Serious Sam Advance

 Game Boy Advance
Metascore
51

Mixed or average reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 9
  3. Negative: 3 out of 9
Buy Now
Buy on
  1. Games Radar
    78
    A few rough edges but this is a thoroughly ridiculous and at times obscenely frantic blaster. [Advance]
  2. 3DAvenue
    70
    Overall the graphics of the game are quite impressive and despite the fact that some enemies appear like a blob of pixels, many others are highly detailed and easily viewable.
  3. GameSpot
    56
    Ultimately, though, Serious Sam Advance comes up short because there just aren't enough levels to play.
  5. IGN
    50
    It's definitely a step backwards from what's already been done on the system. It may have been more beneficial had the designers worked with the GBA's strengths in a significantly different style of gameplay for Serious Sam's first Game Boy adventure.
  6. Nintendo Power
    50
    Weapons and ammunition are abundant, and you'll need them; the enemies come at a quick clip and the touchy aiming controls guarantee that you'll miss a lot of shots. [May 2004, p.122]
    All this publication's reviews
  7. Nintendophiles
    50
    Climax Studios restricted themselves too much by maintaining this old style though; gorgeous environments fall short of their potential and elements to enhance gameplay were intentionally left out, and yet with more of a negative result than their exclusion from original games back in the day.
  8. Pocket Games
    40
    Serious Sam isn't a terrible game, but it's one that's better left to more advanced hardware than the Game Boy Advance. [Summer 2004, p.40]
    All this publication's reviews
  9. Cheat Code Central
    40
    The gameplay mechanics mutiny against what might have been an enjoyable, mindless, first-person shooter.
    All this publication's reviews
  10. VideoGamesLife
    29
    The frame-rate problems, aiming issues and short lifespan of the game, all conspire to ruin what could have been a reasonably fun blaster. Serious Sam Advance is yet another argument that modern first-person shooters have no place on the Game Boy Advance.

Awards & Rankings

73
#73 Best Game Boy Advance Game of 2004
37
#37 Most Discussed Game Boy Advance Game of 2004

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 12 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 12
  3. Negative: 3 out of 12
  1. JeremyD.
    Aug 18, 2005
    4
    When I went to buy this game, I had read the reviews. The majority of reviewers rated it poorly, but I decided to go with the minority. That When I went to buy this game, I had read the reviews. The majority of reviewers rated it poorly, but I decided to go with the minority. That was definitely a mistake. It was the first FPS I'd ever played (I now own "Ecks vs. Sever, a MUCH better game), and was almost the last. Yes, that's how bad it is. The control scheme is lousy, and easily outdone by other gba fps games. The game's 3d ray-casting engine just doesn't compare to fps games on this system such as Ice Nine, Ecks vs. Sever, and Duke Nukem Advance, and the frame rate is, at times, almost unbearable. Enemies are incredibley stupid, simply rushing at you for the most part, never once trying to take cover from your fire. Trying to aim will drive you crazy. The makers of this game tried to fix this by making it so that when you hold down the B button you will turn slower and thus giving you a more precise aim. However, the B button is also used to switch weapons, so often you will accidentally switch weapons while trying to accomplish this. It is much easier to simply strafe around enemies. The sound in this game is also poor, from weapon sounds to music. Poor sound quality is common in GBA games, and if the gameplay was good, the sound quality doesn't really bother me that much, but if gameplay is terrible, the poor sound becomes irritating. The M rating is slightly absurd, since the blood you will be seeing in this game is highly pixelized and unrealistic. Overall, this game is very poor. It may entertain you for a little while, but why buy Serious Sam Advance if you can do so much better? Gameplay: 4.3 Graphics: 6.2 Sound: 3.2 Lasting Appeal: 3.8… Full Review »
  2. Berix
    May 10, 2013
    2
    Even as a huge fan is the Serious Sam series, I just can't stomach this poor effort of a game, with it's horrible graphics(Even for the a GBAEven as a huge fan is the Serious Sam series, I just can't stomach this poor effort of a game, with it's horrible graphics(Even for the a GBA game with DOOM-like graphics), music that sounds like it was made on the original GameBoy's sound chip, and frustrating controls, you should seriously skip on Serious Sam Advance and get one of the PC games instead.… Full Review »
  3. SamNukem
    Aug 3, 2004
    8
    Serious Sam Advance is the fourth best FPS for the GBA, and the 11th released for the system. The Serious Sam series is known for its huge Serious Sam Advance is the fourth best FPS for the GBA, and the 11th released for the system. The Serious Sam series is known for its huge assortment of weapons and enemies that appear from nowhere and fill the entire screen in massive wide open areas. Can all of that be crammed into a tiny GBA cart? Of course it can! But does it pay off? Of course it does! We get everything from the PC version on the pint-sized GBA! Serious Sam Advance is a serious FPS indeed with a well-deserved "M" rating and a nice arsenal of weapons that are serious as hell. You get a chainsaw (blood gushes from the enemies as it tears through them!), a pistol (no dual pistols, ah man!), a double- barreled shotgun (reloading looks neat), a tommy gun, a mini-gun, a rocket launcher (circular reload from the PC version is intact), a Prion gun (enemies attack each other), a fist weapon (press the button and it drops a piano on your enemy), a microvave gun (clone of the BFG from Doom), and of course, the serious cannon. If all of that wasn't enough, all of our favorite enemies are back (beheaded kamikazi!), but most are new. Before each mission, our Netricsa system updates us with hints on the level, weapon and enemy info, and statistics. Now comes the games downfall. The graphics aren't that bad, but they are a major step backwards from games like Duke Nukem Advance and Ecks Vs. Sever. The framerate also suffers from time to time and it is often hard to target an enemy but, alas, the game is a hectic non-stop joyride from start to finish!… Full Review »
See all user reviews »