Reviewed: June 3, 2005
Reviewed by: Matt Gonzales
Publisher
Sierra
Vivendi Universal Games
Developer
Irrational Games
Released: April 5, 2005
Genre: FPS
Players: 32
ESRB: Mature
9
8
7
9
8.5
Minimum System Requirements
Recommended System
Screenshots (Click Image for Gallery)
Sierra has produced the SWAT series for wannabe tactical votaries for nigh ten years including their previous hit SWAT 3 which was the series’ first foray into the third dimension – unlike the recent SWAT movie with the ubiquitous Colin Farrell, the action version of Jude Law. Sierra has always strived to make sure their games convey the tension and authenticity of the real world SWAT team of Los Angeles where it seems such teams are needed just to get to school. And now their latest iteration is keeping up a fine tradition.
The real life SWAT team - the one started by Daryl Gates, not the one commanded by Steve Forrest in the seventies – holds themselves to the ultimate goal of never having to lose anyone’s life in any given situation. Seriously, they try their darnedest to keep themselves, hostages and even criminals from ever getting hurt if at all possible. It’s like giving guns and badges to soccer moms.
Now, with series like Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six (in its soon to be fourth edition with Lockdown), such first-person fare is largely covered and quite well I might add. But Sierra’s SWAT series is much more about that tension. In most of these types of games, there are few if any civilians to look out for, making for a very different dynamic. But more on that in a bit.
If you like the first-person style of Ghost Recon or Rainbow Six – hell, even Republic Commando – you’ll likely be interested in SWAT 4 and its take on a real-life specialized tactical police squad and all of the real-world situations they’re called upon to defuse.
It’s just a few years in the future of the City of Angels and you and a group of four of L.A.’s finest are taxed with taking the cases that regular beat cops can’t handle. Seemingly mundane activities like serving an arrest warrant for a man who’s violated parole - and is currently holed up at his mother’s house with an unknown number of possible hostages – become powder kegs requiring the talents of SWAT.
I’ve played this series since the days when it was a Police Quest spin-off in the late nineties in that classic, 2D, isometric view and I’ve always been impressed with it. Thanks to the implementation of bigger and better graphics engines for the games, it’s become more and more involving with each successive edition.
As I said before, if you’ve ever played any of the Rainbow Six games, you’re not going to be thrown off by SWAT 4’s interface. It’s about as streamlined as possible, with the usual tabs for the briefing, the equipment and officer selection, and intel maps of the location for those hardcore planners out there. It’s a nice touch that the briefings are presented in both text and audio format so that you can listen to them while you sift through the information at hand as if you were at a real briefing if not watching the opening scene of a Hill Street Blues episode.
Technically, Rainbow Six made the jump to 3D before SWAT did, so it’s kind of hard to figure out exactly who might’ve “borrowed” ideas from whom. But they both do the briefing equally well. It’s the actual gameplay itself that sets each one apart from the other. It’s all about the civvies, man.
The tension is taken to the next level when you’re carefully making your way down the back hallways of a small diner trying to keep your eye on all six of the doors around you for sudden movements. Yelling, “Put down your weapons and come out with your hands on your head!” only manages to cause a door ahead of you to slowly open as your trigger finger twitches manically. Is the dimly lit figure a cold-blooded drug dealer with an Uzi, or an unarmed, terrified fry cook surrendering? That’s the essence of SWAT 4.
As you go through mission after mission, you are rated on your performance, which has a direct effect on whether you’ll be taking the next assignment. Cap too many unarmed innocents and your poor rating will keep you pushing pencils back at the precinct. And don’t think that you can just fly through the missions either. This AI is tough, but the rating system is a lot tougher.
Thankfully, the guys in Los Angeles – unlike the soldiers of Mars – have grasped the concept of muzzle-mounted flashlights for all of your weapons, so that switching between them with a keystroke keeps you in the fray and on your toes.
All weapons are your standard tactical shooter fare, including your classic shotguns; assault rifles, pistols and other assorted breaching and incapacitating tools. I especially dig the pepper-spray paintball gun (now THAT’S a cool weapon!) and the beanbag filled shotgun for more unique takedowns. Each one functions like it should, and it adds to the immersive quality of the game to actually be able to see these individual items on each of your team’s person as you enter a given scenario. And don’t forget to use that wonderful toy, the Optiwand before entering a room – believe me, you’ll need it.
The AI in SWAT 4 does a fine job of keeping the tension high as you constantly are keeping an eye out for anyone running around in your field of vision. It’s amazing the genuine anxiety you feel every time someone pops through a door or turns a corner while you’re looking somewhere else for just a split second. It’s not like you can just open fire like you’re at an al-Qaeda mixer, you’ve got to be careful not to tag the wrong person, and even then, you have to follow the SWAT manual of engagement – as in not firing unless fired upon first, and then only to incapacitate, etc.
It’s a testament to the developers of the game that you always feel firmly entrenched in the role of a SWAT team captain. There are cameras mounted on the helmets of each officer that allow you to see what they see even when that 2 man team is on the other side of a location waiting to breach a door and clear the room.
Of course, it’s not perfect. You will undoubtedly get into situations where your team is bunched up, causing an important team member to get stuck behind you in the course of completing a given order. The AI is generally pretty smart, but it’s a little silly they can’t seem to navigate around you when necessary. Also, there’s a tendency in the course of sticking to the non-violent solution mandate for team members to be a little slow on the draw.
The enemies are pretty aggressive even for criminals and if you’re not covering your teammates (even from the back of the line where I usually was hiding) they’re likely to take a bite of a 45 caliber sandwich. Add to that the fact that NPC’s are randomly placed and things get really tense.
The graphics of the series have always been very good even in the midst of such polygonal stalwarts as Doom III or Far Cry. Each iteration manages to hold its own with a remarkable variety in simulated real-life locations such as shopping malls, Chinese restaurants, subways, and creepy Silence of the Lambs style homes replete with hidden subterranean holding pens for kidnapping victims (zoiks!). The lighting is especially impressive as you wave your gun-mounted flashlight in every roach-infested corner you come across.
Fans of Rainbow Six or Ghost Recon will no doubt say that Ubisoft’s code wizards have mastered the whole lighting thing, but I would be willing to pit Sierra’s SWAT 4 up against either one of the Tom Clancy entries with respect to their textures and normal mapping. These environments are quite convincing especially in densely cluttered basements or storerooms where myriad collections of trash, bottles, or newspaper clippings, really set the mood.
And the character models are highly detailed with a great attention to detail that sells the authenticity of the game. And trust me, you will feel like some of these places could easily be around your neighborhood because of their familiarity.
The sound isn’t as impressive as the graphics, but it is effective enough when it comes to atmospherics. Obviously, you’ll spend most of your time creeping around to avoid alerting your suspects, so sound isn’t as important, but it’s interesting that more ambient noise isn’t present when you consider the great attention to detail that the developers followed everywhere else. The sounds that are there are very adequate; shotguns, pistols, rifles and grenades all sound as you would expect.
Another interesting thing in the sound department is the noticeable lack of music in SWAT 4. It works in spite of its absence, but you wonder, why not go that extra mile and get a Harry Gregson-Wagner sound alike to whip up something appropriate to boost the anxiety a little higher.
The voice acting, while not boasting a Grand Theft Auto-like roster of stars, ups the immersion factor by this fact, letting you feel like you’re confronting real people instead of Christopher Walken hamming it up for a quick paycheck. Tell you what though; the non-criminal NPC’s in this game are strangely anti-authoritarian. They’re so indignant about you trying to save their lives and putting criminals in jail where they belong.
There is much higher replay value in the single player game than most others by virtue of the random placement of NPC’s, which keeps things interesting. There is also a Quick Mission Maker that allows you to create your own detailed custom missions for you and your friends.
The heart of multiplayer is always the variety of modes available to play, and there is a nice selection beyond the expected team deathmatch (which I got tired of in games like this long ago). The timed missions that require you to locate and defuse several bombs are a blast. There is a problem with player detection though. It’s often hard to tell exactly who is on your team without just firing away at anyone who crosses your path.
One of my favorite modes of all time in games like this is online co-op, where you and up to four other people can play through the single player missions together. Here is where you really enjoy the game at its best by not having to rely on the somewhat lackluster AI, unless, of course, your friends are trigger-happy Halo fans or something.
Sierra’s pedigree in the Police Quest series gives SWAT 4 a dignified history upon which to build its latest offering. The gameplay is slower and more intense than Tom Clancy’s roster and no less authentic or compelling in its presentation. The AI isn’t perfect, but what game’s is? It will hardly keep you from enjoying the game, especially with the variety of online modes to keep you busy when you’ve played all of the single player missions. You’ll know you’re in for some serious action when the second mission kicks in at what looks like the back of Buffalo Bill’s brother’s house. The silent line of Jack-o-lanterns along the back porch are an incredibly creepy touch.
If you’re a fan of tactical shooters, and tired of the run and gun gameplay of the same Rainbow Six missions, you would do well to pick up SWAT 4 and challenge yourself to complete the game with a perfect rating. It’s a lot harder than you think, and well worth the effort. And it won’t be long before you find yourself singing that theme song from the old TV show like Steve Forrest must always do at family reunions.
Lock and load, Hondo.