serious sam hd: the first encounter review

All of the bugs have been ironed out and the price has dropped to a more reasonable $15 (1,200 points), making this Xbox Live Arcade release a good way to experience one of the zaniest shooters of all time. The crazy pace, the number of enemies, the wide-open levels that let you freewheel while killing bad guys--it may be a simple formula, but it's done to near-perfection. Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter, on the other hand, does not concern itself with such trivial nonsense and puts all of its effort into rendering as much gore and … Sure, in 2009 we expect innovation from even our craziest shooters. Even when it was first released about a decade ago, Serious Sam was a throwback to the early FPS days of Doom … Slaughtering countless numbers of creeps in picturesque Egyptian settings is a serious business. For Serious Sam HD to be an essential purchase for those of us that have seriously Serious Sam-ed in the past, it needed something else beside the facelift. Achievements are now supported. platform: pc, xbox 360 (xbla). The pace, the insane number of foes to battle, and the wide-open Egyptian levels may be simple and predictable, but it still does work. You get the same goofy protagonist in Sam "Serious" Stone, a gravelly voiced tough guy in a T-shirt and jeans who looks and quips a whole lot like Duke Nukem. © 2021 GAMESPOT, A RED VENTURES COMPANY. Let's ignore the fact that it featured a really high draw distance for the time making it … You'll miss out on the snazzy new graphics and a few extra frills, but you'll experience the majority of what the game has to offer. Everything has been rebuilt with Serious Engine 3, the latest version of Croteam's proprietary graphics engine that is also being used right now in the development of Serious Sam 3. And a revamped Serious difficulty level has been added for masochists who couldn't get enough punishment in the old settings. Monsters like the headless suicide bombers, galloping kleer skeletons, stampeding werebulls, and the gigantic fiery demon bosses are the same. About the only significant change with Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter is that everything looks much better than it did on the PC. This revamp may not be indispensible because it doesn't bring anything new to the table, aside from snazzier graphics and expanded multiplayer. A few minor gameplay tweaks add to the experience, too. A quick glance at either the Croteam or Steam forums reveals how many gamers are having trouble. And so it is in Serious Sam HD… Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter is a great purchase for both fans of the series and newcomers. Upgraded graphics give the game more visual punch, Feels dated, especially if you played the original, Some unwelcome changes, such as limiting rocket-jumping. Serious Sam HD The First Encounter is a great game. About the only significant change with Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter is that everything looks much better than it did on the PC. Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2012. Serious Sam HD received mixed to positive reviews from game critics. Only editing an obscure line in the game's configuration file seems to clear up the issues. But perhaps the biggest change has to do with rocket jumping. developer: croteam. Like the kids say, it's a trip. LGR - Serious Sam The First Encounter Review - YouTube This first Serious Sam game is still such a rush! Livens up the original game with more modern visuals, Insane action with thousands of enemies constantly assaulting you, Outstanding enemy menagerie of unique freaks, Fantastic co-op option that lets up to 16 players battle together, Buggy to the point of being unplayable on some systems even after the first patch, Not enough enhancements over the original game, making it seem kind of unnecessary, Uses the same audio effects samples as the original game and its sequel. The serious level editor has also been dropped. The original 2001 Croteam game has aged so well that it doesn't really need this HD remake because its run-and-gun action and ludicrous menagerie of monsters are just as much of a blast to experience today as it was nine years ago. The problem is that there are no indications that an active internet connection, a Steam account, and access to the Steam server are required in order for … my serious sam: the first encounter hd review. If you want to be picky about it, you can't really call this a remake. It might not be the most essential shooter of 2010 for the 360, especially if you played the original game on the PC way back when, although you will certainly have a blast with it if you appreciate mile-a-minute shoot-'em-ups. Brett Todd But it still can't compete with most other modern shooters, with relatively clunky monster models when seen close up and jaggy level scenery, such as the braziers in the Egyptian tombs. Still, if you have never experienced Serious Sam before, the HD version is probably the way to go (well, as long as you can get past the bugs). Serious Sam is the first video game (released in two episodes) in the Serious Sam series. Levels set in and around ancient Egyptian landmarks, such as the Temple of Hapshepsut and the Great Pyramid, are the same. Ah, there was Serious Sam 2 a few years ago, but that didn't have the impact as the original, despite being more ambitious. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. It's pure bliss for an old-time shooter fans who grew up on DOOM. The indie sensation Serious Sam: The First Encounter is reborn in glorious high-definition for legions of long-time fans and a whole new generation of gamers around the world. So gunshots and missile blasts sound kind of tinny, especially in comparison to the remastered musical score, with its boomy bass lines. Some even make the game virtually impossible to play. Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter is a great purchase for both fans of the series and newcomers. 5.0 out of 5 starsA Polished Version Of The Original. This is the first time that console gamers have gotten a look at the authentic Serious Sam: The First Encounter that was released for the PC. Serious Sam returns in shinier clothes. First one to see the light of day is the HD version of The First Encounter on the PC, through Steams distribution platform. Even the first patch did nothing to rectify this problem. And it's not as if the graphics are now cutting edge. This kills some of the fun and changes how you approach parts of some levels, especially those places where you used to head for the high ground right away to get away from hordes of bad guys, like big werebull runs, in a couple of spots. If you played the original, you pretty much know what you're getting yourself … Now this is more like it. All in all, we spent at least six hours struggling with this annoying issue--which, coincidentally, is about the same amount of time it takes to finish the single-player part of the game. It's all nice to look at, especially the almost-photorealistic desert cliffs, postcard skies in the wide-open sections of levels, rolling sand dunes, and the climactic nighttime battle sequence under the stars by the Great Pyramid. Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter scored 8/10 on Destructoid, saying: "It looks really good for what it is, and the hardcore, old school shooting action is just as robust as ever. Gameplay is, of course, still all about shooting and speed. They handle big areas and loads of onscreen enemies with nary a chug in single-player, but some of the monster models are a bit chunky when viewed up close. Those who have grown up on modern shooters may find the primitive design and … By the time you shout out an order or try to coordinate an attack, ten headless bombers have gone kaboom. Everything feels retro given the unabashed dedication to re-creating the mood of such golden-age shooters as DOOM and Duke Nukem 3D, but this is still one of the best run-and-gun games ever made. Played in co-op with a buddy, Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter is a simple, intense run and- gun shooter with hundreds of enemies of all shapes and sizes streaming towards you as if … This is a straight-up remake of the original Serious Sam in every possible way. Removing the Deathmatch mode of play for up to 16 players that was a prominent part of the PC version of the original game is more annoying, although this might have been deemed necessary because the frame rate already chugs a fair bit in heavy action with a lot of enemies when just four players are going at it in co-op. Audio has n't been changed at all on the PC in 2001 many gamers were quite enthralled with the.... Sense, because the actual gameplay was exactly the same battle under the stars a! Steam forums reveals how many gamers are having trouble editing an obscure line in the online-only mode... Of mayhem the title was ready for primetime jaw-dropping scenes include the apocalyptic end battle under the against. 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