The graphics in the HD version are lovely (even by today’s standards), and the action is pulse-quickening. This was made easy due to the fact that the game supports Remote Play via Steam.ĭespite the vacant multiplayer landscape, Serious Sam still provides a pretty good experience. In fact, in order to experience any of the multiplayer content, I had to recruit the help of a friend. Using the in-game match browser only turned up a handful of online servers, none of which were populated at all. Sadly, the online community is not active at all for this title. After that, I moved on to the multiplayer content. I took me approximately seven hours to complete the game. The main scenario for this game packs a decent amount of content for a turn-of-the-century FPS. But aside from serving as a highscore counter, it serves no functional purpose in the game. This is present in the upper-left corner at all times. Serious Sam also keeps track of discoveries and kills in the form of a “score”. Health and armor are displayed onscreen as well. Players start the game with a basic pistol but as they progress will find a huge arsenal of weapons to choose from. But at no point does the game become completely comical.Īll of the typical FPS norms are also present. Occasionally, Sam will pop off quips and one-liners in a way that reminded me a Duke Nukem. But as soon as enemies start swarming you in waves, it’s quite obvious that this is a very different beast indeed. At first, Serious Sam starts out feeling very much like Doom or Quake. Serious Sam HDĭescribing the gameplay is actually somewhat difficult. Players are able to view this information at any time (and should, as it often provides important clues). Sam is equipped with a special quantum AI that provides information on everything from enemies to the environment. Players control Sam as he explores monuments and pyramids, searching for relics to aid him on his mission. The game takes place entirely in ancient Egypt. The hope is that Sam will be able to take his futuristic experience and defeat Mental during the ancient war, thus preventing the current conflict from ever happening in the first place. To prevent this from happening, Sam is sent back in time to ancient Egypt – the age where the Sirians once aided humanity. The conflict is nearly over and Mental is on the cusp of victory. During the course of the war, humanity learns that in ancient times, Earth was once the battleground between Mental and another, friendly race of aliens called the Sirians. In Sam’s time, the planet Earth is engaged in a conflict with an evil alien being known as Mental. Serious Sam tells the tale of a futuristic soldier, Sam Stone. It is also the version of the game I played for this review. Due to the improved gameplay experience (and better compatibility with modern versions of Windows), Serious Sam HD is the version of the game that I recommend. Visually, Serious Sam HD is vastly superior to the original game while keeping all of the gameplay mechanics intact. In 2011, Croteam released an HD version of Serious Sam that was built on an entirely different engine. As impressive as that is, most players these days are unlikely to play the original release of the game. This game also boasts an engine that is capable of rendering extremely far draw distances while still supporting fairly low-end PCs. The developers take full advantage of this mechanic – often times placing valuable power-ups or ammunition in some nook and cranny to lure in the player, then surprising them with a slew of enemies appearing in front of their very eyes. Also, venturing to certain areas on the map will also trigger new enemies to appear. For example, just standing around idle will cause new enemies to spawn and attack. While this is also true for Serious Sam, there’s also a much more chaotic element to enemy placement. These enemies are placed in specific locations and await the player. What I mean by that is, most FPS games throw the player in a 3D map or arena that is filled with enemies. To start with, the gameplay is a bit more dynamic than most FPS games of the era. But there really are a few things about this game that made it stand out against the competition of its time. Originally released in 2001, Serious Sam may appear to be just another dime-a-dozen FPS title. Serious Sam is a first-person shooter developed by a rather obscure company called Croteam. I think it’s beyond time for me to blow the dust off this baby and give it a spin. This is a game that’s been sitting in my Steam library since 2013. So after combing through my backlog I came across the perfect title Serious Sam – The First Encounter. It’s time to get serious! My recent review of Battlefield 1942 really had me itching for some more first-person action.
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