Serious Sam in Serious Need

Croatian developer Croteam, the creator of Serious Sam, is now hosting a contest to solicit quotes and catchphrases for the game's title hero. Serious Sam was originally little more than a compatibility test for the Serious Engine, the company's proprietary graphics engine, but the gaming community seized upon its pure-shooter gameplay in an unexpected way. Croteam's design lead, Roman Ribaric, says Serious Sam, "is not just our game anymore, it now partially belongs to the community that supports us."

The original Serious Sam compatibility test (linked in downloads to the right) received a great deal of attention after Ribaric was interviewed on the gaming humor site Old Man Murray. Since then, the game has generated a good deal of grassroots support among professional game developers - such as Raven Software and Ritual Entertainment - and fans alike. The compatibility test has even garnered praise from Ritual's Richard "Levelord" Grey: "Serious Sam is awesome! It's a must-play for the serious first-person shootist! It's shear fun factor riding on top of a solid engine. Download this baby now!"

The contest is already underway. To enter, simply visit Croteam's Serious competition forum and post as many potential quotes and catchphrases as you like. The top 100 will later be compiled and displayed on the company's site, and you'll be able to vote on the top ten quotes, which will appear in the actual game. According to Ribaric, all contributors whose quotes are chosen for the top ten will be included in Croteam's Serious Hall of Fame, and the author of the best quote will be "specially awarded."