Serious Sam 4 Reviews

Synopsis:

-Serious Sam 4 is a stereotypical, alien invasion, 1st person shooter. You play as Sam Stone, a member of the Earth Defense Force, devoted to eradicating the alien horde.
-I have never played any of the other Serious Sam games, but I understand that Serious Sam 4 is a prequel to the entire series, so not a bad place to start.
-You have a vast array of weapons at your disposal, collecting them as you go along.
-The story itself is basic, and corny at times, but I think it works perfectly with how over-the-top the game is in general.

Pros:

-There is a 3rd person camera option if you prefer it to 1st person.
-Tourist difficulty, infinite ammo, and auto aim all make this a really easy completion. I didn’t know about the latter two before my first playthrough. I only learned about the menu options before starting the game for a second time on PC.

Cons:

-When switching weapons, the software often glitches, not allowing you to use the right stick for a few seconds, making it impossible to aim.
-I also noticed while using the weapon wheel, that the weapon you’re switching from would inadvertently fire an extra round. Not a huge deal, especially if you’re running infinite ammo, but still very much glitched.

Analysis:

-Storyline is cliched
-Gameplay is basic
-Mechanics are average
-Graphics are good
-It isn’t difficult

Is it worth it?

-Is the game worth the price? No.
-Is the game on game pass? It was, but I played it as it was leaving.
-Is the grind worth the gamerscore? Yes, and it stacks. 2 Playthroughs for 2000 GS.
-Easy completion? For the most part.
-Would I play this game if it had no achievements? Maybe for a level or two.

TBD Score: 5.88

Serious Sam 4 is a classic shooter. Shallow story, shallow characters, full of clichés but paired with a healthy pinch morbid sense of humor.
If you’re familiar with the Serious Sam Series I can tell you, that the gameplay hasn't changed in this part either. The level design is straightforward, there are exploration possibilities here and there off the track (sidequests), but you can never get lost.
As a player, you are always busy fighting hordes of monsters/aliens.
And the term "horde" is to be taken literally here. You’re fighting hundreds of enemies which can be quite entertaining! Why do I only give the game a rating of 1.5, though?
Because it currently struggles with many bugs and performance issues.
During my first test run, Serious Sam 4 froze no less than 3 times. I even had to restart the Xbox Series X.
The visual presentation is not up to date. On the Xbox Series X, Serious Sam 4 runs between estimated 25 FPS to almost 60 FPS in Graphics Mode.
The frame rate is more stable in Performance Mode, but not ideal either (I estimate a Framerate between 40 FPS and 60 FPS). Especially in the outdoor areas with an increasing number of enemies, slow downs are clearly noticeable.
This is the reason for my drastic devaluation. The game struggles with strong technical problems, which will hopefully be eradicated with a future update.

Postive aspects: I can't complain about the sound.
The background music adapts to the situation the player is in.
Those who like guitar-heavy music will be satisfied even though it doesn’t stand out compared to other games like the Doom Series.