Serious Sam HD Preview

Read our other Penny Arcade Expo 2009 articles here.

It seems that developers are actually listening to me. And I’m quite surprised. Not surprised that developers are remaking their games… but that Serious Sam is getting remade. SERIOUS SAM. Maybe it’s a good time to get remade, though; seeing the true outcome of what happened to Duke Nukem Forever, we need a humorous FPS. When was the last time we saw an FPS with good humor? No One Lives Forever 2? That was 2002. Besides humor, when was the last time we saw an FPS that was a pure run-and-gun style? Painkiller?

Serious Sam HD is doing things right.

Uh-oh!

Game Central had the pleasure of playing Serious Sam HD at the Penny Arcade Expo this year, and it certainly rekindled long-past memories of shooting headless suicide bombers and freakish purple monsters with a gigantic eye and huge mouth. That’s right, kids. Sam is back, exactly as you knew him during the first time around. Exactly as you knew him. We were told that Serious Sam HD isn’t going to have the controversial changes that makes the lore non-canon (assuming Serious Sam had lore). Instead, the game is a direct remake of the first game made by Croteam in 2001. Sporting the brand new Serious Engine 3, the game looks prettier than ever.

Just in case you never played the original game, the game’s primary notable feature is its run-and-gun style, ala the aforementioned Painkiller. Running through the level and killing hundreds of enemies destined to take you out. Unlike Painkiller, however, Serious Sam is a lighthearted shooting fest with emphasis on one-liner comedy like Duke Nukem 3D. Sam isn’t as “great” as Duke in that regard, but he give originality to the game, to make up for the lack of depth. The story is outright forgettable (aliens invaded Ancient Egypt. Kill them), but it’s quite enjoyable to travel from one level to another, with an array of vast level design.

But more stands out than just the new engine. Serious Sam will on the front lines of the online cooperative mechanic; up to 16 players. Yes, that’s right. Sixteen Sam Stones on the battlefield, killing hundreds of enemies. It will definitely be a blast.

The online co-op would make this brouhaha less brutal.

It’s not going to change the face of gaming as we know it, but it’ll be fun playing as Sam once again. With online co-op, it’ll be neat to run through the game again in an updated engine. The game will retail for $15 USD, and will be released in October.