Later, a scientist has observed a disturbance in the space-time flux and called Sam "Serious" Stone (voiced by John J. The minion insincerely agrees, eventually using the Time-Lock to travel to an unknown destination. It begins as Mental-the antagonist in the series-instructs an unidentified, childlike minion of his not to meddle with Mental's Time-Lock while he is absent. Serious Sam: Next Encounter is a "side chapter" in the Serious Sam series. On the PlayStation 2, these can be played one-on-one in split-screen or with up to eight players online, while up to four local players can compete via split-screen on the GameCube. There are three versus modes: " Deathmatch", "Pass the Bomb", and "Hold the Flag". Two players can complete the campaign cooperatively in a local split-screen mode. A four-step difficulty setting adjusts how easily either Sam or the enemies are defeated. When Sam's health is depleted, gameplay pauses, the character is reset to most recently passed checkpoint, and the player receives a score penalty. This state lasts approximately ten seconds. Killing twenty enemies in quick succession activates a "Super Combo", which increases Sam's movement speed and his weapons' rate of fire and damage against villains, and doubles the score obtained for every further enemy. Based on the final score in a level, the player is awarded a medal, where collecting certain amounts of gold medals unlocks additional "lost levels". Killing enemies and collecting hidden treasures increases the score. Every few levels, the player can use a vehicle-a jeep, submarine, or combine harvester-and kill enemies by running them over or using the vehicle's attached weaponry. With an optional setting, enemies are automatically targeted. Holding down the down the button to fire a weapon causes guns to discharge continuously. Some guns have several types of ammunition that can be switched between. By default, Sam brandishes two handguns that have unlimited ammunition. Next Encounter contains various weapons, among them ten ranged weapons and a chainsaw for melee. The game also features some platforming elements and secrets hidden within levels. In other instances, multiple objects need to be collected and inserted into pre-determined slots to unlock the way forward. The player often needs to clear a room of one or more waves of enemies before proceeding to the next room. Foes are teleported into a room and can approach from any side. In each level, the player encounters various enemies, of which some use melee and others fire projectiles at Sam. There are forty-two levels, distributed among three thematic worlds. The player, controlling Sam "Serious" Stone, traverses enclosed levels frequently composed of narrow corridors and open areas. Serious Sam: Next Encounter is a first-person shooter. Sam fighting Kleer skeletons using Uzi pistols Conflicting opinions were raised regarding the game's music and humour, and additional criticism was given to the game's repetitiveness and level design. The controls and multiplayer modes were well received. While the stable frame rate was praised, the graphics were heavily criticised.
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Global Star Software announced Next Encounter in January 2004 and released it for GameCube and PlayStation 2 in April. In later stages of development, the "Super Combo" system was introduced and emphasis was put on improving the frame rate. The twenty-strong development team drew influence from previous Serious Sam games, GoldenEye 007, Perfect Dark, Smash TV, Ikari Warriors, and Contra. The game's development, originally under the name Serious Sam: Word to the Mothership, began at Climax Solent with a game engine created for the GameCube. Two players can complete the campaign cooperatively and up to eight players can engage in versus modes. Defeating enemies is a prerequisite to advance in a level and killing twenty in rapid succession temporarily grants a strength, speed and score boost in a "Super Combo". The player controls Sam through enclosed levels, fighting waves of enemies with an assortment of weapons and, occasionally, vehicles. As a spin-off in the Serious Sam series, it follows Sam "Serious" Stone, who tracks an unidentified enemy through ancient Rome, feudal China and Atlantis, and eliminates the forces the enemy controls to eventually uncover their identity. Serious Sam: Next Encounter is a 2004 first-person shooter game developed by Climax Solent and published by Global Star Software.