Serious Sam II
A cartoonish third main entry in the Serious Sam series.
Serious Sam II (also called Serious Sam 2) is a 2005 first-person shooter from developer Croteam and publisher 2K Games. It is the third major game in the Serious Sam series, coming after *Serious Sam: The First Encounter* (2001) and *Serious Sam: The Second Encounter* (2002). The story follows Sam "Serious" Stone as he tries to gather the five pieces of the Medallion of Power, the only thing that can weaken his enemy, the alien overlord Mental, who has each piece guarded by his forces. The player moves through forty-two levels across seven themed worlds, fighting larger and larger groups of enemies with a growing set of weapons, vehicles, and turrets. Up to sixteen players can play the campaign together or fight in deathmatch.
Development of *Serious Sam II* and its engine, Serious Engine 2, began after *The Second Encounter* was finished in early 2002, with twenty-eight people on the team by the end of that year. The engine included a custom physics system and support for better graphics than the earlier games. Selling engine licenses helped fund a bigger budget, which let Croteam hire voice actors, and the studio chose a cartoonish visual style. *Serious Sam II* was one of the first games released by 2K Games, which had taken over from the original publisher, Gathering of Developers. It came out for Windows and the Xbox in October 2005, but no Xbox 360 version was made.
The game received mixed reviews. Critics liked the improvements over earlier games, especially the fast-paced action, but disliked the low replay value. Opinions were split on the vehicles and turrets, as well as the level design, humor, voice acting, and music. The graphics were praised, but enemy designs got mixed reactions. The reduced multiplayer options—including no deathmatch mode at first—were seen as a downside. The shift to a cartoonish art style divided fans, and *Serious Sam 3: BFE* (2011) was later made as a prequel to *The First Encounter*.
**Gameplay**
*Serious Sam II* is a first-person shooter with an optional third-person view. As Sam, the player goes through forty-two enclosed levels spread across seven themed episodes, starting on the planet M'Digbo. Each level throws larger and more varied waves of enemies at the player. The game uses big groups of enemies at once and sometimes has set-piece battles. Enemies can teleport in or arrive in dropships.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Serious Sam II
- Developer
- Croteam
- Publisher
- 2K Games
- Series
- Serious Sam
- Engine
- Serious Engine 2
- Platforms
- Windows, Xbox
- Released
- NA · 11 October 2005 · PAL · 14 October 2005
- Genre
- First-person shooter
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Producer
- Roman Ribarić
- Designer
- Davor Hunski · Davor Tomičić · Tomislav Pongrac
- Programmer
- Alen Ladavac
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Serious Sam II and its proprietary engine, Serious Engine 2, entered development after the completion of The Second Encounter in early 2002, occupying twenty-eight people by the end of the year. The engine incorporated a bespoke physics engine and support for higher-quality graphics over the prior games. Engine licences contributed to a larger game budget that allowed Croteam to hire voice actors, and the studio chose to use a cartoonish art style. The game was released for Windows and the Xbox in October 2005, while an Xbox 360 version was forgone.
The game follows Sam 'Serious' Stone as he seeks to assemble the five-piece Medallion of Power, the only tool able to weaken his nemesis, the alien overlord Mental, who has each piece guarded by his forces. As Sam, the player traverses forty-two levels across seven thematic worlds and fights increasingly large waves of enemies with an expanding arsenal, vehicles, and turrets. In multiplayer, up to sixteen players can play the campaign cooperatively or engage in deathmatch.
Serious Sam II was met with mixed reviews. It was praised for its improvements over its predecessors, including its high-action gameplay, while being criticised for a low replay value. The vehicles and turrets each raised differing opinions, as did its level design, humour, voice acting, and music. The graphics drew positive remarks, although the enemy designs attained mixed responses. The reduced multiplayer options, including initially no deathmatch mode, were seen as a negative. The shift to a cartoonish art style was polarising among fans, and Serious Sam 3: BFE (2011) became a prequel to The First Encounter.
Reader's Guide
Serious Sam II holds significance as the third main entry in the Serious Sam series and one of the first releases of 2K Games. Its development marked a shift to a cartoonish art style, which was polarizing among fans, and the use of a bespoke physics engine in Serious Engine 2. The game's mixed reception highlighted its high-action gameplay as a strength, while its low replay value, reduced multiplayer options (including initially no deathmatch mode), and polarizing art style were criticized. The vehicles and turrets, level design, humour, voice acting, and music drew differing opinions. The graphics were praised, but enemy designs received mixed responses. The game's legacy includes influencing the direction of the series, as Serious Sam 3: BFE (2011) became a prequel to The First Encounter, returning to a more serious tone. The Xbox version's multiplayer relied on Xbox Live, which was later unofficially succeeded by the third-party Insignia service after its shutdown.
Did You Know?
- Serious Sam II was one of the first releases of 2K Games, which had succeeded the original games' publisher, Gathering of Developers.
- The game features forty-two enemy types, with some limited to certain worlds.
- The Xbox version includes an aim assist, while the Windows version does not.
- An Xbox 360 version of the game was forgone.
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