Serious Sam 4 Reviews
Despite many flaws, Serious Sam 4 has made my day. It’s been a while since I played a game where there was so much humor and action at the same time.
Serious Sam 4 takes a good care of the series' legacy and fans will be happy. But the visual style hardly meets modern standards and level-design is also a bit boring.
Review in Czech | Read full review
To be fair to Serious Sam 4, there is a real thrill to be experienced in the battles when that old, familiar gameplay loop really clicks.
Some may want a bit more polish especially in the graphics and online matchmaking but for what it does; Serious Sam 4 does it well and is a fun mix of modern and nostalgia that should keep fans of the series happy.
The series always gave the impression that it was created with only one goal in mind, to entertain the player with its extreme action, without having to worry about anything else, however this does not seem to be the case anymore.
Review in Greek | Read full review
Reader, I'm not going to lie. As a serious Serious Sam fan it's very hard for me to get on board with this installment. I know they tried with some big ideas, but it just feels like every single one of them fell miles short of the intended mark. If you're a die hard fan of the franchise like me, then no doubt you'll want this--but take my word for it and wait for a deep cut or sale. Otherwise, you'll just find yourself frustrated that you've spent upwards of £30 on what feels like a rushed, buggy mess covered in your favourite coat of Sam paint.
Serious Sam 4 makes another attempt at being more than an average first-person shooter, but didn't have enough ammunition to blow me away.
Serious Sam is a series that has been around for a long time. Overshadowed by the likes of Doom, Duke Nukem¸ and Goldeneye, the first-person action shooter series never truly felt like a revolutionary game series.
I honestly want to like Serious Sam 4, it has been almost a decade since the last title came out and there are definitely some good points, the characters and story are so bad it’s actually hilarious, especially Kenny who is basically Woody Allen crossed with a wet sock and the weapons do have the right amount of oomph, the way a double shotgun clears an area or mowing down the big guys with dual-wielding chain guns is an absolute dream. But you wake up from that dream quick smart with just how badly the game works, even after a hotfix was released while writing this review did I find the game still not running properly.
If you’ve played any of the Serious Sam games, you’ll likely remember they never were outstanding in the graphics department, mainly due to having so many monsters to fight on screen at once. Whilst some of the character animations weren’t the best, some of the level environments were amazing. We had a great time playing Serious Sam 4 co-op slaying hordes of monsters with lots of laughs at the hilarious and perfectly-timed one-liners.
If you're a hardcore fan of Serious Sam then this new installment will deliver the same experience that you love but outside the fanbase, Serious Sam 4 is just a massive horde mode single-player adventure.
It is a shame that Serious Sam 4 is not able to live up to the series’ legacy. While the franchise has never been associated with particularly groundbreaking or polished titles it has previously been able to offer enjoyable experiences with its own identity and fun gameplay. Serious Sam 4 is too bogged down by questionable design and poor presentation to manage that, and instead feels like a title quickly thrown together with an overnight script than a cohesive product.
Sadly, as expected, this PS5 version of Serious Sam was a disappointment. There is a really fun shooter buried underneath this pile of glitches, framerate issues and boring story-driven sections, but it’s nigh impossible to overlook all of those setbacks.
There is a lot of fun that could be had with Serious Sam 4, however many of its design issues make it a loud, overwhelming, and unbearable mess. There are some really great moments in this game with some entertaining cut scenes and many moments where it becomes a genuine run-and-gun fest. However, it feels like the game takes a good thing and gives you too much of it. While I appreciate all the extra content with the launch, a lot of it feels like unnecessary padding.
Serious Sam 4 is a fun shooter that can be really challenging at times. However, it’s kinda disappointing that there are so many performance issues, and that the graphics feel a little outdated, despite being on next-gen. If you’re someone who’s looking for a fun, chaotic shooter who doesn’t really mind the performance issues, then I can definitely recommend this to you!
Despite the regrets, Serious Sam 4 is indeed a good FPS. Not only does it feature important and classic elements of its series, including action-packed gunfights and plenty of enemies to fight, but it also has extras like co-op mode and interesting dialogue. Unfortunately, these qualities are heavily undermined by poor performance, poorly planned combat stages and bad animations. At the end, is the recommendation for fans of the franchise and lovers of the genre.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
It may not revolutionize the formula, but the new iteration of the engine allows the game to unleash thousands of enemies at the same time, giving the player levels of chaos and destruction they have rarely witnessed in a video game. I can close an eye on some of the jank when I can blow up dozens of headless kamikazes, with Sam delivering intentionally corny one-liners after, and I suspect other people who grew up on this franchise may be able to do the same.
For those who want a brutally raw retro-styled shooter where constant carnage is the order of the day, Serious Sam 4 will sate the bloodlust of even the most maniacal gamers. Not only that, but it’s genuinely funny and well-written, and the trials and tragedies Sam experiences tugged at my jaded heartstrings far more than I expected them to. Many would not enjoy Serious Sam 4 because gunning down endless waves of slavering aliens and mutants becomes brutally relentless – but if you’re a hardcore shooter purist, that’s exactly what you’re looking for.
Serious Sam 4 may not differ too much from its norm but it brings the high-paced frantic FPS action that fans love to an entirely new level.
Serious Sam 4 is a delightfully old-school first-person shooter that doesn't bring a ton of new stuff to the table but still hits all the right notes.