1. Duke Nukem Forever: 3D Realms' first-person shooter is the first title to win the No. 1 spot in the Vaporware Awards two years in a row. The game is so hazy it received almost as many votes as all the other vaporware nominations put together. First announced in 1997, the game has now been five years in the making. So long, in fact, 3D Realms makes jokes about it on its website. It's routinely referred to as "Duke Nukem Whenever" or "Duke Nukem If Ever."
"I remember that they announced this game when I was in the eighth grade!" wrote Ian Huggins. "I'm bloody in college now. What is this?"
"This game was on the cover of PC Gamer back in 1998," recalled reader Jonathan Roberts. "Of course, it is now 2003. Five years later and still no game. Their website still says it will be released 'when it's done.'"
Dennis Murphy wrote, "Once again, Duke Nukem Forever is the definitive vaporware. Hell, even Warcraft III made it out this year. You know, I think I'm going to set up a script to submit Duke Nukem Forever every year."
The company's president, George Broussard, gracefully received the award on behalf of 3D Realms.
"What can I say?" he wrote in an e-mail. "We're undeniably late and we know it. We've switched engines a couple of times, and we've started over a couple of times. We've made some mistakes, and we've learned from them. I'm just glad we're in a position to do those things, and to be able to make the game we want to make, instead of being rushed out the door to meet stock projections.
"In the end all that matters is the quality of the game," he continued. "So, lessons have been learned, and progress is being made, and we're working as quickly and quietly as we can. You're completely justified in calling us 'turtleware,' at the very least, but the release date is still 'when it's done.'"
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