Serious Sam: The Second Encounter

"Look Ma!!! I'm In Another Great Game!!!"

There are some things in life that you just can't get enough of, and non-stop, hardcore, mindless action is one of them.

Not even a year ago, GOD Games and Croteam introduced us to the action packed world of Sam 'Serious' Stone. Now, in February of 2002, our favorite time-travelling, wise-cracking, gun-wielding, ass-kicker is back for the next installment of the Serious Sam saga.

Graphics - After thoroughly conquering Ancient Egypt, Sam makes his way clear across the globe and lands in Pre-Historic South America.

Croteam's custom 'Serious' Engine holds nothing back in the rendering of this lush environment. There are trees, foliage-covered mountains in the distance, plants that spring up all around you, making it a challenge to nab those goodies you saw half a mile back.

Viewing things off in a distance is even better in SS:TSE. Even from at least two miles off, you can clearly see Sam's crashed Sirian spaceship. And, with the addition of the sniper rifle to Sam's already packed arsenal, you'll be able to zoom in close enough on witch harpies to see their beady little eyes before you turn them into ground hamburger.

Gameplay - SS:TSE place exactly like the original: Walk a bit, kill a whole bunch of bad guys, walk some more, pick up some ammo, talk to NetRicia, shoot some more bad guys, repeat.

Sam handles great, making you feel like you really are romping through the rain forests of South America. He runs fast enough to stay ahead of most of the enemies that he encounters.

And boy are there enemies! All of Sam's old pals from Egypt have taken the time to be transported half way around the world to make life miserable for our hero. In addition to that, you'll also encounter several new baddies just itching to make their talents known.

Not to be outdone, Sam picks up several new weapons in addition to his old arsenal to wreak havoc with. These new weapons include the afore-mentioned sniper rifle, a chainsaw, a flame-thrower, and my personal favorite, the Serious Bomb!

With these bad boys, tons of enemies, loads of new power-ups, lots of secrets, you won't be bored for a second.

Story - SS:TSE encounter could be considered a stand-alone expansion pack. The story is the same as before: Sam has been sent back roughly 2500 years in the past to fight off an alien army before it can destroy Earth in the future.

Sam's quest began in Ancient Egypt. The alien army of the overlord Mental proved to be no obstical for Sam. After turning the sands red with their blood, he hijacked an alien spacecraft and set course for Mental's homeworld.

However, this was not to be. Something caused the spacecraft to crashland in South America before Sam could even leave orbit. However, NetRicia has found evidence that another way to Mental exists on primitive Earth. Sam just has to find it.

Audio - Like the original, SS:TSE contains some serious ass-kicking music all suited to the surroundings.

Sam also has all new insults and wise-cracks to throw at Mental's advancing forces, ''Hey, didn't I kick your ass two rooms back???'' and so forth.

The only problem with the audio is that they don't offer it in surround sound!!! There would be nothing better than to hear Sam go ''YYYYEEEEEHHHHHAAAAAWWWW!!!!'' all around me!

Buy/Burn - BUY, BUY, BUY!!! If you don't have $20, then go pick up pop cans until you do!! Then go buy the game!

Overall - The first Serious Sam game provided several hours of ass-kicking action, and SS:TSE provides no less. While it doesn't have the massive and elaborate story that games like Halo and Unreal 2 promise to have, it's still a FPS that is worth owning.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 02/13/02, Updated 02/13/02