Here, then, is Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter a high definition restoration of the 2002 title that was and still is widely thought by both critics and gamers to be the best title in the Serious Sam series.
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| Just another day in the office for Sam. |
If you’ve many memories of the old 90’s first person shooters where characters move at 100 miles an hour and all you have to do is point and click down that left mouse button, you’ll be right at home in The Second Encounter. Like Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter, this second revamp doesn’t see the need to mess with the formula from the original, keeping the classic, simplistic gameplay but making it look prettier and run smoother.
Of course as well as the visual changes there are some new crazy weapons for Sam to bust out, a few new enemy types and tweaks to level design and some new challenge levels, but on the whole this is the Serious Sam: The Second Encounter fans will remember from 2002, just bigger.
The weapons you can lay your hands on vary from old-school six-shooters to massive miniguns, flamethrowers and a chainsaw. They all function in slightly different ways but all have the oh-so satisfying end-result of Alien blood splattering up the walls. There’s also a selection of power-ups you can grab that’ll allow you to take more damage or give more out and so on, all of which can be game-changers when you’re on the brink of death.
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| You’ll encounter the traditional lava levels... |
In addition to Survival, the entire story mode is Co-Op, and there’s a few other modes that offer options for when you want to play others. You can play with a couple of mates or go for the full, sixteen-player hog – and my recommendation here is the more players the better. Traditional multiplayer remains, with modes like Deathmatch, Capture the Flag and so on included.
The single-player story is competent, but the true fun and value in The Second Encounter comes when you’re playing it with friends. The relatively asinine, boring story becomes an absolute blast when you up the player count and the multiplayer modes are so fun that it’s a stark reminder that an online shooter doesn’t have to be a serious, contemporary conflict to be fun.
The HD upgrade holds up well, and while it isn’t going to hold a candle to your favourite disc-based shooter, it’s a massive upgrade from the original – consider that the game is nearly eight years old before complaining. All the menus and music have likewise been bought up to a modern standard – it’s a quality upgrade, especially for the $20 price tag.
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| ...As well as a medieval looking castle! |
Best Moment:
SERIOUS SAM HD: THE SECOND ENCOUNTER VERDICT
With that said if you’re at all a fan of old-school 90’s shooters, Serious Sam or just superb multiplayer fun, Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter could be the perfect distraction from all the serious shooters being released in 2010. It’s an over the top tribute to games of old, and best of all, it’s fun.
TOP GAME MOMENT
Getting hold of that chainsaw for the first time… It’s like that scene out of Scarface, but over and over again.
