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| Serious Sam |
Reviewed by Staff |
Serious Sam: Gold
(Xbox)
Used & New from $8.99
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Serious Sam
(PC CD-ROM)
Used & New from $5.95
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Developer: Croteam
Publisher: GodGames
Download
Demo
Release date: 04/02/01
There are very few First Person Shooters which I will drool over when its name
is mentioned. These games usually display something unique, something never before
seen or even attempted, and/or revolutionize the genre. That statement immediately
brings a few games to mind, FPS's will live on forever in the memories of its
players. "Wolf" as it's been dubbed, changed the face of computer gaming forever
with its mind-blowing "3D" environment. This new form of game entertained everyone,
in one way or another, who laid their hands on it. Doom, once again, showed a
major improvement in the 3D engine, this time adding a z-axis to the thrill of
killing. With id software's incredible level-design, Doom's three episodes kept
me wanting more, turning every corner cautiously, wishing I wasn't playing, and
scaring the heck out of me.
 Many
FPS's have attempted to re-revolutionize the genre but none have succeeded hands
down. Half Life, some say, was the creation of a new entity, a new line of shooters
which would destroy the "run run shoot" aspect of the gaming line, but I must
disagree. The beginning was promising with me, as Gordon Freeman, being an ordinary
guy going to work, but it slowly fell apart and became just one of the rest. The
closest game to completely alter the look and feel of the genre has to be Tribes.
Everyone's heard of it, everyone knows it, but not everyone likes it. The clanbased
online-only market sold. Even after years, the game is still going strong. Tribes2
is in stores as I write this. Dynamix certainly did something right. In walks
Counterstrike, a mod at first, its terrorism mission-based play was appealing
to just about everyone out there. Still being a deathmatcher of sorts, it retains
the "run run shoot" appeal, but most often the "shoot" is replaced with "protect
your team" or "rescue the hostages". Every round is different, and every round
is fun depending on which team you stand behind.
With this said, what is left? How can the genre keep pumping out new titles? What
can be done to keep it moving? How about return to the basics. Serious Sam is
just this. It was never hidden that it is, indeed, a Doom clone. There's nothing
new here at all. Or is there?
Remember when you were little, and asked your parents for a few dollars to go
to the local arcade? You'd be throwing in quarter after quarter in Gauntlet or
Marble Madness (I'm showing my age here) or even Zaxxon just to attempt to beat
that High Score. Like George Castanza, it probably still stands. Those were the
good old days. Well they're back! Sam features something we haven't seen in many
many years, SCORE. Yes, that's right, you actually get points by killing enemies.
The more you kill, the more points you are awarded. Confusing? To the younger
crowd, it might be. But it's something I had missed in the last decade. Seeing
"You've beaten the High Score!" makes me smile.
The story is nothing more than thin and overdone. Evidence of a much more technologically
advanced alien race is uncovered beneath the sands of Egypt. A century later in
2104, aliens invade the Human colonies in the nearby star systems. Sam's a legend,
one who has survived many encounters. He's chosen to go back in time to change
the past, so in 2104 the Human race may live. But the story isn't what is driving
the game. It is the constant barrage of enemies, biological or mechanical, that
drop from the skies, swim up from below, or just plain warp in to existance six
feet from your position.
For instance, my favorite part of the game has to be the Valley of the Kings.
The board begins with one goal: get to the other side of the valley to the temple
entrance. You can see the temple from where you begin. Easy enough of a task,
right? To do this took me well over thirty minutes and countless lives. I thought
I was home free, when a deafening roar is heard behind me. I turn and to my surprise,
a creature with four arms, standing over twenty feet tall, is howling and throwing
green flaming balls of death at me. My first encounter didn't go so well. It's
this type of surprise which keeps the game intriguing. I eventually made it out
of the Valley of the Kings, but with little life and a pounding heart.
The entire single player game is written in this manner. The rocket launcher is
in plain sight, with rockets all around it. It's very stunning, shining in the
light cast by the glowing sunset. Unless you are new to this type of gaming, you'll
know that you can't just run up and grab the darn thing. Upon entering a doorway,
it's strewn with a dozen rockets, and a few hundred bullets, and well over 100%
health. That's a BAD thing...
But since the gameplay has been done before, what does Serious Sam have that other
don't that makes it truly a classic? Croteam did an incredible job on the engine.
I have never seen outdoor terrains handled so marvelously, and with such ease,
even on lower-end systems. From my GeForce2 to the Voodoo3, Serious Sam offers
extremely smooth framerates. A trip to their Features Page http://www.croteam.com/engine_features.html
explains every angle that this new engine has. From multi-directional gravity
to directional light, the engine is an extremely powerful tool. And get this,
the Serious Modeler and Serious Editor are both included on the CD upon purchase.
And with a quick download, the SDK is available as well. Obviously, the creators
knew mods are inevitable, and supplied the tools required to basically create
anything you want.
Seeing as I am progressing through the single player game on medium difficulty,
I chose to go cooperative mode on hard. My roomate and I shot up more enemies
at one time than i had seen since Final Doom. At one point, my processor choked,
and my framerates dropped to 2 or 3 frames/second, but this was a one time occurance.
The whole time, no matter how many enemies spawned, the game was fluid. But no
matter how many enemies were on screen, the engine could handle it and keep the
game moving.
Fighting off 10 to 12 Werebulls at a time is NOT an easy battle. Neither are 10
Biomechanoids. I hadn't had this much fun in a long time. Before I knew it, three
hours had passed and it was well into the morning hours. But this the essence
of Serious Sam. This is what drives this beast. This is why it's so much fun.
There are no puzzles to solve. There are no objectives. Each level has more monsters
than one can count. Cooperative mode is the best way to see this. You're taking
a breather from the last barrage of creatures. Your health is 5 and what does
your partner do? He runs to the middle, picks up the health and spawns the next
wave of carnage. You're yelling across the hall at your buddy because now there's
no hope. A few dozen baddies pop up next to you, and even on ledges miles away,
launching their flaming fireballs in your direction.
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