‘Serious Sam VR’ brings first-person shooter action to HTC Vive, Oculus

By Danny Cowan Published December 21, 2019

Indie developer Croteam and publisher Devolver Digital are teaming up to produce Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope, a frantically paced first-person shooter that channels the genre’s arcade-inspired roots.

Croteam also revealed that it turned down “a [ton] of money” in exchange for Oculus Rift exclusivity, indicating that Serious Sam will be compatible with multiple VR devices.

Recommended Videos

The Serious Sam series dates back to 2001, with the launch of Serious Sam: The First Encounter. Multiple sequels, remakes, and spinoffs have premiered in the years since. Series creator Croteam produced a prequel, Serious Sam 3: BFE, in 2011 before shifting its development efforts toward 2014’s The Talos Principle.

E3 2016: 7 ways Breath of the Wild is reimagining The Legend of Zelda series

Serious Sam VR’s mission-based structure is similar to that of its series predecessors, giving players the ability to “explore multiple levels on multiple planets.” In addition to squaring off against enemy swarms, protagonist Sam “Serious” Stone will also face massive bosses that challenge the size and scope of traditional VR experiences.

While the trailer above reveals only tiny snippets of Serious Sam VR‘s gameplay, the concept apparently impressed social media company and Oculus Rift owner Facebook. Facebook reportedly attempted to secure Serious Sam VR as an exclusive release for the Oculus Rift VR headset — an offer that Croteam later rejected.

“They tried to buy Serious Sam VR,” Reddit user “Eagleshadow” commented with regard to Facebook and Oculus. “It wasn’t easy, but we turned down a [ton] of money, as we believe that truly good games will sell by themselves and make profit in the long run regardless. And also because we hate exclusives as much as you do.”

Eagleshadow later confirmed their identity as a Croteam employee in a follow-up post. Facebook’s exclusivity offer will apparently not affect Croteam’s release plans, as this week’s trailer features Oculus and Vive logos, suggesting that Serious Sam VR will be compatible with both headsets.

Serious Sam VR will make its PC debut via Steam Early Access this summer.

Contributor

Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…

Topics

Gaming

Where to find the cartographer in Emerald Stair in Avowed

Environmental shot of Galawains Tusks Slumbering Fields in Avowed.

You will probably have a good grip on all the tips and tricks needed to beat Avowed by the time you reach the second zone, Emerald Stair. However, no matter how many abilities you have or how good your gear is, finding a missing person with just a vague hint never gets any easier. We already helped Sanza find a missing cartographer in Dawntrail, but he has lost another in Emerald Stair and needs us to track them down. Like last time, the Avowed won't tell you where to go so we explored the entire region to show you exactly where to track them down.
Where to find the cartographer in Emerald Stair

The first cartographer quest at least gave you the general direction to find them, but this time we are only given the name of the area within Emerald Stair. The area in question is called Naku Tedek and is the isolated island on the south end of the map.

Gaming

3 PlayStation Plus games to play this weekend (March 14-16)

The PC version of Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut.

The beginning of March was light in upcoming PS5 games, but the long-delayed Assassin's Creed Shadows is right around the corner. But we still have an entire weekend to fill before it comes out, which is where your PlayStation Plus subscription pays off. The Essential games for March were incredibly strong, but the back catalogue of Extra and Premium games has the perfect selection to get you excited for all the biggest upcoming video games, like Death Stranding 2. Or, it could be the perfect way to find a fun, bite-sized game to hold you over until next week's releases hit and dominate your time. As always, I have hand-selected only the best games in PlayStation Plus for you to play this weekend.
Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut
Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut - Announcement Trailer | PS5, PS4

Even before Shadows was announced, Ghost of Tsushima was touted as being the Japanese AC game that Ubisoft should have made years ago. While that is a reductive way to frame it, there's no denying there are similarities, and the two will be directly compared. Whether you plan on playing Shadows or not, Ghost is a magnificent game that still boasts some of the best graphics on PS5. Exploring the vibrant island of Tsushima as you follow the wind and animals rather than waypoints gives you a deep appreciation for the world you're fighting for. If you missed out on the Director's Cut content, jumping back in for the Iki Island DLC is perhaps the best part of the experience.

Gaming

3 Xbox Game Pass games to play this weekend (March 14-16)

Assassin's Creed Odyssey review

Game Pass serves many functions as a service. Some use it to play the best Xbox Series X games on release, others lean on it between games, and everything in between. One of our favorite ways to take advantage of the massive Game Pass catalog is in preparation for upcoming Xbox Series X games. Whether it be playing previous games in a series to get caught up, or games in a similar genre to get in the mood, Game Pass has what you're looking for. We have our eye on Assassin's Creed Shadows next week just like you, but what about this weekend? Here are the best Xbox Game Pass games to boot up over the break.
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
Assassin's Creed Odyssey: Launch Trailer | Ubisoft [NA]

All the best Assassin's Creed games are on Game Pass, but we feel Odyssey is the best of them since transitioning into RPGs. Historically, this is the earliest game in the timeline, though that doesn't matter much since there are only loose threads connecting the games at this point. What does matter is how vast and enjoyable a world this is to explore. It isn't quite as bloated as Valhalla and will get you back into the groove of parkouring, stealthing, and fighting all over again. The story here is also one of the best in the series if you have the time to go all the way with it. But even just dabbling in it so you don't get burned out before Shadows is a great way to prepare yourself.