I have to respect the Serious Sam franchise for knowing exactly what it is, and never mucking up its run-and-gun style with other considerations. With no stealth, few puzzles, and a very light story, Sam is about shooting stuff. Lots of stuff. Pretty much everything you see is there to be mowed down by the might of Sam's various guns.The core gameplay works really well. The weapons are fun to use, Sam's movement speed is nice and fast, and the sense of humor (the title for this game was originally Word to the Mothership) fits perfectly. To make the hordes of enemies more exciting to plow through, the new Killing Spree speeds you up if you kill 20 aliens in a short time frame. Plus you score double points, which makes the unlockables far easier to obtain.Hidden levels, new features, and cheats all await the dedicated gamer. However, it will take a seriously patient player to not only finish the game, but to go back and earn the gold medals. Almost all of the enemies can be defeated handily by strafing around them until they drop. The only tough parts are when you get swarmed by a flood of aliens (which happens all the time, of course), since it's difficult to maintain a situational awareness with baddies continually spawning behind you. This formula makes most fights feel very similar, despite the variety of weapons and enemies. Even with the new vehicles, it felt like I was whaling on the same enemies over and over.Multiplayer on either system does help to keep this vital, though there's nothing really innovative about it. It's still brainless shooting, except that it's your friends (or random strangers, on the PS2) that you're gunning down.Taking all of its flaws into account, the final tally still comes up in favor of Sam. Sure, it gets old, but $20 for a decently long single-player and well-done multiplayer is more than reasonable.The EdgeThere are two differences to be aware of here: graphics and multiplayer. The GameCube has the visual department firmly under control, with smoother play and various effects that don't show up on the PS2. Multiplayer's a toss-up; if online is your thing, PS2 is the way to go. The ‘Cube does have the four-player (as opposed to two-player) split-screen going on, so it's really up to personal preference here.Concept:Circle-strafe to your heart's content, blowing up aliens all the whileGraphics:Surprisingly smooth and crisp for a budget titleSound:Repetitive, but not too annoying. Some of the effects make me giggle even after hearing them over and overPlayability:Being able to re-map the controls would've been really nice, given the wonky defaultsEntertainment:Mindless shooting at its finest. Don't expect anything more, thoughReplay:ModerateRated:7.75 out of 10Editor:Adam BiessenerIssue:May 20042nd Opinion:Life is cheap in Serious Sam's world, and luckily so is this game. An absolute steal at $20, Sam dishes out a good time in bloody chunks of flesh and a humorous tone. The only problem I had was that it is hard to distinguish enemies that spawn behind you. I was surprised by this because sound detection of your foes is a huge part of the game's charm (it doesn't support surround sound). The vehicles I could take or leave, but the Super Combo Killing Sprees are a hoot. This is fitting, as Next Encounter is limited (not being a proper sequel), but you'll find that Sam's penchant for carnage fits like a glove.Rated:7.75 out of 10Editor:Matthew KatoSubscribe to Game Informer--Game Informer Review