Reviews

• gamedeal user

  Jan 19, 2022

  AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• gamedeal user

  Mar 17, 2022

  “This technology has peeled back a layer to reveal another universe. Virtual reality will grow, just as the telegraph grew to the telephone; as the radio to the TV; it will be everywhere.” ~Jobe Smith, The Lawnmower Man

  I said that before and I'll gladly say it again – like music, VR makes everything better. And here's a nice example of that. I mean, let's just admit it, Serious Sam 3 was far from being a dream game. Croteam just wasn't ready for their simple game to become such a big hit back in 2001. And clearly, they had absolutely no idea what to do with it. What the next move should be like. They tried to keep the original mood while turning gameplay into HALO-like something in Serious Sam 2? Just because everybody loved HALO back then? It didn't work. So, in Serious Sam 3 they've decided to turn it into much more serious experience that can compete with popular big names. Naturally, it didn't work either. Because yes, the irony was strong with Serious Sam 3. It was just way... you know. Serious. And not in a good way. I can't say that Serious Sam 3 was a bad game, but while trying to become like all the others, it pretty much lost everything that used to make it special (even though a couple of the final levels felt somewhat like the original game, those were not enough to save the entire thing) without being able to provide us with anything else in return. It was just that – a painfully mediocre game with literally nothing special about it. One of those that you play when you have nothing else left in your Steam library. It was like that suspicious TV dinner. The one that sits in your fridge for ages and waits for that certain moment. Like when you waste all your entire salary on collectibles and end up being in need to eat something with not enough money to buy proper food. But. Here comes VR. And it changes everything. I mean, let's just admit it – VR market is full of those tiny low budget games that fail to provide you with enough play time. Even the games that use the big names like Warhammer, Batman and Gungrave often give you, like, one hour of basic gameplay, while titles like Half-Life: Alyx are very rare. So, when there's a full-length FPS game with proper gameplay, decent length and multiplayer? It instantly gets your attention. Even when it's about something as lazy as this release. Because yes, Serious Sam 3 VR is lazy. Very lazy actually. And the fact that Croteam decided to just skip Serious Sam 2 and go from Serious Sam VR (with both of its chapters called "encounters") to Serious Sam 3 VR is a nice proof of that. I mean (like I already said), Serious Sam 2 tried to be a lot like HALO. It had different vehicles, it had somewhat complicated elements with timed events, it had pre-rendered cutscenes (ultra-crappy ones, with tons of cringeworthy Postal III-like humor, but still)... In other words, turning it into VR game would require some work. And that's exactly what Croteam tried to avoid – working. The first Sam? As long as we're not talking 'bout gravity-oriented parts from The Second Encounter, which ended up being completely removed, it was perfect for VR. It was simple, it was straightforward and it had tons of enemies for us to kill with all of those satisfying guns. And Serious Sam 3? Even though Croteam did try to play proper developers here by making proper levels (I'm pretty sure Levelord laughed really hard when he saw the result, but still, they tried), it's still perfect for VR. No extra work needed. Heck, unlike Second Encounter, it doesn't even have gravity-based traps. So... here we are. Serious Sam 3 VR. Because easy money. You can easily notice such a lazy-ass approach everywhere here. For example, the original cutscenes didn't get any special treatment. And as the result, they feel weird in VR. Very, very weird. You'll be just staying there, being like “Wait, what? Who? Where? Why?”. Just because camera will switch from one wrong angle to another and... * sigh * It's a mess. Serious mess. Nobody cared to reduce light effects too and as the result a big mass of ammo on the ground can easily blind you for a couple of seconds. Because seeing bright and shiny stuff on your monitor / TV screen and seeing them in your headset right in front of you is not... the same... thing. Don't expect Jewel of the Nile DLC here either. Even though The Second Encounter VR came with the DLC from HD remaster included for free, in Serious Sam 3 VR you can't get DLC even by paying extra. It just isn't here. Like... at all. Again, just because Croteam were lazy, while the final level of the DLC introduced Duke Nukem 3D-like jetpack, which was impossible to transfer to VR and needed to be replaced with something. Like level design and cutscene alterations. Finally, you can just forget about balance. Weapons in this version have no reload time, while teleport controls can even let you outrun your own rockets. For example, you can get to the boss in just a second and put the whole load of shotgun ammunition into him in a blink of an eye. Also, remember those nasty turrets? The ones that required some tactics to get closer to their switches and disable them? Now you can just teleport to switches and that's it. Sure, you can switch to classic controls in options, but since nobody cared to separate the estimate time challenges according to controls you choose (the Serious Run achievement is one of the easiest ones in this version)? It'll be a lot like refusing to use the most useful tool you've got. Like, you know. When you decide to play the game you like without using healing items and stuff like that. To make things much harder with no apparent reason to do that. That's how classic controls in this version feel. So... like I said, forget 'bout balance. It's not a thing anymore. Then again, let's just admit it – nobody plays VR games for balanced gameplay. People play them for... you know. Experience. And when it's about the experience? Serious Sam 3 VR does surprisingly well. Proper 360° view, headset-oriented flashlight (simple, but satisfying little detail), different controls (from classic ones to teleport ones, like I've already said above), juicy rumble feedback (kids nowadays take such stuff for granted, but since I remember the times without such stuff, I always feel good about good rumble feedback), 12 levels with up to ten hours of gameplay (if you'll use classic controls that is, since you can beat this game much faster with teleport controls), a lot of enemies to kill, etc. In other words, it's a proper FPS game. For VR. That feels totally natural. Despite the fact that it's actually a very lazy port. So, do I recommend this game for VR headset owners? Yes. Yes, I do. I mean, sure, it's not Alyx. It's a pretty lazy port of a painfully mediocre FPS, but mediocre FPS for PC and mediocre FPS for VR are not the same thing. While mediocre FPS for PC is something that doesn't really worth your attention because there are many much better things to choose from on market, when it's about VR? When it's about VR, mediocre FPS game is something to be desired. Like music, VR makes everything better and personally, despite completely broken balance, I had way, way more fun with this version of the game. Dixi.
• gamedeal user

  Nov 10, 2017

  Serious Sam 3 VR: BFE is amazing. Even though I love Serious Sam First Encounter and Second Encounter in VR, and feel that The Last Hope is an excellent rail shooter, I still felt that Doom 3 BFG VR was the crown jewel of the first person shooter VR experience. After my first hours with SS3 VR, I think it's possibly been dethroned. SS3 is polished and different and has a (slightly) more methodical play style. It's still about mowing down hordes of interesting (though prdictable) arcade-style baddies, usually in corridors and arenas, though here the environments are sometimes a bit more complex. It's the crown jewel in the crown of SS Fusion. I intended to write a positive SS3 review on the SS3 VR store page, but silly Steam doesn't know that I've played it since I play it in Fusion. Might have to leave the non-Fusion variant of the game running just to get a positive review up there. Long story short: same genre, plays a bit different, if anything higher quality. Don't miss it. Fantastic fun in VR.
• gamedeal user

  Nov 10, 2017

  I love how you can join in coop mode with non-VR players. It would be nice if other studios would do the same with classic titles.
• gamedeal user

  Nov 10, 2017

  A must have game for anyone's VR library. Heck buy the whole bundle, these are some of the best ports we have seen. It truly feels like native VR support. On my first session i played for 4 hours straight and did not want to stop. It is straight up stupid FPS fun. Serious but not so serious, get what i mean? Just buy it...It's better than 90% of all VR games to date.
• gamedeal user

  Nov 13, 2017

  A top quality VR title. It has all the locomotion and graphics options that anyone could hope for. It supports both SteamVR and Oculus SDK. It can be played in multiplayer with players on monitors and most importantly it is a full game, not some cut down 'experience' that some devs try to call games, so you get all the Serious goodness you have come to know and love from a Sam game. All in all, a must buy for VR gamers and a lesson in how to make a VR game for other devs. Totally recommended.
• gamedeal user

  Dec 2, 2017

  The earlier serious sam games didnt really appeal to me to much, but this game is awesome. Much better than the previous versions. Absolutly worth buying this rather than doom VFR.
• gamedeal user

  Dec 5, 2017

  It's amazing how much technology has progressed. Played that back in the day on flat screen, now it's available in VR. And what a glorious VR that is. You're there, in Cairo with its atmospheric blend of ancient and new, and can look all those monsters in the face! Too bad you cannot punch them in the face like in the good old days, but the good old sledgehammer will do nicely. The gameplay is buttery smooth on an i5 3570k and gtx 1070. No stuttering whatsoever. The combat is as good as back in the day, maybe even better with the inclusion of dual wielding. Sam's gritty'n'witty as ever and the monsters are even more hideous and gruesome which VR emphasises tenfold. And with a plethora of locomotion options, everyone can enjoy one of the best VR games available to us at the moment. If you liked Serious Sam back then, you simply have to buy the complete bundle (with talos principle). If you are new to the franchise, you're in for a fluid combat shooter treat. Highly recommended.
• gamedeal user

  Dec 23, 2017

  Its like Serious Sam was made for VR. You have full control of every little option when it comes to graphics. You have full control of every little option when it comes to movement both in and out of VR. Dual welding ANY weapon is amazing and really cool. The game is just Serious Sam 3 BFE but in VR... which... automatically makes it better. Room scale VR ✓ Seated VR ✓ Great visuals ✓ Great gameplay ✓ Great singleplayer, co-op and multiplayer ✓ Flatscreen and VR players can play togheter ✓ Moddable ✓ I am recommending this to any FPS fans!
• gamedeal user

  May 16, 2018

  This is the same game as Serious Sam 3, but without melee and now including dual-wielding. It isn't a seemless port yet - some of the cutscenes don't display properly, but if you normally skip those, you won't notice any problems. If you like the constant, ridculous, over-the-top action of Serious Sam and you own an HTC Vive, I can recommend it. Locomotion options include: classic - with or without the periphrial mask (this made me nauseous) teleport - instant or blink - this works well.