57 people found this review helpful
3 people found this review funny
Recommended
0.0 hrs last two weeks / 1,524.9 hrs on record (1,409.2 hrs at review time)
Posted: 7 Nov, 2019 @ 2:57pm
Updated: 29 Nov, 2020 @ 7:15pm

Its not as engaging as original First and Second Encounters. BUT still lot of fun especially Co-op. Survival is also fun. Return to a more realistic Egypt than TFE. Lots of hard new enemies. Nice new weapons. Lots of breakable structures. Last Boss level is kickass too. I just miss good old Serious Bomb, Flame Thrower, Serious Speed, the funky booby trapped secrets, funky secret areas and Rocket Jump. And yeah no sewage level this time. That said I am sure I had posted a review before so why is it asking again a review?

I miss the crazy anti-gravity maps. The anti-gravity mode is only seen in final climax bossfight. The graphics is top notch. Gameplay and action as usual fast and smooth. As usual both the solo and co-op campaigns are same with various difficulty and modes/mods available to make gameplay challenging, fun, insanely hard or a run through picnic. Take your pick. Thats consistent with all Sam games.

The new enemies leave a mixed feeling at expense of many classic ones. I find the venomous spiders more a let down compared to missing Aludran Reptiloids, Fiendian Reptiloid Demon, Cucurbito Pumpkin Heads etc. Khnum introduced as a boss in TSE DLC is not so hard to kill here. The wrist Mutilator is most awesome edition though replacing standard chainsaw. But I miss mowing the Kleers / Gnaars with Chainsaw. The level designs just don't feel big and epic enough like original encounters. Maybe needed more enemies and waves smartly placed. Or maybe we expect more bigger levels every new game. The game delivers great cinematic experience and fighting but misses some classic modes, enemies and battles that made it the standard. The Survival levels have 2 brilliant maps Canyon and Desert. Medina and Villa is beatable. Overall have a blast. Play with friends in coops that is usually a run through marathon contest. In original encounters many used rocket jumps to spoil the coop fun for others to end games and run through early. That wont happen here. Most people here don't know the get around shortcuts so well and good.

I still give it a solid 7.5/10 despite my pointed points on what I miss. The Jewel of Nile DLC is actually better. I would have given it 8.5 but i really did not like underground repetetive tombs in cramped spaces much. Would have been fun in one or 2 levels not half the game. I understand thats expected in actual Egypt tombs still.....Thats why the DLC scores, less dark tombs more open spaces with big waves.
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1 Comments
Aureus Møngrel 16 Apr, 2020 @ 7:44pm 
What a legend 1.4 k houers...