Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter Reviews

Review for Serious Sam Classic - The First Encounter: Here.
Review for Serious Sam Classic - The Second Encounter: Here.
Review For Serious Sam 2: Here.

Eight years after its release, Serious Sam: The First Encounter got a high-definition upgrade; and let me tell you, it has definitely made a difference to the entire experience. Not only to be known for visual enhancements and remodeling, another upgraded feature is the Serious 3 Level Editor, so that you can make custom levels utilizing the redesigned game engine. There's also a refreshed online multiplayer mode, and an excellent co-op mode that supports up to 16 players at any given time. It's too bad that online is dead, but if you can grab some friends then you will all be in for an amazing, classic FPS online event.

Part of the aesthetic upgrades include more blood and gore, which gives the game a much more mature, less cartoonish approach versus the classic title. The upgraded enemy models are also much more disturbing; the Biomechoids have grotesque, pulsating outer brains, the Aludran Reptiloids are a lot more muscular and ripped, and the trademark Gnaars are more refined and a lot less boxy. When the Beheaded Kamikazie guys explode, they make a huge mess with their blood, and it even splashes on the screen if they explode on you. The maps are as equally upgraded, and their new dynamic lighting makes a world of difference versus the classic edition of the game; bringing out a hundred times more depth to the scenery, leading to a much more diverse experience.

Regardless of whether you're a fan of Serious Sam, it touched your childhood gaming memories, or you're new to the series entirely, you should definitely upgrade to the HD version for Serious Sam: The First Encounter. The new textures, dynamic lighting, additional levels, gore effects, remodeled enemies, and refined audio all contribute to making a massive difference; reviving an otherwise old, tired game. Some people may experience performance issues, and to this I say disable the VSync option. With my GTX 1080 I was getting weird stuttering, even though the title was running at 60 FPS. When I disabled VSync, it ran like a dream.

Rating: 4.0/5.0 - Excellent, highly worth playing.
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