John Dyne
09-25-2005, 11:58 PM
With its sequel sitting just over the horizon, I figured it'd be a good time dust off the old Serious Sam CD and give it a run again, and spread the joy of it to the other GU visitors.
First, the basic rundown. Serious Sam: The First Encounter was created by Croteam (http://www.croteam.com) and released back in 2001.
The game's plot is almost non-existant, and for good reason; the plot isn't the focal point of the game. But to summarize: you are Sam, a special agent/archaelogist who is sent through a portal back in time to stop an alien from taking over the world and disrupting the timeline. But this is only there to loosely justify the entire point of the game: kicking ass, and lots of it.
The single most defining thing about this game is its ability to look good (for a 2001 game) and render a lot of NPCs on screen at once. And when I mean a lot, I MEAN a LOT (http://www.digital-panda.net/raven_scott_jaizon/serious.jpg). There is usually upwards of 40 or more NPCs on screen at once, all with the intent of plastering Sam across the Egpytian sands.
The game makes up for all of these ne'er-do-wells it sends at you by giving you a nice assortment of weapons. From the a pair of revolvers to a pirate ship's cannon to a space ship's quad laser, you're given just about everything you need to fight the large assortment of foes. Giant monsters are a common sight in the game, as well as giant hordes of normal sized monsters.
The sound works very well in this game, from Sam's Duke Nukem style quips to the sounds every NPC makes. You'll tend to find yourself spinning around the second you hear a kamikazi screaming at the top of his lungs, and every time you hear the werebulls thundering across the terrain to send you sailing. However, once you kill a creature or gather an item, Sam's computer will give a detailed file on it, giving known weaknesses and best uses.
And these moments make for great singleplayer action, but they make for even better multiplayer fun. Serious Sam: FE seems to have been designed around co-op, with every little detail from single player being converted flawlessly to co-op. Enemies spawn tougher and spawn in thicker numbers as more players join the fight, and it comes down to some mindless fun while you and a bunch of buddies find yourself pinned against a wall, mowing down kamikazis and skeletons as they come charging at you. It also features something not many PC games have these days: split screen for more than one player at the computer, should you favor a joystick or have an extra keyboard and mouse handy.
The levels are laid out intelligently, to where you'll never be confused as to where to go next. Ambushes can be fairly obvious (as Sam will likely point out the first time you get to one), but they can make for some tense and exciting play. The game also branches at points; total areas can be skipped to take an alternate path, adding a bit of replayability to the game.
The main down side with this game is, now with the age of the game, fewer and fewer online servers can be found. Some are still around, but many seem to be unpatched. At the time I started writing this, I counted five servers up; more may be up during the daytime on weekends, but it couldn't be counted on to find very many servers.
The game was at a bargain bin price when released, about $20, and after time, the game has dropped to a mere five bucks, so it's definately worth picking up if you like first person shooters at all. The game is fast-paced and amusing, and if you favor more deliberate, serious, or story-driven games (such as Thief, Battlefield 2, or any other such game) Serious Sam may not be for you. But it's a game well worth the five bucks you might lay down on it.
Summary
Pros
*Co-op play is fast paced and fluid.
*Little slowdown, thanks to a well designed engine.
*Quite a bit of replayability.
*One of the fastest paced shooters available.
*A steal at $5 USD.
Cons
*May get a bit repetitive
*Due to age, has a limited number of servers for online play
Overall Score: 4.5/5
More screenshots to come. They're hard to take since the game is so damned fast paced.
First, the basic rundown. Serious Sam: The First Encounter was created by Croteam (http://www.croteam.com) and released back in 2001.
The game's plot is almost non-existant, and for good reason; the plot isn't the focal point of the game. But to summarize: you are Sam, a special agent/archaelogist who is sent through a portal back in time to stop an alien from taking over the world and disrupting the timeline. But this is only there to loosely justify the entire point of the game: kicking ass, and lots of it.
The single most defining thing about this game is its ability to look good (for a 2001 game) and render a lot of NPCs on screen at once. And when I mean a lot, I MEAN a LOT (http://www.digital-panda.net/raven_scott_jaizon/serious.jpg). There is usually upwards of 40 or more NPCs on screen at once, all with the intent of plastering Sam across the Egpytian sands.
The game makes up for all of these ne'er-do-wells it sends at you by giving you a nice assortment of weapons. From the a pair of revolvers to a pirate ship's cannon to a space ship's quad laser, you're given just about everything you need to fight the large assortment of foes. Giant monsters are a common sight in the game, as well as giant hordes of normal sized monsters.
The sound works very well in this game, from Sam's Duke Nukem style quips to the sounds every NPC makes. You'll tend to find yourself spinning around the second you hear a kamikazi screaming at the top of his lungs, and every time you hear the werebulls thundering across the terrain to send you sailing. However, once you kill a creature or gather an item, Sam's computer will give a detailed file on it, giving known weaknesses and best uses.
And these moments make for great singleplayer action, but they make for even better multiplayer fun. Serious Sam: FE seems to have been designed around co-op, with every little detail from single player being converted flawlessly to co-op. Enemies spawn tougher and spawn in thicker numbers as more players join the fight, and it comes down to some mindless fun while you and a bunch of buddies find yourself pinned against a wall, mowing down kamikazis and skeletons as they come charging at you. It also features something not many PC games have these days: split screen for more than one player at the computer, should you favor a joystick or have an extra keyboard and mouse handy.
The levels are laid out intelligently, to where you'll never be confused as to where to go next. Ambushes can be fairly obvious (as Sam will likely point out the first time you get to one), but they can make for some tense and exciting play. The game also branches at points; total areas can be skipped to take an alternate path, adding a bit of replayability to the game.
The main down side with this game is, now with the age of the game, fewer and fewer online servers can be found. Some are still around, but many seem to be unpatched. At the time I started writing this, I counted five servers up; more may be up during the daytime on weekends, but it couldn't be counted on to find very many servers.
The game was at a bargain bin price when released, about $20, and after time, the game has dropped to a mere five bucks, so it's definately worth picking up if you like first person shooters at all. The game is fast-paced and amusing, and if you favor more deliberate, serious, or story-driven games (such as Thief, Battlefield 2, or any other such game) Serious Sam may not be for you. But it's a game well worth the five bucks you might lay down on it.
Summary
Pros
*Co-op play is fast paced and fluid.
*Little slowdown, thanks to a well designed engine.
*Quite a bit of replayability.
*One of the fastest paced shooters available.
*A steal at $5 USD.
Cons
*May get a bit repetitive
*Due to age, has a limited number of servers for online play
Overall Score: 4.5/5
More screenshots to come. They're hard to take since the game is so damned fast paced.