SWAT 4: Gold Edition

"Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." -Sun Tzu Armchair General stamp of approval! They really don't make games like this much anymore. As a big fan of the old Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six games, as well as ArmA, I can't believe I never knew this game existed! This game is difficult and requires restraint, but decisiveness as well. Killing enemies is easy, trying not to kill enemies is hard. You never know how an AI will react when you turn a corner. This is the epitome of tactical gaming.

SWAT 4, released in 2005, has aged extremely well, and is very playable even today. While there's things you'll miss from other, newer shooters, there's so much done right in this game that it is easily forgiven. Premise: You are a SWAT element leader, in charge of 2 teams, Red, and Blue, with 2 assaulters each. You can equip your team as needed for each call out. Lethal force is seen as a last resort, and higher points will be given for taking in a suspect without killing or injuring them severely. To this end, you have a large variety of less than lethal items at your disposal. Between tasers, pepper spray, tear gas, bean bag shotgun rounds, and even a paintball gun shooting balls filled with pepper spray, you are given numerous ways to incapacitate threats without killing. You take your team through different missions, with a robust command system that even allows for seeing from their point of view, and giving commands while in another location. Scenarios range from robberies gone wrong, to gang shootouts in clubs, to full on terror and organized crime incidents. Pros: +Deep tactical gameplay, with numerous weapon and equipment options for each scenario +Command system is robust +AI is relatively ground breaking, and is still more advanced than seen in some of today's titles. NPC's have a psych profile based on their character and circumstance. This determines if they comply, run away, or fight back based on your actions. +Full cooperative gameplay, with a custom mission generator. Cons: -Gunplay feels a bit dated. There's no aiming down the sights or optics choices. There's actually no weapon customization beyond ammo selection. -Online multiplayer must be run through a secondary system, as the gamespy multiplayer system is offline. Conclusion: Definitely pick this game up if you are a fan of more realistic shooters. The price is absolutely right.

At last available on GOG! Have voted for it on multiple request lists here on GOG and now it is available! YES! This is the best tactical FPS I have ever played. I was playing this game for years back in the day. The single player campaign is excellent and the online multiplayer gaming part is excellent too. This is a must for every FPS sim tactical gamer out there. It is on my top tactical games list such as Arma 3, Insurgency, Squad. I wish someone makes a new version of this game with more modern game mechanics. Buy it now.

Definitely capitalizes on SWAT 3. The atmosphere is absolutely stunning. There are two levels in particular where you get real creeped out. It is weird that a lot of the music in the game is very horror themed. Action is quick and easy. It's hilarious hearing your teammates all shouting, "FREEZE! HANDS UP! GET ON THE GROUND!" at some stubborn civilian. The "Hey boss, you're in my spot" crap is annoying. Highly recommended.

While he visuals seem dated and the gunplay doesn't boast the likes of ironsight, SWAT 4 is one of thhe most intense and smartest shooting games out there, with impressive AI that even has the capacity to be controlled by your voice commands (via Elite mod, which unlocks the unreleased feature) almost perfectly. It's almost entirely streamined after the mess of a control system in SWAT 3, which is very much a good thing, and controls like a breeze. his is one of the few games that actually plays better in single player than multiplayer, though. Not because the multiplayer is badly implemented, just that it's a lot more fun to almost directly control your squad mates.