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[Sciz]

—what do you mean that's the wrong font? Oh, fine.

What: First-person run backwards and shoot
When: November 22nd on PC \ April 23rd on Macs
Where: Multiple PC digital services. It's a Steamworks title. PC retail available in selected European countries. 360 and PS3 versions TBA (which is to say not any time soon).
How much: $40 for the regular edition, $50 for the Serious Digital Edition. Preorder to get 10% off, and get another 10% off if you already own another Serious Sam game on Steam.
Shiny marketing bits: Preordering gets you a Fork Parker multiplayer skin. The Serious Edition has a bunch of other goodies blah blah just go look.
What does BFE stand for: Only Croteam knows for sure, and they aren't telling.
Is Undercode back: Hell yes Undercode is back.

Minimum System Requirements
CPU: Dual-core from Intel or AMD at 2.0 GHz
Video Card: nVidia GeForce 7800/7900/8600 series, ATI/AMD Radeon HD2600/3600 or 1800/X1900 series
OS: Windows XP 32-bit (with service pack 2 or 3)
Memory: 1GB / 4GB free hard drive space
Sound Card: DirectX9.0c Compatible Sound Card

Recommended System Requirements
CPU: Quad-core from Intel (i5/i7-series) or AMD (Phenom II) at 3.0 GHz
Video Card: nVidia GeForce 480/580 GTX, ATI/AMD Radeon HD 5870/6970
OS: Windows 7 64-bit
Memory: 4GB / 4GB free hard drive space
Sound Card: DirectX9.0c Compatible Sound Card



Serious who? I've already got [insert Battlefield/Call of Duty here, depending on religious affiliation], I don't need—

No. Just stop right there. Stop. You see that thread title? You see that genre? Serious Sam is not one of your fancy modern military games. It does not need your quick-time events, NPC helpers, or experience points. Serious Sam is a proud reminder of the earliest days of the FPS when the one and only goal was to get from start to finish, the days when aliens and demons died en masse to the twin sounds of a shotgun blast and a heavy metal band.

Serious Sam is a game about shooting things. Lots of things. The largest levels of the first game had enemy counts upwards of a thousand, and Croteam claims SS3 has levels up to three times as large as those. In the vein of the best shooters about shooting things, it's all about damage avoidance, threat prioritization, and knowing when to use which gun. Fail at any one of those and it's back to the start of the level for you. Find some secrets on the next go-around to give you an edge, don't high-five the kamikazes, and for god's sake stop trying to crouch behind the walls, it doesn't help.

Serious Sam is also occasionally about being very silly, whether its the secret midget devteam squad, the so-obvious-it-hurts deathtraps, the so-bizarre-you-can't-believe-it's-a-deathtrap deathtraps, or just the good old fashioned candy gibs and flower blood hippie mode.

If running through the main game solo just isn't enough, there's also a pretty sweet Survival mode (think Left 4 Dead) and a big set of cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes carried over from The Second Encounter HD, all of which are available in 16-player online and 4-player splitscreen offline flavors.


I loved Serious Sam 1. Then we got Serious Sam 2.

Unlike Serious Sam 2 (and a certain other retro FPS franchise that crawled out of its grave earlier this year), Croteam figured out how to update the franchise in little ways this time without gutting it of everything people actually liked in the process. Everything about SS3 is closely patterned on SS1, and what is new doesn't get in the way of the fun.

There are iron sights on a few guns, yes, and a new sprint feature and a context-sensitive melee attack. They're there to give you the option to change up the gameplay some and add to the frantic action feeling, if you like. If you don't, there's an achievement for completing the game while ignoring the sights, the sprint, and the manual reload button.

There's also an array of new enemy types and a few crazy new weapons. Oh, and large amounts of the environment are destructible this time, both by you and by the alien hordes, so think twice before trying to trap the AI around a corner.


I'm a card-carrying member of the master race and I hate console ports.

When it comes to Serious Sam, the console port is the version on the consoles. Croteam is also shipping it with modding tools and dedicated servers out of the metaphorical box.

Trailers:

Teaser
Serious Chaos
Serious Weapons
Melee Attacks
Blood and Gore
Launch Trailer
Fork Parker's AWESOME SERIOUS SAM 3 VIDEO
Santa Sam
Headless Kamikaze - Screams of Glory
SS3: BFE Help Line With Rich Knuckles Episode One
SS3: BFE Help Line With Rich Knuckles Episode Two
SS3: BFE Help Line With Rich Knuckles Episode Three
Color Scheme Options


Screens:

Interviews and previews, as compiled by Seriously!.


GAF Says:

Jesus Christ! This game is fucking HARD. Even on Normal.

Holy shit.

This game is fucking great.

The game is awesome. I like the music, the story seems hilarious and Sam's one-liners are properly well done. This is the game that DNF should have been.

This really is the game Duke Nukem 4 should've been.

This is, without a shadow of a doubt, the best FPS campaign of the last 5+ years.

If you haven't already, then you should buy this game.
I'd describe it as a mixture between Doom 1 or 2, a bullet hell shooter and ninja gaiden.

god damn.

This game.

Playing on Hard, no quicksaves, fighting the

Spoiler

rocket walker boss

. Early in, I'm sure, but this is so great.

I mean, part of me just wants to go ahead and say that this is the best Western action game since Doom 2, but 1) those are enormous words, and 2) this might actually be better than Doom 2.

These guys knocked it out of the park and no one noticed. I *love* it.

I love it. If The First Encounter had been made in 2011 instead of 2001, it would be this game. Also, check out the Serious Sam indie games. They turned out to be pretty fun, and flew almost completely under the radar here.

 

[Spoo]

Been pre-ordered on Steam for months.

 

[Sinatar]

My giant throbbing cannon is ready.

 

[AuthenticM]

I hope this is good. The pre-alpha footage seen in the Giant Bomb Quicklook didn't impress me.

 

[JaseC]

I had forgotten all about this. disgonbgud.gif. I may wait until I've upgraded my PC - which should be ~a month from now - to purchase the game, though.

Edit: I imagine my current PC could run the game quite well (3.2GHz E6420, 4GB DDR2-800, GTX 570), but I'll probably wait nonetheless.

 

[Imp the Dimp]

Gonna buy this solely due to the fact it doesn't feature regenerating health. I can't stand that shit.

 

[JaseC]

Gonna buy this solely due to the fact it doesn't feature regenerating health. I can't stand that shit.

Prediction: IGN will complain about the traditional health system.

 

[Ywap]

Getgamesgo have a Pre-order discount: 20% (the mail says 28%) off with the code EGROCKS.

Expire today!

 

[subversus]

no regenerating health, no buy

 

[N4Us]

Prediction: IGN will complain about the traditional health system.

Until they play Tourist.

 

[nextgeneration]

I'm in day one. Cannot fucking wait to play this!

 

[stuminus3]

BAM! 16 player co-op!

 

[AEREC]

Gonna buy this solely due to the fact it doesn't feature regenerating health. I can't stand that shit.

I might not buy this due to the fact it doesn't feature regenerating health. Health packs are stupid.

 

[Imp the Dimp]

I might not buy this due to the fact it doesn't feature regenerating health. Health packs are stupid.

Taking a break behind a cover for two seconds is what then...?

 

[Chesskid1]

damn @ those recommended specs!

 

[AEREC]

Taking a break behind a cover for two seconds is what then...?

Not searching around for a little health pack.

 

[vocab]

I might not buy this due to the fact it doesn't feature regenerating health. Health packs are stupid.

Then you are in the wrong thread.

 

[Barberetti]

Gonna buy this solely due to the fact it doesn't feature regenerating health. I can't stand that shit.

Same here. Well, that and the first game was fucking awesome. It'll be nice to play another FPS that's actually a challenge.

 

[nextgeneration]

Are these recommended specs higher than Battlefield? Anyone know?

 

[codhand]

My "S" button is ready.

 

[Ywap]

Not searching around for a little health pack.

So what you basically want is healthpacks everywhere?

 

[nextgeneration]

Never mind, I found answer. Battlefield's recommended video card is GTX 560 or ATI Radeon 6950. Serious Sam's is 480/580 GTX, ATI/AMD Radeon HD 5870/6970. All other specs are the same.

 

[AEREC]

So what you basically what want is healthpacks everywhere?

Im not sure...after thinking about it some more...regenerating health doesnt fit this game either...but I still hate having to rely on health packs.

But I guess in this case it fits the game.

 

[Sciz]

Im not sure...after thinking about it some more...regenerating health doesnt fit this game either...but I still hate having to rely on health packs.

But I guess in this case it fits the game.

Serious Sam wouldn't work at all without the constant tension of health management. If health isn't a finite resource, dodging incoming damage becomes much less important and there's not a lot of incentive to perform any better and improve your skills. The idea runs completely counter to the sort of experience the series provides.

 

[Sciz]

Devolver released the official strategy guide today.

I didn't put it anywhere in the OP, but their Twitter feed is the place to follow for all news Sam related. You can head to the Seriously! or Steam forums to occasionally catch actual Croteam staff in the wild, but that's the only reason you'd ever actually want to go to either forum.

 

[darkpaladinmfc]

Likely to be FPS of the year .

 

[Mupod]

What, no preload? Swear to god if they delay it again...uh...I'll just play UMVC3, skyrim and batman, I guess.

 

[nextgeneration]

What, no preload? Swear to god if they delay it again...uh...I'll just play UMVC3, skyrim and batman, I guess.

I don't think it will be delayed. I just got a tweet, confirming that it will be released on 11/22, at 10:00 AM PST.

 

[The M.O.B]

Kinda weird they just stripped all the clothes off the harpies now(had a metal bra before)...........Not sure whats the point of that was besides "Boobiessss"

16 player coop was be amazing though.

 

[Coxswain]

God, I can't believe this is finally coming out. Can we all say "Last, best hope for the ailing FPS genre"?

 

[MrTroubleMaker]

I don't think it will be delayed. I just got a tweet, confirming that it will be released on 11/22, at 10:00 AM PST.

nice!

 

[e_i]

No preload makes me sad.

Can't wait for the melee attacks. Heart ripping!

 

[Snuggles]

Had no idea this existed, but now I'm intrigued. Your OP was excellent, I feel so informed!

Any word on a demo? Didn't see anything in the thread.

 

[Sciz]

Valve, why no preload. D:

Had no idea this existed, but now I'm intrigued. Your OP was excellent, I feel so informed!

Thanks! Sam isn't a big series even in an indie-friendly community like GAF, so I wanted to make sure the OP would serve as a good overview of the game for newcomers and series vets alike.

Any word on a demo? Didn't see anything in the thread.

I would assume there will eventually be one, but it'll be a while coming. Croteam is a small developer, and now that the game is finally here they're going to be more focused on patches and the console ports over a demo build. The First Encounter HD didn't get a demo until a few months after it came out for similar reasons. It's a good substitute in lieu of a SS3 demo if you want a taste of the series, though, since the fundamental gameplay hasn't changed much between them.

 

[Teknoman]

I still cant believe this comes out today. Question is, do I buy it now or do I wait to see if there will be a Steam sale?

 

[Heart of Black]

/\ If you want the game, support it at full price.

 

[Fogz]

Oh man I had no idea this was just about to come out!

*Preorder*

 

[Tain]

I want this game to be manly, but I'm expecting it to be a little girly game with save-anywhere instead of checkpoints-only.

 

[nextgeneration]

Launch trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQGO46QGlbk&feature=feedu

 

[Teknoman]

I want this game to be manly, but I'm expecting it to be a little girly game with save-anywhere instead of checkpoints-only.

Thats how the last two were.

I think thats the first time i've heard Sam curse. Must be serious.

 

[JaseC]

I want this game to be manly, but I'm expecting it to be a little girly game with save-anywhere instead of checkpoints-only.

Only if you choose to abuse quicksaving to such an extent.

 

[Tain]

Having to play game designer by moving a retry point around myself while trying to keep it on the "not abusing" side of a fuzzy line is unfun. Definitely hurts the game. The prior Serious Sam games were very clearly designed around save-anywhere, though, of course. Playing strictly with auto-saves led to replaying a lot of dull segments since they were lazily placed at map changes.

If SS3 at least has manually-placed autosaves, I'll probably be good. I kinda expect that since it's getting a console release.

 

[JaseC]

Having to play game designer by moving a retry point around myself while trying to keep it on the "not abusing" side of a fuzzy line is unfun. Definitely hurts the game.

The line really isn't fuzzy - or rather, it shouldn't be. The entire point behind quicksaving is to use it when you've overcome a particularly difficult point of the game you'd rather not play through again. To that end, abusing the system and using it when desired only overlap if you're finding a game inherently hard.

Edit: As for previous Sam games using autosaving at map changes, I'd say that ties into Croteam's penchant for classic game design; although, the maps of even the original Sam games are far larger than those seen in the games of old Croteam drew influence from, so I can understand that being a problem for some people.

 

[The_Player]

Launch trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQGO46QGlbk&feature=feedu

I's not over until I teabag every last one of you alien motherfuckers!

Trailer is so good. Goosebumps all over my ready body. Music aslo is epicly great. Damn, I hope this game don't dissapoint me.

 

[.nimrod]

Holy shit, this is out today?

Brb, have to convince my friends to buy it.

 

[derFeef]

Oh, right, Serious Sam! I almost forgot about it.

 

[leng jai]

Shit this snuck up. Little bit hesitant to blind buy though.

 

[Coxswain]

Having to play game designer by moving a retry point around myself while trying to keep it on the "not abusing" side of a fuzzy line is unfun. Definitely hurts the game. The prior Serious Sam games were very clearly designed around save-anywhere, though, of course. Playing strictly with auto-saves led to replaying a lot of dull segments since they were lazily placed at map changes.

If SS3 at least has manually-placed autosaves, I'll probably be good. I kinda expect that since it's getting a console release.

While I'd generally agree that quicksaves hurt action games more than help them, the combat encounters in Serious Sam are typically designed such that being able to quicksave has comparatively little impact on your ability to win. There isn't really much opportunity to poke your head in, bite off a manageable amount of the fight, and then duck out to save again; once you're in it, you're in it, and quicksaving before you're finished is probably just going to screw you over.

 

[deleted]

Its been a long time. Good to see Sam back in the game,
I hope there are all kinds of gravity tricks in the game, like in SE. Just added to the chaos level.

For some odd reason I didn't like SS2 though. SE was so much better than FE,
but SS2 somehow felt worse than both. Can't remember why though.

 

[BoobPhysics101]

$32? Oh, I want... but I have way too many other games to justify it. Fuck.