Serious Sam Next Encounter

by Take 2

Product Features

• Platform elements in the thrilling action shooter -- ammo and enemies are everywhere, so hold down that fire button and keep moving
• Incredible new weapons with new powers and unlimited ammo
• Jump into a Hummer and run over the alien zombies, or blow them away with missiles
• Power up with killing combos - Get 20 kills in a row and you'll go into Super Combo Mode, becoming more Serious than ever!

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00015HWTQ
• Item Weight: 4.5 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: April 12, 2004
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,626 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Game Informer Review

I have to respect the Serious Sam franchise for knowing exactly what it is, and never mucking up its run-and-gun style with other considerations. With no stealth, few puzzles, and a very light story, Sam is about shooting stuff. Lots of stuff. Pretty much everything you see is there to be mowed down by the might of Sam's various guns.

The core gameplay works really well. The weapons are fun to use, Sam's movement speed is nice and fast, and the sense of humor (the title for this game was originally Word to the Mothership) fits perfectly. To make the hordes of enemies more exciting to plow through, the new Killing Spree speeds you up if you kill 20 aliens in a short time frame. Plus you score double points, which makes the unlockables far easier to obtain.

Hidden levels, new features, and cheats all await the dedicated gamer. However, it will take a seriously patient player to not only finish the game, but to go back and earn the gold medals. Almost all of the enemies can be defeated handily by strafing around them until they drop. The only tough parts are when you get swarmed by a flood of aliens (which happens all the time, of course), since it's difficult to maintain a situational awareness with baddies continually spawning behind you. This formula makes most fights feel very similar, despite the variety of weapons and enemies. Even with the new vehicles, it felt like I was whaling on the same enemies over and over.

Multiplayer on either system does help to keep this vital, though there's nothing really innovative about it. It's still brainless shooting, except that it's your friends (or random strangers, on the PS2) that you're gunning down.

Taking all of its flaws into account, the final tally still comes up in favor of Sam. Sure, it gets old, but $20 for a decently long single-player and well-done multiplayer is more than reasonable.

The Edge

There are two differences to be aware of here: graphics and multiplayer. The GameCube has the visual department firmly under control, with smoother play and various effects that don't show up on the PS2. Multiplayer's a toss-up; if online is your thing, PS2 is the way to go. The ‘Cube does have the four-player (as opposed to two-player) split-screen going on, so it's really up to personal preference here.

Concept:
Circle-strafe to your heart's content, blowing up aliens all the while

Graphics:
Surprisingly smooth and crisp for a budget title

Sound:
Repetitive, but not too annoying. Some of the effects make me giggle even after hearing them over and over

Playability:
Being able to re-map the controls would've been really nice, given the wonky defaults

Entertainment:
Mindless shooting at its finest. Don't expect anything more, though

Replay:
Moderate

Rated: 7.75 out of 10
Editor: Adam Biessener
Issue: May 2004

2nd Opinion:
Life is cheap in Serious Sam's world, and luckily so is this game. An absolute steal at $20, Sam dishes out a good time in bloody chunks of flesh and a humorous tone. The only problem I had was that it is hard to distinguish enemies that spawn behind you. I was surprised by this because sound detection of your foes is a huge part of the game's charm (it doesn't support surround sound). The vehicles I could take or leave, but the Super Combo Killing Sprees are a hoot. This is fitting, as Next Encounter is limited (not being a proper sequel), but you'll find that Sam's penchant for carnage fits like a glove.

Rated: 7.75 out of 10
Editor: Matthew Kato


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Product Description

Serious Sam: The Next Encounter takes you into a den of warfare where you'll take out piles and piles of alien monsters. The action is fast and intense, the shooting never stops and the ammunition doesn't run out. Gory, wild, over-the-top fun -- with the frenetic pacing and nonstop shooting action you love!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Have a sense of humor?, August 8, 2004

By 

Marshall Carter "Ornery Gamer, Fiend Club Member" (Lexington, SC United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Serious Sam Next Encounter (Video Game)

Apparently the others here who've chosen to review this game have it out for this particular title, nor does it seem that they've played it much. No, Serious Sam: Second Encounter IS NOT a modern FPS; it's not going to compare well on a technical level to the Halo's, Half-Life 2's or the Battlefield's of the world, because it's a throwback to a simpler time. The engine is starting to show its age, enemy AI comes at you using the "brute force method" (endless wave after endless wave) and not everyone will like the art style, but if you take it for what it is, a white-knuckle, balls-to-the-wall FPS, where you're rewarded for blasting everything in sight (in a time when being stealthy is all the rage), you'll enjoy this game. To put it in a way some gamers will understand, there are moments in Serious Sam when it feels like I'm playing the classic Robotron from a first-person POV. There are enemies coming from all directions, suicide bombers, raging beasts, long-range machinegunners, etc., and here I am, one little character, having to destroy them all. If Serious Sam had a bird's-eye camera, it would look like Robotron in many instances, and that's a good thing.

If you still get a kick out of classic FPS games like DOOM and Duke Nukem 3D, the Serious Sam takes that style of gameplay to a whole new level.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Beached Whale, May 19, 2004

By 

JasonM (WDC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Serious Sam Next Encounter (Video Game)

Serious Sam: Next Encounter is err, how can I put it? Not the hottest babe on the beach. Nope, Serious Sam is more a beached whale type of chick.

Game play is fast, furious and super repetitive. The fun wore off very quickly. The game does not look very good, and the sound, well I can't remember it really, no catchy or memorable tunes that's for sure. I've seen brand new sealed copies of this game on EBay going for as little as $4 - even for that low price it's not really worth it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fun ... if old school FPS are your favorite games, December 28, 2004

By 

Jerry Jackson Jr. (Cincinnati, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Serious Sam Next Encounter (Video Game)

I played the original Serious Sam on the PC and when I saw that Sam was coming to the Gamecube I had to buy this game. I have been very pleased and will probably keep this game in my Gamecube collection for as long as I keep the system. This is NOT the greatest game in the world. It is not even the greatest FPS in the world. It is a FUN game for those who love the old Doom and Serious Sam type of FPS ... games that are rediculously violent and are full of stupid jokes that seem like they were taken right out of the Evil Dead movies. If anything I wrote here brings a smile to your face and brings up memories of happier times playing old an old FPS, GET THIS GAME. The super-fast frame rate of the Gamecube makes Serious Sam a MUCH more fun game to play than the original Doom or Serious Sam on the PC.