SWAT 4: Gold Edition

Whew boy, I've been waiting for this game to come to GOG for years now. For those not in the know, this game fell into copyright hell after its production was discontinued. With only a digital download available for a brief amount of time, people wanting to try this game were either forced to pay steep prices for the increasingly rare physical copies or use less-than-legit means (ironically) of obtaining the game. The fact that this game finally came to GOG feels almost like a holiday for me: the game is finally accessible. As you can probably tell from the title, I love this game and I frequently compare other tactical shooters to it as a benchmark. That's not to say the game is perfect. It definitely shows it's age with the lack of iron-sight aiming, dull textures, and clumsy physics. The AI is also notorious for being infuriatingly stupid at times (for extra fun, take a shot every time you hear “you're standing in my spot sir” or when you're flashbanged by your own teammate). But, this game gets so many things right that you just don't see in modern titles anymore. This game expects you to, for the most part, play the role of a police officer. Unlike Insurgency or ARMA (or even Door Kickers), you're expected to try and save lives rather than eliminate everything in your path. That adds an entire extra layer of complexity on top of the standard tactical shooter. Your hands are tied by police procedure and you must follow it, such as announcing you're a police officer and using lethal force only when your life is clearly being threatened, in order to complete the missions successfully. As a result, this game is brutal. There are no quicksaves or checkpoints. If you die, you start from the beginning of the mission. That can be infuriating at times, but it forces you to be really careful about your approach to the missions and combat. For $10, this game is an absolute no brainier that any tactical shooter fan needs to try.

If you're here and you don't know what SWAT 4 is, buy it. You're going to love it. If you're remotely interested in this gem pick it up! However, it would be nice to see a little house-keeping done. If you have the chance, modern resolution support without modification of .inis would be wonderful.

You may have heard of this game from Spoony, during his golden age. If you've not, look his LP up. I am not here to gush over this game, as everyone else has already said all that must be said. This game, masterpiece rather, costs a mere $10, and the only flaw I can think of that might not be often mentioned is that the text partially disappears when the game is set to a widescreen resolution.

Man i loved Swat 4 when i was younger, and seeing it being made avaible again after so many years is just so awesome. This game has mediocore story and the handling isn't the greates, but the atmosphere and "thrill" you feel while playing is totaly worth it. Ofc since this game is old you can't expect to much of graphic either.

What a game. I never played this at it's initial release back in 2005, but I am over the moon I have had the chance to play it now! Challenging enemies, spectacular level design, multiple ways to approach any given situation. It really seems like a game ahead of it's time, and during the 9 hours I've put into it, I honestly cannot say that there is a game that I have played that comes close to matching the feeling I first got playing this. Very unique and worthwhile experience.