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.
