It’s fascinating to reflect on a time when Duke Nukem, a controversial icon of gaming culture, was omnipresent across platforms.

The game Duke Nukem: D-Day, which was supposed to mark his debut on the PlayStation 2, was developed by the now-defunct studio n-Space. Although it was reportedly nearing completion, the game was ultimately shelved and vanished from existence. However, a prototype from 2001 has recently surfaced on the Internet Archive, showcasing 12 playable levels.

The uploader humorously claims that a non-serious gamer might consider this prototype “90% complete”. While this version is packed with gaming history, it is evident that it is still unfinished. Importantly, players will navigate through various settings starting from a strip club, going back in time to combat the Third Reich and their extraterrestrial allies during World War II, leading to an epic finale against alien forces in Antarctica.

Though there aren’t cutscenes or voice-overs in this build, it effectively captures the main action sequences. The controls are reminiscent of pre-dual-analog PS1 titles, with innovative debug tools that allow users to explore any level effortlessly. A copy of the game requires either a PS2 that can run third-party software or an emulator like PCSX2, although graphical settings may need tweaking for optimal performance.

This early version underwent development until 2003, raising hopes that a more polished version of D-Day might still be out there, waiting to be discovered.