Hell is starting to get a little frosty.

You see, once upon a time, there was a game for the PC named Duke Nukem. Like many of its peers of the time, it was a side-scrolling action game. There was jumping, there was shooting, and life was good. Sequels were spawned, and eventually the game evolved into a popular first-person shooter by the name of Duke Nukem 3D, and made its way onto consoles. A sequel was announced, and the fans rejoiced. And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Eventually, the development hell of Duke Nukem Forever became so ridiculous, it became a go-to joke for an entire generation of gamers... right up there with making fun of John Romero.

But now, the Duke's new publishers 2Kgames and developer Gearbox Software announced at the Penny Arcade Expo that the game is nearly finished, and will be released in 2011. Sure, we've heard that before...but this time they had a playable demo to back up their words.

Here's the site with the press release and even some beta testing applications...you'll have to put in your age before you can see it.*

We'll bring you more as news emerges. This time it almost feels real...but I wouldn't be surprised if they suddenly announce it will only be released for the Phantom console.

*Makes me wonder if video game manufacturers think most of their demographic was born January 1^st.