MaximumPC 2005 12

I

t’s no secret that we love to blow stuff

up, yet despite our penchant for destruc-

tion, the sequel to Serious Sam isn’t as

fun as the original. Instead of taking what

worked in the first game and improving

on it, Croteam has seemingly settled for

a “more of the same” approach, which is

ultimately more tedious than titillating.

Unlike the first game, there is a story

in the sequel, but just like the “plot” in an

adult movie, it’s totally unimportant and

only serves to fill time between action

sequences, giving your hands time to rest

before the next battle. The gist of Serious

Sam II’s story is that you have to visit five

worlds to collect five pieces of a medallion

in order to fight your arch nemesis, a guy

named Mental. Along the way you’ll have

to destroy thousands of Mental’s minions,

of course. Just as in the first game, the

action is nonstop, with hordes of monsters

rushing you at every turn and prolonged,

ammo- and energy-draining shootouts

against an endless barrage of enemies.

Though these types of mega-shootouts

were a blast in the original game, this time

around they feel really tiresome, with the

mayhem seeming more like work than fun.

Because the battles are so draining, SSII is

a game best enjoyed in spurts rather than

marathon sessions.

The enemies and weapons are also

less intriguing than in the first game, giving

the whole experience a rehashed feel. The

much-loved charging bulls and screaming

bomb guys are back, but the rest of the ene-

mies are rather unremarkable. A lot of the

baddies don’t seem to belong in their envi-

ronments—for example, the zombie stock-

brokers stick out like sore thumbs in the

Mayan village. It just all seems so random!

The weapons offer a lot of variety, but

there are simply too many, which makes

cycling through the choices in the middle

of a firefight totally frustrating. There are

a few new weapons and some vehicles

that are a lot of fun, but you rarely get

to use either in the game. Ammo for the

best weapons is usually incredibly sparse,

and stints in the vehicles—including a

giant hamster ball of death that Sam rolls

around inside of—are disappointingly short

and woefully infrequent.

The coolest feature of SSII is the eight-

player co-op mode that takes the place of a

standard tacked-on deathmatch. Although we

didn’t get a chance to test it, co-op seems like

the perfect fit for this game’s continuous action.

While Serious Sam II doesn’t suffer

from any fatal flaws or crappy code, the

franchise’s formula just isn’t as fun the

second time around.

—JOSH NOREM

Serious Sam II

More of the same, without all the fun

reviewsTESTED. REVIEWED. VERDICTIZED

96 MA XIMUMPC DECEMBER 2005

The enemies in Serious Sam II are as wacky and inventive as ever, but they just aren’t

as fun to fight this go-round.

$30, http://www.serioussam2.com, ESRB: M

SERIOUS SAM II

SHOOTING BAD GUYS

Insane amounts of destruc-

tion, great graphics, and

good humor.

SHOOTING HEROIN^6

Repetitive, and lacks the first

game’s special something.

MAXIMUM PC STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP

Post Office Notice: Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation for Periodicals class privileges as required by 39 USC3685: 1. Publication Title:

Maximum PC 2. Publication No. 1522-4279 3. Filing Date: 9/29/05 4. Issue Frequency: Monthly 5. Number of issues published annually: 12 6. Annual

subscription price: $20.00 7. Complete mailing address of known office of publication: 150 North Hill Drive, Suite 40, Brisbane, CA 94005 8/9. Complete

address of the headquarters of general business offices of the publisher, editor and managing editor: Publisher: Bernie Lannigan - same address, Editor:

Will Smith - same address, Managing Editor: Katherine Stevenson - same address 10. Owner: Future Network USA, 150 North Hill Drive, Suite 40, Brisbane,

CA 94005; Shareholder: The Future Network plc, Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath BA12BW U.K. 11/12. N/A 13. Publication title: Maximum PC

14. Issue date for Circulation Data below: November 2005. 15. Extent and nature of circulation given in this order, number of average copies each issue
    during preceding 12 months followed by actual number of copies published nearest filing date: a. Total number of copies 459,458, 460,561 b. Paid and/or
    Requested Circulation (1) Mail subscriptions Outside-County 239,170, 241,701. (2) Paid In-County Subscriptions 0,0. (3) Sales through dealers and carri-
    ers, street vendors, counter sales, and Other Non-USPS Paid Distribution: 68,642, 70,996. (4) Other Classes Mailed Through USPS 0,0. c. Total Paid and/or
    Requested Circulation 307,813, 312,697. d. Free Distribution by Mail (1) Outside County 1,455, 1,583. (2) In-County 0,0. (3) Other Classes Mailed Through
    the USPS 2,125, 2,137. e. Free Distribution Outside the Mail 1,933, 0. f. Total Free Distribution 5,517, 3,720. g. Total Distribution 313,330, 316,417. h. Copies
    not distributed 146,128, 144,144. i. Total 459,458, 460,461. j. Percent Paid and/or Requested 98%, 99%. 16. Publication of Statement of Ownership is
    required and is printed in this issue of this publication December 2005. 17. I certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete: Peter
    Kelly, Circulation Director.