The First Encounter hit Steam in the last week or so and is due on Xbox Live Arcade very, very soon. The Second Encounter introduces a cooperative tournament mode for teams to compete against one another. The mode is getting some face time a the upcoming 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, China where players can compete for the Digital Youth Award.

Hopefully that means the game will be out before the World Expo so that you've got time to practice.

P.S. Sorry, no screens yet. You'll just have to stare at a screen from The First Encounter instead.

These screens are from the PC version of the HD update, but considering they aren't doing a full-on current generation PC update, there really shouldn't be that much of a difference. It certainly is shaping up to be...a slight upgrade to the original.

Croteam's Roman Ribaric has told Eurogamer "I believe Serious Sam fans would want to hear the following two things. First, Serious Sam 3 will play like the original Serious Sam. And second, we'll leave the cartoony look behind".

And that's that! Don't be sad, Serious Sam fans. Everybody has to grow up sometime.

Serious Sam 3 drops cartoon look [Eurogamer]

Serious Sam HD is coming to Xbox Live Arcade and the PC this year, and you can have your own witty quip immortalized in the game. Between July 15th and July 30th, fans of the serious can use Twitter to send their suggestions for a witty catch phrase to @devolverdigital. The winning entry will have their line read by John J. Dick, the voice of Sam, and will also get a shout-out in the game's credits.

"I never get any thanks for the wonderfully poetic and emotionally layered lines I write for Sam 'Serious' Stone," said an overworked and underpaid writer at Croteam "So guess what? Let someone else take a crack at it and see how hard it is. These witty remarks don't write themselves you know."

The winner will be announced in early August to followers of http://www.twitter.com/devolverdigital. Feel free to share your ideas below, but I'd suggest submitting your entry first, as our comment system is filled with pirates.

Croteam CEO Roman Ribaric tells G4 that there was a PlayStation 3 version planned, but the developer couldn't drum up the cash to make it happen. Could it still come to the PlayStation Network? Sure, but at a much later date and only if there's clear interest from the user base.

Otherwise, it sounds like Croteam's going with the advice from "publishers, investors, marketing and other suits" that a delayed PSN release just won't be worth the trouble.

Serious Sam HD Could Hit PlayStation 3 Later, But Croteam Asks: Would You Buy It? [G4's The Feed]

Scheduled for a late summer release, Serious Sam: The First Encounter HD is exactly what the name implies: the first entry in the tongue-in-cheek, over the top Serious Sam first-person shooter series, upgraded with full HD graphics that take advantage of the full power of the Xbox 360, along with four-player co-operative play over Xbox Live. The folks at Croteam are just as excited as the fans should be.

"We are really excited to update our hero and recreate Sam in stunning high definition for Xbox LIVE Arcade players," said Roman Ribaric, CEO of Croteam. "The fans have lobbied us hard to do this, so we are stoked about bringing Sam back as big, bold and bad as he ever was."

While the official press release didn't name a price, we've heard stirrings from Eurogamer citing 1200 Microsoft points, which seems pretty fair. Keep an eye out for Serious Sam: The First Encounter HD later this summer.

Here are the original graphics...

But no! Developers Croteam have posted a quick update on their company website, letting the world know that they have "recently started the development on two games". One of them is, well, not the "tactical military sim" mentioned a few years back, as that's been canned. So who knows what it is.

And the other is Serious Sam 3, for which Croteam "are pretty close in signing the publishing deal".

Still coming? Good news. Only "recently started development"? Saddening.

Serious Update [Croteam, via VG247]

According to Serious Zone's translation of the article, the shots represent simply a tech demo of the Serious Engine 3's power, but that shot above? Loaded with Serious Sam baddies. Gives us hope.

There's no shortage of graphical eyecandy at the link below, including a shot of hot teapot sextuplets. With bumpmapping. Ungh. If it's wrong to find teapots sexy, I don't wanna be right. Michael McWhertor

Screenshots from GamePlay magazine [Serious Zone]

"The Gamecock team includes some of the best people we've worked with in our 14 years of game development," says Roman Ribaric, Croteam CEO. "We had a great time and learned a lot when we worked together to produce the first Serious Sam and we are confident that we will achieve similar success this time around."

Critically Acclaimed Developer Croteam Partners With Gamecock Media Group

AUSTIN, TX. - May 15, 2007 - Croteam, the award-winning developer of the Serious Sam series, announced today that Gamecock Media Group will publish its next project. The as-yet-untitled game is currently in development using the latest version of Croteam's proprietary game development system, the 'Serious Engine 3'.

"The Gamecock team includes some of the best people we've worked with in our 14 years of game development," says Roman Ribaric, Croteam CEO. "We had a great time and learned a lot when we worked together to produce the first Serious Sam and we are confident that we will achieve similar success this time around."

"Now, with its next-gen engine pushing the latest gaming hardware to the limits of its potential, Croteam is producing a game that will confirm its position among the world's game development elite,' added Mike Wilson, CEO and Head of Marketing for Gamecock Media Group.

Gamecock Media Group will publish the title, which is currently scheduled to ship in 2009 on Windows PC and specific next-gen consoles, in North America.

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