Serious Sam is an interesting find at the stores. It's got a low price tag, no one really talks about it much, but the gameplay is a distilled fun. The graphics are starting to get dated, especially if you have been playing Far Cry or Doom 3. But, once the game gets going, it is very easy toi look past that and see the game for its true value. The game is pure first person shooter. The story is a joke and the game takes it as such. You will never have to follow any sort of plot line other than "Mental" is the bad guy, Sam is the good guy, and you've got to beat up many minions to get to the end. But the style of shooting is where its at. For those who played old school video games such as Galaga, Asteroids and the like, you'll know what I'm talking about. Many, many enemies come at you, but never in a mindless way. Different weapons are better suited for different enemies. The trick comes in when the designers mix up two or three different types at the same time guiding you through a thought process of "which weapon should I chose? should I try two and go back and forth? How should I run to avoid such-and-such?" etc. And the combinations and nuances of gameplay continue to evolve throughout the game. There are lots of secrets built in throughout the game. I'm not sure how anyone could find all of them without a lot of time on their hands. But when you find one, it's almost always entertaining. I had finished the first Serious Sam some time around when it was released. I started this one, but left it on the shelf. I did not return to it to finish it until a few moments ago. The reason why I did this, I decided, was because I had it on a difficulty setting that was simply too high the first time around. The designers obviously worked hard at maintaining an optimal level of work necessary to enjoy playing. If things become near impossible, then frustration sets in and the play ends. Once I had things on a level appropriate to my play, I noticed that the difficulty was pretty steady in its curve throughout the game. I definitely recommend this one.
Other Helpful Reviews for Serious Sam: The Second Encounter
Croteam, the 'Serious Engine' developer, is known by the Serious Sam franchise, where Sam "Serious" Stone is the hero from Earth to save the universe from the evil entity called Mental. The series became popular since it... Read Full Review
I wanted an insane, fast paced, action filled shooter and that is exactly what I got. The graphics are insane for their time, and the game runs perfectly even when you have 50+ monsters attcking you. The weapons are awes... Read Full Review
