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Every
once in awhile a gaming title comes around that transcends the boundaries of
creativity and ingenuity, setting a new standard of game play within the
industry. Serious Sam isn’t one
of those games, however…and it doesn’t pretend to be. What Sam aspires to do
is bring back the glory days of gaming, where intense action and fast paced
arcade style fun was the main calling of the dedicated video gaming acolyte.
Blowing up the bad guys with a varied arsenal of weapons hasn’t been this fun
since the early 90’s, and that bit of gaming nostalgia is what makes Serious
Sam a seriously fun game. The
game play within Serious Sam takes us on a journey to the past, borrowing from
such classic first person shooters (FPS) from the heyday of the genre. The
characteristics that were prevalent within such titles as Doom and Duke Nukem
can definitely be found within Sam, and any gamer found for the memories that
these classic games sparked will be extremely delighted. Though that’s were
the comparisons between the old and the new end, however, and where the new
technology involved with developing Serious Sam takes place, showing game
players what a dose of modern day designing can do with an older theme. As
with most older FPS styled games, the plot and storyline pale in comparison to
what the game is really about: total all out carnage. The designers at Croteam
opted to keep this approach while developing Serious Sam, so no outlandish
surprises involving the overall theme ever came to fruition. The basic story
behind the game deals with an alien war and invasion sometime in the 21st
century in which humanity is losing. A discovery of great importance in Egypt
could lead to the salvation or complete destruction of the human race, and its
up to the war hero Sam ‘Serious’ Stone to travel back in time and solve the
mystery that lies in ancient Egypt. Armed
with various weapons of destruction, our hero must traverse the deserts and
ancient structures in Egypt, battling hordes of aliens and demons in order to
save mankind. The
game play behind Sam runs about as simplistic as the storyline. Again, that
isn’t a bad thing whatsoever considering the intent of the game. The player is
reminded once again from the very first encounter that this game is about
blowing enemies and villains up…and quite a few of them, actually.
Croteam has gone to great lengths to develop their own unique brand of
weapons and cannon fodder in order to give the game its own sense of
individuality. From such FPS standards as the rocket launcher and knife,
to your not-so-standard weaponry like the laser cannon and tommygun, the
designers of Sam have made the ‘blasting concept’ something quite
interesting. The icing on the cake when it comes to weaponry on this game comes
from the acquisition of a hand held cannon, believe it or not. Nothing felt as
good as to see the hordes of alien legions literally bowled over with the
powerful blast of a the Volkswagon sized cannon ball fired from this little gem.
A truly satisfying experience. As
for the aliens/creatures/demons that make up the crux of what passes for enemies
within Serious Sam, they also stand out as unique for the most part, and
sometimes even comical when compared to other FPS. Over 15 unique specimens of
villainy are found throughout the various levels of the game, each with their
own unique abilities and attributes. Several of the most notable include the
wereboar, a fast moving behemoth that plows through and knocks the player into
the air. There are also headless Sirian soldiers that come screaming at you
(without a mouth?) as a suicide bomber, with an explosive device in each hand;
and the Lava Golems, sporting molten lava projectiles that become smaller
versions of the golems themselves if they miss their intended target. For the majority of the
game, there is a noticeable lack of the standard FPS ‘boss’ character that
denotes the ending of a current level of game play. Instead, Croteam has opted
for a slightly different approach, consisting of multiple waves of massive
attack forces. An interesting
concept to say the least, considering the problems that most gamers experience
when pitted against a seemingly almost unbeatable ‘boss’ figure, stopping
and game progress. The fallback with this style of game play, however, comes
from the repetitiveness that occurs within the battles. Halfway through the game
it just becomes tiresome, as you circle and fire repeatedly at the onslaught
thrown at you time and time again. Serious
Sam may have quite a lot in common to its elder FPS counterparts when it comes
to game play and theme, but the technology leap from the early 1990’s has been
tremendous. This in itself gives Sam a modern and superior feel when compared to
the old school titles. Utilizing their own game design engine (known as the
Serious-Engine), Croteam have produced 3-D models within the game that are vivid
as well as extremely detailed. The
massive landscapes that make up ancient Egypt in Sam have a mostly realistic
feel to them, matching other feats of game engineering not unlike Unreal and
Half-life. Frame rates were
smooth even at the higher end of screen resolution settings, with rarely a
slowdown even with minimal support from older 3-D acceleration cards. This was
definitely a surprise when you consider the amount of characters on the screen
at the same time, during the major attacks.
A
few added bonuses that happen to come with the full version of Serious Sam
include LAN and internet support for multi-player gaming, and even a full game
editor. A definite plus for those wanting to create their own carnage laden
levels. Custom level downloads from Serious Sam fans shouldn’t be too far in
the future. Also, sticking with the recent trend from smaller and independent
game companies, Croteam and publisher GOD Games have taken the inexpensive route
to pricing this game, charging about half of what normal games cost (roughly
$19.99). A definite bargain for
most avid gamers. All
in all, Serious Sam is a highly addictive and fun game, bringing back the best
of what made the genre of first person shooters such a success in the first
place. High action, great graphics, comedy, and a load of ammunition makes Sam a
standout title in the FPS world that any classic gaming fan will adore
immediately.
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