Serious Sam. How serious is this? Not very. In fact this is one of the least serious first-person shooters around. Developed by a previously unheard of team of Croatian developers, the game raised quite a few eyebrows when it appeared on PC in 2001. Its light-hearted take on uber-violence also forged a few smirks. Now released for Xbox, the premise remains the same: Shoot everything! And we mean everything!
Not wanting to upset the general satirical scheme of things, the plot of the game need not be taken too seriously. At the dawn of the 21st century, mankind uncovered a primitive but more technologically advanced race under the deserts of Africa. The discovery enabled the exploration of previously unchartered star systems and the colonisation of other planets. It also had its down side, bringing with it the appearance of millions of monsters that for some reason can only be irradiated by one person - you!
As you would expect, you kick things off with a weedy pistol, which is not the greatest help as the seemingly endless hordes speed towards you like Kamikaze pilots. Soon enough though, you get access to an increasingly more powerful armoury of widow makers, including shotguns, sniper rifles and chain guns. Valuable information can be gained with the destruction of each of the aliens and you will often be rewarded with a currency called FC.
Serious Sam is a hugely entertaining shoot-em-up, combining high-speed, explosive action with humorous characters and wide, expansive environments. From the moment you start, the relentless packs of weird monsters constantly hurl themselves at you, leaving you with no option but to hammer that fire button until your thumb aches.