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Amazing...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: December 22, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This game is amazing, like the first one but with better graphics cooler weapons and so on. The sniper in this game has to be one of the coolest sniper ive ever seen in any other action game. In other words GET IT NOW!!

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!

old-skool really is COOL!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: December 29, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I liked every moment in Serious Sam 1. That is why I am looking forward to getting this game as soon as possible. It is fun, that is all that a game should be - just FUN! and Serious Sam is the definition of fun - it gets it all right: graphics, weapons, swarms of enemies, and gorgeous locales.

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.

fun, fun, fun...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 5
Date: January 03, 2002
Author: Amazon User

graphics galore!, shoot a tree with the rocket launcher and watch, much, much fun, a must have...

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.

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.

The Best Sequel.........

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: February 09, 2002
Author: Amazon User

After playing the demo of this game, I knew I wanted to buy it as soon as it came out.

When you first start the game, it starts basically like the demo until you get inside of the temple. After you get inside............well I don't want to give anything away, so you'll have to buy it.

Not only does this game have awesome graphics, but the variety of monsters is outstanding. When you look at the box, you might think that it gives away the monsters you have to battle. This is not true. Throughout the game, you encounter many demons and strange looking creatures that you never thought possible.

Another great thing about this game is variety. As you travel through the various levels you will be amazed as the rooms bounce you back and forth, spiked walls, and demons lurking in the dark.

Another hint about the system you need to have. I run a P4 1.7GHZ with 128 RAM and a 32 RAM video card. This is THE minimum that you can have to play this game, dispite what the package says. To get the full effect, you can never run on minimum requirements.

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.

Great

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 15, 2002
Author: Amazon User

If you are tired of the dark, indoor enviroments of the Quake type engines and are ready for great outdoor enviroments with plenty of exploration and secrets then this game is for you. Do not let the price fool you. I am running the game in 1024X768 on an Athlon 850mhz/256megs ram/Radeon 8500 DDR/ Win2k Sr-2/ and it plays wonderfully. The only thing I notice is the occasional frame rate drop when entering a new area, but it is minor and probably can be corrected with a few tweaks with the video settings. The graphics are way better than in the first SS

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