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Post by Discoalucard on May 24, 2009 16:52:52 GMT -5
www.hardcoregaming101.net/keen/keen.htmCommander Keen was the first console-style platformer for DOS based PCs that didn't completely suck. It was actually relatively good, although personally I still don't think it stacks up that well against a lot of the NES classics. Still, it has a fan following, so here it is. Sadly, a lot of sites associated with this, like Dopefish.com, were part of 3D realms, who took most of their stuff offline after they closed.
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Post by ryochan on May 24, 2009 17:29:48 GMT -5
It's reviews like this which got me playing old DOS-based CRPGs
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Post by zzz on May 24, 2009 17:54:49 GMT -5
This is one of those series that belongs on HG101, but that I never really thought I'd see go up.
Though honestly, I've never actually liked the games at all. Still, there's really no questioning their status as classics, or their place in PC game history (no Commander Keen = no Wolf 3D or Doom).
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Post by marginwalker on May 24, 2009 19:10:11 GMT -5
Excellent! The Keen series has such good enemy designs. I also played that pong game that came with Goodbye Galaxy chronically as a kid. This was my favorite box art, I think I still have it in my computer room somewhere. Need to mount that on my wall.
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Post by susanismyalias on May 24, 2009 21:23:53 GMT -5
This article makes me scream like a little girl!
Been waiting for this.
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Post by Ganelon on May 25, 2009 10:24:42 GMT -5
I really liked this series at release, playing on a 286. Nowadays, yeah, NES games appeal to me more. Great article though.
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Post by YourAverageJoe on May 25, 2009 15:21:27 GMT -5
Kurt. Please promise me to breed, we need more of you.
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Post by Haz on May 25, 2009 17:56:10 GMT -5
I was too young to play these when they originally came out, but I was really hooked on these when I was around 14 or so.
These games really need modern updates.
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Post by ReyVGM on May 25, 2009 19:19:08 GMT -5
hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/keen/keen.htmCommander Keen was the first console-style platformer for DOS based PCs that didn't completely suck. It was actually relatively good, although personally I still don't think it stacks up that well against a lot of the NES classics. Still, it has a fan following, so here it is. Sadly, a lot of sites associated with this, like Dopefish.com, were part of 3D realms, who took most of their stuff offline after they closed. You can always check if there's an archive of it on archive.org
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Post by Discoalucard on May 25, 2009 19:53:10 GMT -5
Bobinator informed me like a few hours after I posted this, that Dropfish.com came back online. Hooray!
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Post by mercatfat on May 25, 2009 20:15:21 GMT -5
Dropfish.com came back online. Hooray! although i know exactly what you meant, i'm mostly disappointed that isn't a real site. provided it wasn't some kind of crushing-fetish related thing, anyhow. the biggest problem with shareware is that kids can play one episode over and over and still be pleased as punch, much as I was. i used to love love love episode 4, having gone through and explored every possible little secret when I was... 6, I think, and still browsing the internet through Microsoft Works.excellent little write-up. although Keen obviously isn't the main focus, I'd highly recommend anyone interested in the history of iD and its pretty amazing foundational history to read Masters of Doom. easily one of the best books I've read about games and/or game development, period.
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Post by thefunkyredcaboose on May 26, 2009 23:07:42 GMT -5
Great article!!
One thing I would consider adding are the epic methods for discovering the secret levels in all the Keen games, particularly episode 4. It involves worms and a giant foot, and also ate up large parts of my childhood trying to figure it out. I don't remember the methods in the other games but surely they can't be as good as that one.
Episode 3 can also be completed by only beating 3 levels I believe.
I agree about Shareware giving far too much entertainment for a little kid. The other episodes were also generally subpar. Keen 5 was really good though. I remember being particularly disappointed with the registered versions of Duke 1 and 2, a lot of recycled graphics and boring level designs.
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Post by Sac (a.k.a Icaras) on May 29, 2009 7:40:16 GMT -5
Ah, good old Keen. I miss the old shareware days, where I could find cheap games on 1 disk at the local market (Shareware versions of course, I never had access to BBS).
While Keen 1-3 were fun, It was Dreams and 4-5 that the series really picked up. I love the graphic style of the later games, and all the hidden extras.
I myself cheated to find most of them, but there was still quite a few I found on my own.
One thing I always found curious was that you could actually warp into the score board in Keen 4, 5 and 6. And in one of the games, 5 I think, the little blurb before the level started said something about calling ID.
I never did figure out the legal way to get into the score board, outside of seeing it in the demo mode.
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Post by jorpho on May 30, 2009 17:16:09 GMT -5
I'm afraid I didn't find this article up to the usual standards. Time to geek out with some notes: Keen 1-3 were not CGA compatible (and thus the CGA palette did not influence Keen's odd coloration). In fact, it was Carmack's engine's incompatibility with CGA that made Softdisk reluctant to publish games that used it, and subsequently the deal with Apogee and later the formation of id software. The first paragraph is very misleading about this. More details here. Furthermore, since EGA was introduced with the 286-based PC-AT, the game didn't really have anything to do with the 8088 or 8086. The missing parts of Keen's shuttle in Episode 1 are placed right next to the level exits. It is impossible to exit a level that contains a part without collecting the part. Also, the Bean-with-Bacon Megarocket contained no soup cans. Finally, I really don't know what Mr. Bobinator is talking about when he mentions "if you registered, you would get several other "lost" id games". I've never been especially clear on Softdisk's business model, but I'm actually pretty sure that their games were never actually shareware at all. I also think it ought to be mentioned that Bio Menace used the Keen engine. I'm pretty sure the same can be said for ScubaVenture, but I'm not certain about the details.
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Post by Discoalucard on May 31, 2009 0:50:24 GMT -5
Finally, I really don't know what Mr. Bobinator is talking about when he mentions "if you registered, you would get several other "lost" id games". I've never been especially clear on Softdisk's business model, but I'm actually pretty sure that their games were never actually shareware at all. This is only specifically for Keen Dreams. When I get a chance, I'll post up the text so you can see what I mean. As for the rest, I'll fix it up.
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