Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter

[Executor32]

Seeing as it is now available for pre-purchase on Steam, I figured it was worth making a thread about it. It's going for $17.99, $2 off the post-release price. From what I gather, it's supposed to release sometime in the middle of this month for both PC and XBLA.

Basically, it's the original Serious Sam with high-res textures, modern shader effects, and higher-poly models and environments. Sounds seem to be the same, but it's possible they're revamping those as well and were simply using the original sounds for placeholders when they made the trailers. I look forward to exploding endless hordes of monsters once more.

Linka

[Zixinus]

I don't. I don't know what others get from these old-school games: they're mindless and quickly become boring, especially when a lack of variety is introduced. I got bored of the old Serious Sam when I was playing the 30th Egyptian level or so, doing the exact same thing.

[Grif]

But... but... it haz zombies. Running, screaming ones that hold bombs.

[Starglider]

I don't. I don't know what others get from these old-school games: they're mindless and quickly become boring, especially when a lack of variety is introduced.

They're good in short bursts. Whereas now I might sit down and play 12 hours of a game at a stretch (if I have a free weekend), back in the early 90s it was more 'play an hour of one game, then an hour of another game' etc. With a very few exception (e.g. Civilisation) the individual games had less depth.

[Alyeska]

I don't. I don't know what others get from these old-school games: they're mindless and quickly become boring, especially when a lack of variety is introduced.

They're good in short bursts. Whereas now I might sit down and play 12 hours of a game at a stretch (if I have a free weekend), back in the early 90s it was more 'play an hour of one game, then an hour of another game' etc. With a very few exception (e.g. Civilisation) the individual games had less depth.

A great many old games had plenty of depth and were very large in scope. There were many games back in the day that I could play for hours upon hours.

Master of Orion
Wing Commander Privateer
X-Com UFO Defense
Star Control 2

[Starglider]

A great many old games had plenty of depth and were very large in scope. There were many games back in the day that I could play for hours upon hours.

Strategy games (e.g. Battle Isle), some puzzle games (Lemmings) and RPGs (Hired Guns - makes Mass Effect look simplistic and it ran on an A500!). Shooter, racing and fighting games, not so much.

[Andrew_Fireborn]

People liked Serious Sam because it was exactly what it wanted to be, a lead filled slaughter fest. Especially on the higher levels, where they easily double the number of enemies of normal and bring in the harder enemies earlier.

Hell, I had fun a while back installing it and playing it on "Serious." Yeah, it was simple even by the days standard, but sometimes a guy just wants to blow up a herd of charging alien bulls with a fully automatic rocket launcher and a hand held cannon.

[Starglider]

Hell, I had fun a while back installing it and playing it on "Serious." Yeah, it was simple even by the days standard, but sometimes a guy just wants to blow up a herd of charging alien bulls with a fully automatic rocket launcher and a hand held cannon.

Of course, now we have web games and Xbox Live Arcade for that.

[Rye]

Serious Sam is great for the multiplayer more than anything else. My mates and I don't have as many LANs as we used to, but some total silliness like this would be a cool change from L4D and TF2.

[Steel]

Wow... this is shite compared to Serious Sam 2, gameplay, graphics and performance wise...

I'd have thought they'd have made the game at least as polished as Serious Sam 2 if they're going to try and sell it.