Croteam said this was coming, and here it is. The plucky Crotian indie developers have announced Serious Sam 3: BFE is coming this Summer, and you’ll find all the screenshots plus the (really quite good) press release after the jump.
Turns out it’s a prequel, shares the Egyptian setting of Serious Sam: The First Encounter and will feature up to 16 player co-op. 16! That said, the press release still doesn’t explain what BFE actually stands for. Big F**king Enemies? Battlefield Earth? I like the commenter over at PC Gamer who suggests “Budget FPS Entry”. Words and pictures follow…
Click on ’em to make these shots SERIOUS (bigger). I’ll tell you what, seeing those one-eyed creatures re-imagined for a modern engine has made me come over all giddy. I must have really liked the original game.
I kind of want to restrict my professional analysis to “What the shit is going on with that helicopter in the second picture?” But I guess I’ll also say that this all looks quite high poly, doesn’t it? It strikes me that with visuals like this you’d have trouble fitting quite as many enemies on screen (not to mention keeping the action as smooth) as Serious Sam has always been famous for. Then again, the first shot shows quite a lot of enemies. Course, it could be staged. Ah! I think I’ll just have faith and wait for some footage to surface.
Hey, does everyone remember the temple full of graphical effects you could access through the main menu of Serious Sam? It was just a little pyramid where each room showed off something the engine could do, like reflections, particle effects, fog and so on. I’d love for that to catch on.
So it turns out that thing’s crotch is quite unassuming after all. I can go to sleep with the lights off again!
And here’s the press release, featuring the best publisher quote ever.
TIME AND PLACE ARE SUBJECTIVE – BOOM! That was the sound of Serious Sam 3: BFE news dropping. Croteam’s Serious Sam 3: BFE is a glorious throwback to the golden age of first-person shooters where men were men, cover was for amateurs and pulling the trigger made things go boom. Serving as a prequel to the original indie sensation, Serious Sam: The First Encounter, Serious Sam 3: BFE takes place during the Earth’s final struggle against Mental’s invading legions of beasts and mercenaries. Set against the collapsing temples of an ancient civilization and the crumbling cities of 22nd century Egypt, Serious Sam 3: BFE is an exhilarating fusion of classic twitch shooters and modern gameplay features.
“Serious Sam 3 is about pure fun and unfiltered action,” said Davor Hunski, chief creative officer of developer Croteam. “We wanted to expand on everything gamers love about the series while adding some genuinely unique new features to really enhance the mayhem Serious Sam is known for.”
Trademark features such as relentless hordes of spectacular enemies and expansive outdoor battlefields return in Serious Sam 3: BFE at full force. Other features include:
Frantic Arcade-Style Action – The calling card of the Serious Sam series, hold down the trigger and lay waste to a never-ending onslaught of attackers or face being overrun by Mental’s savage beasts. No cover systems, no camping – it’s just you and them. All of them.
Mental’s Fearsome Legions – A new battalion of unforgettable minions including the rumbling Scrapjack and towering Khnum join the legendary Headless Kamikaze, Gnaar and Sirian Werebull. Your days of mowing down zombie Nazi space pirates are over.
Serious Melee Attacks – When an enemy slips by your wall of lead and pain, use one of the all-new innovative melee moves to drop an enemy right where they stand in the most violent way possible.
Pure Multiplayer Mayhem – Play through the full campaign mode with up to 16 players or drop the gauntlet and let the heavy ordinance fly in versus modes like Deathmatch and Beast Hunt. This is the next level of Serious Sam multiplayer and all hell is about to break loose.
“Holy crap, I am going to make a boatload of cash of this game,” said Fork Parker, chief financial officer at Devolver Digital, the Serious Sam 3: BFE publisher. “I mean that’s what this is all about, right? If this thing comes out in the summer my wife is totally getting the tit job she’s been asking for.”
Serious Sam 3 will bring the boom to PC and game consoles this summer.
When asked for further comment, Fork replied, “Bam. Tit job.”
Reveal In-game Screenshots and game art image
http://www.box.net/shared/pfepdp5n96
About Croteam
Croteam are the creative force behind the massively successful Serious Sam series, which is recognized across the globe for its action-packed and entertaining game design and its powerful Serious Engine technology. Founded in Zagreb, Croatia in 1993, Croteam has grown to become one of the most successful and respected developers in Eastern Europe. More information about Croteam can be found online at www.croteam.com and twitter.com/croteam.About Devolver Digital
Devolver Digital is a small, laser-focused production and publishing company based in Austin, Texas, (also with one very lonely desperado in London) from an unnamed group of industry veterans/outlaw refugees. Our Twitter handle is @DevolverDigital so hook it up.###
28/02/2011 at 14:04 Joe W-A says:
Presumably Before First Encounter?
28/02/2011 at 14:05 Skusey says:
I wouldn’t like to be incisor that guy’s mouth.
28/02/2011 at 14:08 Richard Beer says:
Before First Encounter?
[Edit] Dammit, Joe W-A! I better choose something else then. How about “Blow the Fuckoutta Egypt”. That’s nice and topical.
28/02/2011 at 14:10 Kaira- says:
HOLY YOU KNOW WHAT
I just have to love this. Man, we need more whacky press releases like these.
Edited for clarity and emphasis
28/02/2011 at 14:12 Quintin Smith says:
Holy shit! I skim-read that bit.
28/02/2011 at 16:09 Diziet Sma says:
Thanks for highlighting that, it passed me by on the first read as well. Definitely more press releases like this.
28/02/2011 at 14:11 yhancik says:
“Best Friend Ever” ?
28/02/2011 at 14:12 JohnArr says:
‘TIME AND PLACE ARE SUBJECTIVE – BOOM!’
KG has something to do with this.
28/02/2011 at 14:13 Bhazor says:
Hmmm, colours seem a bit muted. Here it looks like Modern Warfare the alien invasion.
Hopefully they’ll bring the colours back for the other enemies.
28/02/2011 at 16:07 Urthman says:
Also? Hippy mode with high-poly vegetable gibs or no sale.
28/02/2011 at 18:12 Urael says:
Isn’t it time Jeff Minter brought his meta-galactic creations into the world of utterly psychedelic dimensions-totalling-three? I’d kill to see a horde of screaming mandys and sheepipede coming at my brandished quantum butterfly cannon.
Storm Warning, boys! Dan-da-na-nan-na-na-na!
28/02/2011 at 14:14 James G says:
Brandishing Feisty Elephants
28/02/2011 at 14:15 Mr_Hands says:
Bullshit Fucking Explodes.
28/02/2011 at 14:18 frozenbyte says:
Boastful French Extraterrestrial
28/02/2011 at 14:18 Inigo says:
Mission: Deliver Kindness.
Oh wait.
28/02/2011 at 14:23 Richard Beer says:
quiet lol
28/02/2011 at 14:18 Chucrute says:
Spiders? I hate spiders.
28/02/2011 at 14:18 Rei Onryou says:
Bam. Funbag Expansion.
28/02/2011 at 14:32 Richie Shoemaker says:
You’ve made my day, sir!
28/02/2011 at 14:33 Rei Onryou says:
Bam. F-cups Expected.
28/02/2011 at 14:22 yhancik says:
Not to mention link to acronymfinder.com
(which, quite unexpectedly, has Egypt-related acronyms :p)
28/02/2011 at 14:25 McDan says:
It’d be brilliant if now for anything awesome came out it would have the tag: “Bam. Tit job.” on it.
28/02/2011 at 14:26 TheApologist says:
I am off to find a person to say ‘Bam. Tit job.’ at.
I hope mum’s still out.
28/02/2011 at 14:33 Linfosoma says:
That was the best press release ever. Also, this looks fantastic, I’ll look forward to it!
28/02/2011 at 14:36 GT3000 says:
Now we know what really drives publishing giants to pursue cash cows like Guitar Hero and COD. The tit jobs of their wives. God bless Fork Parker (Jesus what a horrible name) for revealing this tidbit of information.
Bam. Tit job. Indeed.
28/02/2011 at 14:38 Dominic White says:
Poor 3D Realms/Gearbox. Between Bulletstorm and Serious Sam 3, every possible defining element Duke Nukem Forever has looks to have been one-upped. I doubt DNF can boast a magic super-boot that puts enemies into floaty slow-mo, or a complex kill-scoring system, or armies of monsters, or 16-player co-op.
01/03/2011 at 08:00 dethgar says:
I’ve been thinking the same thing. These new arcade shooters are making DNF look like it is, a 10 year old idea.
28/02/2011 at 14:41 strange headache says:
This press release is full of win. Bam! Tit job.
28/02/2011 at 14:44 SpinalJack says:
Bam. Tit job.
28/02/2011 at 15:46 Teddy Leach says:
Bam. Tit job.
28/02/2011 at 14:44 HeavyStorm says:
What is the Queen of Blades doing there?
01/03/2011 at 08:01 dethgar says:
She’s looking for a TIT JOB!
28/02/2011 at 14:46 pakoito says:
I approve of any titjob ever done.
28/02/2011 at 22:01 Voxel_Music_Man says:
As a natural breast connoisseur, I cannot express how disappointed I am at this statement!
28/02/2011 at 14:51 brooklyn67 says:
In the western US, at least when I was a foul-mouthed youth, BFE was a place really, really far away, Butt Fuck Egypt.
“So we drive all the way out to BFE and the show was cancelled.”
“He lives somewhere way out in BFE, he won’t be here for hours.”
28/02/2011 at 17:17 moustache says:
Yep, it was Bum-Fuck Egypt for my ilk. We were more prudish I guess.
28/02/2011 at 14:51 Mr_Hands says:
So long as this game has screaming headless men with bombs for hands, all will be right with the world.
28/02/2011 at 19:21 phuzz says:
Yup, all is right with the world :)
28/02/2011 at 14:53 sink257 says:
BOOBIES
28/02/2011 at 15:17 AbyssUK says:
Boobies For Enlargement !
28/02/2011 at 14:58 ScubaMonster says:
Sorry Duke, I’ll take Sam over you.
28/02/2011 at 15:21 akeripper says:
facedesk on titjob
28/02/2011 at 15:23 Zinic says:
Middle pic seems like it’s artwork rather than a screenshot. But still, this is great news!
28/02/2011 at 15:29 Schmung says:
Phhwwooarrr.
Why did no-one else use the Serious engine for anything? It was a very capable bit of kit and it looks rather like Croteam have done it again. Looks bloody splendid.
Alos : Bam. Tit job.
I think it’s the natural reversal to a ‘what a shame’.
28/02/2011 at 19:19 donmilliken says:
There were a couple non-Croteam Serious Engine games, but they were low budget crap. I know there was some dinosaur game and this bizarro FPS called Nitro Family. I just reinstalled it after not thinking of it for years.
It’s bad . . .
28/02/2011 at 15:29 brulleks says:
Big Feckin’ Eejits.
If the DLC was set on Craggy Island anyway.
28/02/2011 at 15:49 Teddy Leach says:
That would be the best thing ever.
28/02/2011 at 15:34 Mr Chug says:
Battle For Earth. SURELY.
Croteam are up there with Valve and Dejobaan in the awesome game promotion leagues.
28/02/2011 at 15:35 Optimaximal says:
Sorry to drag the mood, down, but have they actually managed to make Serious Sam boring? Too many greys and browns, not enough colour.
28/02/2011 at 15:53 Wilson says:
I know what you mean, it kind of doesn’t look like Serious Sam. On the other hand, new Serious Sam! I just hope it’s better than Sam II. That was quite fun, but not as great as the original. I really hope they have some serious innovation going for this one, because I don’t want to be disappointed again. I am also concerned about how many enemies they’ll be able to manage at once. Still, I have to be optimistic. Sam I am!
28/02/2011 at 16:30 Dominic White says:
Erm, correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t 90% of the original Serious Sam brown? It was set in egypt – sand and/or sandstone everywhere!
28/02/2011 at 17:04 Nighthood says:
Don’t forget that the Serious Engine has colour options. If you want it muted, you can do that, if you want it vivid, you can do that, sepia, noir, the list goes on.
Hope is not lost!
28/02/2011 at 17:15 Wilson says:
@Dominic White – True, but it was very light brown. And even if the backgrounds weren’t super colourful, the weapons, enemies and players often were. Bright green laser gun! Bright red/blue robots! Even the basic enemies wore colourful shirts. To be honest, it doesn’t make any difference to me if they use a more muted visual style, as long as the game is fun.
28/02/2011 at 21:57 Bhazor says:
Well I’ve been playing Serious Sam the Second Encounter (so much better than Serious Sam 2 btw) and the bright colours do have a couple of major impacts on the game. The first is that you can see enemies much further away the second is you can actually see the vast majority of missiles and projectiles heading at you. Not only does it make it easier to dodge like a bullet hell shooter but it also makes it feel much more frantic when you can see every single bullet from a minigun coming at you and the menacing ball of green snot about to crush you. So yeah I’ll be very disapointed if this ends up looking like every other modern shooter. I mean its Sam! It’s supposed to look like Doom at a disco! Not Modern Honour of Battlefields having a costume competition!
28/02/2011 at 15:37 Wooly says:
Breasts From Egypt!
28/02/2011 at 15:46 Tomski says:
Looking at the second picture, the helicopter appears to have tentacles!
28/02/2011 at 15:54 kyrieee says:
Kleeeeeeer
28/02/2011 at 15:56 Bad Sector says:
I don’t think Croteam are indies, being published and all :-P. Indies = self-funded/published. Unless they funded the game themselves, in which case i shut up.
Beyond that, awesome! Duke Nukem Forever and Serious Sam 3 in only a few months :-)
Now all i need is a new (proper) Unreal sequel…
28/02/2011 at 16:10 foda500 says:
Fuck yeah!
28/02/2011 at 16:24 Josh Brandt says:
It’s a Tale in the Desert term: “Butt-Fuck Egypt.”
It means “way the hell out in the middle of nowhere in the desert in Egypt.”
As in, “I had to walk all the way out to BFE today to gather tar.”
I suspect this means that the 16-player co-op mode will include a brick-making minigame and will require players to participate in a complex voting process wherein one player is given the power to insta-kill any other players at will.
28/02/2011 at 22:06 Bhazor says:
Well having to craft each individual bullet would add a twist to the old shooter formula.
28/02/2011 at 16:44 Tylerr says:
Wait wait wait.
Those spiders look like they have vaginas.
28/02/2011 at 19:26 Riztro says:
So between this and Skyrim gaming has groinal aracnids covered? That’s a relief.
28/02/2011 at 22:06 Bhazor says:
Let’s just hope they don’t manage to mate.
01/03/2011 at 01:41 Spacewalk says:
It looks like those vagina-faced spiders look like they have a case of dentata. I wonder how they explain that to their dentist.
28/02/2011 at 17:14 Rei Onryou says:
Bam. Financing E-cups.
28/02/2011 at 17:37 Pop says:
…
28/02/2011 at 17:41 Jeff says:
Serious Sam 3: Before First Encounter?
It would disappoint me if this was the name after all the good ones in these comments now though.
28/02/2011 at 17:47 Javier-de-Ass says:
looks like the aliens have come to throw the jews out of the west bank. COOL. serious sam is probably working for the usa zionistas. :( why sam, why.
28/02/2011 at 18:07 Daiv says:
I’m going to mentally append this to every press release in future.
Activision is smug to announce a new iteration of their money-devouring Modern Warface franchise, Modern Warface 7: War Me Harder. The production process has been streamlined by removing any and all innovation that might scare away potential customers. We just stuck Modern Warface 5 in the box and crayoned over the number.
Bam. Tit job.
28/02/2011 at 18:12 Daiv says:
BFE is clearly Breasts Fully Enhanced.
28/02/2011 at 22:12 Bhazor says:
Crysis Voice: MAXIMUM BOUNCE
28/02/2011 at 18:46 Phyla says:
That press release is genius. Here’s the other one they released today: link to mcvuk.com
28/02/2011 at 19:21 Nighthood says:
Fork Parker is the first recurring joke I’ve ever seen in press releases.
MORE OF THIS SORT OF THING.
28/02/2011 at 19:15 ScubaMonster says:
I wanted to get Serious Sam 2 on Steam but when they had the free weekend there were hardly any players online, and I wanted it mainly for the great online co-op. Worst part is the free weekends usually have a spike in population so that means it would be a veritable ghost town.
Perhaps I’m wrong, anybody who has the game feel free to speak up. I’d get that game as soon as possible if the community is active enough.
28/02/2011 at 19:35 Scandalon says:
I must say I’m enjoying the look of the screenies, they look almost like pictures of miniatures, like I’m expecting the next pic to include a tiny train and conductor. (About to be eaten.)
Also, this explains why I’m not a game designer/creator, not enough motivation. My wife doesn’t need a “titjob”, her breasts are already wonderful. ;)
28/02/2011 at 19:47 Oak says:
PIX PLZ!!!!!1
28/02/2011 at 21:33 Scandalon says:
Oak – get your own! There’s a big difference between bragging and sharing.
28/02/2011 at 20:20 Tokamak says:
“Serious Sam 3 will bring the boom to PC and game consoles this summer.”
Croteam, I am disappoint.
28/02/2011 at 21:34 Scandalon says:
Tokamak speaks truth. Having the first one(s?) on Xbox sure ruined the experience on the PC for me. Wait, no, it didn’t…
28/02/2011 at 22:09 Bhazor says:
He’s right though. I mean it’s going to turn out to be one of those dumbed down console game like Doom isn’t it? Oh wait…