Serious Sam: Next Encounter is a third-person shooter developed for the GameCube. Players control Sam "Serious" Stone as he battles his evil clone Mini Sam, who disrupts time and annihilates ancient civilizations. The game features over 40 levels across historic settings, including Ancient Rome and Feudal China. It supports up to four players in competitive modes and allows cooperative play throughout the single-player campaign.
In this installment of the Serious Sam series, Sam takes on a new arch-nemesis `Mini Sam`, an evil clone of the hero Sam `Serious` Stone. Mini Sam has taken control of the timelock and is going through time wiping out ancient civilizations - and it is up to Serious Sam to put a stop to him.
The game takes the player through over 40 levels in three historic locations; Ancient Rome, Feudal China and Legendary Atlantis. The PS2 version includes online multiplayer support for up to 8 players via the broadband adapter and two players on one PS2, while the GC version allows 4 players to battle it out on one GameCube.
Competitive multiplayer modes include Deathmatch, Hold the Flag and Pass the Bomb. The entire single player campaign can be played through co-operatively, allowing two players to help each other take on the vicious armies of Mental and Mini-Sam.