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Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter only $7.50 on Steam
If you missed your first chance to grab Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter on Steam at a discounted rate, then know that the game is once again on sale from now through March 2. The first episode will set you back a mere $7.50 -- 50 percent off the normal asking price -- leaving vital room in the coffers to snatch up extra rocket and shotgun ammo for the inevitable onslaught. Trust us, when you've got a pack of wild, headless (yet, somehow, screaming) suicide dudes running toward you, you're going to be glad you spent those extra greenbacks at Uncle Buck's Gun Emporium beforehand. Believe it!
Serious Sam HD: Second Encounter pushed to April
Our beloved sister site, Big Download, reports that Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter has been slightly delayed to April -- and, frankly, if you can't trust your own sister, who can you trust? (That's on PC, mind you. No word on the 360 port's timing.) BD was also told that a deathmatch and dedicated servers update for the first game would arrive soon and that The Second Encounter would ship with both of those features. We're happy for the tidbits, but we can't figure out why Devolver Digital would give all that cool, manly news to our dumb little sister. She still plays with My Little Ponies and Polly Pocket. What does she know about a game where dudes have bombs for hands?
X3F TV -- XBLA in Brief: Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter
Are you tired of first-person shooters that make you think? Do you long for enemies that simply charge directly toward you, showing no concern for personal safety, let alone tactics? Have you been looking for a game that throws strategy out the window in favor of massive amounts of baddies all swarming you, some of them exploding on contact? If so, Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter is probably for you. No recharging health, no cover system, no perks, just relentless, punishing action. All of it can be yours for 1200 ($15). Watch the latest XBLA in Brief and find out just what you're getting into. Shortcut: Download the trial version of Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter [via Xbox.com] [iTunes] Subscribe to X3F TV directly in iTunes. [Zune] Subscribe to the X3F TV directly. [RSS] Add the X3F TV feed to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [M4V] Download the M4V directly.
This Wednesday: XBLA gets Serious (Sam)
Considering there's really nothing serious about it -- some of the enemies have bombs for heads -- we're not sure how Serious Sam wound up with its name. It could be comic irony, or perhaps merely for its delightful sibilance. Honestly, we may never know. What we do know is that Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter is this week's XBLA release, as promised last month. Sporting newly fancified graphics, online co-op and some serious action (oh that's it!), the game will be available for 1200 ($15).
Steam weekend deal: Serious Sam HD for under $7
If unrelenting onslaughts of bad guys who want bad things to happen to you sounds like a good time, then you may be interested in Steam's weekend deal: Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter. The classic shoot-everything-in-sight-'em-up with retooled graphics has been discounted to a very manageable $6.79 from now until Monday on Steam, which comes out to about 817 kills for each copperhead spent. It's a pretty good deal, but be warned: You very well may look to kill anybody wearing a green or blue shirt for the rest of your life.
Serious Sam HD hits XBLA Jan. 13, new trailer
It's very, very possible that you might have been sated solely by the new Serious Sam: The First Ecounter HD holiday trailer. It's hard not to be satisfied by the sight of Santa suit clad Sams running around and destroying everything in sight. It really calls to mind the true spirit of Christmas. That said, we could always do with more holiday cheer, so you should know that the Xbox Live Arcade version has been confirmed for a January 13 release. See, cheery, right?
Serious Sam 3 seriously planned for 2010 release
It's been a while since we last heard about Croteam's upcoming, decidedly non-cartoony shooter, Serious Sam 3 -- fortunately, a recent Destructoid interview with the developer's awesomely-named CEO, Roman Ribaric, has broken the cycle of silence. According to Ribaric, development on Sam's next outing is still on track. "Serious Sam 3 is happening for sure," Ribaric said, later adding, "it is currently planned to be finished in 2010." We would never wish an ill fate upon anyone with a name as powerful as Roman Ribaric, so we'd like to offer this friendly advice -- finish that stuff in the latter part of the year. We're not kidding. Firmly grasp the first three months of your 2010 calendar, pull down as hard as you possibly can, and then don't release your game during any of the months you're holding. You're welcome in advance.
XBLA Serious Sam pushed to January
After revealing the news that it would be giving Serious Sam: The Second encounter an HD makeover, Devolver Digital has now dropped some bad news: Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter has been delayed on the Xbox 360. According to the Devolver Digital Twitter account, the XBLA version of the game has been pushed to January. No specific date was given, though we're willing to bet it'll be a Wednesday, which narrows it down to January 6, 13, 20 or 27. Where are you putting your chips? [Via Shacknews]
Serious Sam: The Second Encounter getting HD treatment
Hot on the heels of the recently released Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter, Croteam and Devolver Digital have announced that Serious Sam: The Second Encounter will also receive the HD treatment. The serious sequel is slated to arrive on PC and "home console" in early 2010 and, like The First Encounter, it will receive a graphical overhaul to make all the carnage ever so smooth. In addition to the resolution upgrade, Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter will feature a new co-op tournament mode that will "allow teams to compete with one another." Shocking, we know. In a somewhat stranger turn of events, The Second Encounter will be featured at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, where teams will compete for the Digital Youth Award. The award espouses "the values of creativity, culture, friendship, education and unity" -- none of which we associate with Serious Sam.
Snap Judgment: Serious Sam HD
In Serious Sam, you use an increasingly powerful and ridiculous set of weaponry to blast an increasingly horrifying array of demons back to the dimension they came from. To put it another way, Serious Sam is what your grandmother imagines every video game to be. Serious Sam: The First Encounter has just been brought into the modern era by Majesco and Devolver Digital with Serious Sam HD, on Steam today with a $20 price tag. I stepped into the beefy hero's signature T-shirt for a couple of hours to see how well the experience had held up over the years. %Gallery-66818%
Serious Sam HD shoots up PCs November 24
Croteam has announced that Serious Sam HD will be available on PC starting November 24. As the name implies, Serious Sam HD is the high definition remake of Croteam's flagship first-person shooter. Apart from the redone graphics, the game's major feature is gigantic hordes of furiously attacking enemies. It is, in short, seriously old-school FPS designed to engender mad, constantly quick-saving fear in its players. The game can be pre-ordered for $17.99 on Steam, $2 off the regular price. [Via Big Download]
New Serious Sam HD trailer is anything but serious
If you were to ask us to what sort of modes we expected to see in Serious Sam HD, "Super Happy Fun Time Mode" wouldn't even be on the list. Much like the first time you heard the bewildered Mortal Kombat announcer utter the word "Friendship," the video above is likely to fill you with unexpected glee. Don't be surprised if you emit giggles, chuckles or maybe even a guffaw or two. Of course, we still have to wait and see if Serious Sam's punishing gameplay has withstood the test of time. For now, just enjoy the video.
Serious Sam HD keeps it classy with new infomercial
A classic "As Seen on TV" infomercial seems more than fitting for the self-parodying, Croatian-developed FPS, Serious Sam -- now "more definition-ier than ever." As with any infomercial, you must be wary of all the numbers and testimonials used. For example, we highly doubt the game runs at "6005 polygons per krundle." We're fairly certain this game doesn't even feature krundles ... unless Croteam has added some truly surprising new content to the upcoming HD remix. %Gallery-66818% [Thanks, iHavePants]
No joking about this Serious Sam HD footage
There's some hot footage of Serious Sam HD available on GamesTrailers (embedded past the break for your convenience) right now and, well, if you've played through Serious Sam before (or ever watched a Lord of the Rings trailer), this is going to be old hat to you. Still, despite the footage's lack of completely new things to look at, it's still a good primer for folks who have no idea what all of the fuss is about (hint: it's the crazy, non-stop funs). %Gallery-66818%
Serious Sam 3 to ditch 'cartoony' look
Let's play the hot new game sweeping the nation: "Good News, Huh News." Croteam chief Roman Ribaric recently told Eurogamer, "I believe Serious Sam fans would want to hear the following two things. First, Serious Sam 3 will play like the original Serious Sam." That's the good bit. "And second, we'll leave the cartoony look behind." Huh?See that image above? That's an actual enemy from Serious Sam II. As near as we can tell, it's a bipedal robot, the head of which is a dinosaur. We guess what we're getting at is this: How, exactly, does one make a dinosaur-headed robot "not cartoony"?
PS3 Serious Sam HD could happen if consumers want it
Speaking to G4, Croteam CEO Roman Ribaric said the company originally also wanted to do a PSN version of Serious Sam HD alongside the PC and XBLA releases, but cited time constraints as the major factor holding it back. "[We] couldn't get additional financing to support [the] extra development time needed," said Ribaric. "It was either to do PSN by the same date or forget about it." Luckily, Croteam hasn't gone with the latter and hasn't completely ruled out releasing a PSN port sometime after the PC and XBLA versions. The Croteam CEO says he's heard from different offices in the industry that consumers are disenchanted with late ports; however, he's still interested in listening to what PS3 owners think. Is it worthwhile for Croteam to pursue? Would you wait for the PSN version? Send Croteam an e-mail or maybe start a petition online -- this might be one of the few times developers will actually listen.%Poll-31422%
Compari-shot: Serious Sam's HD return
Click to embiggen. The upcoming PC and Xbox 360 re-imagination of Serious Sam: The First Encounter is more than an HD reboot of the classic Croatian FPS. Take a look at this comparison pic to see all the new enhancements made. Nearly every aspect of the game's visuals has been changed. The textures are sharper and cleaner than before. The original's perfectly flat lawns are now replaced with individual blades of grass -- and look at that foliage, rendered with some classy Crysis-styled soft focus. Notice the dynamic shadows over our pumpkin-wearing, chainsaw-wielding friend? Now, imagine this level of detail on hundreds of on-screen enemies. It's no wonder we're excited to see Serious Sam make his long-awaited return.%Gallery-66818%
Croteam seriously remaking Serious Sam for XBLA [update: It's coming to PC too]
The Xbox 360 is, of course, a great system for new first-person-shooters, but with XBLA re-releases of games like Doom, Wolfenstein 3D, and Duke Nukem 3D, it's also becoming the system of choice for classic FPS games. Now Croteam is working on an XBLA version of Serious Sam, called, unsurprisingly, Serious Sam HD. Publisher Majesco told Eurogamer that the remake, which will "re-imagine The First Encounter," will be available on XBLA late this summer for 1,200 Microsoft Points. The new version will include four-player online co-op. Though we look forward to blowing up stuff with abandon, we are a bit concerned that this news could mean that the "next Serious Sam FPS game" to which Croteam's CEO referred is actually the first one again. Update: cdv Software Entertainment AG has confirmed to VideoGamer that the game will also be appearing on PC. %Gallery-66818%
Croteam starts development of Serious Sam 3, close to getting publisher
The original Serious Sam remains one of our most beloved Croatian-developed FPS games of all time. So, when we heard that Croteam was working on a third game in the franchise, we had to pay attention. Roman Ribaric, CEO of Croteam, wrote on the team's official site: "We have also recently started the development on two games, one of which is the next Serious Sam FPS game. Here, we are pretty close in signing the publishing deal."The sequel will be powered by the team's in-development Serious Engine 3, which will probably render a three gazillion enemies on screen at once. That's about two gazillion more enemies than the first Serious Sam was able to render.[Via Big Download]
Serious Engine 3 unveiled by Croteam
Gamecock has announced that it will publish the upcoming "military tactical-action shooter" from Croteam, developers of the Serious Sam series. The game is heading to PC and "specific next-gen consoles." Lets hope the Xbox 360 is "specific" enough to warrant a port.Along side the announcement is the unveiling of Croteam's Serious Engine 3. A handful of screenshots of the engine in motion have been released, and they do look mighty impressive. We'll have to agree with Joystiq though, we're waiting to see the game in motion before we call it good. Besides, these shots showcase a serious lack of enemies with bombs for heads. What's the deal with that? Check out the Serious Engine 3 gallery below.%Gallery-3139%
