Serious Sam 4

I really love croteam since i was a little kid because i started my pc gaming career with Serious Sam.
Serious Sam 1 is still one the best arena shooters of all time but i dont know why Croteam is not focusing on making it better just like the first one. everyone knows that SS2 wasnt good as SS1 and neither SS3.
and now after finishing 4th one again i can say it was a mid game while Talos Principle 1 and even 2 are fantastic!
its not just about weakness of Serious Engine.. its about lack of Creativity.
First of all i dont know why game has turned into a joke? i mean Sam has been always funny but i think this is a little bit too much and there is no balance between being Serious and Funny!
Second problem: why there is no sense of mystery in this series anymore? cause i remember Serious Sam 1 beginning was scary as hell
Third problem: why characters are so sublime and ridiculous? their behavior and how they have been animated is not good at all
Please Croteam... give more attention to Serious Sam series when you care about Talos that much.
and last words..... Actually i liked Siberian Mayhem and i think Timelock studio has done a better job with this series after Serious Sam 3
Thank you Croteam ⠀
⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀:¨ ·.· ¨:
⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ `· . ꔫ

So far, the Doom series is trying to surprise with different unique mechanics in terms of combat or boss fights with tedious but with a lot of bells and whistles and effects that you get tired of at some point. Serious Sam retains a simple but well-functioning vanilla action game. You just shoot at enemies with different guns, looking for secrets, some of which are useful for passing. or you're fighting the same vanilla bosses with a cool soundtrack, and you don't have to juggle guns to do adequate damage, you don't have to shoot and dodge in unrealistic timings, you just take a minigun or rocket launcher and shoot until the boss dies.

Any game that features an automatic Shotgun which can be dual wielded is good in my book

I have honestly no clue why Serious Sam 4 gets all this hate. I enjoyed every aspect of this story. This is a prequel to Serious Sam 3 which itself was a prequel to The First Encounter people are mad that the game takes a wholesome tone? Well Duh this is before Sam got sent back in time all alone, I won't mention what happens because that would spoil everything however..

I must add that as someone who started with the First Encounter and has played all the serious sam games except for the spinoffs I thoroughly enjoyed this entry in the series.

While I only praised the game so far I also have to highlight the negative aspects too for me its thankfully only one. its not game breaking but it does annoy me a bit sometimes during the cutscenes there are visual glitches otherwise yeah no problems at all.

If you enjoy Serious Sam games this is the one you want, in my opinion its a lot better than 3 in some aspects too.

Overall Rating 9/10

Technical and graphical flaws mask what is essentially the best Serious Sam game since 2002 and one of the best shooters in recent years.
The game’s rough edges are hard to miss: tons of noticeable pop-in, poor anti-aliasing, the occasional gib clipping through the floor, and the overall lackluster graphics. Performance complaints are also common, but in my own experience the game runs fast and stutter-free. Maxed out on an RTX 4060 @2560x1600, framerates usually stay above 100fps and rarely fall below 60.
The technical noise ignored, SS4 delivers. The gunplay is crisp and fun. The enemy roster is nearly up there with The Second Encounter and DOOM Eternal: enemies are well designed and varied, though at times I wish there were more bold and creative fight design choices to truly elevate Serious Sam 4 to GOAT status. The upgrade systems are well implemented and refreshingly simple, without the doomy bloat of other shooters. Fun side missions are a welcome addition, too. And, of course, enemy counts and chaos that are second only to classic DooM slaughter wads.
The art direction is colorful and with a hint of character: a clear expressive echo of the classic encounters from the early 2000s. Unfortunately, the environmental design sometimes falls flat - while many levels look aesthetically beautiful, others evoke Serious Sam 3 in their messy grittiness. SS4 sometimes jarringly mixes its uplifting style with bleak urban environments, a tonal clash BFE didn’t have because it fully committed to the apocalyptic tone with all its visuals. Thankfully, these clashes are the exception - most of the game nails the look it’s going for.
Finally, the level design in SS4 is more straightforward than in BFE, harkening to the classic Serious Sam formula. I find it less ambitious - I consider SS3 to have excellent level design - but ultimately SS4 strikes a balance between the wide spaces of SS1 and the nuance of BFE without leaning too much into its labyrinthine exploration.
By and large, Serious Sam 4 is to Serious Sam 3 what The Second Encounter was to The First Encounter - bigger, better, and more serious.

I got this game on 80% sale, which imo was worth it, otherwise I don't think it's worth it. Obviously not as good as other Serious Sam games, especially not SS:FE and SS:SE, those 2 are just masterpieces. I'd even argue it's the weakest Serious Sam game, even weaker than SS3, because there's just so many flaws with it compared to the rest, like having to rely on other characters throughout the whole game, while in other Serious Sam games you're all on your own the whole time. Lots of cringe encounters as well, which doesn't fit Serious Sam theme at all.

Missions were fine, but a couple of them (very open ones) were very disappointing, purely because you had nothing to do in such an open areas, the lack of enemies is the main issue and things to do. I do respect them implementing unique stuff in this Serious Sam though, like use of Gadgets and Skill tree, which is a cool thing and I personally don't mind it, although I've heard people not liking that as well.

But yea, I don't recommend buying this game in it's full price, just wait for another sale before you buy it, because lack of Content (unless you're playing with mods) and weak polish of the game will leave you disappointed compared to other great Serious Sam games in the franchise. If I were to rate it, I'd give it 6 out of 10, definitely the weakest Serious Sam game in my POV, but I'd still recommend playing it if you get it on sale, because this game isn't worthy of 40 euro price tag, at max 20.

That's about it. Thanks for reading!

Serious Sam 4 — you start the game and five minutes later you're already regretting your peaceful life.
The beginning feels a bit slow, but once it gets going, you're blasting through so many enemies your trigger finger starts hurting.
The weapons feel powerful, especially when you’re dual-wielding and shouting along with Sam.
The jokes are still dumb, but honestly, it wouldn't be Serious Sam without them.
Playing in co-op is pure chaos — yelling, laughing, and getting steamrolled by a small army of bosses.
Huge maps, endless waves of enemies, and non-stop old-school mayhem.
If you love classic shooters and brainless action, this one is a must-play.
9/10, and that's only because there’s no mission where you just lie down and recover after the madness.