-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Serious Sam 3: BFE |OT| No weapon limit, no regenerating health, no cover, all man.
- Thread starter Sciz
- Start date
Around 13 hours apparently.
I dunno about that RPS review. SS3 isn't "braindead" or "gloriously stupid" or whatever in any area but window dressing (especially when compared to a lot of other recent FPS campaigns), nor is it all that similar to prior Serious Sam games. I'm honestly not crazy about the original games, but a lot of design differences in SS3 are making me love it. The comparisons between Sam and the original Doom games is as overblown as ever, too.
JasonUresti
Member
I had similar thoughts. The original Sam always took the Robotron in first person element of Doom and cranked it up, while placing much less emphasis on twisting, labyrinth like levels and switch triggering and key cards.
SS3 really seems focused on making the levels into battlefields for you to use the layout and resources to beat an enemy that vastly outnumbers you. This is still a Sam game, so mobs of enemies are still very much the norm, but it's not the crawl through some tight corridors, blast a few enemies, then enter big wide open arenas to battle the swarm design of the First Encounter. There seems to be very clear ties to the modern combat game they were working on with the battles through bombed out streets.
The braindead and stupid bits, I chalk that up to the strange "Modern Man" thing RPS has going. Over there, when they see anything that might have a hint of machismo, testosterone, or even just simple tough guy dialog and action, they jump all over themselves to label it with terms like braindead, moronic, gloriously stupid, and so on. They even tend cite homoerotic overtones in 80's action movies and games, when even someone wishing to see that would be hard pressed to find it in the same films that become veritable gay orgies under the RPS staff's eyes.
Basically, they try too hard to be too cool for the room progressive hipsters at times.
Serious Sam 3 is great, by the way. Other than one of those oh so fucking annoying "Fight a big enemy while tons of little enemies swarm you, and the big guy can only be hit as certain times" boss encounters, it's been rock solid top to bottom.
nextgeneration
Member
I must say that I didn't particulary like the first 4 levels, the city setting was not a good choice imo. And the new shotgun and machine gun enemies suck. I don't want to shoot common soldiers found in pretty much every fps game, I want to shoot weird shit like in the old days. I can't wait to get out of the city.
darkpaladinmfc
Member
75% done 
Fork Parker put out his own trailer for the game.
Also, if you aren't following the Steam sale thread and are somehow in this one without having played SS1, both halves of it are on sale today for just $3 (or $4 if you want to pick up the classic versions as well).
Also, if you aren't following the Steam sale thread and are somehow in this one without having played SS1, both halves of it are on sale today for just $3 (or $4 if you want to pick up the classic versions as well).
They can join on the fly through steam.
In that case, people need to play in co-op mode more, or at least i'll try to do so more often.
ViewtifulJC
Banned
edit: lol beaten
JasonUresti
Member
It's about enemy mix and variety, and prioritizing. The new clone soldiers are like the shotgun zombies in Doom. By themselves, with their low armor and health they die quickly. However, with their high velocity weapons they hit above their weight class, and while you are scrambling trying to dodge Kleers and bulls, you have to be mindful of them and to not let their ranks swell to the point that they are ripping your health down faster than you can target and eliminate them.
This isn't just Serious Sam with better graphics for 2011. They did that already with the HD updates. SS3 is a new beast, one that I think takes Croteam's design to new heights.
ViewtifulJC
Banned
Glad to hear this, and I wish more people would explain this, as all I hear from Eurogamer to Destructoid to RPS is that is more of the same, and I just bought SS HD for 4 bucks. Kinda wary about buying the 2011 version for ten times that price.
It really feels different. It brings similar action to the first and second encounter, but also something different to the table (environment styles and enemy encounter design). Also no floating bullets, bullets, or health so far. Stuff glows, but its usually on a shelf or sitting naturally on the ground. Kinda strange for Sam, but I guess things were different in the past...or something.
It starts out VERY different in the Cairo levels, a very modern take on the Sam formula, which sounds insane, but surprisingly I didn't mind a lot of it! Even the part where you have to take out a helicoptor with an infinite rocket crate straight out of Half Life 2 worked in a weird way. Very cramped levels with a lot of smaller 'henchman' enemies, a couple environmental puzzles, and an emphasis on staying in cover and playing conservatively. Yeah, I know that sounds stupid but this part of the game feels a lot more like a mix between Quake and Half Life 1 than CoD or Gears of War, don't worry.
But once you get out of Cairo and into the desert levels it starts to go back to classic Sam: huge waves of enemies that spawn in and cause chaos. It is still fairly different from the originals in two major ways:
1) The level design is WAYYYYY better. While First/Second Encounter and SSII were a lot of large open fields or just plain square rooms BFE's setpieces are set up almost like multiplayer maps, with a lot of smartly placed obstacles to use as cover and clever use of chokepoints and multiple routes in and out of areas.
2) The enemy AI is WAYYYY better. Before now Sam enemies have either ran straight at you or sat in one spot shooting at you from a distance. Now enemies will try to flank you and will take cover when appropriate. That doesn't sound like much, but when you're playing cat and mouse with about 300 mice at the same time it's pretty impressive when half of them manage to get the drop on you in the middle of a crazy battle. One enemy type called the Space Monkey has a really tricky set of behaviors and make for unique fights.
I must say I was pretty impressed with the AI of the space monkeys too.
nextgeneration
Member
What difficulty are you playing on? I don't remember that level being overly difficult with those kamikaze dudes. The level 5 boss is killing me. Wait till you get to that boss if you think the third level is overrun by the kamikaze dudes.
What difficulty are you playing on? I don't remember that level being overly difficult with those kamikaze dudes. The level 5 boss is killing me. Wait till you get to that boss if you think the third level is overrun by the kamikaze dudes.
I funneled them into a chokepoint and managed it that way. Game is ultra fun, more people should play that. Also - we need a coop session!
I think JasonUresti is right, it is not "the same"; still Serious Sam of course but not "Sam with 2011 graphics".
I liked Serious Sam classic more than Serious Sam 2 and, while I absolutely don't think it's free of defects, I'm liking it more (might be the light "doom vibe" which is probably due to the soldiers and the different level layout, as JasonUresti said). A friend of mine who prefers SSam 2 over the first, insted, doesn't like the new direction too much.
So it's definitively not the same.
With all this streamlining and focus shift on the "cinematic experience" of nowadays, it's like we (or "they", the press) are losing sight of gameplay (for the good and the bad things).
This game is what I imagined games would be like "in the future" when playing Doom and Doom 2. It's fun, non-stop action, beautiful, well designed, and did I mention fun?
It's like Serious Sam 1 but with better AI, greater variety of enemies, great feel to the weapons, and of course better graphics. Textures disappoint in some places, but the overall result is great, without knowing much about technical details I think it's all about the lighting, dust effects, and colors.
Speaking of colors, that simple idea of being able to choose whether you like to play the game in post-apocalyptic brown, in modern shooter greyish, or in vivid colors, is genius. It would have ended so many complaints if implemented in more games.
Like others already mentioned, this game is hard but not cheap, it's trying to kill you and not shelter your feelings, you have to be careful and pay attention. Life not regenerating and having to look for health makes a huge difference in forcing you to play with caution.
Tons of secrets, great level design so far, variety of corridors and corners versus large arenas of endless slaughter.
Love it.
PS. If any reviewer knocks on this game for "lack of originality" while Halos and 'copy-pasted' Modern Warfares and Battlefields get 11/10, he should burn in hell.
It's like Serious Sam 1 but with better AI, greater variety of enemies, great feel to the weapons, and of course better graphics. Textures disappoint in some places, but the overall result is great, without knowing much about technical details I think it's all about the lighting, dust effects, and colors.
Speaking of colors, that simple idea of being able to choose whether you like to play the game in post-apocalyptic brown, in modern shooter greyish, or in vivid colors, is genius. It would have ended so many complaints if implemented in more games.
Like others already mentioned, this game is hard but not cheap, it's trying to kill you and not shelter your feelings, you have to be careful and pay attention. Life not regenerating and having to look for health makes a huge difference in forcing you to play with caution.
Tons of secrets, great level design so far, variety of corridors and corners versus large arenas of endless slaughter.
Love it.
PS. If any reviewer knocks on this game for "lack of originality" while Halos and 'copy-pasted' Modern Warfares and Battlefields get 11/10, he should burn in hell.
This actually happened in Serious Sam 1. It wasn't AI or anything though. It looked like the level designers told the monsters to go to a certain waypoint after spawning before zeroing in on the player. It's a lot more common in SS2 though.
And some of the SS3 monsters really do have some AI beyond RUN AT SAM. The Doom marines take cover as you mentioned and the goddamned space monkeys remind me of the ninjas in Half-Life 1.
Does anyone know if it's possible to set up the split screen co-op so that both players can use kb/m? From what I've read it seems the other players have to use 360 controllers and that would pretty much kill the co-op for me. We managed to go through it in Portal 2 pretty well since that's not really an action game, but I really don't see how we would be able to manage in Serious Sam. I haven't got the game yet though so maybe it's easy to set up.
I remember that is was possible in 1st Encounter and 2nd Encounter. No idea about 3 though.
It's really only hard because they're so stingy with health. If I were able to find more than +1s every now and then I'd have died way fewer times.
Just beat the game; solo, on Serious difficulty. I'm pretty sure that's the best game I've played all year - and this was a damn good fucking year.
Edit: That entire last level was just such a high note. My kill count ended up being about 1800. And what a fucking awesome boss fight. (Spoilers, obviously, in that they are pictures of the last boss)
I don't find it too bad up until you get to Serious or Mental. Part of it is probably that Serious Sam stresses a lot of skills that most FPS games have really just lost, and you're probably a bit rusty at them if you haven't been playing games that use them recently.
Edit: That entire last level was just such a high note. My kill count ended up being about 1800. And what a fucking awesome boss fight. (Spoilers, obviously, in that they are pictures of the last boss)
I don't find it too bad up until you get to Serious or Mental. Part of it is probably that Serious Sam stresses a lot of skills that most FPS games have really just lost, and you're probably a bit rusty at them if you haven't been playing games that use them recently.
Ok so this completely fell off the radar for me and I just looked at the launch trailer...
I think I am sold. I miss those crazy shooters of gun porn ala Doom so this is perfect for me I guess. Shall I be deceived? I don't care for stories and whatnot. I want to shoot stuff, want it to explode and be surrounded by triple the ennemies I thought possible for my RAM memory to hold.
I think I am sold. I miss those crazy shooters of gun porn ala Doom so this is perfect for me I guess. Shall I be deceived? I don't care for stories and whatnot. I want to shoot stuff, want it to explode and be surrounded by triple the ennemies I thought possible for my RAM memory to hold.
If that's what you want, then the game is pretty excellent. The first couple levels are a bit slow - they sort of took their time ramping it up to crazytown - but once it hits its stride it's pretty much wall-to-wall blasting the shit outta stuff.
darkpaladinmfc
Member
This game is exactly what you want, just make it past the first few levels and you'll love it.
ding ding ding
This game is SO GOOD. You don't even know, GAF. You don't even know how fucking good this is.
Or maybe you do know! After all, you are in this thread. But I have seen the rest of GAF and THEY DO NOT KNOW.
God almighty I love the dust clouds and how so much of the cover is obliterated by incoming fire. Absolute chaos.
Oh oh and I found a sniper rifle just now! How does this hidden weapon stuff work? Will I start finding sniper rounds now?
Or maybe you do know! After all, you are in this thread. But I have seen the rest of GAF and THEY DO NOT KNOW.
God almighty I love the dust clouds and how so much of the cover is obliterated by incoming fire. Absolute chaos.
Oh oh and I found a sniper rifle just now! How does this hidden weapon stuff work? Will I start finding sniper rounds now?
darkpaladinmfc
Member
"Timed Exclusive DLC: Sniper Scope for AS-24 "Devastator" Weapon". It's just an aim option for the Devastator, it would be lame if people missed out on a whole gun for not buying the deluxe edition.
Volc and Tekno need to learn how to use the Mutilator, but they make for good co-op buddies anyway. <3
The laser gun and sniper rifle weren't meant to be in the game at all, but fan demand got them added in as secrets. Consequently, all of the ammo for them is also stashed away in secrets.
The laser gun and sniper rifle weren't meant to be in the game at all, but fan demand got them added in as secrets. Consequently, all of the ammo for them is also stashed away in secrets.
Sorry about those moments where I just stopped completely, dog has been going nuts all night and wouldnt bother anyone else.
darkpaladinmfc
Member
Finished the game earlier today. The ending is a tad disappointing, and the last boss is bad, but overall the game is awesome, definitely FPS of the year.