The bit that first caught our eye was a large, green orc-like creature dressed up in a primitive football uniform. The camera pans around him, showing off a large temple interior, complete with columns and braziers. The orc begins dancing on a raised dais, posturing and styling for the camera. His skin is exceptionally shiny and shows off some of the new reflection and environmental mapping the new engine makes possible. The particles from the flame and smoke also seem to have been improved from the first engine.
As the camera pans up we see a large grate covering a hole in the roof. A new bloom effect is obviously in use here as the light from the sun overhead bleeds over the bars in the grate. We're seeing more and more of this effect in games these days and it's taking the place of the previously ubiquitous sunflare that used to pass for realism.
The scene transitions to let us see Sam outside on a three-wheeled bike. The purple bike with red and yellow flame decals sputters as Sam kicks it into gear. It pulls away leaving small puffs of smoke from its exhaust.
The next scene shows more green-skinned soldiers patrolling outdoors. Cradling giant guns in their arms, they walk down a dirt path bordered by trees and hills. The scene shifts to a lantern-jawed Sam. He cuts his eyes back and forth suspiciously and soon takes off into a run. From there the scene transitions back to the patrol. They've also broken into a run and race past the camera.
No physics system is complete without a pachinko demo. Large, pointed, wooden stakes stick out from a cliff face. A few unlucky character models are tossed down the cliff, crashing into and tumbling over the stakes. But there's another test of the physics system here. Large barrels spawn in the air above a giant hill. As they fall and tumble, they strike other barrels stationed on platforms and the whole things degenerates into an orgy of rolling and tumbling.
The only other feature of the engine that we heard about was the new occlusion system. Using this system, the game won't bother to render objects that are hidden by other objects, thereby taking less of a toll on your PC. Since this is a self-running demo we're still not entirely sure exactly how much this helps.
We'll be sure to bring you even more information as soon as we get it.
Looking forward to Serious Sam 2? Add it to your wishlist!
