I offer a simple suggestion. Rather than throw the player straight into the heart of the action there should have been a Tomb Raider style 'Duke's Mansion' because you are going to have to learn how to control the Duke all over again. I am not going to ramble on describing each and every back flip, push, climb, jump, grapple and forward roll, it would be suffice to say just two words - Tomb Raider. Persevere and you shall be rewarded. What this actually does is open up a whole new world of gameplay for the Duke.
Sprites are out and polygons are in, resulting in a truly stunning visual experience.
When first hearing about the introduction of polygons I had fears that excess over use would end in Time to Kill looking like Tenka or Disruptor. In those games the scenery always seemed to look like bland colored slabs, bolted together to create a network of tunnels. Not so this time out. Each world that is visited looks visually impressive and the intelligent use of lighting creates a realistic 3D environment that supersedes past efforts. Just wait until you feast your eye's over the Roman and Western worlds.