<s>
Serious	B-Application
Sam	I-Application
:	I-Application
Next	I-Application
Encounter	I-Application
is	O
a	O
2004	O
first-person	O
shooter	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Climax	O
Solent	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Global	O
Star	O
Software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
spin-off	O
in	O
the	O
Serious	B-Device
Sam	I-Device
series	O
,	O
it	O
follows	O
Sam	O
"	O
Serious	O
"	O
Stone	O
,	O
who	O
tracks	O
an	O
unidentified	O
enemy	O
through	O
ancient	O
Rome	O
,	O
feudal	O
China	O
and	O
Atlantis	B-Application
,	O
and	O
eliminates	O
the	O
forces	O
the	O
enemy	O
controls	O
to	O
eventually	O
uncover	O
their	O
identity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
development	O
,	O
originally	O
under	O
the	O
name	O
Serious	B-Application
Sam	I-Application
:	I-Application
Word	I-Application
to	I-Application
the	I-Application
Mothership	I-Application
,	O
began	O
at	O
Climax	O
Solent	O
with	O
a	O
game	O
engine	O
created	O
for	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
twenty-strong	O
development	O
team	O
drew	O
influence	O
from	O
previous	O
Serious	B-Device
Sam	I-Device
games	O
,	O
GoldenEye	B-Application
007	I-Application
,	O
Perfect	B-Application
Dark	I-Application
,	O
Smash	B-Application
TV	I-Application
,	O
Ikari	B-Application
Warriors	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Contra	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Global	O
Star	O
Software	O
announced	O
Next	B-Application
Encounter	I-Application
in	O
January	O
2004	O
and	O
released	O
it	O
for	O
GameCube	B-Application
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
in	O
April	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Serious	B-Application
Sam	I-Application
:	I-Application
Next	I-Application
Encounter	I-Application
is	O
a	O
first-person	O
shooter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
each	O
level	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
encounters	O
various	O
enemies	O
,	O
of	O
which	O
some	O
use	O
melee	B-Application
and	O
others	O
fire	O
projectiles	O
at	O
Sam	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Next	B-Application
Encounter	I-Application
contains	O
various	O
weapons	O
,	O
among	O
them	O
ten	O
ranged	O
weapons	O
and	O
a	O
chainsaw	B-Language
for	O
melee	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
these	O
can	O
be	O
played	O
one-on-one	O
in	O
split-screen	O
or	O
with	O
up	O
to	O
eight	O
players	O
online	O
,	O
while	O
up	O
to	O
four	O
local	O
players	O
can	O
compete	O
via	O
split-screen	O
on	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Serious	B-Application
Sam	I-Application
:	I-Application
Next	I-Application
Encounter	I-Application
is	O
a	O
"	O
side	O
chapter	O
"	O
in	O
the	O
Serious	B-Device
Sam	I-Device
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Within	O
that	O
temple	O
,	O
Sam	O
encounters	O
and	O
defeats	O
the	O
Subterranean	O
Emperor	O
Hydra	O
and	O
travels	O
further	O
through	O
its	O
Time-Lock	O
,	O
appearing	O
on	O
an	O
isolated	O
island	O
on	O
an	O
ice	O
floe	O
above	O
Atlantis	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Serious	B-Application
Sam	I-Application
:	I-Application
Next	I-Application
Encounter	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Climax	O
Group	O
through	O
its	O
Climax	O
Solent	O
studio	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
development	O
began	O
when	O
Climax	O
Solent	O
received	O
development	O
units	O
of	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
and	O
created	O
a	O
game	O
engine	O
for	O
the	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
,	O
during	O
development	O
called	O
Serious	B-Application
Sam	I-Application
:	I-Application
Word	I-Application
to	I-Application
the	I-Application
Mothership	I-Application
,	O
drew	O
inspiration	O
from	O
several	O
sources	O
:	O
Previous	O
Serious	B-Device
Sam	I-Device
games	O
were	O
used	O
as	O
the	O
base	O
template	O
,	O
the	O
controls	O
were	O
designed	O
to	O
be	O
as	O
responsive	O
and	O
intuitive	O
as	O
those	O
in	O
GoldenEye	B-Application
007	I-Application
and	O
Perfect	B-Application
Dark	I-Application
,	O
the	O
enemy	O
wave	O
designs	O
were	O
influenced	O
by	O
Smash	B-Application
TV	I-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
vehicles	O
were	O
modelled	O
after	O
those	O
in	O
Ikari	B-Application
Warriors	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Producer	O
Matt	O
Cooper	O
also	O
cited	O
Contra	B-Application
as	O
an	O
influence	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Original	O
enemy	O
designs	O
were	O
created	O
alongside	O
foes	O
also	O
featured	O
in	O
previous	O
Serious	B-Device
Sam	I-Device
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Employees	O
kept	O
up	O
morale	O
through	O
playtesting	O
and	O
frequently	O
shared	O
high	O
scores	O
on	O
internal	O
message	B-Application
boards	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
elements	O
—	O
including	O
jet	O
packs	O
,	O
wasp	B-Application
enemies	O
,	O
multiplayer	O
vehicle	O
races	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
gun	O
that	O
adopts	O
the	O
powers	O
of	O
enemy	O
projectiles	O
it	O
absorbs	O
—	O
were	O
cut	O
for	O
reasons	O
such	O
as	O
technical	O
limitations	O
and	O
design	O
decisions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Global	O
Star	O
Software	O
,	O
the	O
budget-range	O
publishing	O
label	O
of	O
Take-Two	O
Interactive	O
,	O
announced	O
Next	B-Application
Encounter	I-Application
for	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
in	O
January	O
2004	O
,	O
alongside	O
Serious	B-Device
Sam	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
for	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Serious	B-Application
Sam	I-Application
:	I-Application
Next	I-Application
Encounter	I-Application
received	O
"	O
mixed	O
or	O
average	O
reviews	O
"	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
review	B-Application
aggregator	I-Application
website	O
Metacritic	O
,	O
which	O
calculated	O
weighted	O
average	O
ratings	O
of	O
69/100	O
for	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
release	O
and	O
65/100	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
critics	O
commended	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
high	O
and	O
stable	O
frame	O
rate	O
but	O
found	O
poor	O
graphics	O
as	O
a	O
trade-off	O
:	O
Ed	O
Lewis	O
of	O
IGN	O
faulted	O
"	O
simple	O
"	O
textures	O
and	O
low	O
poly	O
models	O
of	O
the	O
enemies	O
and	O
environments	O
,	O
comparing	O
the	O
look	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
games	O
for	O
the	O
original	B-Device
PlayStation	I-Device
,	O
although	O
he	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
character	O
design	O
was	O
the	O
"	O
best	O
part	O
"	O
of	O
the	O
visuals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
David	O
and	O
his	O
colleague	O
Scott	O
Kuvin	O
opined	O
that	O
the	O
controls	O
in	O
Next	B-Application
Encounter	I-Application
were	O
aptly	O
designed	O
for	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bickham	O
called	O
them	O
"	O
robust	O
"	O
for	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Edge	O
editors	O
lauded	O
the	O
auto-aiming	O
functionality	O
for	O
counteracting	O
inaccuracies	O
of	O
the	O
DualShock	O
2	O
's	O
analogue	B-Device
sticks	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Edge	O
editors	O
opined	O
that	O
the	O
level	O
design	O
was	O
"	O
flat	O
"	O
and	O
further	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
enemies	O
were	O
not	O
as	O
well-executed	O
as	O
in	O
past	O
Serious	B-Device
Sam	I-Device
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shirley	O
and	O
Doug	O
Trueman	O
of	O
GMR	O
criticised	O
Next	B-Application
Encounters	I-Application
plot	O
as	O
"	O
just	O
filler	O
,	O
and	O
not	O
very	O
good	O
filler	O
"	O
and	O
a	O
"	O
total	O
throwaway	O
"	O
,	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
