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A second helping of some serious fun

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 16
Date: February 12, 2002
Author: Amazon User

"Serious Sam: The First Encounter" was released less than a year ago, and was an immediate hit with critics and fans. Developed by an unknown team from Croatia, Croteam, "Serious Sam" offered fast-paced, Doomesque action, along with great visuals, all for under $20 bucks. Powered by the "Serious" game engine, "Serious Sam" was able to throw out huge numbers of enemies at the player, onscreen at the same time, without a decrease in system performance.

Sam "Serious" Stone is back in the sequel, "Serious Sam: The Second Encounter," and is better than the original. It looks great, too, using an enhanced version of the "Serious" engine. This time around, environments are varied and colorful; the original Sam featured desert environments that all looked essentially the same.

Gameplay remains the same: proceed through a level and destroy everything that moves. Various power-ups are provided, such as invulnerability and super-speed, which prove to be invaluable in some levels. There's not much thinking here, just blasting monsters into oblivion.

Sam ships with the standard multiplay deathmatch, but also features cooperative multiplayer, which allows you to join in with other players online to battle through each level. It's great fun, and at under $20, a great bargin.

A cool shooter

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: December 29, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I played the Serious Sam: Second Encounter Demo. It includes Single Player, Multiplayer, and Co-op play. Single player seemed groundbreaking, same as the first Serious Sam, but with even bigger environments, more variety in enemies (the old ones make a return but look a lot netter - nicer textures, geometry, etc.), A LOT better graphics, and more weapons (but I was disappointed that they did not include the flamethrower, Sniper Rifle was a "serious addition" though).
The demo also featured a new array of power-ups, such as Serious Speed, Invincibility, and Serious Damage.

I was really amazed when I noticed the improvements in the Serious Engine. The game looks simply fantastic!! It is still as fast and furious as its predecessor, and still offers huge environments swarming with tons of enemies, but the graphics sure make one hell of a difference. Grass, trees, water, and buildings, and the sky look more realistic than ever, and the video options menu allows you to adjust everything, from raising the anisotropic filtering to 128 to adjusting your refresh rate of the monitor, you will find every graphic option there without even leaving the game. And did I mention that the models improved much? That's right, those low-polygon enemies had some major makeover. Sam also looks way better than he did before.

The soundtrack is pretty sweet too, suites the FPS genre and the particular setting in the game perfectly, the music changes into a faster tempo when Sam faces any baddies and gradually gets softer when they are gone. The music is a mix of techno and the Aztec drumbeat, just like the first one was the mix of techno and the Egyptian music.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the singleplayer, especially the part where you get to the Jaguar Valley - an open ended valley, probably the biggest environment in any FPS on the market, it's area seems even bigger than any level in Halo. There you will really get a feel of the freedom that Serious Sam 2 offers. I did not see any slow-downs or lag throughout the whole demo in single player while it was set to quality; my average framerate was 60fps - very nice. I have a P4 1.4 GHz, 512 Megs of RAM, and a Geforce 3.

I highly recommend downloading the demo of SS: SE... It will justify buying it, believe me. The gameplay is same as the first Serious Sam or as any old-school shooter (Doom, Quake, Duke Nukem 3D, Wolfenstein 3D, etc.) Any FPS fans gotta love it!

The original....WAY IMPROVED!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: April 14, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I'm gonna say right off I have only one flaw with this game, and that's that the weapon sounds are a bit undesirable. They could just have a bit more..umph?

The reason why is that this game is WAAAAAY over-the-top. IT's supposed to be. That's what makes it so much fun. And really really funny in places. Of course, what's a really-way-over-the-top game without some really-way-over-exaggerated weapon sounds?!

I'll also tell you straight off there's a secret with a reference to Duke Nukem Forever, and I almost DIED when I finally got the joke.

People have been reviewing this game saying that it's nothing but mindless shooting. I say that's not true. While there is TONS of shooting involved, sucessfully defeating the 'waves' takes some strategy. For instance, there are these bone-horse things that gallop at you in a line. The only way to defeat them is to stand back and fire something at them (I reccommend the flamethrower on these things), so you have to choose a spot making sure you can back up without running into a wall (because you are totally [out of it] if this happens. It happened to me, and EVERYTHING just corners you).

Then there's also decisions about what to shoot first. Sometimes the game is gonna be throwing HUGE waves at you. You're gonna have to decide who's gonna come down first. If you take out the horsey thingies and the bigger, tougher monsters are too close, you're gonna die. If you take out the bigger, tougher monsters and the horsey thingies are too close, if you don't have space to start backing up, you're gonna die. Personally I think playing this game more easily and not dying is all in having a good shooting strategy.

And then, this game isn't all shooting. There are a few interesting puzzles. And when one of those pills appear, you already start snickering and save before picking it up, cause you know something extremely bizarre is about to happen.

And then: This game is FUNNY. Get that in your mind. FUNNY, FUNNY, FUNNY. IF you don't think it's funny, go stand in a field while the headless dudes with bombs on their hands run towards you yelling "Aaaaaarrgghhh!!!" without laughing. Then, even fighting the waves is pretty funny for a while. It's like, "Oh my god! What the [heck] were these game developers thinking??!!? AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHRRGGHGHHHH!!!1"

This game also has plenty of secrets. For example, one of them spawns a *BLEEEP! Censored! Otherwise the secret will [stink] and you will scream "I WANT REFUND".* which is really funny.

Then, the levels are truly amazing. They're huge. You don't think huge? THINK BIG. Like, really big. Without fog. Buildings all over. Like, so big it takes you 20 minutes to walk around one area. Just ONE. Weapons and monsters all over the place!

And not once does it lag.

If you think this game is mindless shooting, think again. Get Serious Sam for the serious fun and lose some sleep.

Correction to Leo C Robinson's Review

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: January 23, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Reviewer does not have his information correct.

Serious Sam 1 and 2, by Croteam, does NOT use the Quake 3 Engine. Serious Sam (1) was originally merely a tech demo for a graphical engine, now known as the "Serious Engine". The game was later built around this engine, when the engine proved to be so popular and impressive. Serious Sam 2 uses a modified/extended version of this engine.

Compared to more expensive games..

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: March 13, 2002
Author: Amazon User

..Serious Sam is far superior. It plays well on any decent machine, it is correctly priced and the graphics are outstanding. It is amazing how the game engine allows you to walk into the background scenery, like near the end where you have to walk towards a cathedral in the distance. It is barely visible when you start the level but you do walk right up to it! The detailed textures in the levels' buildings are amazing.

And of course there are gobs of monsters to shoot down... I love using the new sniper rifle and flamethrower weapons.

I have played some more expensive games that were nowhere near as good as Serious Sam. I can't wait for the conclusion, and that is my only gripe, the single player game was too short.

Excellent Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: July 11, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Wow, just finished playing the game and it was extremely engrossing, you absolutely didn't want to stop playing the game till it was finished and then you get the promise of one more Serious Sam game to look forward to. Impressive graphics and excellent gameplay make this one of the best all around fps shooters out right now. One of the most overwhelming features of this game is the incredibly huge number of enemies you face at one time during the game. At one point, in the the last few levels, there is an area called the "corridor of death" where you face probably 500 or more enemies at one time. Unfortunately, this is also the downside of the game as well. Because of the sheer number of enemies you face throughout the game, it makes an invulnerability cheat code almost mandatory or even the best players won't make it very far into the game.

fabulous FPS--both in single- and multi-player mode

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: March 24, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This is one of my favorite games, period. It's one of those games you gladly show off to friends and encourage them to buy.

Single-player mode is really nice. The graphics, combined with the music, create an excellent environment for mayhem. Serious Sam can be said to be a parody of First Person Shooters--and a damn good one at that. Many weapons with huge numbers of enemies, which screams for multiplayer action.

And this is where, I think, Serious Sam is head-and-shoulders above the competition: Cooperative Play. It's the single-player mode but networked so you can play over the Internet or LAN. And it is awesome! I never thought FPS's could be this fun until I played Serious Sam coop with 3 of my best friends. [Hey, watch where you shoot that rocket launcher! If you do that again, I'll kill you with my cannon!] Co-op is -so- good that more people play Co-op online than Deathmatch. Internet play is surprisingly good on my 56K modem, no less.

Deathmatch is good as well, especially now that Croteam put a total of 8 DM maps into SS: TSE. And they are high quality. I highly recommend you download a few user-created ones from seriouszone.com, though.

... The replay value is huge. This game is over a year old now, but its fandom just keeps growing.

Personally, I think GTA3 and Unreal Tournament 2003 are boring games. Serious Sam: The Second Encounter is the game I keep returning to. It's crazy fun (and funny).

Seriously Difficult

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 8
Date: April 30, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I have owned Serious Sam: Second Encounter for more than a year now, but I never play it. But just today I thought I'd give it another go. After my experience, I decided to write a review.

To begin with, Serious Sam: Second Encounter is a gorgeous game. The graphics are amazing, and the music is awesome and really gets your heart pumping. On those qualities alone, I would give it 5 stars. This was actually my first first-person shooter since my days of playing Doom. Naturally, I was amazed at the difference in graphics and gameplay. Serious Sam was way more advanced than Doom. However, I have played many first-person shooters since my purchase of this game a year ago (most notably, Return to Castle Wolfenstein and No One Lives Forever 1 and 2) and I have to say, as nice as this game was when I first bought it, there are a lot better games out there.

I had purchased both the first Serious Sam and Second Encounter at the same time. About half-way through the first one, I gave up and found cheats for it on the internet. Why? Because this game is virtually unbeatable. There are no difficulty levels to choose from, which is insane, since the whole game seems to play out in what would be one of the highest difficulty levels, if it had any. At any time in the game, you have about what seems like 20 different species of enemies coming at you in groups of a dozen each. This hardly seems fair. I know, I know. Games aren't supposed to be easy, but this one is just downright frustrating. You have things coming at you from the front, the back, the sides, up in the air and sometimes up from the ground. There is no way you can keep track of and eliminate all of these threats, especially since they all seem to keep multiplying. So in other words, unless you are in God mode, you just keep dying...and dying...and dying...

So in other words, Serious Sam: Second Encounter is for serious players. Anyone looking for a challenge will sure find it here. But for anyone who wants any sort of a chance to win a game (without first suffering from a stroke), I suggest staying away from this one. Like I said, the game looks great. But you know the old saying. Looks aren't everything.

CCGR.ORG's review

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 12
Date: January 30, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This is the sequel to Serious Sam First Encounter, you can run it as a Mod for the original or stand alone. It's [inexpensive].. so it's a great bang for the buck game. You are still Serious Sam and you are tracking down Mental and his alien ship. You already wiped them from Egypt and you're now in South America's rain forest. You must head for Mental's fortress and save the world from his reign. You can do this on your own or with friends because this demo offers both single and multiplayer games.

You will encounter many of the same enemies from the original like the Kamikaze's Mechs, scorpions, and bone creatures. There are seven new foes in the sequel. Including; Cucurbil the pumpkin, Fiendian Repiloid Demon, Zumb'ul, and Zorg mercenaries and commanders. Don't worry, there are also new weapons available to help you out... Still don't think you can handle it? There are three new power ups too. These include invulnerability, serious speed shoes and serious damage. The serious speed is cool, you go so fast you leave a smoke trail.

For single player game play, there are many mode of difficulty you can choose from. You can play Tourist, Easy, Normal, Hard and Serious. Happy blasting! You only have one model to choose from for single player. In multiplayer mode you have five models. You can be Serious Sam, Santa Sam, Groovy Gregory, Fast Finger Freddy or my favorite; Commander Cliff. There is one map available and that is Sierra de Chiapas. There are three modes of game play. You can do Co-op, score match or frag match. No matter what game style you choose you will have a lot of enemies and a lot of fun.

From a Christian Standpoint, there is ..gore. You are not [hurting] humans unless they are already headless, it's mostly aliens. Unfortunately they have the Harpies from the original game and they are still barely clothed. :( On a side note, this game takes place in the rainforest and has tribal ruins, so you will find Aztec like temples and stone carvings ..and creatures. I did not notice any offensive symbols.

The game is easy to install, it uses the Install Shield Wizard. There are three executables regular, safe mode, and 3DFX compatible. The game is easy to set up and configure with it's options menu. The default controls are WASD and mouse for moving. The number keys and scroll wheel select your weapons. The game ran real well and is compatible with all forms of Windows from 9X on.

The graphics are excellent, nice lighting and reflections. The graphics were very smooth and the enemies are detailed. I like the movie scenes when you get near a boss. The sounds effects and voice acting were equally good. Sam has his normal silly phrases like "Look ma! I'm a lumber jack!".. The background music was fitting and the boss music is cool. The game play, graphics and price won't disappoint you. If you want a cheap multiplayer game or add-on, get Serious Sam 2. Just don't have a queasy stomach or get offended by barely clothed Harpies.

Buy it, buy it, buy it! Don't wait, order it now!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 17
Date: December 31, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Serious Sam: Second Encounter will be better than the first SS.
How do I know? I just finished playing the demo and was once again amazed.

ITEM: Eye Candy - The graphics are simply amazing. The developer, Croteam, has leased the Quake 3 Arena engine for their Serious Sam games and it shows. The vistas are incredible. You will be fighting monsters in open areas that seem to stretch for miles.

ITEM: Monsters - By the dozen, skeltons that run, sound and look like horses, headless guys that scream at the top of their lungs (go figure) and blow up when they get close to you, buffalo like creatures that sound like rolling thunder and will smack you about 50 feet in the air of you let them, big multi-limbed baddies that shoot green plasma balls that will track you, winged devils (in the form of women) that fly overhead shooting you with their ranged attack or drop out of the sky to give you a deserving punch, scorpions that shoot machine guns, and what about the pumpkin-head guys that run after you with a chain saw (no kidding). I could go on but you get the picture.

ITEM: Fun - Croteam has once again provided a game with the concept of "fun" being the key. Serious Sam gives out fun by the basket full and will have you laughing out loud.

Item: Price - At a time when most newly released games hover around the better part of 50 bucks, Croteam and their publisher are keeping the price at 20 dollars. This has got the be the best deal ever in PC gaming.

ITEM: How does it run? - My machine is 5, count em, 5 years old. Its a P2450 with a 32 Mg Geforce 2 card & 256 RAM. The game runs without a hitch.

ITEM: Second to Last Item - I have several friends that have played the first Serious Sam and can't wait for the second. GameSpot has made it their "Game of the Year" and deservedly so. Simply put, if you like first person shooters this one is a must.

Item: Last Item (honest) - Serious Sam 1 or 2 is not for your nine year old. It is rated "Mature", as it should be.

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