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Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter
When Serious Sam was released back in 2001 it caused quite a stir. Instead of following the trend that first person shooters like Half-Life was setting for immersion it instead used shooters from the early nineties as inspiration. Story and realism were the first out of the window and in its place were big guns and lots of targets. Some saw this as too simplified and regarded the game as little more than a tech demo. Most were too busy drooling over the visuals and slaughtering thousands of enemies to care.
Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter is a remake of the original game using the Serious Engine 3. High definition remakes have been gaining popularity on consoles but on PC it's a different matter. Fortunately the game does not just offer higher resolutions but improved textures and models as well. While the effect is not quite as jaw dropping as the original was when it was first released, the remake looks good enough to hold its own against the competition. Considering how serious most drab modern shooters are this game actually feels like a breath of fresh air, especially if you never played the original. Apart from the updated visuals not much else was changed in the game. Notable highlights include a 16 player online co-op mode, deathmatch and Steam achievements. The co-op mode is the very definition of chaos and the deathmatch mode can be a lot of fun as well. Nothing new has been added to the campaign however which is a pity as it is rather short. This means that if you are not interested in the multi-player and don't care much about high resolution visuals, you can safely stick to the original game without missing out on anything. Newcomers who are used to the regenerating health and armor found in modern shooters are in for a surprise when they try out this game. Staying true to the gameplay mechanics of the original, there is no such luxuries in this game. Instead, there are health and armor power-ups lying on the battlefield. Most of these are tied to monster spawns as well so as soon as you pick them up you'll find yourself on the wrong end of a stampede. There is no cover to hide behind either so expect a lot of back peddling and circle strafing if you plan on staying alive. Enemies are constantly spawning in large numbers, usually in enclosed arenas so you have no choice but to shoot or die. There is not much in the way of puzzles either unless you considering pushing a few switches to be a puzzle. In fact, the game is so simple you don't even have to worry about reloading. The Egyptian themed levels are still as interesting as they were back then and the improved lighting means that they look better than ever. Levels are very linear so don't worry about getting lost or running out of things to shoot. Speaking of things to shoot, the wacky enemies are also looking better thanks to some improved models. The monsters all look great decked out in their fresh coats of high res textures. They still attack in overwhelming numbers as well which remains quite a spectacular sight. Using all the old weapons like the mini-gun and canon is still loads of fun and will leave a trail of blood and gore in your wake. The audio sounds just as epic as I remember and while some wisecracks are funny, some of the sound effects can become a bit annoying. The only criticism I have is that like the original, the game can become quite repetitive. It was a blast to play through the game again and the multi-player adds some much needed replay value but if you were not a fan of the original this is not going to sway your opinion.
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System Requirements
TAGS: Serious Sam, HD, The First Encounter, Mental, Egypt,
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