Techtite's PC Game Reviews!

Serious Sam: 

"The First Encounter"

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A Techtite Review

Before you think a title with a suffix of "The first Encounter" is alluding to this being a mere shareware game --i.e., over-glorified off-the-shelf demo-- don't worry; yes, this is a full game, with levels galore, and yes, it's only a paltry $20! Someone who made this game obviously knows how tough it is to enter the dog-eat-dog world of Quake "clones," and their humility is paying off; it may be low priced, though records show it's one of the top 5 best selling games in its first month on the shelf! Of course, it helps that it's also a lot of fun.

The story involves a Duke-Nukem type of macho-game character named Sam Stone. He's Earth's last hope, against an alien menace from a parallel dimension, who may be linked to powers discovered as far back as ancient Egypt. Sure, it's a concept that seems to merge the film Stargate with Duke Nukem, though this is part of the fun. The point is, you'll be facing intriguing enemies of the future, while being surrounded by the grandeur of the still-standing cities of old Egypt (which Sam reaches, of course, via a time vortex). Each level involves reaching a priceless artifact of some kind, and the cutscenes of Sam reaching these end-level goals have a true feeling of "victory" about them (as well as a slight salute to the Indiana Jones films). Adding to the fun is Sam's witty banter, which is perfectly timed and often very funny (near the beginning of the game, an enemy screams "AAAAH!" when attacking, only to have you shoot him with one shot, and hear Sam say, "AHHHHHH!...yourself!".. an impressively humorous salute to the classic scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark!).

The game plays a lot like a Doom clone, only with the graphics of an Unreal or Quake clone. This is good on the one hand, bad on the other. Some people, wishing for more story a la Half Life, or more intriguing puzzles to solve a la System Shock and Thief, might be slightly disappointed. However, at $20, spectacular graphics in a Doom-clone gaming atmosphere isn't disappointing enough to not enjoy the purchase. It even offers a little bit of built-in strategy, as well! An amusing "travel computer" feature offers Sam (and you) the ability to review mission objectives before entering a level, as well as notify you of mission objectives as they change within a level. Defeating a new enemy leads to message screens as well, which define that enemies' strengths and weaknesses. This is an amusing feature, in that it plays out almost like a virtual "official strategy guide," enhancing the value of your $20 even more.

The game levels are huge. My favorite levels are the exterior ones, that often allow you to travel for what seems like miles, in any direction, with numerous "secrets" scattered around the game map, if you decide to search for them. Environmental effects are also impressive, complete with realistic changes in the  lighting during a rain storm. Sunsets even lead to an impressive change in the hue of the environment, enhancing the ralism more than most "exterior" game environments of this type. As for the interiors, they are equally realistic, with numerous breakable objects (break a precious idol, and get ready to feel the wrath of additional enemies to defeat). In addition, destroying wall torches leads to dimmed lighting around the torch, though I found in the single player game this is more of your problem than it is your enemies' (aliens can often see in the dark, while you cannot!).

Speaking of enemies, there are a lot of them. Literally. On the one hand, there are many varieties, while in addition, they often come at you in droves. AI is also very impressive, so you'll have to face different enemies simultaneously. Such enemies include wild "were-bulls," who (quite effectively) kill you slowly by butting you halfway across the game map. Then there are giant killer robots that tower above you. Other aliens include the creature shown here, who can cast a vicious homing spell that you cannot dodge; you must shoot these projectiles down before they reach you. Weaponry to defeat these monsters is rarely anything you haven't already seen before (pistols, double pistols, shotgun, laser gun, and so on), though on the plus side, that also means entering the game right away (with similar controls to any other Doom clone) should not be a problem.

There was a lot of care put into this game. Music is well chosen, and often sets the mood very nicely. Listen for changes in the tone of the music, to get subtle alerts to enemies approaching nearby, or when you've victoriously defeated them. 3D acceleration effects are equally well chosen, and include huge lava monsters that glow with eerie red magic, and the green shimmer of alien slime flung at you by other monsters in the game. In addition, there are two secret levels, which are definitely worth the meager work it takes to search for them.

There is one "gripe," if you can call it that. This is a long game. Yes, that's a gripe, when approached in this fashion. It's ironic that sun effects are so well rendered in this game, because this may be the last time you see any type of "sunlight" for quite some time! The length of the game soon passes the "Wow, I can't believe I got this for $20" phase, past the "I can't believe I couldn't finish this game in one night" phase, and past the "Whoh; two nights and still more levels" phase. This would be cool, yet then the level editors went too far: past the "When's this game going to end?" phase, past the "Gee, I really thought that was the last level" phase, past the "100 skeleton soldiers...again?" phase, past the "Please, let this be the last level" phase, and well past the "Please, have mercy, and let me return to my mortal life" phase! Enemies keep coming, and coming, and coming, and coming, and coming, and coming, and are often, rather annoyingly, dozens upon dozens of the exact same enemy type. True, this sounds a little cool when heard in print, and yet...yikes! If I had to fight another horde, of 100 or more of those annoying Skeleton Warriors...arrrrgh!

In the end, you may ask, why is it labeled "The First Encounter"...? Well, you'll find out soon enough by the game's finale, with a rather bittersweet "To be continued" message. Sure, you win in the biggest way, and basically save Earth, though much like the first Star Wars, this is just one big victory, before reaching your prime goal...whatever that may be. Until then, I'll be happy with "The First Encounter," and perhaps the best value for my $20 I've had so far this year.

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