Serious Sam: Next Encounter
- April 16, 2004 00:00 AM PST
Serious Sam delivers intense FPS action to the PS2 and GC (and no game-name cliches in this blurb, either).
When it appeared on the PC, Serious Sam quickly earned a reputation as �that game with tons of dudes onscreen,� and that was a pretty accurate assessment. For $20 you could own one of the most frenetic first-person shooters ever created; now that same intensity has almost been duplicated on consoles for the same price.
Ludicrous Sam
In Second Encounter, you play as wisecracking Sam, a one-man army who�s bounced through Ancient Rome, Feudal China, and Legendary Atlantis. The assault never lets up for a minute, and all the levels quickly strike a familiar pattern: you enter a large room, the door is sealed behind you, and monsters attack from every direction. After a certain number of kills, a door opens so you can proceed. Sam�s weapons range from simple twin pistols to a handheld battlefield cannon as he takes on suicide bombers, bomb-spitting elephants, and other monsters bent on Sam�s demise. Among Second�s auxiliary attractions are vehicles, a Super Combo Killing Spree (activated when you kill 20 enemies in rapid succession), and minimal puzzles that mostly require you to take �item A� and insert it into �slot A.�
The frame rate holds up nicely with all the onscreen activity, and the slight cartoony look lessens the impact of mowing down dozens of monsters at a time. Although enemies and objects are low-res when viewed up close, you probably won�t have time to notice. Of the two versions, the PS2 has an edge over the GameCube�especially with its online play and sharper visuals.
Bonecracker P-LAH Chainsaw
Serious Sam delivers all the requirements of an exciting FPS, and the 20-buck asking price is a sweet incentive. Second Encounter is a shooter with simple requirements: A minimum of brains and maximum of reflexes. You get what you pay for.
