Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter Xbox 360
User Score
8.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 26 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 26
  3. Negative: 2 out of 26

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  1. JoeyM
    Jan 20, 2010
    10
    People are taking this game way too seriously with respects to high end realism and fancy graphics. This is a classic FPS game that is meant to be played with over the top action, gore, and little to no thinking involved. This game is great for those who need a break from the stresses of COD and other realistic shooters. Great game at a great cost. Did I mention your friends can get in on the action with you with 4 player co-op?… Expand
  2. Dan
    Jan 19, 2010
    10
    This game is a pure joy to play. If you've played the original back in 2001 there's nothing new to be found here but damn is it fun. The graphics are beautifully updated and the addition of ragdoll physics make the gameplay much more entertaining. Who doesn't want to kill thousands of enemies in brief amounts of time with awesome weapons? If you like more "serious" shooters, stay clear of serious sam, but if you're looking for an old school shooter quality and charm game look no further than serious sam HD. An awesome remake.… Expand
  3. rolfo
    Jan 21, 2010
    10
    Who needs Borderlands? Play this online with 4 friends and you will have a blast! Even single player totaly rocks! Beutifull with great sound this is one of the best arcade games yet! Worth every mp! Had it included Second encounter I would gladly had paid full retail price!
  4. AlexP
    Jan 17, 2010
    10
    A perfect remake. Visual: 10/10 -- Graphics that easily beat full-priced titles such as Red Faction, Lego Star Wars, Frontlines: Fuel of War, and The Outfit. For $15. There are effect you will only see in this game, such as the shadow of a palm tree being held in the dust as it settles in the air. Pools of blood from settled corpses. Enemies being blow apart in variant, gratuitously violent fashion. Rag doll effects as you destroy enemies everywhere. Hi resolution textures as can only be done on a low polygon world. Waterfall vistas... Sound: 9/10 -- Active switching from ambient music to action music? Check. Perfect sounds for all guns? Check. Satisfying grunts of pain from your slaughtered enemies? Check. Gameplay: 10/10 -- A pure action shooter at heart, making no disguises, and no compromises. While it introduces itself as a seemingly brainless shooter, wide variety of enemies all require different tactics. Health is limited, no waiting for a few seconds to get to full health, how you do in this battle will be important for how you do in the next one. The intensity never lets up, and that is what divides in from all the more forgiving 360 games, it actually couldn't be played on Serious on Xbox Live by a 10 year old. Multiplayer: 10/10 -- As good as it is in single player, this game is built to take coop on to you customized liking. Want tougher enemies that will need teamwork to bring down? Do it. Want to play on the hardest difficulty setting with limited lives and unlimited ammunition? Go ahead. It's up to you. No "me-too" deathmatch options here, this Seriously isn't what this game is about. Final verdict: Better graphics than many off-the-shelf titles, great sound, incredible single player fun that you can invite your friends to. If you like Left for Dead, you will love Serious Sam, and by the way, SS has a campaign of 12 hours, not 3 and half.… Expand
  5. ColmM
    Jan 13, 2010
    10
    The best throwback of a throwback game ive ever played. But in all "Seriousness" this game is great forget perks cover systems etc this game reminds us of what was lost a few years back a game about pure fun that is actually fun and doesnt just stand on the title of fun as a point of view or in theory. Its the most refreshing fps experience since realism invaded and conquered the PC and console market with its high budget fist. This and Call of Duty make for a wonderful gaming pair. Loose a few cod rounds let some serious steam off with Serious Sam HD worth every penny (did I mention its cheap?)… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
69 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 33 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 33
  3. Negative: 0 out of 33
  1. 1UP
    75
    This is a bargain-priced re-release of an older title. Did you always want to play the original, but forgot where you put the disc? Grab this puppy off Steam or XBox Live and have yourself a grand ol' time. But if you are into realism, refinement, cohesive plot structure, and/or crates, go blow your hard-earned cash on some pansy, frou frou FPS and quit wasting my time.
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  2. GamingExcellence
    80
    If you're a gamer who finds that modern FPS are too easy and want a challenge pick up Serious Sam HD. Mixing challenging encounters with interesting boss fights you really can't go wrong.
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  3. VideoGamer
    70
    For nostalgia alone, die-hard fans will get a lot out of this HD remake, but gamers who have been spoilt by current genre favourites may well find Serious Sam HD a bit too simple for its own good.
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