Duke Nukem videogame comeback delayed - again

The long-delayed comeback of videogame tough guy "Duke Nukem" hit another snag on Thursday with 2K Games bumping arrival of the latest title back a month into June.

First-person shooter game "Duke Nukem Forever" has been a work in progress since 1997, missing a slew of release dates before 2K put it in the hands of Gearbox Software developers last year for completion.

"We're committed to deliver a laugh-out-loud, politically incorrect experience that people will talk about for years to come," said 2K president Christoph Hartmann.

"We thank Duke's fans for their continued patience - I promise this won't take another 15 years."

The videogame's excruciatingly protracted creation process has made it prime fodder for jokes in the industry.

The upcoming title is a sequel to a "Duke Nukem 3D" videogame that sold more than three million copies after its release in late 1996.

The blockbuster videogame franchise was light on storyline, with players basically battling aliens, monsters and mutants in an urban Earth setting.

2K said "Forever" will be "boiling over-the-top with irreverent humor, catchy one-liners that will make your mama blush, and frantic, bone-shaking action sequences that will simultaneously rock your world and neighbors' walls."

The videogame, which features a notoriously unrefined character and a "mature" rating, is tailored for play on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles as well as personal computers powered by Windows software.