Duke Nukem Forever multiplayer DLC out next week

Duke Nukem Forever's multiplayer-expanding 'Hail to the Icons Parody Pack' will launch next week from October 11, developer Gearbox has announced. Next week will also bring patches with "various optimizations and bug fixes" for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 editions.

The Hail to the Icons Pack will be free to members of Duke Nukem's First Access Club, or $10 (800 Microsoft Points) for everyone else. It adds three new modes in the classic Freeze Tag, babe-holding Hot Potato, and free-for-all Hail to the King.

The pack also lovingly lampoons better games with the new maps '2Forts1Bridge,' 'Inferno' and 'Call of Duke.' The fourth map, 'Sandpit,' brings a taste of the ever-popular 'rats' style maps by shrinking Duke in a sandbox. Each map has its own new weapon too, including the N00b T00b and DFG.

According to Gearbox community manager and poet Chris Faylor, the Xbox 360 and PS3 patches will bring "reduced load times," while the 360 is also getting "improved texture streaming."