The Wall Street Journal featured an article about 3D Realms titled "A Real Character" yesterday, stating that "Action-game hero Duke Nukem gives players something they can't get elsewhere: a hero with an attitude."

The article, written by staff journalist Scott McCartney, based in Dallas, said: "Previous first-person games haven't tried to develop a main character for users to play; you simply become an anonymous warrior out to blast hordes of nasty monsters. But Duke Nukem is built around a very definite character, and players adopt the talents and personality of the main figure while shooting their way to glory."

Speaking more about Duke Nukem 3D, the game itself, the article stated: "It isn't just Duke who gets a personality; it's the environment. Unlike most first-person games, which are set in anonymous dungeons, Duke Nukem is set in Los Angeles, with identifiable landmarks and realistic venues like a movie theater, a topless club and a football stadium." And speaking of the unique humor in the game, the article continues: "Because Duke is already a hero in town, his likeness is on display at Duke Burger restaurants, which have a statue of the great one. At a bookstore, Duke finds a book about himself. The environment also has a level of detail not common to [similar style] games."

The article quotes both Scott Miller, President of Apogee Software (3D Realms is a division of Apogee, run by George Broussard, who was not interviewed), and Paul Schuytema, Project Leader for 3D Realms' ultra-ambitious Prey, a game due out later in 1998. In the article, Miller says that, "We were trying to do things we'd like to play and see," explaining the incredible amount of interaction and pop-culture jokes in the game.

The articles wrote that "...the success of Duke Nukem bears out a rule that has held in the computer business: Breakthroughs come not from big companies, but from what amounts to a garage band of enthusiasts."

The article concludes with information about Prey, with Schuytema saying, "We're trying to create a character as enticing as some of the great characters from science-fiction novels."