Posted September 01, 2010
Once again Sam returns for an epic crusade through literally thousands of adversaries. It is not so much a question as to which one of the games (first or second encounter) is better; they are both epic for their own way.
The first encounter's levels were more straightforward, and I love them for that. The ambiance is somehow a little better, the balance is great and it is a slightly more dodge and shoot type of game than the second encounter.
The second encounter improves and alters on some points. First of all, the weapon additions are excellent. Although I never use the chainsaw because most enemy mixes contain suicide bombers (aaaaaaaaah, you hear them in your sleep after a day of play) chainsaws are not the best weapon of choice. The others fit into the mix just perfectly, and the levels make sure to add sniper-sections so you can use them. The flamer is just all-round usefull, since most of the time you'll be engaging in closer-than-comfortable combat.
The levels show off some cool quirks, like moving walls of darkness, odd gravitational challenges and overal madness, though I did feel these novelties were mostly present in the first half of the game. The last levels are also very good.
I didn't like the difficulty for multiplayer. Often, the enemy mixes just don't make for a comfortable fight, and kleers are often abundantly present while for instance the suicide bombers and the bulls make a much funnier enemy if you see them run down your friend. After shooting your zillionth kleer in multiplayer, hearing the damn hooves again can get a little tiresome. I somehow feel the enemy dosage in the first encounter was better.
That aside, it makes for an exhilerating singleplayer adventure and is perfect to hone your turn and shoot-skills, because there honestly isn't a shooter available that has as much enemies in it as serious sam, and for that I love the game.
Multiplayer coop is where it shines, because there is no item stealing (everyone has his own instance of items) and you don't lose a lot when dying. That allows you to stay in the carnage continously. Some environments make getting separated from your friends rather easy, but other than that, coop is a blast. You might want to skip the first few levels though, because apart from some interesting traps, the levels after that offer the most interesting environments.
All-in-all, if you take the game for what it is, a masterful old-school shooting frenzy, then you'll love it a lot. Do get some friends to play with, though, it makes it even better.
Highly recommended.
The first encounter's levels were more straightforward, and I love them for that. The ambiance is somehow a little better, the balance is great and it is a slightly more dodge and shoot type of game than the second encounter.
The second encounter improves and alters on some points. First of all, the weapon additions are excellent. Although I never use the chainsaw because most enemy mixes contain suicide bombers (aaaaaaaaah, you hear them in your sleep after a day of play) chainsaws are not the best weapon of choice. The others fit into the mix just perfectly, and the levels make sure to add sniper-sections so you can use them. The flamer is just all-round usefull, since most of the time you'll be engaging in closer-than-comfortable combat.
The levels show off some cool quirks, like moving walls of darkness, odd gravitational challenges and overal madness, though I did feel these novelties were mostly present in the first half of the game. The last levels are also very good.
I didn't like the difficulty for multiplayer. Often, the enemy mixes just don't make for a comfortable fight, and kleers are often abundantly present while for instance the suicide bombers and the bulls make a much funnier enemy if you see them run down your friend. After shooting your zillionth kleer in multiplayer, hearing the damn hooves again can get a little tiresome. I somehow feel the enemy dosage in the first encounter was better.
That aside, it makes for an exhilerating singleplayer adventure and is perfect to hone your turn and shoot-skills, because there honestly isn't a shooter available that has as much enemies in it as serious sam, and for that I love the game.
Multiplayer coop is where it shines, because there is no item stealing (everyone has his own instance of items) and you don't lose a lot when dying. That allows you to stay in the carnage continously. Some environments make getting separated from your friends rather easy, but other than that, coop is a blast. You might want to skip the first few levels though, because apart from some interesting traps, the levels after that offer the most interesting environments.
All-in-all, if you take the game for what it is, a masterful old-school shooting frenzy, then you'll love it a lot. Do get some friends to play with, though, it makes it even better.
Highly recommended.