Serious Samhas been a series of shooter games that’s hard to ignore ever since its first game was released back in 2001. While the first two games in the series were made in a custom game engine based on the mechanics ofDoom, the franchise eventually grew and saw multiple unique interactions, including some from indie developers.
Related:Serious Sam Conversion Mod Turns Game Into Blade Runner
With a new game in the franchise currently in early access and a mod sanctioned by the developers calledSerious Sam Originson the way, there’s no better time to take a look at which games in the franchise are the best to play through today. One quick note: WhileI Hate Running Backwardshas levels where players use Sam, as it’s not strictly aSerious Samgame, we’ve left it off this list.
15Serious Sam: The Greek Encounter
Of all the indie-made Serious Sam games, The Greek Encounter is easily the worst, making it no surprise that it’s been mostly forgotten by fans. The top-down shooter only has three stages, sprite-based graphics, and a strange gun system that doesn’t allow players to switch back to previous weapons if they switch. It’s currently not available to even download or purchase legally, though not many people are looking for it anyway.
14Serious Sam: Kamikaze Attack!
Serious Sam: Kamikaze Attackis one of the goofiest games in theSerious Sam Indie Series. Yet, running around without a head and having bombs for hands can only be fun for so long. The game is rather inexpensive, which makes sense for an endless runner game, but many players found the gameplay grew stale a bit too quickly when it was released. There’s only so long a game can be fun without some variety thrown in!
13Serious Sam Advance
Some rememberSerious Sam Advanceas the worst game in the franchise as it was widely panned by critics, but it has a surprisingly high amount of good user scores across review websites. While it may not be the bestSerious Samgame itself, many players found it to be one of the best shooter games to appear on theGame Boy Advance. While there are certainlybetter Game Boy Advance exclusives, hardcore fans of the series might be able to enjoy this one for a short period of time if they can get over the console’s limitations.
12Serious Sam: The Random Encounter
The Random encounter boldly attempted to combine turn-based RPG gameplay with bullet hell mechanics to mixed results. While some were impressed by the two-man indie development team at Vlambeer for the unique combo, others found the game to be repetitive, boring, and downright monotonous. At least the game only takes a couple of hours to play through which makes it perfect for those curious enough to give it a try.
11Serious Sam Double D XXL
Another game in theSerious Sam Indie Series,Double D XXLwas also met with mixed reviews upon release. While some players adored the extreme difficulty of the game, others considered it to be no more than a reskinned Contra clone.
Related:Every Contra Game, Ranked
Its new game plus modes and challenge modes did add a lot of gameplay variety for a simpler budget game which does deserve praise. It also has the signature humor the series is known for making it worthwhile to play for most hardcore fans due to its low price.
10Serious Sam: Next Encounter
With a majority ofSerious Samgames coming out for thePCandXboxover the years, it’s easy to forget one of its spinoffs appeared on thePlayStation 2andGameCube.Next Encountercontained as many weapons as it did wacky characters — seriously, a scary clown and an Elvis impersonator are playable. Its graphics may have been a bit questionable, but its co-op and multiplayer modes were an utter blast to play. While critics felt mixed on it, gamers embracedNext Encounterwith open arms.
9Serious Sam 4
Serious Sam 4didn’t come out to rave reviewsupon release which was reasonable considering it needed a full Christmas update to help with frame rate drops. It’s possible that the game facing delays during development as well as having an exclusive deal with Stadia at the time may have contributed to programming issues. WhileSerious Sam 4had some great weaponsand the kind of ridiculous storyline fans have come to expect from the series, it was met with mixed reviews by those that played it.
8Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem
WhileSiberian Mayhemwas an expansion toSerious Sam 4, it was also a standalone game on its own that came with many improvements. The game originally began life as a mod but those creating it were hooked up with the developers at Croteam to make it into an official title. With new weapons,interesting skills, and several new levels to explore, it was considered to be a solid update that had higher quality than the original.
7Serious Sam 3: BFE
BFEmay not have brought tons of innovations to the shooter genre, but a game focused purely on decimating enemies, testing reflexes, and blasting through difficult levels was incredibly refreshing when it was released back in 2011. This unique prequel managed to have sixteen-player online play as well as a four-player co-op campaign. Plus,BFE’s unbeatable scorpion has become an anti-piracy legend. If itsJewel of the Nileexpansion is included,BFEhad tons to offer players.
6Serious Sam 2
Serious Sam 2was actually the third game in the franchise. Croteam created another brand-new game engine — Serious Engine 2 — alongside the game that was only ever used on this particular title. It allowed programmers to actually edit levels while they were still playing them, which was incredibly unique and impressive.
Related:All Games Confirmed To Be Using Unreal Engine 5 So Far
However, many critics and gamers alike considered the game to just be more of the same upon release. It had most of the same weapons and gameplay that fans of the series had come to expect, which could be a huge positive or a negative depending on who is asked.
