Serious Sam Next Encounter

Serious Sam: Next Encounter is a 2004 first-person shooter game developed by Climax Solent and published by Global Star Software. 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. The player controls Sam through enclosed levels, fighting waves of enemies with an assortment of weapons and, occasionally, vehicles. 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". Two players can complete the campaign cooperatively and up to eight players can engage in versus modes.

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. The twenty-strong development team drew influence from previous Serious Sam games, GoldenEye 007, Perfect Dark, Smash TV, Ikari Warriors, and Contra. In later stages of development, the "Super Combo" system was introduced and emphasis was put on improving the frame rate. Global Star Software announced Next Encounter in January 2004 and released it for GameCube and PlayStation 2 in April. The game was met with a mixed reception. While the stable frame rate was praised, the graphics were heavily criticised. The controls and multiplayer modes were well received. Conflicting opinions were raised regarding the game's music and humour, and additional criticism was given to the game's repetitiveness and level design.