SWAT 4 is HOT.
That should be all there is to say, but obviously my editor won’t let me get away with that. First, I’d like to say it has been a real pleasure to first preview and now review SWAT 4. The differences between the preview code I received and this retail copy were incredibly slight. That is how rock solid a code base SWAT 4 has. Truly outstanding work.
Now, let’s hit it! S.W.A.T. is an acronym for Special Weapons And Tactics, an elite section of law enforcement personnel that handle the most extreme situations. From serving high risk search warrants to hostage rescue situations, these urban warriors are highly trained and motivated to handle just about anything that comes their way. The world over, SWAT is synonymous with high pressure, high risk, life saving missions. Yes folks, SWAT is first and foremost a life saving organization and this too is a tenet held closely by all SWAT teams worldwide. While it is true that SWAT will take lives when necessary, they will always try to apprehend first and kill only when absolutely necessary. I simply cannot stress how important it is to remember this when playing SWAT 4.
The first thing to stand out for me was the plot of SWAT 4. There simply isn’t one. Irrational must have realized early on that attempting to fabricate some flimsy storyline would only deter from the focus of the game. Through the Career mode, players can experience all that is SWAT by guiding the career of a young SWAT officer who has been recently transferred into the department. As the team leader, also known as Gold Leader, you are burdened with the ultimate responsibility of protecting life, limb and property on each and every mission. Yes, that includes civilians and perps.
Those responsibilities start with the loadout. As the team leader you get to analyze whatever intel might be provided for each mission. In some cases this might be a highly detailed floorplan provided by the owners of the building. Other times it might be a hastily drawn map on a cocktail napkin by a…less than enthusiastic informant. Yes, you can equip everyone in the squad with suppressed 9mm submachine guns or massive riot shotguns. But that isn’t always what you need, in fact I would lay money that it is never what you need. What is most often needed is to equip either the blue team as primary non-lethal and the red team as lethals or vice versa. This has been most effective for me. As the Gold Leader you get to choose what tactics to use and when to use them. The blue and red teams are just two man teams under your command. They follow your orders.
Which brings us up to tactics. Tactics, Tactics, Tactics. This is what it’s all about. More than in any other game I have played, Tactics account for everything in SWAT 4. In the Career mode they are absolutely critical. You see, lethal apprehension of a suspect might be acceptable, but it is not rewarded. You might be able to get away with sloppy tactics that cost you the life of one team member, but you won’t be rewarded for it. And if some nutter decides to redecorate in brain matter grey courtesy of a civilian hostage, I and guarantee you are no-go. Use your mirrors to scout corners, use the optiwand when you can, use your gas, use your stinger, use your bangers. Stop, keep cool, think.
Bring on the multiplayer action! First rule when playing multiplayer SWAT 4, people are idiots. Good luck finding a single team member who has a clue about tactics, when to use grenades or even a simple cover formation. Unfortunately the multiplayer mode left me very sour. It was no different than playing with any other gaggle of stooges in CounterStrike. That’s not to say that Irrational Games didn’t make the effort. They certainly help up their end. The maps are excellent with greatly designed architecture of multiple stories, blind corners, switchback stairs, the works. The problem isn’t the game, the problem is the people. This very night in fact, the first six games I connected to had one punk or another camping on the spawn point just waiting for newbies to drop in. I would be that upset except these nimrods were on my team! Yes, that happened six times in six different games. What a pathetic way to ruin an otherwise excellent feature.
Finally, I would like to reiterate my statement from the preview that this is not a game for children. The violence isn’t particularly bloody or excessive, but it is realistically graphic and violent with quite a few “colorful metaphors” thrown into the dialog. When you shoot a person, whether a suspect or a civilian (and yes a fellow officer), there will be a spray of blood and the body will drop limply to the floor. They may even scream in agony and writhe around for a bit. It’s fairly low key, but disturbing in it’s realism.
Overall I would have to say that I really enjoyed this title and would recommend it to anyone, not just fans of shooters or squad based shooters. The graphics are top notch, the sounds and vocals are excellent. Mission planning, weapon details, multiplayer scenarios, everything is just rock solid.
