I think that's the problem with a lot of games, and yeah I think that the latest Serious Sam is one. The start is undeniably CoD influenced. It's almost as if they're trying to introduce CoD players to the world of Serious Sam. That and the lack of secrets, Easter eggs and the like does make it seem as if they've focussed too much on the main aspect of its success without realising the importance of the other aspects of the game.

With this game though, I don't know what's going wrong.

One of the things that I love about a lot of the indie games that are being released lately (Orcs Must Die is a current damn fine example of this) is that they're clearly designed by people who understand gaming - from a gamer's point of view, in terms of what a gamer wants. Then from a programmer's point of view in terms of how to make that happen. They understand what's important to get right and then go on to do so.

To me this demonstrates no such understanding. The whole intro thing on the bridge was bad enough anyway. But the gameplay made it worse. Things like using petrol and pepper spray were pretty painful to watch. It was never that bad in 2 but maybe they got lucky in that game? Maybe they have, as you say, lost their way.

Either way the end result is pretty crappy.

What is this I dont even...

The first couple hours were, afaik, supposed to parody COD, with alleyways and whatnot. The problem is it doesn't get much better, ESPECIALLY scenery-wise and underground-wise. There's enough grey and brown to poo 1940s-era films. To be fair there are color options to pump up the saturation, but it doesn't take away from the fact that the game still takes place throughout a desert.

For sure, though, the lack of humor and secrets detracts. I lol'd at least twice in Serious Sam: Second Encounter, and rarely happens in games (other than GTA:SA's talk radio station, but those were professional writers presumably).