SWAT 4: Gold Edition

There is nothing I love more in a game than when I'm made to do something I dont want to, despite other options being readily available. SWAT 4 has done just that. As a realistic SWAT simulator, you are expected not to gun down all hostiles and ignore civilians, but rather try to prevent all loss of life, hostiles included. The fact that the game makes an effort to prevent needless killing is a fantastic asset, and sets it apart from most other games on the market. Having quickly gotten to grips with the squad command system, I was beginning the fourth mission, set in a nightclub without having killed anyone myself. As the leader, I had the squad move slowly, carefully and methodically. I used what little floor plans we had be given to plan the assault beforehand, customizing each squad member with exactly what I thought we might need. Each room was being cleared one by one, and my squad was currently in a corridor. A door either side, the rooms behind us clear and rooms ahead seeming quiet, I let my guard down. I had teams of two men check both doors, and then crept forwards myself. Time seemed to crawl to a halt as I scanned for hostiles - slowly, checking from corner to corner, then up and down. That's when it happened. One of the gangsters must have heard us, as I reported a wounded civilian to TOC. He ran around the corner, and before I had time to truly process what had happened I had shot him three times, once in the leg, once in the chest, and once in the head. He fell to the ground, killed instantly. At the end of the mission, the squad recieved a highly positive report. We had successfully extracted every civilian, and we were all unharmed. But the fact that I had killed an AI in game bugged me - I could have done better. I should have paid more attention in pre-planning, I should have took my squad with me and wedged the door to prevent him coming through. But i hadn't, and had been forced to kill him to save myself and the squad. Truly a masterpiece. 5/5

Swat 4 is still one of the best tactical shooter out there, if you like commanding a squad clearing out room by room looking for bad guys and trying to save civilians this is it. It has many different ways of approaching a problem and solutions you really feel like a swat officer and it's pretty fun using all the tools to find out what's going on oh and yelling at people lots and lots of yelling.

This is one of those early 00s classic games.

Very few games can match that of Swat 4. It takes a realistic approach to an FPS where you can partner up with up to 3 others and plan your attack. Mistakes have high cost and replayability is high. Highly recommend.

Ever wondered what it would feel like to a member of an American S.W.A.T. unit? Getting your hands on automatic firearms, cool gear, grenades that have gas and rubber balls, and you get a cool helmet. Yes, dreaming of kicking a door in and just dropping everyone in sight, and leaving to go out for drinks and cigars with the rest of the unit. Think again sunshine, nothing becomes more painfully clear while playing, these are Officers that are being forced to shoot another human being. This isn't a battlefield in a forign nation buddy, this is on American soil, and you're facing off against a citizen. S.W.A.T. 4 takes you through several missions ranging from hostage rescure to bomb defusal. You will be in charge of arming your entire unit as well as yourself with a small range of weapons and less than lethal specials. Take great care in arming for each mission, your life and your unit's life depends on it. Have civilians in the mix? Load up with Hollow Point ammo to prevent over penetration. Someone giving you a hard time? Give 'em a jolt with a taser or pepper spray. Not sure what's behind the door? Use your camera. Yes, your gear is critical to room clearing, and your tactics and how you play is the difference between life and death. Unlike other games, the shooting in S.W.A.T. 4 is gut wrenching. Real life rules of engagment apply, and you will need to radio all activity back to TOC. As you progress it becomes clear to you that people out there do this for a living, and S.W.A.T. 4 is ruthless in letting you know what they face. The fear of not knowing what to expect and the fear of having to open fire. Your play style reflects on your tactics. Will you put your team in danger and put innocent civilians at risk? Or will you carefully plan your details to make sure suspects come out in hand cuffs and not body bags? Think hard, one wrong move and you may hear the words that every Officer in the world dreads to hear: "Officer down."