Serious Sam II: Sometimes You Just Want to Start Blastin’

Sometimes I don’t want a deep story, complicated mechanics, elaborate character progression, or moral choices that will come back to haunt me twenty hours later. Sometimes I just want to grab the biggest gun I can find and start blastin’!

And that’s exactly why I’ve always had a soft spot for Serious Sam.

On 11 October 2005, Serious Sam II arrived on PC and Xbox, delivering another ridiculous helping of oversized weapons, endless enemies, and completely over-the-top action.

Developed by Croteam using the new Serious Engine 2, the sequel featured more advanced graphics, larger environments, vehicles, and an even more cartoonish presentation than its predecessors. The colorful worlds and goofy humor weren’t universally appreciated, but they certainly gave the game its own personality.

For the record: Despite the title, Serious Sam II was actually the third major release in the series, following The First Encounter and The Second Encounter. And while the sequel introduced plenty of new ideas, the basic formula remained wonderfully uncomplicated: keep moving, keep shooting, and try not to get overwhelmed by the hundreds of enemies charging in your direction.

I’ve always thought these games were rough around the edges and mindless, but fun as hell. They’re not particularly sophisticated, and they don’t pretend to be. That’s part of their charm.

There’s something refreshing about a game that knows exactly what it wants to be. No lengthy tutorials, no endless crafting menus, no agonizing over whether you made the right dialogue choice. Just ridiculous monsters, ridiculous weapons, and ridiculous amounts of ammunition.

Not every game needs to be a masterpiece of interactive storytelling. Sometimes pure, uncomplicated fun is more than enough.

What’s your favorite brain-off game? The one you fire up when you just want to have some fun without thinking too hard about it?