SWAT 4 Preview

The SWAT series has had a long and diverse history on the PC.  The original SWAT was actually an entry into Sierra’s Police Quest adventure game series, involving puzzle solving and the use of police tactics to progress through the game.  Since then, the SWAT series has seen real-time strategy elements as well as first person shooting coupled with Rainbow Six-like team based tactical elements.  The next title in the long-running franchise, SWAT 4, is shaping up very nicely, giving players a realistic and exciting gameplay experience.

SWAT 4 puts you in charge of a five-man SWAT unit as they intervene in hotbed situations detaining suspects and putting abrupt ends to hostile situations.  You’ll command your unit through a variety of different missions, utilizing real police tactics as you forge on to serve and protect the general populous.

SWAT 4 also gives you access to many state of the art forms of weaponry, both lethal and non.  Among your plethora of weapons are assault rifles, handguns and pepper spray, as well as non-lethal and armor piercing ammunition.  You also have a sniper set up in a certain position that you can select on the fly to eye (or otherwise neutralize) suspects as they walk past your window of vision.

Being a very realistic and accurate account of SWAT tactics, SWAT 4 requires you to enter an area and detain all people that you see, cuffing them and then having someone else determine whether or not they are innocent later.  In fact, it is often in your best interest to take the non-lethal route.  If you always enter a situation with your guns blazing, you’ll often find yourself failing many missions.

The stage presented in the preview build of the game took place in a Chinese restaurant where there were not only suspects and perps, but also a fair amount of cooks and other workers.  Most of the innocents proved to be quite co-operative, getting on their knees and raising their hands in the air when ordered.  Some needed a little persuasion (read: a little pepper spray in the face), but the real trouble came from the suspects, who not only would stand their ground to fight you, but also many times would run away from you and hide in another area.  Not only the enemy AI was very responsive and intelligent, but also your teammates were quite intelligent and did appropriate actions given each situation.

The interface was also quite innovative in the preview build.  In order to command your unit you must right-click on an item you’d like them to interact with and a menu will pop up with a bunch of different orders that your squad can do, like opening a door and opening fire or throwing a flash grenade or a smoke bomb and so on.  You can also divide your team into two different sub-teams, a red team and a blue team.  This enables you to take a room from two different angles, getting the drop on your enemies inside.

SWAT 4 is also showing some great visual effects and otherwise solid graphics.  The environments are awash in realistic lighting effects, like shadows cast by blinds on windows, dimly lit buildings, street lamps and so on.  There are also some great smoke and environment effects.  When you throw a smoke bomb in a room, the smoke doesn’t clear out in five seconds like in many other games, but will linger for a while.

While still a little while from release, SWAT 4 is shaping up to be the most realistic entry into the long-running franchise yet.  Fans, take note: SWAT 4 hits this spring.