A Thorough Breakdown of Serious Sam: Next Encounter

[@jameslane3991]

Wow, it's a trip down memory lane seeing this again after so long. I worked on this game at Climax in the early 2000's. Designed a third of the levels and a lot of the game's systems. Still got the Tshirts Global Star gave us when we launched somewhere in the attic. We were all big Serious Sam fans at the time so it was a real privilege to be able to work on the IP. Good review @FrameRater. Many things I'm proud of in this game, but equally, loads of things that we could have done better.

[@FrameRater]

Whoa could I do an interview with you for the channel? I think it'd be really cool. A lot of Next Encounter fans here.

[@jameslane3991]

@@FrameRater Happy to chat, though watching your review you seem to know more about the game than I can actually remember myself!

[@mihailviloev8662]

Man, you have done great job and should be proud! It is really very solid SS game (on gamecube, not ps2).

[@jameslane3991]

@@mihailviloev8662 Thanks Mihail. Yeah the PS2 version was not initially planned. SSNE was supposed to be an NGC exclusive, but Global Star (Take Two) really liked the job we were doing so late in development they commissioned a PS2 version as well. IIRC the engine had been designed specifically for the NGC architecture so porting it to PS2 at short notice was tough on the engineers, hence a lot of the visual shortcuts and compromises you see in that version. I think there were only like 5 of us working on that port. I made all the online levels for PS2 alongside a single environment artist, we had a network engineer, a lead and a producer. That was it. I'm sure these days you'd have a significantly bigger team!

[@pferreira1983]

@@jameslane3991 Do you think it's possible to remaster this game in HD for modern platforms. Would Croteam own the rights or Climax as they developed it?

[@bluesbro8533]

This game is criminally underrated and deserves an HD re-release as much as SS2, if not more.

[@Bananen_Johnny]

Sadly SS2 did not get a HD re-release. Youre talking about First and Second Encounter

[@Xeller_real]

@@Bananen_Johnny read the sentence again

[@dylanringproductions160]

@matt hahahaha!

[@ahmetkaraosman7509]

@@Bananen_Johnny serious engine 2 is not compatible with fusion

[@mihailviloev8662]

Just download emulator and play it in 4K. No need for remaster.

[@Garlic_Doggo]

That moment when you find a Serious Sam Veteran and you just watch the entire review just because the dude's opinion and way of taking on the details is just as your's. I give a 10 for the review.

[@FrameRater]

What kind words! Thank you. :)

[@Isaacfess]

Honestly though, nice video! You need more subs.

[@chaoticiannunez2419]

This game was not only the first Serious Sam game I ever played, it was literally the first FPS I ever played on the PS2. I was about 7 or 8. Yeah, those were some good times. Me and my brother would play this game endlessly and we never could beat the final boss. I beat it years later with my cousin. I think she still has my original copy. I gave it to her since our PS2 crapped out. I may get a gamecube just for SS: Next Encounter. I had no idea how much better it looked. Goes to show how ignorant I was back then.

[@chroniccoyote8677]

Same

[@raisinablefallow6785]

I may just get a gamecube as well

[@itadapeeza8559]

The Gamecube is a lot more powerful than the ps2 just look at ressy 4

[@prod.kidmizu]

⁠​⁠@@itadapeeza8559f the GameCube had normal discs the games released on it would’ve blown the ps2 out of the water

[@Clone1212]

Alen Ladavac confirmed to me via steam (PM) that Next Encounter runs on "The dev owns in house engine and not Serious Engine."

[@FrameRater]

And like that, the age old question is officially answered! Thank you greatly for going about that, Clonejacob!

[@Clone1212]

If you want to ask him youself steamcommunity.com/id/AlenL/

[@FrameRater]

I think I've bothered him enough with setting the foundation for the upcoming Project Beta mod that me and dragon999199 are working on. :D

[@Clone1212]

I doubt you are bothering him that much. He helped me setting up the cardboard to work with Serious Sam VR.

[@FrameRater]

You can use the cardboard to play SS:VR??

[@facing_w0rlds]

Seen you in the recommended feed a few times but this one finally made me bite. Nice work dude, it's super impressive to see gargantuan videos on legendary games!

[@Astrabee]

Before my dad took his life, he introduced me to this game on the PS2. I fell in love with it and the franchise, I spent too many hours using the chainsaw room to kill Dum Dums on end. I would love to play this game till the end since we never got to when dad was here but I’m scared it’ll hurt me to load the game back up. It’s an incredible game, chaotic but that’s what makes Sam, serious. ❤️

[@FrameRater]

I'm sorry for your loss, your dad had great taste!

[@Astrabee]

@@FrameRater 100%!

[@jonizon3978]

The content quality to view ratio is so high. Great review!

[@FrameRater]

Thank you very much! :)

[@MrMichaelNoble]

I remember coming across this in a OPSM demo disk one day & introduced it to my friends when they came over to play PS2. The demo was in Rome & featured a very long corridor that fills up with Dum Dums & we would play that one bit religiously. We played the life outta the demo level & counted down for the release & boy did we put some time into split screen going through the story. My favourite Serious Sam of all of them.

[@Mboy556]

There is one secret where the gnars camp in the freezing mountains. :D

[@t0mbst0neyt]

6:09 I wonder if that's where Hyperstrange got the inspiration for the minigun in Postal: Brain Damaged

[@nootron9]

having already been a huge fan of SS by 2004, i was so gleefully surprised when i found this game in a pawn shop that i ran out and bought a Gamecube just to play it. although i enjoyed it less than the first two original SS games (but enjoyed it much more than SS 2), i thought it was a really imaginative, solid entry in the series with plenty of replay value and always wondered what levels like Ancient Rome, Feudal China and Atlantis would look like had they been done by Croteam... anyways, having been oh so familiar with this game for so long, it was a real treat to have you review it in such depth and detail -- it makes me wanna dust off my old Gamecube and fire it back up! cheers!

[@FrameRater]

And I really enjoyed this comment! Thanks for taking the time out to let me know. These are the reasons I make my videos! I'm glad you enjoyed it, you should probably play SS:NE again! :)

[@nootron9]

i wanted to add that it was cool that you referenced the Painkiller games, as i've played them nearly as much as SS... i especially love their ragdoll physics; i dunno of any other games at the time that employed this feature, but i really got a kick out of it (still do!)... as for Will Rock, i had heard of it but never played it because it didn't look nearly as good/fun to play as Painkiller or SS.

[@weirdproq]

It sounds like the jeep in this game controls like the ground vehicles in the Halo games. I remember also being confused as to how they controlled when first playing it, but they make more sense for a first-person shooter. Once you get the hang of it it's not that difficult to control.

[@danielhickey4669]

Won’t lie as soon as you played his one liners I got nostalgic, used to play the hell out of these games on the Xbox and GameCube when I was a little kid now listening to his one liners years later and I start laughing at each one. Gold

[@samrhino9224]

Oh wow, I thought no one remembered this oddball gem of a game. It warms my heart to see an hour long breakdown/review of it. I mean the Super Combo Killing Spree "YEEEHAW" sold me as a child, and i was surprised the system was never in any other version of serious sam. I didn't even know about the lighting issues on the ps2 version, as it's the only version I ever played, now I needa track down and xbox/gamecube version and finally unlock all them bonus levels . . . Anyways, great in depth review, I never thought some one would put so much time into such a obscure release, peace.

[@FrameRater]

Thanks! Though there's actually no Xbox version of this game sadly. Never even made it to PC.

[@samrhino9224]

It's a real shame they never did a pc port, also just noticed Tom Wait's playin' for the intro, fine choice of music mate!

[@andersdenkend]

I love extensive videos like this. Gives me 1 hour of peace at home and lets me nerd out like crazy. Great work.

[@anonymousrs3996]

My game never looked like that on my PS2. It was crisp and looked as it should.

[@chemergency]

The Gamecube version is clearly the definitive experience, though it is worth noting the PS2 version had the distinct advantage of including online multiplayer.

[@Fiendzy]

I love that double barrel shotgun animation. Kind of wish someone would remake it for serious Sam Fusion, but unfortunately all the attempts so far are not very good D:

[@TheAnakin321]

Wow! What a detailled review. It definitely made me want to revisit this game, which I haven't played much while being a Serious Sam fan for a few years. And I might use the Gamecube emulator you used, since now I'm 100% convinced the PS2 port visual quality doesn't do justice to the nice creativity going on with the designs and especially the lighting. Really nice review overall, I really hope you'll get a decent amount of views for since one, since it's really well made. What are your future plans for Serious Sam video? I guess you'll be doing a visual comparison between the two versions of the game, but what will you cover afterwards?

[@FrameRater]

The current list of projects for my channel are: 1) Serious Sam Palm OS Playthrough (in the works) 2) Serious Sam: Next Encounter GC/PS2 Comparison 3) Nicktoons: Battle for Volcano Island GBA Review (in the works) 4) Demolition Girl PS2 Review (in the works) 5) Harvest Moon: Magical Melody GC Review (in the works) 6) Police Trainer Arcade Game Revew 7) Serious Sam II Xbox Port Review There's probably a few side projects I'm working on but I can't think of them right now, not at my home computer. The above listing are the order they'll be coming out in. As per Serious Sam videos, the thing is this started as a "DeSAMber" thing where I was going to take a look at a bunch of Serious Sam games during the December break, but then the official Serious Sam page shared my video and I've sorta been riding that hype train for a couple weeks. There's more to come, but eventually there will be a steady decline of Serious Sam videos. I'll likely make more related Sam videos in the future but it's hard to say what awaits past that point. Thanks for watching the video! :)

[@TheAnakin321]

Great then. I'm not always watching for the Serious Sam content, but I must say that your analysis on these games is nicely done. I'm eager to see the rest!

[@CubeItself]

quick thought: maybe the weapons were numbers in such a way that was accurate before game's release, maybe in early access/beta/alpha or something like that

[@Snailsenpaii]

This game is my FAVORITE game series! They just came out with Serious Sam: Planet Badass!

[@haazmat]

There something so calming about pulling out the double barrel shotgun, and knowing it will always display an even number of shells.

[@Bob_Beaky]

I'm so pleased I found your channel the other day. It's great to come across so much Serious Sam content. :) As for this video: Well done, dude! It must've taken an age to put together. I pretty much agree with all your points, though I'd probably score it slightly higher. To be honest, Next Encounter is actually my second favourite only just behind SS2 (yeah, I know I'm weird). I wish that one day someone over ROMHacking.net or Seriously pick this game apart. What flaws are here could be easily tweaked by some knowledgeable hackers. You never know, perhaps the guys behind the recent Turok, Doom 64 and Powerslave PC ports might bring this over to PC too... One can dream!

[@Milty2001]

I actually remember playing this game on ps2 with my little brother we would play on split screen multiplayer and spam ricochet bullets and watch them zigzag on enemies and oh boy it was fun and chaotic it really deserves a remaster or a pc release I'd imagine climax working on it while having crowteam helping them put stuff in the game to make it fun and add stuff that players might discover

[@zodsi]

wow a video specifically made for me

[@Mace2.0]

Ah yes, the first Serious Sam game I've encountered, and it was a very fun experience, even in Co-op.

[@Mace2.0]

...Then again, I wouldn't make a motion-picture review out of it.

[@Ixxmantisxxl]

@FrameRater, You can mash the reload button.. B on Gamecube to reload quicker. Just an FYI, second; Chainsaw makes them back up due to HitBox. It's a push-type system, where the game tries to show you that they aren't hollow and are a body. Similar to Skeleton Animation.

[@GMDTheOnyxGuyEizzX]

11:55 Just noticed how the cannon ball flew off the crosshair like in Fusion

[@FrameRater]

Hit a curb I think.

[@morganzy98]

Hey dude, i love these reviews :) Will you be doing a SS2 and a SS3 review?

[@FrameRater]

I will be doing a review on the Xbox port of Serious Sam 2. I won't be reviewing the game itself, just the port. I may review the PlayStation 3 port of Serious Sam 3 but I've yet to decide on that. Neither of them are reviews of the games themselves. There are already enough reviews out there for those games. I tend to only review games with no, or very few coverage (exception for some games I have a lot to talk about, example being SSHD:TFE).

[@panconmanteca.3502]

I feel that this game is the most fun of the entire saga, I also really like the artistic style, I hope they release a version for PC or a remaster, although I don't think they will if I'm honest

[@nrothe2898]

42:54 thanks for heart palpitation

[@bouncingbluesoul5270]

I actually asked somebody from Climax a couple of years ago, and apparently we WERE going to get a sequel to NE

[@jameslane3991]

Yes, this is true. At least from my memory we did some initial planning on it anyway. We (well James Sharman the engine programmer) had basically built from scratch an FPS engine super optimised for the Dolphin (NGC) and it's smart as a developer to reuse tech like that as much as possible. Here's a bit of trivia for you. I, along with a couple of environment artists and engineers, spent some time after the Serious NE launched, building a demo based on the Alien franchise on the Gamecube, using the same Sam Engine and the in-house version of the Serious editor we used to make SS:NE. I built, textured and lit a bunch of corridors inspired by the sets from Aliens. Then the artists modelled up, rigged and created a basic animation set for the 'Alien' enemy, created the classic pulse rifle (complete with cool firing sound) and we made a very short, but fully playable demo where you could run around corridors wasting Aliens. If I recall correctly Climax pitched this to Take Two and a bunch of other publishers. However I think this was towards the end of the NGC's lifecycle and we never got traction. Shame really as it would have been super fun to work on.

[@bouncingbluesoul5270]

@@jameslane3991 Sorry to pick your Brains, but do you remember what you had planned for the possible NE Sequel?

[@Curufoot4546]

May you doesn't know,but there are a secret button in a Feudal China level (three halls of harmony i think :/ ) the button are behind of you when start the level,i never know what it do,but is an secret.

[@jameslane3991]

The game is full of secrets. We put them throughout the levels. Some are very well hidden though so I doubt even I could remember exactly where they all were.

[@Ian-ds1bu]

I feel like the only person to have played this game, nice review.

[@TomLehockySVK]

That's so narcissistic to think you are the only one of something, anything really.

[@Ian-ds1bu]

@@TomLehockySVK not literally obviously

[@Olivia-roseDawson-e5e]

I spent so many weekends as a 10 year old playing this at a friends house, I don’t think we ever got past the Rome section 🤣

[@AdmittedEnd]

Such a great game. W video.

[@joelswenson92]

I loved this on the ps2. Really wish they would give it an HD treatment and bring it to the ps4/5, extremely underrated imo

[@jourcontre-jour1286]

I love this game, great review

[@GodOfGamingBG]

just a note, the PS2 version has some additional deathmatch levels but they're exclusive to the online mode, that is now dead because the PS2 DNAS servers are dead

[@FrameRater]

Maps that were exclusive to online? You mean there's no way to access those via splitscreen? If so I'll look into this and address it in the comparison video. Thanks!

[@GodOfGamingBG]

Yes, in split screen you can only access the 6 maps that the gamecube version has as well. Online has those 6 plus a few more, some of them are interesting, like there's Venice and Moscow and London and Egypt and such, there's some youtube vids showing some of them.

[@FrameRater]

I'll be sure to take a look at this videos! Thanks! :)

[@rickrastardly]

Great video. Good job sir. You earned a sub

[@tHeWasTeDYouTh]

holy smokes 1 hour video nice!

[@ZynChroMaTiK]

SUPER INTENSE PISSING DOG

[@FrameRater]

OH, MAN!

[@Mboy556]

Love the details and research you put in this game

[@garrettspencer3887]

i ordered this game an got it coming in today

[@emersedmilkk4163]

Atlantis is so beautiful in every media, a literal utopia, like the hanging gardens of Babylon. So seeing this iteration of them is welcome, but the underwater version would be preferred

[@Laki99000]

I like your videos. You explain everything about games which you are playing. I think you deserve more subscribers! :)

[@FrameRater]

What kind words! Thank you so much. :)

[@duzi.]

Ive always wanted to play this game when I was little but I only had a PC and an xbox

[@tatertot64]

Unless I'm misinterpreting, are the Jeep controls like Borderlands' vehicle controls? I dont recall having too much trouble adjusting to the latter, and I actually find them to be pretty fluid controls.

[@FlabboNews]

Still my favorite game of all time.

[@civilwarfare101]

The weird thing with this game is that some things felt just right and other things felt off. I did play on Easy but I felt the game was already pretty long even without the extra levels. When I got to Atlantis, I started to get really bored. Still, a good game but it could've been way shorter.

[@skittybabylon]

I wish my ps2 cd bought roughly 14 years ago wasnt kinda scratched. When it worked, it worked. When it didnt... many freezes, few dozen or so iirc. I never could progress from Ancient Rome. Whenever I would pick mega heart (to initiate the boss fight) game would always freeze. So much fun playing it either way (plus lost levels!). I aced it at serious difficulty (of course I never made it to late game, so...) and would always try to up myself in score department :). So much joy watching this review. Edit: oh yeah... the scratchiness butchered the soundtrack. It was surreal.

[@patrickbaqueriz603]

nobody gives a fuck.

[@glorbojibbins2485]

this one is honestly my favorite

[@BabylonianLifting]

What happened to the next encounter HD mod?

[@khangthien2278]

Well ! didnt have any port version but gameplay of this version still good !

[@Goddammevil]

Sir, with such review for such forgotten yet awesome game, you deserve my Subscribe. And my Like. And I need more

[@17659817265781465781]

I played this on a PS2 emulator and it freaking ROCKED

[@MystM]

I think Sam's "Wives" were referring to his Guns, as he calls his Guns his "old love".

[@leilahnicki2111]

You could have 2 different versions of the dum dum for each sound. Name them after their sound in the files. they might even have different behavior because that would be possible 2. They could have different everything. Or just sounds and share files for everything else. obviously though they share models and textures.

[@Pyro-Moloch]

I feel like this game would receive waaaay more recognition, if it came out on PC. Consoles just haven't ever been the market for these kinds of games. And, impo, shooters just play worse on consoles in general. I'm a fan of Serious Sam on PC, I like all of the released PC titles, but when I played this one, I personally considered it the worst (not that I didn't enjoy it). Now though, watching your video, it made me realise, the game actually has a lot to offer, so it leads me to conclusion, it's the platform, that somewhat ruined my experience.

[@FrameRater]

I'd like to see mouse implementation like what was done for TimeSplitters: FP on Dolphin. Hopefully that would make it feel akin to a PC experience.

[@patrickbaqueriz603]

This version is very rare now a days and pricey on amazon or ebay Ebay alot of people sell the discs only Amazon i found 1 guy $27 everything but manual

[@dylanringproductions160]

I would love a remaster on PC!

[@mihailviloev8662]

In TFE and TSE also have a bug with staying shadows. It's just how ss engine works.

[@FrameRater]

This game is made on an in-home engine by Climax, Croteam confirmed it is not housed by the Serious Engine.

[@mihailviloev8662]

@@FrameRater Really? Its interesting, never knew that. Anyway, funny that they have the same shadows realisation in common. Thanks for answer.

[@mightykitten4615]

Can we talk about the final boss?

[@almaelma11]

*sees the video is an hour* Well! I know what I'm watching while I game. Thanks! :)

[@FrameRater]

This is how I watch most videos anyways! Thanks for watching and enjoy your gaming. :)

[@almaelma11]

That was a great video! I just went out to get a copy for the GC since I never got a chance to play it. Hope to see a SS2 review soon haha.

[@jonobidonofanas3677]

I wish this game was on pc as a hd remake

[@elitegamer1807]

this game, in my opinion, has the best wave battle music especially the guitar one

[@harleywilliams3675]

Great recommendation from Gmanlives!

[@psychomantis2485]

Would you consider doing a Painkiller video?

[@samikall6914]

Hmm the combine vehicle idea is like the combine from ss4

[@jeromedelabeans6846]

@FrameRater. I, like many others, absolutely love your videos for their thoroughness and how well made they are. That being said, on the subject of the vehicle controls being one of a FPS control (ie. Acceleration and direction both being tied to the movement stick)... it seems you haven't played the Halo series and I just wanted to apologize to you for the fact that life hasn't stirred you in the direction of this amazing series 🫣

[@SH_DIS_LN]

Funnily enough that was my first Sam game

[@kleerkulsoby5491]

Nice video frame!! I have a problem with the dolphin playing this game. When i use the chainsaw on the enemies, the fps drops really low. How can i fix this?

[@Fiendzy]

You know @FrameRater this is still my favourite video of yours.

[@bawstinheah]

whats that song you play at the begining and end of this video, its sounds cool

[@armondo4446]

Actually I kinda agree with you about point system. I never played TNE, but i must adnit that a number of games that I enjoy have similar systems. Great example would be Call of Juarez: Gunslinger. Shooting in that game feels really cool, but paired with that combosystem it becomes super addictive to the point that I played the game 3 times in a row. Same thing with the Bulletstorm, but some systems of that game really restricted the stuff you could pull off, especially that stupid two weapon limit.

[@ImperialShadow01]

Does anybody know the song in the intro?

[@odinetsthepale6581]

Underground from "Robots" movie.

[@coffee0093]

If you want another buggy game with a combo system and made with love, I'd give NecroVision a try

[@TheJnmiah]

Nice intro :)

[@ireneparkin3360]

FrameRater:- "Why has no one playing this?" Me:- "Decino wants to know your location."

[@enjoyer_of_harmbe]

Was that intro Tom waits

[@Brunchalo]

My friend did u know this next encouter its actualy mixed with SS:ALPHA?

[@untitled3685]

i am currently trying to beat this on the ps2 but the cannon vs bull on the ice part of the game got me stuck.. :/

[@atlasthefemboy]

What is the song when the video start

[@jacobiehartie4602]

keter killerpeacekeeper Gaming I think it’s from a song in the movie “Robots” maybe

[@jendi56]

I really loved this on my PS2. Really sad I can't play it anymore.. Emulation isn't that practical hense i want to use keyboard and mouse. Also very good review.

[@BentDoorFrame]

Anyone know the song at the start? Kinda sounds like tom waits.

[@Bigbacon]

How is SS playable with a gamepad?

[@ZenoPopo]

is it just me, or your microphone is better?

[@ZenoPopo]

omg I started the video, watched 5 minutes, and then checked the length of the whole video :0

[@FrameRater]

It is! I upgraded a while ago, but I'm starting to get the hang on how to make the best use of it! This has been my best usage of it yet, and I'll try my best to improve from here! :)

[@pferreira1983]

This game really needs an HD remaster to modern platforms.

[@ricksloan5588]

Great video and I totally subscribed but I think you should listen to "The Tourist" by Radio Head. Like a lot

[@politelyupset]

Can you play this title with mouse through Dolphin emulator? This game looks hella cool but first person aiming with thumbsticks is a pain.

[@FrameRater]

Recently there was a mouse injector made for this game on Dolphin, so yes!

[@Mzee1084]

Normally I strongly dislike this bright and vibrant style of graphics that is particularly present in Nintendo games, but I think it suits this game well.

[@raisinablefallow6785]

anyone know how to change the mouse sensitivity for next encounter?

[@E_blanknamehere]

I missed out on this game completely My depression is immense

[@ethanmueller8218]

How do I play this thing with a mouse and keyboard on dolphin emulator?

[@17madman39]

Where is your intro from?

[@PoutingTrevor]

This is a great video. I actually played some of the game on PS2 while I was watching/listening. You're right though, it looks pretty poor. Still fun, though.

[@spaaaceman1939]

I just picked this up on game cube

[@MarkaNgamer]

Graphics and design is probably the biggest problem for this game, as it totally looks like a budget, Chinese market failed spin off of a original game. However, when I got a chance to try it out I must say I enjoyed it for a good bit.

[@ethanmueller8218]

I have the dolphin emulator, but I’m looking for a good download of this game.