by papalazeru on Sun Dec 27, 2009 9:23 pm
As it was on discount, I got myself Serious Sam HD: The first encounter, and it's a discernable treat.
It's almost exactly the same game as the original with a few modifications. Bear with me as the game has quite a few flaws.
The graphics have certainly been upped, and they look good. The character movements and weapons all look pretty and very crisp and it moves very fluidly.
Nothing has changed in the way of sound at all. That's not a bad point as Serious Sam's sounds are one of neccessity with jokes thrown in every so often to keep every geek amused - and they are funny.
The level design, as in previous incarnations, fails to impress. With it's nice graphics they are just sprawling hunks of nothingness. Everytime you enter a section, there's a few tree's, the odd destructible statue and that's about it, it's pretty flat. you'd think that as they were doing an HD version they'd incorporate more into the scenery that the bland lifeless colourscheme which they have.
Now the bad is out the way, it's time to get to the good.
No. Other. Game. Makes. You. Fight. So. Many. Enemies. AT THE SAME TIME.
With more modern technology the Serious Sam series shows more enemies on screen than any I've ever seen in my life. This really is the Rambo IV of the game world when it comes to body counts. Every last inch of performance saved on level detail or particles which makes all those 'other' FPS's so beautiful and photorealistic have been spent on sending as many Frakkin' enemies at you as contemporaneously possible. When they start coming, you'd better start praying. I mean it.
It's just you, your guns against millions of enemies. The game boasts humorously that it could have a million enemies on the screen at the same time, and it's believable.
You're given every standard game shooty weapon under the sun, from simple pistols to Rocket Launchers and their version of the BFG - it's a BIG portable old stlye Warship CANNON?!?!?!? and they squeeze every last pellet out of you. When the baddies start coming, you start using and you keep fighting until you're on your pistols fighting the unending sea of forces swamping you every step of your way. It's captivating and fills you with dread at the same time.
There will be times where you will have to repeat parts again, and again, and again, as you never EVER see the end of the horde coming for you.
It's not a perfect game but it's one of the finest balancing acts you can get. Out goes the complex puzzles and story telling, and in comes an infinite number of baddies - and it works. I love games that aren't ashamed to say what they are, and this stands proud above anything I've seen .
It's not an FPS, this is a straight Shoot 'em up. Drop your brain in a jar and let it rest as you give your eyes and fingers the working of a life time.
9/10
Love it.
One day, I'll be brave enough to try it on Hard but normal is making me feel hysterical as it is.
Papa: The musical!
Padders: "Not very classy! Not very classy at all!"
So Sorry "I'll give you a word to describe it: classless."
Cptn Kirks 2pay: ".....utterly unclassy....."
DennisMM: "...Decidedly unclassy..."