Serious Sam 3: BFE

 PC
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 758 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 525 out of 758
  2. Mixed: 173 out of 758
  3. Negative: 60 out of 758

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  1. DrBrogbo
    Jul 11, 2012
    5
    Oh Sam, where did you go so wrong? This game is suffering from a serious identity crisis. Serious Sam has always been (and is supposed to be) about fighting off monstrous waves of enemies, and being slaughtered should you let your guard down for a second. THIS game, however, is more about throwing 2 or 3 enemies at you at a time, as some sort of patience test. Fighting seemingly endlessOh Sam, where did you go so wrong? This game is suffering from a serious identity crisis. Serious Sam has always been (and is supposed to be) about fighting off monstrous waves of enemies, and being slaughtered should you let your guard down for a second. THIS game, however, is more about throwing 2 or 3 enemies at you at a time, as some sort of patience test. Fighting seemingly endless spurts of baddies for 15 minutes is incredibly boring, and unbelievably frustrating. I even turned the difficulty up, but the only things that seemed different at all were the humongous fights, which were borderline-impossible. ************************ The guns are utterly uninspiring, as we have seen every single one of them in every single other Serious Sam game, with the exception of the mostly useless "leash" thing. Sam has a new melee attack that will kill any enemy roughly Sam's size or smaller in one hit, from as far away as 10 feet, which is incredibly lame. What's the danger in letting an enemy get close when you can instantaneously one-hit-kill them? ************************ Sound design in this game is HORRENDOUS. Don't get me wrong, the sound effects are what I expected, and when the metal music gets pumping during hectic fights, it can be addicting. However, when you are facing the little tiny groups of 2 enemies at a time, the music will switch from laid-back to frantic over and over and over and over and over. Also, when enemies make noises, they will sound like they're right next to you, even if they're literally 200 feet away. I guess it makes sense though, since shotgun enemies will be able to tag you from literally the other side of the level. ********************************* Level design is good, and the graphics are pretty awesome. The DX11 tessellation in particular was noticeable. The only complaint I have is that character animation is absolutely horrible. Watching any character speak reminded me of 2003-era games. ************************** It seems like every first person shooter to come out in the past decade has had an incredibly annoying last level. This game takes the cake, though. In fact, this game runs in its nephew's birthday party naked, screaming profanities, slaps the cake right out of everyone's hands, and sets the house on fire. I have never EVER seen a more annoying last level. It is so horrendously, hideously, mind-blowingly repetitive and annoying, that I seriously had to FORCE myself to fire it back up and finish it. I now wish I hadn't, since the boss fight is an even more ridiculous chore. First thing I did after finishing the game is pound the escape key to get back to the menu, exit the game, and click "delete." Didn't even watch the ending cinematic. *********************************** This game is a LOT of fun in multiplayer, and there are a few moments in single player that were actually "fun," but they were few and far between, and I spent most of the gameplay time annoyed. As someone who has played and beaten ALL of the other Serious Sam games (both regular and HD versions, as well as Random Encounter and DD), I cannot recommend this game to anyone, unless it is expressly for multiplayer. This is the video game equivalent of that cheerleader you knew in college: Gorgeous to look at and seems like a blast, but in reality she's frustrating as hell, and all you want is out.… Expand
  2. digdilem
    Jun 5, 2012
    3
    Played it all the way through, but really it was a grind. Dull, boring, none of the glee and fun that the first two in the series brought us. The method of killing the final boss was ridiculous, and every other boss was dull and boring. The level design was also fairly uninspired.
  3. Jakkar
    Dec 6, 2012
    4
    This isn't Serious Sam. To call a Sam game repetitive would seem redundant, but I can find no better word to describe the cause of the boredom and frustration I felt in trying to complete this game.

    Taunting you for hours, initially, with gameplay necessitating the use of cover while reloading low-power modern military weapons and fighting firearm-wielding humanoids mixed up with    This isn't Serious Sam. To call a Sam game repetitive would seem redundant, but I can find no better word to describe the cause of the boredom and frustration I felt in trying to complete this game.

    Taunting you for hours, initially, with gameplay necessitating the use of cover while reloading low-power modern military weapons and fighting firearm-wielding humanoids mixed up with 'endless spider crab things', it finally opens up to real large-scale setpiece runs against hordes of foes, but forgets any of the lessons of pacing and most of the depth and fun inherent to enemy behaviour in the original games.

    Eventually you come to fight hordes so large it feels more like a gruelling job of endlessly mopping the same floor in a club toilet as wave after wave of drunkards arrive to vomit across the tiles. You will spend hours simply 'wiping' massive groups of identical enemies with sustained fire, the pattern of projectile dodging repeating ad nauseum until you're subconsciously going through the motions unharmed. To counteract this most of the larger enemies and many smaller examples can do catastrophic, ridiculous amounts of damage to Sam, and one mistake can send you back to your last quicksave. If you play above Normal difficulty there will be so very many of these.

    Animations are dreadful, enemies are a mixture of poorly recreated old and illogical new, most foes follow the precise same AI routines and the level design is complicated yet utterly boring. Dialogue is unbearable and has none of the deranged snappiness of the classic games, focusing instead on crude, peurile humour and military grunt cliches. There's also far too much of it, in cutscenes instead of voiceover.

    A very bland copy of the original information database makes a return in painfully 'console' form, with no controls, no text scrolling, and a very slow wait for any information on the subjects in question.

    In the end the only thing I liked about it was the way Gnaar's heads explode when you unload a coach gun into their optic orbit.

    Painful. I'm going to buy the HD classics on Steam now to cleanse myself of this travesty. I don't know what happened to Croteam to lead them to lose the soul of Sam so completely, and attempt a poor copy years later.    … Expand
  4. bton1233
    Nov 30, 2013
    0
    A piece of absolute barely functioning as a game... it is clear that the creators just wanted money and something that people would buy. THIS GAME ITS BAD... They think that a boss fight is spamming the most retarded enemy in the game... Do not buy it is a bad choice to spend money on this abortion.
  5. ffffff
    Nov 26, 2011
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. first of all, i am very sorry for my english, i' writting from argentina

    what happened to this game? the animations are horrible... especially the melee ones (check 3rd person view) and the strafe ones... even QUAKE 3 does strafe animations correctly in EVERY SINGLE MODEL (and yes, there are a lot of them)

    its very funny how croteam decided every single charater should wear sunglasses to cover the lack of facial expression

    also why sam model has a pistol but he can only use the one he founds on the floor?

    I don't understand why Sam likes Hellfire... is the ugliest girl in the world, I know he is in the middle of the desert and there are no other girls... but she looks like a lesbian or something. also she says sam has a "mini gun"?? WTF? I though duke nukem was the one full on steroids that shrinked his dâ    … Expand
  6. duce
    Oct 28, 2012
    2
    The good: Great graphics, enormous maps, hordes of enemies

    The bad: Very inconsistent game play. Some areas border on impossible, while the bulk is too easy. The tragic: Jewel of the Nile DLC - 2nd map has a spot where C4 is to be used. Just does not work, after using the C4 the spot it is supposed to stick to remains on screen, just floating in mid-air. 3rd map requires insanely    The good: Great graphics, enormous maps, hordes of enemies

    The bad: Very inconsistent game play. Some areas border on impossible, while the bulk is too easy. The tragic: Jewel of the Nile DLC - 2nd map has a spot where C4 is to be used. Just does not work, after using the C4 the spot it is supposed to stick to remains on screen, just floating in mid-air. 3rd map requires insanely tedious jumping. This destroys any flow in the game and is very frustrating. Overall: if you are OK with most of the game going by quickly and needing to spend 70% of your time trying to get past 5% of the game, then buy it. If you are looking for consistent game play, look elsewhere.    … Expand
  7. daimmonr757
    Jan 4, 2012
    5
    Sam is dead.
  8. Zennousha
    Dec 20, 2011
    9
    It took a bit to start off, and the initial levels and encounters were feeling a bit underwhelming and very unlike Sam. This is likely satire, as the game goes full swing with enemies practically bursting the seams of your monitor to cram in.

    The little comedic prods and nods are great as always in usual Sam fashion, and the action is as testosterone pumping, LMB breaking, and    It took a bit to start off, and the initial levels and encounters were feeling a bit underwhelming and very unlike Sam. This is likely satire, as the game goes full swing with enemies practically bursting the seams of your monitor to cram in.

    The little comedic prods and nods are great as always in usual Sam fashion, and the action is as testosterone pumping, LMB breaking, and unadulterated as ever. I haven't been able to connect to the Multiplayer aspect, but the Single Player manages to hold its weight alone in typical Serious Sam fashion. Here's hoping for a Christmas level to replace the nostalgic love of Second Encounter.    … Expand
  9. TripleHeinz
    Feb 12, 2012
    10
    I almost cried blood when i ended this game, seriously.

    FOR ME, it's the best ending i could ask for. It took me by surprise as it is the ending i spect in all hollywood movies. Now i unexpectedly got it in my favourite game...what a combo! This is the perfect game from all times, it is the most brutal and it is the funniest SS of the whole series. Believe it or not, Serious Sam finally    I almost cried blood when i ended this game, seriously.

    FOR ME, it's the best ending i could ask for. It took me by surprise as it is the ending i spect in all hollywood movies. Now i unexpectedly got it in my favourite game...what a combo!

    This is the perfect game from all times, it is the most brutal and it is the funniest SS of the whole series.
    Believe it or not, Serious Sam finally got a story. This game is what i was waiting for years.
    Meelee executions in Serious Sam? Greatly accomplished and goes well with the game.
    The missions are well introduced along with the weapons and enemies, you'll discover a lot of new things while you move on.
    Most achievements are quiet easy to unlock but there are some that require you to take more time.
    You'll love the remake of old enemies and you'll also get to know new ones.

    I loved the work behind the game: All the music is superb as usual, the light and shadows techniques are from another dimension, cool shaders, cool physics, magnificient graphics...the overall game engine is PERFECT and the best of all is that it has been highly optimized to run on all modern/modest computers.

    Thanks Croteam for this piece of art work. I'm a programmer and the Serious Engine is my favourite one since the 1.0 version and i like very much what you've accomplished with it so far. I'm also a big fan of the SS game as many others here. SS3 is what we all wanted for breakfast.

    I no longer say "shotgun" when getting into my friend's car. I now say DEVASTATOR!    … Expand
  10. Contemptible
    Jan 4, 2012
    6
    Wacky looking aliens. corny lines. weak story (as expected). good but incredibly repetitive action. Endless hordes. You can think what you want but to me its utterly average.
  11. Nile3
    Feb 19, 2012
    9
    Best serious sam in the serie, I still wish it was longer and a lil bit harder. Otherwise it's a lot of fun. It should be priced lower also so that there can be more people playing it.
  12. 410MaXiMuS
    May 17, 2012
    10
    I actually feel somewhat guilty for purchasing this game on sale for $10. Had I know it was this good, I would have gladly paid the $40 retail price when the game released. If you are on the fence about buying this, just do it, it's awesome. It is on sale for $10 at Amazon as of this writing.
  13. dragon99919
    Dec 28, 2011
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. When I heard that Croteam are gonna release Serious Sam 3 in this year I was like "OH MAN! It's awesome!". I was really enjoying the first two games of Sam's adventures, but Serious Sam 2 was just not like it should be. After wasting a couple of hours in Serious Sam HD, I felt that this series can still be alive. So I bought Serious Sam 3 immediately on Steam. When I launched the game, I saw pretty well done intro that explained me whole situation. It appears that Serious Sam 3: BFE is a prequel to the First Encounter, which means I must travel in time and save my planet! Whole idea of making prequel is really cool, but I'll talk about that later. So, after starting a game, I saw Sam, and a couple of soldiers in a helicopter. They were talking that they must secure professor Stain who might know how to run Time Lock. First I was like "WTF!?", then I was like "So they don't even know how to turn it on?", but then I was like "Oh yea, it's prequel! I'll find out!". While we are on topic - story in Serious Sam 3 is really cool! While it's not so important in these games, it's really cool to have some sort of more advanced storyline in that series. During whole game, we are gonna find out a lot of interesting things, like that Sam wasn't the main character who had to go to the Time Lock! There was group of soldier who had to do that, but because of Sam's adventures, situation on our planet is messed up, and he is the only one who can make it. Some people were talking that game can be really bad because of some sort of pieces from modern shooter. I was kinda scared about that too, because I saw a couple videos from beta version of the game - gameplay wasn't really promising. What new we got in here, from these modern shooters? Reloading in most guns, sprinting, and iron sights. Trust me - it's great that game have them! It seems that CroTeam tried to bring some players to their game - I don't know if it worked, but these elements from moder shooters are mixing great with Serious Sam game. I can't believe that too! Reloading just add hardcore, and thanks to that you must switch weapons more often. Sprinting allows you to run faster in areas when you don't need to fight (Sam still walks normal, like he always was), or to take cover (but honestly, in Serious Sam game?). Iron Sights reduces recoil, and it helps you to aim at monsters while they are in big group, or to eliminate one by one. It's also really helpful if you are fighting with group of zombies for example. Excluding it, game didn't change at all for me. We still have some big guns, really cool monsters and a lot of humor! While we are talking about that what did changed - a lot of monsters and weapons are from old, good first Serious Sam games. We will still be able to encounter Biomechanoids, or Arachnoids, or Kleers or Kamikazes (AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!. They slightly did changed, and you will see that, but at least, we got the taste of the past! Of course we got a lot of new enemies, like Scrapjack, Khnum, And what's most important - we still got a big army of monsters heading your way! Only in few moments at beginning of the game I felt alone - not for long of course! Game otherwise have some cool improvements, like melee kills for example. We can twist off Scrapjack head and kiss him while he is weak, or we can rip of Kleer's skull! It's really useful, and makes you fill better (you can also throw the piece you got from each monster!). About weapons... We still got Rocket Launcher, shotguns, minigus, but we got new assault rifle, Devastator, mutilator, and more. There are a lot of tools of destruction! Serious Sam 3 also serves us a good piece of multiplayer. Coop modes up to 16 players can cause head explosion, same as Versus modes. There are not a LOT of servers, but if you can find yourself one, you will have a great time. Game is powered on Serious Engine 3.5, successor to the Serious Engine 3, which was the engine for Serious Sam HD games. It's not Crysis, but game still looks good. Not great, but good. Models are pretty well done, same as animations. Only a few of them are just awfull (like third person ones). The environment is really well done, we can destroy a lot of things as usual! The best part of engine is what allows me to fight 200 enemies at once without freezing. That doesn't means that game can't drop FPSs, but developers are fixing performance in patches. Game sounds as it should like. We got some old sounds, like kamikaze scream, or same Sam's voice (which is GREAT!). Music is not so addictive as it was and I remember only a couple of tracks during maps. We also got a couple of new... you know.... "WWAAAAR!" tracks. These are really cool. To the finish... Serious Sam 3 is good game. It' not the best game of the year, but it's a great successor to the Serious Sam 2, and other titles from series. It's not yet polished, but still good. NO COVER, ALL MEN!… Expand
  14. Kela-Appi
    Dec 31, 2011
    7
    A bloody good game. "Some cover, some man" would have been a better tag line though. But still, this flushes out the shame brought by SS2. Go Croatia, go Croteam.
  15. mAs7eRa
    Dec 27, 2012
    2
    I just can't believe how can such a game be ruined like that. First of all, I'll start with the graphics. I really like them! That's something that made me really want to play this game. I was with the thought "Imagine the old SS, but with such amazing graphics, would be insane". But no, that's the only good thing about the game. The old SS were fun, with great variety of levels amount andI just can't believe how can such a game be ruined like that. First of all, I'll start with the graphics. I really like them! That's something that made me really want to play this game. I was with the thought "Imagine the old SS, but with such amazing graphics, would be insane". But no, that's the only good thing about the game. The old SS were fun, with great variety of levels amount and design. The new game is just pathetic. It starts for a short time at a city, has a bit of cave levels and ends in the desert. Before you had jungles, Egypt levels, you had puzzles, you had secret levels with islands and so on. This game is just TOO SHORT and boring. It reminds you a bit of the old one, it has better graphics, but the gameplay can be compared to 40% of the old one's. It has great potential, but bad investment. It feels like the developers didn't put enough time/effort on it (or mainly on the level + enemy AI). To be honest, the first time I was playing this game, the moment where I got really excited was at the last level! AT THE END! I remember my thoughts "Ah, they put a jetpack, this game is gonna get really interesting and a bit different", I finally started to enjoy it. And then, for my disappointment I realized that I was playing the last level. Yes if you want to complete the levels at 100% it will take you some time(some levels around an hour), but the levels are FEW. It is even possible to run through the levels, kill 60% of the monsters and finish the game. Maybe it is just me, but I am hugely disappointed. I expected much more, and I am really happy that I did not buy the game at full price. In my opinion, if you get it, definitely buy it with a promotion. No wonder steam is giving 85% discount for it at the winter sales! I really hope they will put more effort in SS4 if there is such, because the game really has potential, but is not a complete product.… Expand
  16. Orctownorc
    Aug 24, 2013
    7
    I think this was what Gearbox was aiming for when they made their cruddy Duke Nukem game. This game really is simply FUN. You have to run and gun, cos if you stand still you get hit. And that simple mechanism in itself is liberating. To hell with tactical thinking and perfectionism! Fight! It doesn't hurt that some of the enemies are HILARIOUS! In the first battle there is an amazingI think this was what Gearbox was aiming for when they made their cruddy Duke Nukem game. This game really is simply FUN. You have to run and gun, cos if you stand still you get hit. And that simple mechanism in itself is liberating. To hell with tactical thinking and perfectionism! Fight! It doesn't hurt that some of the enemies are HILARIOUS! In the first battle there is an amazing moment where the SS character mocks the screaming of a suicide bomber and then about 100 avenging suicide bombers all can be heard coming in a huge wave over the hill. The humor in these moments is pitch perfect. Sadly the game doesn't really have the legs to outdo itself and lacks in longetivity, but certainly worth a playthrough or two...

    THE GROT REVIEW CRITERIA: After a long time writing reviews like an anus, think its time to set a few bad habits straight: Stop insulting designers. Show some respect for the design process and getting games in circulation. Hence (1) No Red scores. (2) Game scores as follows: Bad Game 5/10. Poor Game 6/10. Mediocre Game: 7/10. Good Game 8/10. Great game 9/10. Stella Game 10/10. To get 10/10 it must be a game that can be (theoretically) play-able for 1000+ hours. Not only great but near endless fun. Games may be bad or poor but making them should earn respect. Thus even the worst POS will still be a 5/10. 0/10 no longer exists in my vocabulary. Yellow is the new red. For the sake of accountability: you can reply if needed: Orctowngrot: Tim Rawlins: timtimjp@yahoo.com    … Expand
  17. Speed4Runs
    Mar 6, 2013
    7
    Serious Sam 3: BFE is an awesome game. Personally, this is my favourite game of the last years.
    Now, let's get into the review. Serious Sam 3 brings out FPS arena mechanics (such as fast gameplay and a lot of weapons) and tactic FPS mechanics (such as aiming and reload) and merges them into a fully and solid gameplay. In fact, this way allows the game to be liked by any FPS player    Serious Sam 3: BFE is an awesome game. Personally, this is my favourite game of the last years.
    Now, let's get into the review. Serious Sam 3 brings out FPS arena mechanics (such as fast gameplay and a lot of weapons) and tactic FPS mechanics (such as aiming and reload) and merges them into a fully and solid gameplay. In fact, this way allows the game to be liked by any FPS player (although 85% of the gameplay is arena-style). The single-player features a lot of enemies and very hard/adrenaline moments, all mixed with extremely cool metal music and appropriate environmental music themes. Finally, this is the game that features a solid plot, although not so deep, but which still contains some twists and, of course, Serious Sam's "epic" dialogues. The game is moddable and people can make extra contents such as extra missions and maps, multiplayer included. By the way, the multiplayer is just like the SS:HD remakes, which is cool. This makes the longevity very good. Graphically, the game is very good. The maps are very well structured and detailed, and there are a lot of excellent particles effects (for example, when you make dust, you see shadows which get filtered by it). Even the performance is good, infact, this is the only game that allowed me to play good graphics with full stable 30+ FPS. This is probably the only very good game that came out these years, I'm very happy with it. Technique (Avg{Graphics, performance}): 6+ (6.25); GamePlay: 7- (6.75); Plot: 6; Longevity: 6½ (6.5); Audio: 7. Avg: 6½. Bonus "innovative gameplay" (+0.5 (=7)). Rank: 7. Super!    … Expand
  18. Gamer147
    Jun 15, 2013
    5
    The game had the potential to surpass Serious Sam 1, yet, I found the main drawback was the poor attempt at a larger map, more secrets and most horribly, puzzles. THIS GAME HAD TOO MUCH WALKING, I DID NOT BUY IT TO WALK FOR 5 HOURS.

    PLEASE, developers, if you're reading this, don't make Serious Sam 4 as confusing, I ended up walking for atleast 20 minutes on some occasions in 3. LESS    The game had the potential to surpass Serious Sam 1, yet, I found the main drawback was the poor attempt at a larger map, more secrets and most horribly, puzzles. THIS GAME HAD TOO MUCH WALKING, I DID NOT BUY IT TO WALK FOR 5 HOURS.

    PLEASE, developers, if you're reading this, don't make Serious Sam 4 as confusing, I ended up walking for atleast 20 minutes on some occasions in 3. LESS WALKING, MORE ENEMIES AND MERCILESS KILLING. (And more guns, more guns never hurt)    … Expand
  19. g0ing2f4st
    Dec 4, 2013
    5
    If your a fan of the series than go for it, otherwise stay away. They say its an old school shooter and it is. It lacks all the refinement and decency that comes with most modern fps. The game has no map, radar, or objective markers making it often unclear where you are going. The enemies are lacking decent ai and either stumble around like zombies or just make a straight line for you,If your a fan of the series than go for it, otherwise stay away. They say its an old school shooter and it is. It lacks all the refinement and decency that comes with most modern fps. The game has no map, radar, or objective markers making it often unclear where you are going. The enemies are lacking decent ai and either stumble around like zombies or just make a straight line for you, often getting stuck in terrain and objects. Enemy sounds are equally terrible and extremely repetitive. Graphics are a mixed bag as some environments look nice but characters look stiff and awkward and the particle effects for explosions are just messy often making oncoming enemies impossible to see.

    Better than Duke Nukem Forever though    … Expand
  20. PrincessRose
    Jun 17, 2015
    7
    After playing all the Serious Sams and reluctantly finishing the terrible Serious Sam 2, it was great to see that Serious Sam 3 was again more serious than the cartoonyness of SS2.

    I enjoyed SS3 mostly, it had a sense of urgency and franticness, and amusing dialiogue from Sam, with hordes of enemies to kill. I liked the improved graphics. Hordes of enemies to kill especially in the    After playing all the Serious Sams and reluctantly finishing the terrible Serious Sam 2, it was great to see that Serious Sam 3 was again more serious than the cartoonyness of SS2.

    I enjoyed SS3 mostly, it had a sense of urgency and franticness, and amusing dialiogue from Sam, with hordes of enemies to kill.

    I liked the improved graphics.
    Hordes of enemies to kill especially in the 2nd half of the game you get insane amounts thrown at you.
    Sams Humorous dialogue, which made me laugh or at least amuse me most of the time.
    Like that you can melee enemies and rip out their eyes, hearts and can use them as a weapon against other enemies.

    I dislike that it can feel very repetitive and tiresome, especially the last level, it just dragged on and on.
    It's easy to get lost and confused on lvls, I had to replay lvls just so I could beat it in half the time.

    Overall I had fun and enjoyed playing this game.    … Expand
  21. lurky
    Oct 15, 2015
    10
    Good game, interesting storyline, pure fun instead of the boring process nowadays called "gameplay", many secrets spread across all the levels, serious firepower, amazing soundtrack, good graphics (particles in the air adds a bunch of atmosphere of ancient Egypt, detailed monsters, tons of!, realistic water and atmospheric effects, featuring properly using of parallax, but very bad lookingGood game, interesting storyline, pure fun instead of the boring process nowadays called "gameplay", many secrets spread across all the levels, serious firepower, amazing soundtrack, good graphics (particles in the air adds a bunch of atmosphere of ancient Egypt, detailed monsters, tons of!, realistic water and atmospheric effects, featuring properly using of parallax, but very bad looking faces, no SSS, but it's negligible over the other pros and fully compensated by the fun of playing this non-stop action) Along constantly repeating giveaways by discount cost it's definitely recommended to buy for everyone loves good old-school shooters… Expand
  22. Captain_Chaos
    Jun 22, 2016
    9
    2/13/2012: There's not a whole lot I can say about Sam 3 except to berate you for not buying it already. Sam was the heir apparent to the throne of FPS Action left vacant by The King for so many years. Even now, Sam's games boast something Duke's (and indeed anybody else's) do not- ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥s of enemies on screen at once. If there is but one man that meets the definition of one-man-army, it2/13/2012: There's not a whole lot I can say about Sam 3 except to berate you for not buying it already. Sam was the heir apparent to the throne of FPS Action left vacant by The King for so many years. Even now, Sam's games boast something Duke's (and indeed anybody else's) do not- ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥s of enemies on screen at once. If there is but one man that meets the definition of one-man-army, it is "Serious" Sam Stone. On the whole, the Sam games deliver frantic action with lots of enemies, lots of bullets, and lots of one-liners, and BFE is no exception. The game starts off slow, throwing iron sight aiming, sprinting and manual reloading your way, tricking you into thinking you're playing yet another modern-durrfare terrorist-shooting game. But, surprise, ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥! Suddenly you've got a rocket launcher that can spit out 50 rockets without ever letting go of the trigger and you're fighting a massive army of butt-ugly aliens like you've never seen before. Welcome back to the glory days, my friends.… Expand
  23. Izoeros
    Jun 19, 2022
    5
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  24. murut87
    Jan 10, 2012
    7
    I think this game was good but its like they slapped HD and change to 3.But anyway,this game was brutally fun.The graphics are better than SSHD series and the multiplayer is extremely fun to play.
  25. Longshanks1979
    Aug 6, 2012
    10
    It ain't the most complicated and nuanced game ever created that's for sure. Nevertheless you can sum up Serious Sam III in one word. FUN. Many games can be clever, engrossing and have amazing attention to detail but they aren't exactly fun. Sam on the other hand, delivers fun by the bucketload! Play it.
  26. Exorio
    Dec 17, 2011
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I was expecting more of a Serious Sam HD kind of overhaul/remake, which keeps everything in tact. But unfortunately SSHD kept literally EVERYTHING in tact, including the levels and all gameplay elements. It is fun and quite exciting to see the classics in '00 getting graphic overhaul.

    SS3 BFE however, added unnecessary things like reloading weapons, sprinting and iron sights. Why? CoD I guess. SS games wouldn't need any of those, and it just added more frustrations than fun. Imagine huge mob of beheaded kamikaze running towards you, then you're out of shotgun bullets. That's "cheap difficulty" for me, and certainly... not fun. Also iron sights? Older SS didn't need any of those, why adding such thing? Sprinting... ew.

    If we wanted those things, we would've played CoD instead. But SS is SS. And its root are unique, therefore it should've try to keep the elements that makes the game unique, keep unique... a straighforward, huge amount of endless monsters-massacre.

    I think what would've made SS BFE much more "proper" sequel is better graphic (check. BFE is beautiful), more consistent enemy themes (more jumbled and mess in this one), better, tighter pacing (the game is kinda boring at start, without any weapons in your hands, just the sledgehammer, then it suddenly throws in the numerous giant scorpions in your face), also much more "balanced" and well-thought/designed weapons (serious cannon & serious bomb?)

    Also, BFE unfortunately took a more "realistic" approach to its visuals. It's not bad, but the way previous SS was very videogame-ish, with sprinkles covering the floating power-ups, etc, things like that. Again, if we wanted realism we would've fetched another "realism wannabe" FPS.

    I never fancied on jokes in SS, they all lame. And the story? Meh. SS never needed any proper stories. Animations in this game is kinda unpolished, visibile only in the cutscenes tho (which is not really a critical element of SS), in game, I never noticed any bad quality of the animations, since I'm busy doing killing the monsters.

    Nevertheless, the game is brutal, featuring very satisfying gore, tons of enemies and those "oh sh1t" moments.

    And multiplayer? Oh boy! SS Deathmatch really shines here, unlike those CoD team deathmatches. It's like Quake in modern era, but FAAAAARR better than quake. Think of it as Quake Deathmatch with steroids. Seriously, people should try this game's MP rather than the same old, same old MW3 deathmatches.

    Final words : Best $40 I've ever spent. Buy this game, stop feeding A*tivision and E*, they got tons of cash from Co* and B* fanbois already. And don't you think you deserve something more awesome than those military sim/realism wannabees?

    Croteam deserve the credit for such awesome game. So. GET. THIS. GAME... ASAP.    … Expand
  27. MrJingles
    Jul 16, 2012
    10
    This game is a refreshing break from the scripted linear narrow corridor modern FPSes. The levels are huge and labyrinthic; the monsters plentiful and varied -- each with a weakness towards a specific weapon, allowing you to strategically swap weapons for the most optimal attack.

    The game options are in-depth, especially the graphics options. This is most definitely not a lame    This game is a refreshing break from the scripted linear narrow corridor modern FPSes. The levels are huge and labyrinthic; the monsters plentiful and varied -- each with a weakness towards a specific weapon, allowing you to strategically swap weapons for the most optimal attack.

    The game options are in-depth, especially the graphics options. This is most definitely not a lame console-port as is common with today's big-publisher rushed copypasta. Definitely worth getting in the Steam Summer Sale! Grab this if you haven't yet. This game is not for newbies who want a rails shooter to hand-hold them throughout, which is what the official critics seem to need.    … Expand
  28. Arkveveen
    Jan 17, 2012
    8
    A perfect case for why critics are stupid and completely miss the point when it comes to some games. Are most of these critics young people or are too old? Or do they not remember playing Serious Sam? Are they even aware of the numerous complaints about the problem with modern shooters these days (although I love Battlefield 3 and plenty of other shooters these days)? If a game that soA perfect case for why critics are stupid and completely miss the point when it comes to some games. Are most of these critics young people or are too old? Or do they not remember playing Serious Sam? Are they even aware of the numerous complaints about the problem with modern shooters these days (although I love Battlefield 3 and plenty of other shooters these days)? If a game that so much RESEMBLES a classic shooter comes out, they have to make up problems to nitpick in their silly reviews. Now, let's talk about the game, as I am not reviewing the REVIEWERS here. Serious Sam 3 is... a completely awesome game with lush graphics, jaw dropping moments, and seriously awesome seriously serious battles. It paces itself just right too, giving you room to breathe right before a huge battle pops up suddenly! This game in a nutshell is all of our classic gaming sensibilities done just right for the modern market! Reloading helps to give combat more intensity, and forces you to switch weapons on the fly. Health powerups like medkits are often scarce, opting for an abundance of +1 health stimpacks instead. Better gore helps to make each fight seriously more seriously fun than ever before. Seriously seriously!! Okay enough with the "seriously" jokes. The only major problem is, once again, a lack of real optimization for PC despite what Croteam says. The game's performance is VERY erratic for many gamers, with little or no explanation for why it runs poorly by the developers themselves. They say it runs "well" for them, but they don't understand that not all of us have fancy processors or PCs. Silly Croteam. RAGE and Battlefield 3 look better but run very well for me, which says a lot about Serious Sam 3 in terms of the performance. However, that's the only real issue I have. Other minor complaints are somewhat repetitive area designs, reused sound effects clearly from the glory days of classic Serious Sam, and incrediblly hard to find secret areas. Everything else, however, is perfectly fine and worth every penny in your pocket! Now go play Serious Sam 3, and gib some baddies!… Expand
  29. BoTheMastaOfAll
    Aug 20, 2013
    9
    Holy effecient engine. Great graphics and the game runs smooth as well. There can literally be 100 enemies on screen and I don't even notice a dent in the performance. Now about the that matters...

    Guns are fun as hell, enemies are fun as hell. Shooting is fluid and fast and awesome. No health regen? Just the way I like it. This game is basically what Duke Nukem Forever should have    Holy effecient engine. Great graphics and the game runs smooth as well. There can literally be 100 enemies on screen and I don't even notice a dent in the performance. Now about the that matters...

    Guns are fun as hell, enemies are fun as hell. Shooting is fluid and fast and awesome. No health regen? Just the way I like it. This game is basically what Duke Nukem Forever should have been. You can carry all your guns at once, and the focus is definately on killing everything. It's difficulty settings are actually accurate as well. Normal is actually a little challenging, while the harder difficulties warrant bringing a friend in. Mental stands out as well. All enemies are invis? AWESOME!

    Buy this game. Encourage the making of games like this.    … Expand
  30. vahn
    Jun 19, 2012
    10
    This game is awesome, and there are many reasons. The game takes what worked in the previous 2 games, amplified, fixed and in addition added different situations and "bit" more emphasis on the "adventure" part. Translation: we even get a bit of plot! First of all, the weapons: there are many and, unlike what I saw in the previous games, now most of the weapons are actually very different:This game is awesome, and there are many reasons. The game takes what worked in the previous 2 games, amplified, fixed and in addition added different situations and "bit" more emphasis on the "adventure" part. Translation: we even get a bit of plot! First of all, the weapons: there are many and, unlike what I saw in the previous games, now most of the weapons are actually very different: the best example to me was the rifle (with 40 rounds magazine) and the minigun (no recharging), since they were basically the same thing before (they even used the same ammunition), but now they have different ammunitions and just work differently. Even the melee weapons (the sledge hammer) is a good tactical weapon now! So in this regard, the weapons are extremely good, varied, and add more tactical situations. Next is the gameplay, which I was surprised: I noticed many type of situations and not just linear levels like the previous ones. Yes, it's still linear, but I liked how they tried to change the areas by adding few details (like avoiding chainguns, collecting items, and escaping from a "flying" enemy. And yes, there were similar zones in the previous games too, but in here I found it more varied. Again. Third point, is the enemies: Wow, I liked how many are kinda fresh (like the Khnum), and how can you kill some of them: you can kill them in many ways and, strangely, other tactics will actually work! Seeing Kleers coming? Grab the hammer and smack their bones! The rocketeer is wasting tons of your rockets? Weaken him and grab his head! Those bulls are giving you a hard time? Use the mutilator and cut their heads off! Those giants red mechs are so annoying...attach a C4 on their body and goodbye problems! While in the predecessors the killing was basically the same, with rare exceptions, in here any tactic can almost work! That's, again, variation! With all of this said, I have mainly 3 big flaws on this game that, unfortunately, it's present from the previous games too: the gameplay is varied, yes, but the levels aren't: the theme is the same. FOR THE ENTIRE GAME. I understand this game is connected to egypt (I bet it's because of the plot, but I never followed the entire plot of the series), but I really couldn't stand how the levels were basically on the same setting: pyramids, egyptian ruins, egyptian streets, ruins of egyptians civilisation...It's probably unfair, yes, but I'd loved more variation on the setting, instead of the same egyptian theme. Also, even though I mentioned a plot, I...kinda didn't get it properly and so...my guess is that the plot is barely noticeable? Still it's good though, since the other games almost had no story...I think? And for the third flaw, the online is barely good. I don't care much about online gaming if the single player is fun (which it is), but I barely find people playing online and that's sad because it's always a good way to spend some time, eventually. With that said, this game is still awesome: to me this is how new generation shooters should be: fun to play, varied, with some weird and ironic dialogues and have a good combination of old and new school fps. In other words, this is how a FPS should change!… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

29
#29 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
38
#38 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 53 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 53
  2. Mixed: 26 out of 53
  3. Negative: 0 out of 53
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Mar 13, 2012
    82
    This game is the opposite of modern FPS. Enemies attack in hordes and the levels are labyrinths. Serious Sam 3: BFE is a game from 90's made with the tools of the 21st century. [March 2012]
  2. Worth Playing
    Mar 3, 2012
    70
    Serious Sam 3: BFE is a game worth checking out, especially if you were a fan of old iD Software titles like Doom or Wolfenstein, or the even the Serious Sam series itself. If you're a gamer who's only played modern FPS titles, you'd still do well to see what Serious Sam 3 has to offer. It's more unique nowadays, and it's polished just enough to be an enjoyable experience.
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  3. PC Master (Greece)
    Mar 1, 2012
    85
    A worthy descendant of the original Serious Sam titles, it's a FPS that deviates from the standards of today's games: its difficulty level is high, it challenges your reflexes, it's utterly addictive and it's honest, as it delivers on what it promises. [February 2012]
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