The demo for Serious Sam 2 is out, and I finally got a chance to play it last night. For whatever it's worth, here are my impressions:

The Good

• Cool, cartoon-style environments. I've seen a lot of discussion on this point, and virtually everyone thinks the art direction is poorly done. Considering that virtually every computer game today is striving for ultra-realism, I think this is a breath of fresh air. It's something original. What a concept!
• Loads of weapons. The demo showcases a number of really neat weapons, including the parrot bomb (of which you only get one round - so make it count).
• Fast paced action. Just like the Serious Sam days of old.

The Bad

• Can you say "Console Port"? It is blatantly obvious that Serious Sam 2 is being developed for consoles. The user interface with the game menus is horrible, especially when it comes to changing key bindings. If there's anything I hate, it's a poorly done "port".
• The demo is way too short. I certainly hope the other game levels aren't this anemic.
• Cut scenes are really shoddy in quality. Couldn't they have just used the game engine for these cut scenes, instead of this low-resolution pre-rendered crap?
• Sam did virtually no wise-cracking through the entire demo! What have you done with the Sam I once knew?!?

The full game will be released in a few weeks (October 10 is one date I've seen), and I do plan on picking it up. Will it be worth the $30 asking price? I certainly hope so. Perhaps the rough points will have been smoothed down in the final product. Let's just hope they don't mess with the core Serious Sam formula. That would be a crime against nature.