This spoiler-free review is written from the perspective of a devoted Serious Sam fan who waited the full 9 years for this. The game is completed on Normal difficulty with a laptop that's exactly the minimum specs listed (i5 8300H & GTX 1050 3GB VRAM) on Low settings. The gameplay is easily the best in the entire series for me. In fact, SS4 is my favorite among all the FPS released this year. The pacing is rather well-done, no combat or environment section overstays their welcome. It's easier compared to past games but that's because there's less bullshit now so things are more fair. There is a much wider variety of environments this time too. It did a great job capturing the essence of the European locations it depicts. While some things can look blocky at times, I know that it had to be this way in order to run smoothly. Arcade FPS with realistic graphics are hard to come by and this is easily the best of the bunch. Story-wise, it has the best writing in the entire series. The writers finally found the right tone for the series, where it's serious but funny at times without banking too hard into ridiculous silliness. It's more cohesive and interesting now. Nothing is perfect though. In terms of flaws, I’d say some parts of the game felt rushed & could’ve used more time. Frame rate is choppy even on Low settings for a 2014-looking game. I’m also not fond of how certain game & plot elements were handled, but it's things only serious nerds care about. It may sound like I'm nitpicking & biased because I had too many expectations for the game after 9 long years of wait, but it's really not. It is knowing how close this game is to being perfect, yet falling this short near the end; that is what hurts the most. VERDICT: Whether you're a newcomer to the series, a first-person shootist looking for new thrills, or a returning Serious fan, you won’t regret spending money on SS4. Might want to wait for a sale if you don’t have the recommended specs listed though.
Soldier of Fortune 2 is a game made during the awkward new era of FPS where they try to be more realistic and tactical. This usually means slower-paced gameplay, a more serious story, realistic guns with realistic handling, and more hitscan-based enemies. For those uninformed, enemies in FPS are usually in one of these three categories: Hitscan is where they shoot lines that connect instantaneously to its target, Projectile is where they are physical entities that travel through the air to reach its target, and Melee where its just hitscan but only connects at extremely close range. Most of these new era military shooter games only feature hitscan enemies with the occasional grenade-throwing or rocket-launching projectile enemies, and games like Half-Life 2 and FEAR balanced them well by having the enemies react slower, deal less damage, and being more inaccurate. SoF 2 is not one of these games. In SoF2, enemies deal a shitload of damage with high precision. This is normally not a problem since you'll just have to adapt to the style of gameplay, but the game features a section in Cambodia early on where you'll have to go through a dense jungle with enemies blending in with the environment but they can shred you within seconds before you even realize they're there because they can see through tall grass than you can't see through. Thankfully, the game features a wide variety of environments such as airports and hospitals and Hong Kong where the game becomes slightly more manageable. Unfortunately, the game does not have multiplayer bots so your fun ends once you beat the campaign. However, there's a cool "Mission Generator" mode that randomly generates a terrain filled with enemies and you have an objective to clear in it. Buy it only for the story and experience.
Soldier of Fortune is one the final games in the "attitude era" of FPS games where the action is just as bombastic as its comic book-style storyline. The singleplayer campaign takes you on a globe-trotting adventure from urban New York to Siberian military bases to Iraqi towns and have you fight enemy soldiers with weapons that range from the usual SMGs and Rocket Launchers to fictional weaponry like a Slugthrower. The enemy factions you'll face consist of thugs in New York to European terrorists and the Iraqi army among others, but they all function the same in that they mostly use the same weapons you do which are mostly hitscan. You'll be joined by allies such as the NYPD from time to time but they're expendable. The game is just challenging enough to keep you on your toes but not easy enough that you can just rush through it. It's hard to avoid damage because of hitscan enemies but the game provides just enough armor and health to let you push through if you can slide in and out of cover fast enough while dispatching enemies. The GHOUL system allows you to dismember enemies and see them scream for their missing limbs, although only a few weapons such as the shotgun can trigger the dismemberment system. However, the fun does not end once you beat the story mode. Soldier of Fortune in its Platinum Edition contains multiplayer bots that are just competent enough for you to have fun in its multiplayer modes if you are alone and friendless. Games with great singleplayer and multiplayer modes that features bots don't come easy these days, so Soldier of Fortune gets a full 5 stars for being such a complete package of fun.
It has quite the unique setting, mixing dark fantasy and futuristic urban action. You can already tell the game is gonna be something just from the first level. The weapons aren't anything special, but the game features a magic system like the one in Jedi Knight. Such powers include shooting lightning from your hands and turning enemies into salt. You're going to die a lot. The game pulls no punches in throwing bullshit hitscan enemies at you. Sometimes switching weapons take a while so you'd be fucked if you're in a firefight. The level design isn't anything spectacular, but it should enough to keep you interested in the game. Overall, it's got a lot of potential, but it falls short of expectations.
This thing is finally on GOG, don't miss it! It is one of those obscure-yet-actually-good FPS. It's your everyday shooter; start, get keys, kill everything that stands in your way and get to the end point. Don't forget to save! Why should you buy the game? First of all, the story is much more than a simple comic book plot; in fact, it's got even more plot than Half-Life. You are this hardcore guy, and along with your witty sidekick you must battle your way through the city of Freeport to stop the drug menace. It's full of humor too! The voice acting in the game fits the comic book tone of the game and provide entertaining conversations between the characters. Some levels have multiple branching path that may lead to a different level while some may start you off at a different point in the next level. You have all sorts of weapons at your disposal including but not limited to a shotgun, machine gun and a heavy weapon. The enemies in this game are pretty challenging despite the supposedly simple 1998 A.I. The music in the game is calm when you're required to infiltrate but fast-paced when you need to kill 'em all. The levels take place at various parts of the big city. The only thing that sucks about this game is that it's unfortunately buggy; the result of rushing the game to compete with Half-Life. All in all, buy it. It's a SiN not to play this. You are guaranteed with at least 10 hours of sinful first-person shooting action; an experienced not to be missed!
