Blast From the Past- Serious Sam HD Review

In the nine years since Sam’s debut, FPSs have evolved into a variety of sub-genres and also grown in complexity.  Telescopic zooms, cover systems, and savvy artificial intelligence are all near-requisite elements of contemporary shooters. When Croteam first announced its plans to revitalize their nearly decade-old franchise, I had my suspicions. Could offering a graphical makeover to the game be enough to satisfy modern FPS aficionados?

In many ways, the developer’s visually revitalized diversion defies its age. Hearing the ghostly gallop of a herd of Kleer Skeletons still evokes a tense of dread, as do the intensifying screams of approaching headless suicide bombers.  The game’s intriguing cadence of the sporadic enemy punctuated by the sudden barrage of bloodthirsty foes, remains relevant and recalls the uneasy tempo of the Left 4 Dead series. The game’s variety of weapons- from a laser gun with searing firing rate to a cannon which dispenses uranium-enhanced shot has lost little of its bombastic verve.

While much of Serious Sam HD faithfully recreates the experience of playing the original game, having co-operative online play with up to three other players is a welcome addition. Although the inevitability of participants to stockpile limited amounts of ammo and health builds a competitive vibe, the absence of any kind of deathmatch mode is puzzling. Surely, for a premium priced game ($15), this variation should have been incorporated.

The title’s high definition makeover allows Serious Sam to advantageously compete again his downloadable peers. Each retextured antagonist is nicely detailed, and gives up a gratifying amount of gibs when exterminated. Although players adjacent to a wall may spy a pixelated textures, most of the time players will be too busy tackling an encroaching mob to notice. The game’s refresh rate remains consistently steady during the game’s simple player campaign; only during multiplayer games did the framerate falter.