Serious Sam 3: BFE Reviews

"you can be crazy all you want, but once you try to kill me? im gonna stop calling" - Sam Stone no wonder why my taste in women is.... nevermind

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3524015241 You know what you did. It's as if this game is trying to make you as pissed off as is humanly possible. Everything they're doing with the intention of providing more fun and challenge is only resulting in the effect of annoying you and frustrating you. They send way, way too many enemies of certain kinds at you at once, especially the skeleton cow things that charge at you way to fast and the screaming bombers. The game demands of you that you use the appropriate weapons for particular enemies while these different enemies are demanding of your attention simultaneously. I cannot fire in 3 directions at once, using 2 different weapons at once (for example when the enemy in the sky.. in the screenshot.. is not only immobilizing me at infinite range... but is able to suck away all of my health while sending me up into the air and forcing my aim to be useless by making my crosshair go all over the place. The only way to stop this from happening is to wait about 5 whole seconds which is an eternity in this game... before i am able to counter it by shooting at it once it becomes vulnerable... requiring a completely different weapon to that of the ones required to deal with the 5 thousands enemies charging at me at 100mph on the ground. they just think it's the funnest thing ever to send tons of skeletons at you every time you're supposed to aim at the sky at this enemy.) and why do reloads take an eternity in this game with so many enemies and projectiles coming at you at once? and why is over half of my inventory just useless, weak weapons that clog up my inventory?... weapons that are as effective on an enemy if i fire it into a wall... why am i unable to take these weapons out. 2 out of 3 times i die, it's because i'm having to stare down at what weapon i'm scrolling to. I can go on and on. The game screws you over with save points, putting you in an almost impossible situation to get out of. and better not quicksave at the wrong time, but quicksaving is required... as often as every 10 seconds. As soon as I restructured my strategy to directly counter all of the ways that this game is BROKEN I began to do better... by exploiting how you can move slightly forward to trigger more enemies and then just keep falling back more and more and more til they're gone. Then move forward just a bit further past that point and fall back again. yeah that's making the most of the gameplay that the level design was intended to produce. the enemies of an area are intended to be fought in that area, not the previous one and it's just another sign of how broken this game is. But since I'm addicted to overcoming extremely difficult challenges in videogames... I'm suffering through it. If you don't agree with all of the above, you're either just simply not perceptive enough of all of the things at play which are contributing to this game being such garbage or you're not playing on a hard enough difficulty. I hate this game.

I absolutely despise this franchise, I honestly tried to get into it, initially I started to enjoy SS3 as the previous 2 were horrendous. Alot of people likened it to Duke3D, it comes nowhere close to it in any quality or form. Seriously, Serious Sam is a joke of a franchise, a joke of a shooter and a joke of a game, BFE crashes all the time, the graphics glitch and you get tons of crashes and error's, worst of all there's only 1 tune which starts when an enemy appears and its on repeat for the whole frigging game, Serious Sam is ridiculously mentally exhaustive, frustrating and draining, any fun to be had is quickly dissipates and you are left with a repetitive try hard shooter that tries to rise above the rest. These clowns can keep my money, I will never ever ever buy anything from Croteam/Devolver Digital.

Great game, classic boomer-shooter type, lots of replay value and nice mods (Serious Duke!), just buy it!

beautiful game. tbh i wish i played it earlier. played tfe and tse growing up, but i always thought this was too much. its not. its more than i deserve, but guldern i love it.

Pretty average shooter with not much going on. There are some good funny moments other that that I could live without this game.

This game has the classic Serious Sam cheesy charm just like the other games in the series. It provided a solid prequel story to the First Encounter, and had some unique enemies to the game alongside the regular assortment of alien foes. The grenade launcher in the game also is more developed as a unique weapon, rather than being a somewhat redundant rocket launcher analogue like it was in the Encounter games. The difficulty spike of the game at the final level was severe, but throughout the rest of the game it was very challenging while remaining fair to the player. Like most games the experience is heightened if you can play through the campaign on co-op with friends.

Same great gunplay with some unfortunately un-interesting levels to do it in. Serious Sam 3 feels very much a product of the 2010s, when all FPS games wanted to be gritty, realistic, and brown. Much of the core gameplay is the same as it is in The First Encounter and The Second Encounter, but with some of the more interesting enemies removed, and with a lot of the interesting levels ripped out. Levels are flat, gridded, and grey. There's very little verticality, interesting platforming or memorable encounters. The encounters feel like they were designed with fear of being too wacky, or out there. Enemies rarely spawn in interesting places, opting instead to spawn in what I can only assume were deemed more realistic feeling locations. This unfortunately leads to far fewer memorable and interesting encounters than other titles. By the end of this one we were mainly running past enemies to try and get through the game, rather than basking in the chaos that the game tries to immerse you in. Worth playing with a friend if you really love the series, otherwise is likely worth passing in favour of a different entry in the franchise.

Serious Sam 3: BFE is a thrilling return to the classic run-and-gun shooter formula, delivering an adrenaline-fueled experience that fans of the genre will appreciate. Developed by Croteam, this prequel to the original Serious Sam immerses players in a chaotic world overrun by hordes of relentless alien enemies. The game masterfully balances old-school gameplay with modern graphical enhancements and level design, resulting in a fast-paced, brutally fun shooter that challenges players to rely on reflexes, strategic movement, and sheer firepower. From the outset, Serious Sam 3: BFE plunges players into massive, open arenas filled with waves of enemies that never seem to let up. Unlike more tactical or stealth-focused shooters, this game thrives on its unrelenting pace and intensity. You’ll face a wide variety of foes, from swarming foot soldiers to towering, grotesque bosses, each with distinct attack patterns that demand quick thinking and adaptability. The combat is visceral and satisfying; weapons pack a serious punch, and the ability to carry multiple firearms simultaneously allows for a dynamic approach to dispatching enemies. The game encourages aggressive movement and constant action, rewarding players who keep on the move and manage ammunition wisely. One of the most striking aspects of Serious Sam 3 is its level design. The environments are vast and varied, ranging from war-torn cityscapes to ancient ruins and desert landscapes, all rendered with impressive detail and vibrant colors. These arenas are cleverly constructed to support the game’s frenetic combat, with plenty of space to dodge and flank enemies as well as verticality that adds depth to engagements. Hidden secrets and weapon upgrades scattered throughout the levels provide an incentive to explore, breaking up the relentless shooting with moments of discovery and resource management. The game’s graphics showcase a significant leap from its predecessors, with richly detailed textures, dynamic lighting, and impressive particle effects that enhance the chaotic combat scenarios. Explosions, gunfire, and enemy deaths are rendered with satisfying visual flair, contributing to the visceral thrill of battle. The audio design complements this perfectly; a pounding soundtrack fuels the action, while sound effects are crisp and impactful, providing essential cues for enemy attacks and weapon feedback. Multiplayer modes in Serious Sam 3 add considerable replay value, allowing players to team up for cooperative campaigns or compete in deathmatches and survival challenges. The cooperative play shines in particular, as working together to fend off the relentless enemy waves enhances the game’s core experience. The multiplayer is smooth and well-implemented, although the community size varies over time, which may affect matchmaking for some players. Despite its many strengths, Serious Sam 3 can feel overwhelming for newcomers unaccustomed to its relentless pace and chaotic enemy spawns. The difficulty spikes sharply at times, requiring not only fast reflexes but also pattern recognition and map awareness. Additionally, the story, while serviceable as a backdrop, takes a backseat to the gameplay, focusing more on setting up the action rather than delivering a deep narrative experience. However, for fans of classic shooters, this emphasis on pure gameplay action is precisely what makes the game enjoyable. Overall, Serious Sam 3: BFE is a masterclass in delivering old-school shooter thrills with modern polish. It captures the essence of frantic, explosive combat in a variety of well-designed arenas, backed by satisfying weapons and relentless enemy encounters. Its combination of intense gameplay, impressive visuals, and cooperative multiplayer ensures it remains a standout title for fans of high-octane, no-frills shooting action. Whether you’re revisiting the series or jumping in for the first time, Serious Sam 3 offers an exhilarating, pulse-pounding experience that keeps the spirit of classic shooters alive and kicking. Rating: 8/10

One of the best shooters of its time. Still one of the finest horde shooters ever made. Just got a 5070ti and tried it out with all the super sampling and multiple sampling options enabled, looks very impressive considering its age. Survival is great, Coop is a lot of fun.