'Goodbye, Galaxy!' Episode V: The Armageddon Machine

After successfully rescuing all the elders of Gnosticus IV in the fourth episode, Keen travels to and sneaks aboard a huge Shikadi space station, named the Omegamatic, or, the Armageddon Machine(and the latter was chosen as the title of this episode, in that it has greater and more easily grasped commercial value). He must now stop the Shikadi, a race of energy beings, from destroying the very galaxy(but hey, no pressure), and discover who exactly this mysterious Gannalech is. In that The Universe is Toast!(in which the very *universe*, as the title hints at, is threatened) never got developed, this remains the adventure where Keen has the most to rescue(he went from "defender of the Earth" to "sole defender of everything that exists" so smoothly, we never even noticed), and the game is definitely an exciting piece of interactive entertainment, and great for any fan of the series. Everything the fourth introduced is kept, and in addition to them are a few new cool things, such as a surf-boarder-like animation for when Keen stands on moving platforms and key-cards for special doors(in addition to the gem-stones) that you need to collect in some levels. The environment is very futuristic, threatening(without being bleak) and cool, with tons of computer system and advanced technology all over the place(and let's face it, most of those of us who play video-games for prolonged periods of time *are* geeks... yup, and many of us are sci-fi buffs, too, so this is two for two). As the other games, you collect candy and such for points(I tell ya, when those outer space aliens, robots and other human-killing creatures aren't trying to obliterate Keen, they manage to make some *dynamite* snacks and sugary goodness... I mean, my gosh, were even half of the products in these games real, would children have *any* teeth left by now?). The game is as fun and packed with action as the other three post-trilogy games(those being Keen Dreams, the fourth episode and the sixth one), and the enemies certainly don't disappoint this time around, either. Most are robots or electrical creatures, and they are unique in design and behavior, just as in the other games. That huge, mean-looking robot you see on the title screen? Yeah, it's in the game. See what Keen is doing? Running as far away from it as he can, and that's what you'll be wanting to do, too. It ranks real high on the coolest and most impressive bad guys in all of these games, and that's a long list. There is also one creature in this that can push you, like most of the other games have, but it isn't annoying like it was in the trilogy, not enough to notice, at least, like it was in the sixth episode(where it wasn't as annoying as in the first three games). The Neural Stunner is the Commander's weapon once again, and as in the other two games, not every enemy can be defeated by it, and some regain consciousness. This game also lets you see what the Shikadi look like... those things that seemed to scare Keen senseless when he got a look at them at the end of the fourth episode. Whether or not they live up to his ever-so-slightly cartoony reaction is up to each individual player to decide. They make for some really cool adversaries, that's for sure. Now, obviously this game isn't going to last as long as many of the more recent titles will... you can finish it in a couple of hours, even if you're thorough about finding secrets and hidden stuff... but hey, a ton of the classic games are considerably more fun to play than the latest games. I won't go so far as to claim it a scientific fact, as Homer Simpson did about when rock achieved perfection, but still. The humor is cute and still isn't annoying to those of us who aren't children. The difficulty levels ensure both that even the most seasoned platform and action gamers can be challenged by this title, and that the less experienced can try their hand at it, too. The graphics are fine, and it'll run on pretty much any computer made since the year it was released, including completely new ones, and the surroundings are definitely nicely crafted. The story isn't bad, and overall, the game is a satisfying follow-up to the fourth episode(which, as is in no way a secret, is by far my favorite episode and the one I have the strongest and most nostalgic connection to). Bringing down the Omegamatic is satisfying, and the whole game is really entertaining for the duration, without overstaying its welcome... I played through it in a single sitting, and I was never bored, not for a second, I never felt like doing something else. Outsmarting and out-maneuvering the enemies is among(and high on the list of) the most fun things one can do with any of the classic games, in my occasionally humble opinion(of course, you can shoot them instead, if you prefer that(though not all can be shot, of course)), and though the game can be difficult(although, again, the difficulty settings really do an excellent job of ensuring that you will neither be in over your head or find yourself having no trouble at all, no matter how good you are at this type of game), it's never really frustratingly so. This is not my favorite episode, but it definitely has enough interesting stuff to leave a lasting impression, and is more than entertaining enough for any fan of the games(or, heck, even just the people who happen to enjoy platform games, even remotely) to be worth playing through. Commander Keen needs your help to save the very galaxy... can you really turn that one down? I recommend this to any fan of the series(though it is recommended that you first play the fourth, and, I suppose, also the trilogy...or, well, just read the plot) and platform games. 8/10

Forget about all your fancy Half-Life's & Max Payne's, this is what you want. This is a classic game, which follows young Keen to destroy a space station that was designed to destroy the universe, hence the name of the game. You go around jumping around on your pogo stick, and shooting these big green things with your laser pistol, of course you don't kill 'em, you just stun them. Funny, the last level on the game isn't really hard at all. I first played the game in 1998, and for some reason, I loved it. The graphics are VERY 2-D, but for a game that is now 12 years old, what would you expect. Game play was great, going around the levels, looking for a way out while encountering aliens & robots out to kill you. You also had to pick-up pizza's, drinks, ice-cream, etc. to keep alive. The company it was made by, went on to make other brilliant games like the "Doom" series. Nine out of ten.