Weapon Switching

Lore & Background

Taking place immediately after The First Encounter, it follows the soldier Sam "Serious" Stone, whose spaceship crashes back to Earth on his way from ancient Egypt to Sirius, requiring him to seek the Holy Grail to continue his journey.

In Their Own Story

The desert wind howled as another wave of Anubisians charged from the dunes, their chitinous armor glinting in the sun. Sam didn't flinch; he simply tapped a key on his mental interface. The heavy thud of the Minigun vanished instantly, replaced by the sleek silhouette of the Shotgun. He fired two bursts into the front line, then switched again to the Rocket Launcher as a giant Karkadan emerged from the sand behind them. In the chaos of the battlefield, there was no time for hesitation—only the rhythm of fire and the click of switching weapons.

Reader's Guide

As Sam, the player traverses linear levels, either enclosed or set on open plains, and battles increasingly large waves of enemies with an expanding arsenal. The gameplay builds on that of The First Encounter while adding additional weapons, more enemy types, and platforming elements. The Second Encounter expands Sam's arsenal from The First Encounter to include a flamethrower and a sniper rifle with a scope. The game further adds four power-ups with temporary effects: Serious Speed, Serious Damage, Invulnerability, and Invisibility.

Did You Know?

• The Second Encounter adds seven enemy variants to the cast of the original game.
• The game includes the Seriously Warped Deathmatch mod by A Few Screws Loose.
• The Second Encounter was initially handled as a mission pack before being turned into a standalone product.
• The game was GameSpot's "Game of the Month" for February 2002 and "Best Budget Game on PC" of the year.