There are flashes of inspiration sprinkled infrequently throughout the game. The game actually feels more like a demo for game developers interested in licensing the Serious Engine than a refined labor of love. In fact, most of the items and monsters seem an afterthought used to populate the solidly built levels. Monsters are cartoon-like and bound by a stupid AI, serving merely as mindless targets for Sam rather than a menacing force.

While not as polished or stylized as the Unreal Engine, the water and lighting effects are superb. The architecture of ancient Egypt is nicely rendered and brightly colored and transitions between indoor and outdoor locations are seamless. There is a noticeable difference between the quality of monster graphics and the building and landscape detail.

The Serious Engine, developed in-house by Croteam, works well, even if the game's production values aren't up to standards. There just isn't enough of a reason, though, for the player to make a connection with him. Sam Stone has slightly more character than the Quake marine but considerably less than Max Payne. Serious Sam bears more than a passing resemblance to Duke in appearance and sound bites, most of which aren't as clever as that classic. Players seeking the nostalgic flavor and fury of retro first-person action unimpeded by a bulky storyline will enjoy the ride.Ĭroteam must have been impressed with Duke Nukem. A game needs more than simply shooting monsters and searching for buttons to open doors to release yet more monsters to shoot. The action is furious and fun at the start but quickly grows tiresome. The storyline, a muddled mess about Sam's journey back in time to visit ancient Egypt to retrieve a relic capable of holding off creatures from a different dimension, is quickly abandoned for non-stop strafing and side stepping madness. Serious Sam: The First Encounter marks the return to Doom's enchantment with a multitude of monsters constantly on the attack. Serious Sam: The First Encounter, while modestly enjoyable, breaks no new ground in character, monster or weapon design. The end result is a concoction that barely satisfies the first-person shooter appetite by re-heating and rehashing the leftovers from tastier predecessors. Finally, glaze the entire game over with Unreal's weather, water and solar flare effects. Start with a hefty helping of Doom's fast action and toss in one Duke Nukem wannabe character, then stir in a few bosses from Quake. The recipe for making Serious Sam: The First Encounter is simple.

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