A major new update has just dropped for Serious Sam 2, 15 years after it first released, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the franchise.

The update is free and brings the game's version to 2.90 - it's not a small list of fixes though, with a lot of new features including a brand-new BeamGun (a dropped idea from the original game) and flamethrower being added, along with 12 brand new multiplayer maps that were previously unreleased or scrapped levels. 

There are some gameplay changes too, including the ability to dual-wield all weapons, a new sprint and rocket jump, and a brand new radar system.

It's a story similar to Left 4 Dead 2's recent modding-lead update, with the update being largely the work of Nathan "DwK" Brown, a modder who became a member of Croteam and had some free time during the development of Serious Sam 4.

"I had some downtime after Sam 4 was released and was looking through the Serious Sam 2 Steam forum posts and I thought the game could use a little love," according to Brown. "It's a great game. It's the game that really turned me into a game developer. So I suggested a simple patch. I was told to spend some real-time on it, maybe add a few options from my InSamnity! 2 mod."

There is also bug fixes and enhancements to sweeten the deal, such as better scaling of the UI and fonts so it looks cleaner and crisper on modern hardware. It's not a full remaster, but it's a much welcome update to the game that makes the game that makes a reply well worth considering all these years later.

And the best bit is the game is now 20% off on Steam if you're interested in picking it up!