When comparing Serious Sam HD vs Gauntlet, the Slant community recommends Gauntlet for most people. In the question“What are the best LAN party PC games?” Gauntlet is ranked 28th while Serious Sam HD is ranked 45th. The most important reason people chose Gauntlet is:
Gauntlet offers full controller support that actually works extremely well for an action RPG. This makes for a good game to play on a Steam Machine or living room gaming PC.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Beautiful game design with open landscapes
This is the remastered version of the original title. The result is beautiful, vibrant colors and stunning vistas.
Pro Fast-paced classical "shoot everything that moves" FPS
This is not a thinking man’s game. Much of the gameplay takes place in large arenas where you face waves of enemies. The objectives are simple: If it moves, you shoot it. Oh, and don’t die.
Pro Drop-in co-op at any point in the game
You can join games at any point in their progress, which cuts down on waiting time.
Pro Diverse enemies
The enemies in Serious Sam can be diverse in looks, attacks, and defense strategies, which gives the game a new tactical approach each time.
Pro Beautiful gameplay
Pro You can easily play the PC game on a sofa with the included full controller support
Gauntlet offers full controller support that actually works extremely well for an action RPG. This makes for a good game to play on a Steam Machine or living room gaming PC.
Pro Bosses offer good bit of diversity to the gameplay thanks to requiring different strategy over the base gameplay
Different bosses require different tactics to defeat them. This creates a good change of pace from the regular hack and slash gameplay as differing tactics will need to be used.
Pro Good co-op options no matter if you want to play locally or online
Gauntlet has support for local and online 4 player co-op. Making for a game that works well for small groups.
Cons
Con Can get Repetitive/Frustrating
Serious Sam's whole design has to do with taking on wave after wave of enemies as you progress through the world, with no real story. The slaughterfest can get boring and repetitive, especially in single-player. It's fairly important to bring along friends who will not only stick with you, but make light of the fact you're going to die over and over again. People who can't stand dying (aka rage-quitters) should avoid this game.
Con Very repetitive gameplay
With a few exceptions, the gameplay and strategy is the same for the entire game. There is very little progression and very few new abilities. The game also seems to gets easier rather than harder, although the new Colosseum mode adds some challenge to the end game.
Con Locked camera
The camera is locked in a single position. This creates confusion while playing in a busy area, as the camera does not stay focused on the player’s character. While a locked camera made sense in the arcade or on home consoles, where only one screen was needed, it really doesn’t make much sense for online multiplayer.
Con Can be rather difficult
The difficulty level is way too high especially when playing with kids.
Con Requires controllers with XInput
You cannot play Gauntlet with PS controllers.
Con Wizard is complicated to use
The wizard character is complicated to use. He has nine spells that can be cast using a number of hard-to-remember button combinations. This results in very few people wanting to play as the character. For online matches, this means there are quite a few three-player games as no one wants to take the role of the fourth character: the wizard.