[propertymagnate]

I feel the balance in Duke Nukem is quite a bit different and less enjoyable from a pure game rhythm aspect - it feels more clunky and more about technical prowess then the game design excellence that Doom brings.

For me, the weapon damage to enemy damage in Doom (and its comparison in Duke Nukem) is part of it - in Doom, the common level enemies take a single shotgun shot, or possibly two. It enables you to get in to kind of flow state and with good reflexes etc, avoid damage.

In Duke Nukem, they introduce the pigs from pretty much the end of level 1, and there isn't a common weapon that can kill them before they can get at least a shot off. It's the same with most of the enemies they introduce after the pigs, as well.

The fact that in Doom the common grunts and shotgunners are hitscanners but have a bit of delay to firing and the imps fire physical projectiles leads to more tactical choice and literal maneuvering during a firefight.

I am sure there are arguments to be made about the increased complexity and breadth of Duke Nukems weapons, but both the damage they deal and the common enemies don't allow for the same flow.