Duke Nukem Forever Date Confirmed for May

Yes it's true... there's no need to pinch yourself.

Well it seems that pigs can fly and hell is currently serving ice cubes to the locals, as Duke Nukem Forever has finally landed a confirmed release date after over a decade of delays.

Friday 2K Games officially announced that the long, long-awaited sequel to 3D Realms' classic FPS game Duke Nukem 3D will hit retail shelves on May 3, 2011 here in the States, and May 6, 2011 internationally for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC.

"Put on your shades and prepare to step into the boots of Duke Nukem, whose legend has reached epic proportions in the years since his last adventure," reads the press release. "The alien hordes are invading and only Duke can save the world. Pig cops, alien shrink rays and enormous alien bosses can’t stop our hero from accomplishing his one and only goal: to save the world, save the babes and to be a bad-ass while doing it. The King arrives with an arsenal of over-the-top weapons, non-stop action, and unprecedented levels of interactivity. This game puts the pedal to the metal and tongue firmly in cheek. Shoot hoops, lift weights, read adult magazines, draw crude messages on whiteboards or ogle the many hot women that occupy Duke’s life - that is if you can pull yourself away long enough from destroying alien invaders.

"Duke Nukem was and will forever be a gaming icon, and this is his legend."

Fans eager to get an early hands-on glimpse of the highly-anticipated shooter can join the Duke Nukem First Access Club. However the drawback is that a membership certificate is only available for those who purchase the Game of the Year edition of Borderlands. Otherwise, you'll have to wait on a demo if/when it's released.

"When I said goodbye to 3D Realms and the original Duke Nukem 3D team in 1997 and soon after founded Gearbox Software, I never in my wildest dreams imagined that a day like today would come," said Randy Pitchford, president of Gearbox Software. "Today I am proud, humbled and even astounded to announce that the day is coming at last for all gamers to be a part of video game history: Duke Nukem Forever will launch worldwide this May!"

In addition to the PR, 2K Games sent along the box art, a few screenshots and a video which was uploaded to YouTube (seen below). The question now will be this: once it arrives, will the game live up to all the hype, or was the decade-plus wait just too long for the game to possibly succeed?

Currently we're waiting on feedback from 2K Games in regards to minimal/recommended specs for the PC version, and if the company plans to release a demo for PC gamers.