Serious Sam: The Second Encounter

"Easily the best action game I've played in years"

Before I begin, I have a confession to make. I did not like the first Serious Sam. The fact that 99% of the first encounter took place in Egypt with very little variance in the battles really ruined it for me... I felt like I was playing one level just stretched out over an entire game.

Then Croteam decided to make not a mission pack, not a sequel, just a continuation. Well, let me make one thing clear: This is more than a sequel. It's the next step in action gaming.

One thing that should be realized about Second Encounter is that it's not a non-stop game like the first was. Rather, it's twelve levels, each taking close to 40 minutes, split (not evenly) among three parts, each of which could be considered an episode. In each episode, you start with only a knife and a pistol (although you pick up a Bonecutter, second pistol, and shotgun rather quickly), and end with a boss fight. However, whereas the first one was strictly in Egypt, this one will take you through Mayan jungle, Transylvanian castles and dungeons, snowy mountainsides, Persian cities, grand cathedrals, and places I dare not mention lest I spoil the game.

There are a few new weapons, most notably the sniper rifle, which when zoomed packs more punch than a point-blank blast with the double-barrelled shotgun, a flamethrower which is effective mainly because of the ridiculous amount of ammunition you can get for it, and a Serious Bomb, which just kills everything on screen. The old favorites are all there, all the same except for the Laser Cannon which sounds much better now.

Among the new enemies are some mercenery troops which seem to be replacing the Firecrackers from the original, some slow lumbering things that shoot weak rockets at you, gigantic demons that hurl fireballs at you, and a few others.

Fortunately, Croteam decided to integrate their monsters well, and most of the old monsters, save the werebull, kamikazies, and krall, have virtually disappeared from Second Encounter. Witch harpies aren't particularly common in Second Encounter either. However, it seems as if it's for the better. The new enemies like to get up in your face where you can unload maximum amounts of lead in to them, but the game's areas are still very wide open allowing you to keep your distance if you prefer it. The new weapons work well with the old ones, although their versatility at range and up close seemed to make the two shotguns virtually useless.

The first third of the game hits the mark dead-on, showing that Croteam is truly not afraid to take things back to the ''old-school'' days of Doom but still innovate. The situations you get put in are clever and use the engine's technology very well. I remember fighting guys in a room with a wall of fog moving back and forth through the room, fighting in a gigantic tube with gravity clinging you to the edges, and other even more clever scenarios. Each time, the game pulls it off extraordinarily well, providing a level of fun I haven't experienced in any other first-person shooter. It never really ceases to amaze graphically, either, although it does drag on for a bit near the end, but then finishes off in one of the most intense boss fights I've ever seen. The first part of the game took several hours to complete and there was hardly a dull moment through any part of it. Every time I thought they'd run out of ideas, they tried something new, be it using the engine's technology or just using architecture and enemy positions to create innovative new situations for me to gun myself out of.

The second part of the game was a mixed bag, and somewhat of a letdown. The level design got a bit monotonous, as did the fights, but the game still managed to mix things up enough to keep it interesting.

Then came the third part, during which I was completely awestruck. The graphical effects and music presented a sense of wonder I haven't experienced since I first played Unreal. It also provides the first truly ''moody'' atmosphere I've seen the Serious Sam series achieve. On top of that, the level design is absolutely top-notch with every single part of every level looking absolutely splendid. It all culminated in the final level, the most enormous level I've seen in my entire life, which contained the best environment effects, best firefight, best music for the moment, best level design, and probably the best gaming experience I've ever had. The game doesn't wimp out at the final battle either, something which has ruined many a game, and instead provided me with a real sense of accomplishment when I could finally put the mouse aside.

The musical score in Second Encounter is also notably better than the first, with orchestrated tunes rivaling some RPGs and some of the best rock riffs I've heard in a game since Devil May Cry. Every single tune fits the level, and the situation-based music works better than ever.

The graphics are absolutely astounding. I've already made the comparison to Unreal, but this game is definitely a step ahead of the rest. The gigantic levels, the lens flares, the beautiful environments, and most importantly their choices of where to use what technology, make even heavily-hyped high-budget games like Return to Castle Wolfenstein look dated.

There are a couple complaints I can get off about this game. The most prominent is the addition of idiotic jumping puzzles, crush traps, and other general instant death traps. Being an action game and all, I would much rather almost die in a fight than almost die leaping across a pit of spikes, pit of lava, or pit of blackness that no one dares go down. One room forces you to walk across a long room with instant-kill spikes lining the wall while wind currents push you from side to side, which was obviously simply a matter of quicksaves and luck. Another is that while Sam's wisecracks and one-liners are better than the first, only a couple are catchy and some really fall flat. Croteam still has a way to go before Sam can talk trash like Duke Nukem or Sin's J.R. Blade.

Overall, I'm not sure I can truly describe how enjoyable this game is. I'm still trying to comprehend it myself. However, I can say this: It is definitely worth $20. This is definitely Game of the Year material, and I am very glad to see this game come out and finally lift the FPS world up from its rut.

Gameplay: 9/10
Graphics: 10/10
Sound: 9/10
Music: 10/10
Replay Value: 9/10
Buy or rent: Best game I've played in years for $20? What do you think? :)

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/09/02, Updated 03/09/02