DESCRIPTION

Serious Sam debuts in console form to offer Xbox gamers ports of both of Croteam's PC titles, Serious Sam and Serious Sam: The Second Encounter. Both games are combined and presented as a single adventure in this Xbox version. Much like of the originators of the FPS style, Serious Sam eschews complicated puzzle-solving and overbearing storylines in favor of in-the-moment, "shoot everything that moves" gameplay. The second half of the title introduces minor puzzle elements and power-ups to the mix, but for the most part, Sam "Serious" Stone's basic purpose is to eviscerate a cadre of demons and mutants — all manner of outlandish creatures in fact — while traversing locales such as tombs, valleys, and cities that span time itself.

To stem the tide of enemies populating the game's 36 levels, players make use of a sizable variety of weapons, including flamethrowers, chainsaws, mini-guns, rocket launchers, shotguns, pirate-style cannons, the "Serious Bomb," and more. Racking up kills, finding secrets, and quick completion times all award points (handily tracked by an onscreen counter), which are translated into extra lives to be expended as Sam carves his way through the hundreds of enemies per level. Respite is offered in the form of red telephone booths, scattered about each level, that act as save points. In yet another throwback, Sam spouts sarcastic one-liners throughout the adventure, à la Duke Nukem.

The multiplayer components of the game offer competitive and co-operative play. Using either a split-screen or the system link capability, two players can team up and work through the entire adventure together. A four-player Deathmatch mode offers ten levels in which to compete. ~ Gavin Frankle, All Game Guide