I'm kind of excited for The Talos Principle. A "metaphysical parable about intelligence and meaning in an inevitably doomed world," developed by the studio responsible for one of the most joyfully meatheaded shooters of all time? That sounds like my kind of good time. And now the game has a proper launch date, and as is now very much the, a nice little pre-order deal.
For as much fun as I have with the idea of Croteam making a thought-provoking puzzle game, I feel obligated to again point out that The Talos Principle is actually being written by Tom Jubert and Jonas Kyratzes, who between them have created games like FTL, The Swapper, and The Sea Will Claim Everything—somewhat more intellectual fare than Serious Sam, in other words.
But even though The Talos Principle may eschew the "No Cover. All Man." ethos, the preorder bonus does not: Laying down your money now will cut ten percent off the purchase price of $40, and will also net you a giftable copy of Serious Sam 3: BFE. It's a really good shooter, and probably the absolute opposite of The Talos Principle in every meaningful way.
And now, as promised, the release date: December 11 is when the brain-scratching times start to roll. More info can be found over at Steam, and in the meantime you can watch about an hour and a half of the game being played—poorly—right here.
