Reviewed: January 2, 2004
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Publisher
Sierra
Vivendi Universal

Developer
Argonaut Software

Released: October 28, 2003
Genre: FPS
Players: 4
ESRB: Mature

8
8
8
8
8.2

Supported Features

Actually, much has changed with this title since it was first announced. Originally, it was going to be a PC title in the squad-based RTS genre played from an overhead perspective. Then the game dropped from the media radar for several months only to reappear as a new upcoming FPS title for Xbox and PS2. The only major problem is that this title has been so long in the making that other similar titles have already released that offer everything SWAT does and more. In fact, some aspects of the game look a bit rushed indicating that VUG probably pushed this title out even sooner than they wanted just to compete with games like SOCOM II, and Rainbow Six 3 or ride the media hype of the SWAT movie.

The premise for SWAT is not entirely original and certainly extrapolates on real-world SWAT, but it works well enough for an action game. You play Mathias Kincaid, a former member of the U.S. Army’s elite Delta Force turned SWAT: GST element leader. Command your teammates, Lee, a veteran sniper and Jackson, an expert technical specialist, through several diverse missions while maintaining the tactical upper hand over your opponent. To keep the peace there are certain fundamentals that you must utilize that will contribute mission success including; the environment, the latest gear and advanced weaponry, and the element of surprise.

Of course the primary hook for SWAT is your ability to command your teammates by issuing orders using a microphone and the voice recognition system. If you have the Headset Communicator for the Xbox then you can control your team with action words rather than navigating the command cross using the D-Pad.

As Samuel Jackson says in the recent SWAT movie, “SWAT is a life saving organization, not a life taking one”. This hold true in SWAT: GST as you are put upon to take prisoners rather than leave bodies. So unlike those countless other tactical action games where you go in lobbing flashbangs and spraying the room with lead, you now have a new “compliance system”.

This new system encourages you to get a suspect to surrender. You issue the compliance order either with the D-pad or with a voice command like “Police…Drop your weapon” and a compliance meter appears and starts ticking away. As long as you keep the suspect in your sights the suspect will comply and slowly drop their weapon and “assume the position”. You can then cuff or order one of your team to cuff the prisoner and move on. It’s a pretty cool system that not only adds some realism but a new layer of strategy to the gameplay.

SWAT rewards you for following proper police procedures, so you don’t want to blindly rush in busting caps into innocent civilians or even the bad guys unless they offer resistance or present a viable threat. Of course this system presents a few loopholes as well. You can order a man to drop his weapon and he will do so. If you shoot him unarmed you are penalized, but if you just sit there long enough he will eventually make a grab for his weapon and you can drop him without any repercussions.

Team commands are easy enough to issue with the D-pad but the added support for vocal commands is a whole new level of realism. The voice recognition is really good, even when your voice changes during those hectic gameplay moments. You can select and order your team individually or as a group and give them specific commands like “enter, secure, lock on, fall in, proceed, use, restrain, take down,” and “cancel”. You can also identify yourself as “Police” to initiate the compliance system on any nearby suspects and fire warning shots to increase the level of intimidation.

Your team consists of Lee and Jackson, two very capable SWAT members, each with their own specialties that come into play when you need a sharpshooter or have a bomb disarmed or a computer hacked. Sometimes the AI is so good your team will already be doing the “right thing” before you even know what that is and tell them to do it. You never really take control over the other members so disarming a bomb is as simple as ordering it to be done, but you may have to provide cover fire during the operation.

Perhaps my biggest mistake was reviewing SWAT and Rainbow Six 3 at the same time. While I won’t make any direct comparisons I will say that SWAT is simply Rainbow Six 3 Lite. It offers a small taste of what the big boys are doing over at Red Storm, and that’s not a bad thing at all. Many gamers simply aren’t up for the challenge or realism that the Tom Clancy games thrust upon you, and SWAT is a perfect title to get your feet wet.

While Xbox Live support is included it is only for new content and scoreboards. There is no online multiplayer, but SWAT does offer cooperative and versus play for up to four people locally or with a system link cable. The cooperative play is definitely a nice feature and changes up the mission structure to make the experience substantially different from the single player game.

Much of the movement consists of various animation routines that are sequenced together but they just don’t flow correctly so watching someone go from a run to a roll or pivot in place without the correct foot and leg movements is just weird. But a lot of these oddities are overshadowed by some equally impressive additions.

Weapons look amazing and reflect light and shadows. There is a nice muzzle flash effect that lights up the surrounding area and there are excellent smoke, fire, and particle effects. Perhaps the most unique feature is the new “Iris” effect that actually emulates the way your pupils react to light. If you come out of a dark room into a brightly lit area or if you are caught in a blinding flash of light your vision becomes washed out and slowly returns to normal. This can make for some very exciting gameplay.

Speech is actually rather limited and includes mainly the spoken commands and confirmations of your team and the occasional yelling of random hostages or suspects. If you are using the D-pad to issue orders you will hear them spoken the same way that you would say them into the mic. It’s just not a very vocal game – nothing wrong with that though.

The rest of the sound package consists of a variety of weapons effects, ricochets, explosions, and gadget sound effects. Nothing is out of place or unnatural and it all works very well within the confines of the game design. The Dolby Digital mix offers up a great 3D spatial sound system so you can identify incoming fire and footsteps by their sound placement. You do lose a bit of the 3D goodness while wearing the headset but it’s worth it for the added immersion.

The music works well enough but I really wish they had licensed the theme music from the TV show or even better, the new SWAT movie, or at least included the familiar riffs that we all grew up with. As it is, we get some traditional grandiose military themes that seem to be stock music tracks from just about any movie or game dealing with paramilitary organizations.

There is also a unique upgrade system in place that allows you to earn experience points and spend them to upgrade weapons and weapon capabilities. This makes each time through the game a potentially unique experience. SWAT is a very complete gaming package.

What SWAT does have going for it is solid game design and gameplay that isn’t quite as critical or unforgiving as those other military sims. There is a good game with plenty of exciting content to be had here if you give it the chance. It’s great for newcomers to the genre or veterans just looking for a new take on the classic tactical FPS formula.