Commander Keen 1: Marooned on Mars

This is the game that started it all, for the Commander Keen games. The first of six games(and at least one game which takes place outside of the main story-line, entitled Keen Dreams), two full trilogies, done by id Software and the director Tom Hall, together telling the tale of Billy Blaze, the eight-year-old boy who, once he puts on his older brother's football helmet, becomes Commander Keen, the defender of the Earth(entirely unbeknownst to his parents, of course). This first entry takes you across Mars, which is considerably more inhabited than scientists would have us think; who knew that all those science fiction writers who used martians as the requisite space-alien were entirely spot-on? However, while there are vicious, aggressive martians, the Gargs, there are also friendly ones, known as Yorps. The latter ones were slaves to the former ones... that is, until the Viking landed square on the leader of the Gargs. The Gargs, understandably upset, created robots to do the labor, as well as guard the planet from intruders. They are among the many enemies that Keen will have to face in this adventure(which is of course not to say that only the living, moving creatures are dangerous to the good Commander). Whilst exploring the planet, the Gargs stole four necessary parts of his inter-planetary space-ship, the Bean-and-Bacon Rocket. They hid them all over the planet, and the Commander will have to search his way high and low to find them and be able to return home(in time for dinner, and before the baby-sitter wakes up). By no means the most captivating story, granted, but it does the job, and Keen's quest is entertaining. Since this is the very first of the games, it is somewhat low on features, but creative level and creature design help to make up for it. Plus, the Pogo Stick and Ray Gun are already there. The former will allow you to jump higher, since finding your way through the levels is a large part of this series of platform, action, adventure games with the dynamic camera centered on the title character. The latter, well, it'll fry much of what you point it at, since these games also have something of a quantity of creatures who aren't all there to give you a big, warm welcome to the planet that your current adventure takes place on. This game has two-button shooting, which can definitely be something of a pain, but I don't know that they could make it differently back when this was created. The game is a lot of fun to play, if somewhat easy(difficulty settings would have been a welcome addition), and relatively short. The game definitely doesn't overstay its welcome, but it isn't too short, either. Replayability is achieved through the high score list, which tells anyone consulting it both the amount of points accumulated(through collecting candy, toys and whatnot... the points also grant you extra lives, which, with the nature of the save feature, can come in rather handy) and the items for the Rocket that were re-acquired. The sense of humor is good, if mostly directed towards children... however, it doesn't strike the player as childish, and can definitely, if not enjoyed, be ignored. The game has you walking, jumping and shooting your way through the many obstacles that lie ahead... and not everything will react the way you think it will. Some ledges can be jumped onto from straight below, for example. Not all enemies can be killed, either(apparently, Billy managed to upgrade his Ray Gun after he realized that it was somewhat inferior). The sound is reasonable, though obviously limited by today's standards. The animation is nice, and the game runs relatively smoothly for being almost twenty years old by now. The color palette is one of many bright, appealing colors, and the game is quite easy on the eyes(though obviously the graphics improve in the later games). The Ray gun is red and fires what seems to be a purple, electric charge. The game takes you through nicely varied environments(all confined to Mars, however... yup, those who claim that it's little more than a barren, desolate wasteland, not to mention those who insist that human beings cannot walk on its surface due to heat(never-mind atmosphere or breathing equipment) have got it all wrong, as well), including ice-ridden areas. The level of detail is not bad for a game from this time, and even Keen's "cute" demises are already introduced this early on in the franchise. The Alien Language appears already, as well, ripe for being deciphered by anyone who desires to do so. Even the secret areas and hidden paths show up in this game, remaining throughout the two trilogies released in the early nineties. Saving and loading are limited to between levels, but it's easier to use than other contemporary systems. The background info for the game can be read straight from the main menu, and in general, the game is very accessible. The low difficulty setting ensures that most gamers, even the very casual ones, will be able to complete it, and it certainly does make for some fun(and nostalgic, today) gaming. The movement is a little laggy, at times almost clumsy, in particular compared to other titles... even one or two contemporary ones. The programming and game-play is greatly improved in the second trilogy, but if you want to go back to the series' roots... besides, there are worse classic games out there. It should run fine, even on new computers. Heck, you can even play it with a joystick(though I can't speak for how good that is, or how much fun it will be, seeing as how I've never tried it). The second game raises the difficulty bar, as does the third(too far, some, including yours truly, would say), if you've completed this and are looking for more of a challenge. I recommend this to any fan of platform games, and anyone who has a soft spot for classic games. 7/10