Commander Keen (2001 video game)

Commander Keen

Developer(s) David A. Palmer Productions
Publisher(s) Activision
Composer(s) Mark Cooksey
Platform(s) Game Boy Color
Release date(s)
  • NA May 30, 2001
  • PAL June 15, 2001
Genre(s) Side-scrolling platform
Mode(s) Single-player
Distribution Cartridge

Commander Keen is a 2001 video game in id Software's Commander Keen series. It was developed by David A. Palmer Productions and published by Activision for the Game Boy Color.

Development

David A. Palmer Productions initially approached Activision (id Software's publisher at the time) about developing a Game Boy Color (GBC) port of Doom, as Palmer had long been a fan of id's first person shooters.[1] Palmer's company had specialized in bringing licensed properties to the GBC, such as Earthworm Jim, Pitfall, Men in Black: The Series and Gex.

Gameplay

In Commander Keen on the Game Boy Color, gameplay is somewhat different from the rest of the series. The levels are built in a more linear fashion than earlier games. All enemies need to be both shot and jumped on with a pogo stick on to be killed. The familiar enemies' behavior does not correspond with the earlier games, and perhaps partly due to the platform's limitation, some enemies do not resemble their original versions much. Keen uses a Neural Ray Blaster with unlimited ammo, although the game only allows for one bullet on the screen. To achieve points, Keen collects candy as well as other items somewhat related to the level they are in.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings65.41%[2]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGame[3]
Eurogamer8/10[4]
GameSpot6.8/10[5]
IGN6/10[6]

The game received generally mixed to positive reviews from nine critics on GameRankings.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Harris, Craig (May 8, 2001). "Talking Commander Keen". IGN. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Commander Keen for Game Boy Color". GameRankings. Retrieved August 6, 2014.
  3. ↑ White, Jason. "Commander Keen (GBC) - Review". AllGame. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  4. ↑ Gestalt (June 30, 2001). "Commander Keen (GBC)". Eurogamer. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  5. ↑ Provo, Frank (June 12, 2001). "Commander Keen Review (GBC)". GameSpot. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
  6. ↑ Sellers, Peter (July 6, 2001). "Commander Keen (GBC)". IGN. Retrieved October 21, 2014.

External links