Not all bad

There is a reason why the level might be small, one that doesn’t relate to a desire by the developers to change the gameplay. The new Serious Engine on which Serious Sam 2 is built is quite a hefty piece of software. Now while we wouldn’t put it in the same class as for example Doom 3, it straddles the CryTek engine’s domain nicely. Serious Sam 2 is less about terrain than CryTek, but otherwise fits in perfectly. It even features HDR rendering, which can be seen in our screenshots. Such performance requirements might have necessitated the use of smaller levels. Of course, it’s also equally possible that the level isn’t representative of Serious Sam 2 in general, something we’ll have to see for ourselves when the game launches this quarter.

Even after years of reviewing, I find it strange that so many small changes in the game can make such a deep impression. Ultimately, there is no doubt this is a Serious Sam game. What other titles float armor, weapons and health any more? What other games are so shameless about the simplicity of their AI? This isn’t a knock on Sam either, there’s skill involved in making simple, reliable AI that is entertaining and challenging to boot. Make no doubt about it either, Serious Sam is challenging and the pace is as frantic as ever – it just isn’t what we were expecting.

Is the demo worth a download? Well, fortunately it’s off its FilePlanet exclusive now and it’s a very slim download – a mere 235MB. By comparison, Serious Sam: The Second Encounter’s demo was a heft for the time 110MB download. When you consider the extra art assets of a modern game, the size of the file barely keeps up with technology. This is yet another reason why we’re reluctant to make any firm conclusions about the final state of the game.

But that doesn’t answer the question, is it worth the download? In our opinion: no. The Serious Sam 2 demo is, at best, not representative of what Serious Sam 2 is going to be. At worst, it’s a demo of a game that has lost focus of what made it appealing. Either way, the end user has no benefit in downloading it – at least not until he can hear some opinions on whether or not the completed game mirrors the demo experience. That makes CroTeam’s decision to release this demo even more bizarre. After all, you either put your best foot forward for a good impression, or you don’t bother at all.


Here’s to hoping for a Serious Sam 2 with bigger levels, more monsters and no invisible walls!