SWAT 4 - PC

Also known as: SWAT 4: Special Weapons and Tactics

Got packs, screens, info?
Viewed: 3D First-person Genre:
Strategy: Combat
Media: CD Arcade origin:No
Developer: Irrational Games Soft. Co.: Sierra Entertainment
Publishers: Vivendi (GB/GB)
Released: 22 Sept 2006 (GB)
8 Apr 2005 (GB)
Ratings: PEGI 18+, ESRB Mature 17+ (M)
No Accessories: No Accessories

Summary

The SWAT series dates back to 1995. Developed by Sierra On-Line, the first iteration, Daryl F. Gates’ Police Quest: SWAT put you in the boots of a SWAT team member. The object was to adhere as closely as possible to planned manoeuvres and procedure. The second game, an isometric 3D strategy affair, put you in control of the whole team, and you could choose to play as terrorists or police with set objectives. The third, SWAT 3, was to gain widespread acclaim, and was a tactical first person shooter in which you, as captain, issued commands to the four men on your team in a variety of tense scenarios.

Published by Vivendi, the fourth game arrives in spring 2005, the imaginitively-titled SWAT 4. Taking cues from its predecessors in terms of style and gameplay, SWAT 4 also promises to be the most realistic police team sim to date and has again been developed with the help of a SWAT Element Leader with over 30 years of experience. The weapons in the game are the same as used by the teams in real life, not just firearms like assault rifles and shotguns but tazers and pepper spray. Take control of your team and lead them through a literally millions of missions using a dynamic command HUD system. A quick mission editor allows you to set up different scenarios easily, with random enemy placement so you don’t know what’s coming. AI of enemies and civilians and objectives can be adjusted to suit your mood.

As you’d expect, the game is the prettiest so far in the series and uses the Vengeance engine which is based on Unreal technology. There are 14 specially designed missions to attempt, and 13 of these can be tackled co-operatively with a friend. There are also three further modes for playing online with up to 16 players. A thoughtfully laid out team FPS, SWAT 4 is a more than worthy successor to the popular SWAT 3.