Serious Sam Classics: Revolution Old-school shooting, bigger and louder

You travel through Ancient Egypt, the Mayan civilization, the Persian Empire and Medieval Europe, cutting through Mental's horde on the way to his base. The settings swing from sunny desert ruins to gothic castles, and the tone stays cheerfully absurd throughout: Sam cracks one-liners while hundreds of enemies charge. On top of the originals there are additional enemies and 8 brand new campaign maps, including an epic new boss to scrap with.

The pace never slows down for cover. Enemies charge in waves, kamikaze men with bombs sprint screaming at your face, skeletons and werebulls pour in from every side, and the only sensible move is to keep moving: strafe, backpedal, jump, and pick targets while the crowd closes in. The arsenal handles it, from the Double Shotgun and Minigun to the Sniper Rifle, Cannon, Plasmagun and Minelayer. It is difficult in the old-school way, easy at the start and merciless by the end, and aiming well matters more than hiding.

Over 100 secrets are spread across the battlefields, tucked behind walls and in corners you would never check on the first pass. Beyond the campaign there is a Survival mode to test how long you last against endless waves, and leaderboards and score-based modes give the shooting a replay hook.

Multiplayer covers both sides of the coin. Co-op lets a group take on the campaigns together, with online play and local split-screen, so one couch can hold the whole firing line. When you would rather fight each other, there is classic Deathmatch and Scorematch, plus modes new to Revolution: Team Deathmatch, Capture-the-Flag and Control Zone. The horde scales up, the screen fills with explosions, and plans fall apart in the funniest ways. Fair warning: getting an online session running can take some patience, so split-screen or a friend you can call works best.