Serious Sam 3

Time to get Serious again, like we'll do this Summer.

So, on the heels of the Duke, Serious Sam is making a comeback? Maybe DNF (and Bulletstorm as well) is the beginning of a revival for old-school style FPS's, a trend I would be totally ok with; God knows the genre could lighten up a little.

I've been waiting for this one. Serious Sam is one of my favorite FPS series ever, and if this does signal a revival of old-school style FPS, I'll be very happy!

By the way, even though this seems to be an unpopular opinion from what I've seen online, Serious Sam 2 was my favorite game. Then Second Encounter.

Never been a fan of Serious Sam (or Painkiller, for that matter), but I appreciate the need for an FPS that is just basically a target practice run-and-gun title.

New info.

I'm at work and can't read it. Could you sum up or quote it?

Sure, here's the cut-and-paste:

Croteam’s manic run-and-gun shooter Serious Sam 3 will be hitting store shelves this coming Summer, reports publisher Devolver Digital, which is also describing the game as a “glorious throwback to the golden age of first-person shooters where men were men, cover was for amateurs and pulling the trigger made things go boom”.

In fact, Croteam is wallowing in the game’s retro-ness, bragging, “It’s just you and them. All of them.”

That’s not to say the game isn’t adding some new features. There are new melee attacks, a 16-player campaign and versus modes, including Deathmatch and Beast Hunt. Enemies include Scrapjack, the huge Khnum, the signature screaming Headless Kamikazes with bombs for hands, Gnaar and Sirian Werebull.

According to Croteam creative boss Davor Hunski:

“Serious Sam 3 is about pure fun and unfiltered action,” “We wanted to expand on everything gamers love about the series while adding some genuinely unique new features to really enhance the mayhem Serious Sam is known for.”

Serious Sam 3 takes place during Earth’s struggle against Mental’s invading legions. There are collapsing temples, ancient civilisations and crumbling 22nd century Egyptian cities.

Thanks. I like the fact that they're adding melee attacks, and promise other new features. I personally think that Serious Sam could stand to evolve, while still sticking to what made the series fun. It was fun in its time, but we do demand a little more depth from our games now. At the same time, excessively complicated games in the First-Person Shooter genre are too plentiful for my tastes, to the point where I lost interest in the genre entirely long ago. Too many elements such as escort missions, protection, complicated controls or features, and so on.

I liked it best when it was like Doom: fight enemies, explore, reach the end of the level. (Serious Sam cut out the "explore" part and focused a bit too much on just fighting) If they remember to add the platformer-like elements and crazy level designs that Second Encounter had, then it could be a real good game. If they instead make the levels as bland as the ones in Serious Sam 2, then I'll be pissed.

Serious Sam 2 is what Doom 3 should have been. Eagerly awaiting this game.

“glorious throwback to the golden age of first-person shooters where men were men, cover was for amateurs and pulling the trigger made things go boom”.

I love Croteam even more for that line now. Honestly, though, my favorite kind of FPS is the one where I can run freely and shoot anything that moves with big ridiculous guns, and every day I ask myself where those games went. Now, every other shooter has all these complex mechanics thrown in, real-world guns, and annoying order-barking officers in an attempt to be realistic, and it takes away from the fun in my opinion.

Serious Sam 3 will be a great break from all the cover-based health-regenerating squad-based shooters that have clogged up the market for so long. It's not that I don't like those games, but they're certainly not as enjoyable.

edited 1st Mar '11 7:44:43 AM by MrPoly

As much as I love Uncharted (which is cover-based, and health-regenerating, but also third-person and NOT complicated), this would indeed be refreshing. I just hope enemy behavior and level design are interesting and fun. I'd hate to see good play mechanics wasted on bad design.

With the first game, First Encounter, I had a lot more fun with levels that my brother and I created with the editor than I did with the actual campaign. We just made levels that had fun enemy arrangements and obstacles. The actual game itself should have had levels that were more like that.

Serious Sam was always fun, but I always felt that it was way too simple. I understand that it was a callback to over the top arcade style shooters, but it just felt stupid to run around at 80 miles per hour firing a Bottomless Magazine machine gun at things that barley resembled enemies. From what I've seen in the trailers, they seem to be evolving the game (with the new features like melee attacks and aiming), while still keeping the good stuff (tons of enemies to blast). Looking forward to it.

Well, it's been released. I purchased it on Steam and I'm downloading it now.

Nevertheless a fun game, even if it felt a bit too easy.

You finished the whole thing already?

After playing about half of the campaign, I can conclude that wacking Kleers with the sledgehammer is the most satisfying thing ever.

edited 25th Nov '11 1:54:40 PM by CPFMfan

It felt easy?? No way, man. I died lots of times already. Although I AM playing it on Serious difficulty. What did you play on?

Anyway, as for my thoughts, I really hated the intro. Although from what I heard, they made the intro like that to make fun of modern shooters. Even so, I don't think they had to drag that out for 3-4 whole levels. But other than that, the game's simply amazing. And I agree, the sledgehammer is so fun to use against Gnaars and the like :D

What exactly was your problem with the first three levels? I thought they were fun. Even if you went without an assault rifle for too long.

I for one am only playing on Hard difficulty (the one right below serious). I could never beat any level in any of the games on Serious difficulty, and I don't think that's going to change. I still died a lot, mostly on the bosses, in contrast to the original games where the bosses were relatively easy. That damn helicopter in particular. And that new, much more powerful Biomechanoid Major that spammed high damage missiles everywhere.

edited 25th Nov '11 2:52:54 PM by CPFMfan

I mostly hated how slowly it built up. The way it opens, it looks like another one of those realistic military shooters, and there aren't any clever jokes or really any kind of humor. Also, the enemies don't become plentiful until like 2 levels in, save for that one horde in the first level. And let's not mention how boring and cluttered the city looks. If it weren't for the title of the game, an average gamer looking at a screenshot from that section of the game would think it was from Battlefield 3 or something.

From what I understand, they wanted to ease the experience in for those who weren't familiar with the series, and play a joke on the modern-shooter fans who thought it would be another Co D clone. Even so, I think they could've done it better.

edited 25th Nov '11 3:00:43 PM by MrPoly

I just finished the "The Guardian of Time". My jaw dropped. Never before have I seen so many enemies. Not in any game I've ever played. Except maybe the Total War series. And the music was awesome, too.

Good god. And I thought The Great Pyramid was hard. This puts both that and The Grand Cathedral to shame. That was truly ridiculous, and the music's evolution really matched the increasing pace of the battle.

Kinda bummer of an ending though.

Just beat the final boss. Ugh-Zan IV was a way harder boss than his son. And the ending was kind of a bummer... ah well, at least Ugh-Zan IV and his swarm of Major Biomechanoids, Khunms, Minor Biomechanoids, and attack helicopters went right off the charts in the HSQ.

edited 1st Jan '12 2:32:22 AM by CPFMfan

I just started the game. I'm four or five levels in and, true to form, it got real intense in each level.

So I heard the first few levels are a parody of modern FP Ses, but how so? From the looks of the trailer, there's a bit of actual talking and plot going around for once... But... Is it still a chaotic mayhem with wacky weapons (outside of the last level)?