prisons, space stations, lunar installations and other hostile locations in pursuit of the invaders. Duke’s wisecracks, science-fiction parody and deliberately exaggerated action-hero persona are central to the game’s tone, while the objective is consistently direct: clear the aliens out of each dangerous setting and stop their leadership.

The main game contains the three original Duke Nukem 3D episodes: L.A. Meltdown, Lunar Apocalypse and Shrapnel City. Their levels are not simply corridors of combat. Progress often depends on noticing switches, doors, lifts, hidden passages, underwater routes, vents and environmental clues. A route may lead through a familiar-looking place such as a cinema, subway, bar or city street before opening into a secret area, so searching the scenery matters as much as surviving each firefight.

Duke fights with a broad arsenal that goes far beyond a basic pistol and shotgun. The game includes the Mighty Foot kick, chaingun, rocket launcher, pipe bombs, Shrinker, freeze weapon, laser trip mines and Devastator, giving encounters different tactical possibilities. Equipment such as portable medkits, steroids, night-vision goggles, protective boots, scuba gear, a holographic decoy and a jetpack helps Duke recover, explore hazardous areas or reach routes that would otherwise be inaccessible. Enemies range from Pig Cops and alien troopers to tougher creatures and episode-ending bosses.

Total Meltdown adds material that distinguishes it from the original three-episode PC release. Alongside the core campaign, it includes the PlayStation-exclusive Plug ’n’ Pray episode, made up of six new levels plus a secret level. This extra campaign introduces three additional Pig Cop variants and culminates in a fight with the new boss CyberKeef. The secret level later appeared in the PC version, but Plug ’n’ Pray remains the feature most closely associated with this PlayStation release.

The port also has its own audio presentation. Its soundtrack combines remixed and rearranged versions of music from the PC game with original streaming XA-Audio tracks. The result keeps the recognizable Duke Nukem atmosphere while giving the PlayStation disc a distinct musical identity. The original episodes preserve their Earth-and-space invasion setup, whereas the added episode provides a separate set of locations and encounters built specifically for this edition.

Designed around the original PlayStation hardware, Total Meltdown supports both standard digital play and compatible analog pads. It offers three preset control configurations rather than fully custom button mapping, so players can choose the layout that best fits their approach to movement, aiming and strafing. Multiplayer is supported through the PlayStation Link Cable, which connects two consoles for Dukematch play; it is not a same-console split-screen mode.

Compared with other 1997 console versions, this release takes a different path. Duke Nukem 64 substantially changes content and presentation, while the Sega Saturn edition has its own bonus level and Death Tank Zwei. Total Meltdown instead preserves the three original episodes, then expands them with Plug ’n’ Pray and PS1-specific sound. It is also distinct from the PC Atomic Edition: that edition adds The Birth and its own enemies, boss and weapon, while this PlayStation port’s major new campaign is Plug ’n’ Pray.

For players exploring PlayStation first-person shooters, Duke Nukem: Total Meltdown is both a full version of the original alien-invasion adventure and a historically specific console variant. Its combination of interactive levels, secret hunting, unusual weapons, equipment-based exploration and exclusive episode makes it more than a renamed port. It captures the design of Duke Nukem 3D while adding content and features tailored to Sony’s first console.