S.W.A.T. 4

Pros

• 14 missions to complete
• More tactical gameplay
• Does a great job showing the real rules of police engagement
• Engaging multiplayer mode

Cons

• The AI can be frustrating

A first-person shooting game, S.W.A.T. 4 takes you into the world of an elite force of police officers. You lead a strong and intelligent team with five officers who arrest some of Fairview's most heavily armed and dangerous criminals. You might think first-person shooter and believe you can take the same approach as other games of this genre. However, the guns-a-blazing strategy won't work here. You're the leader, and the S.W.A.T. 4 game designers made it more realistic where you will be limited in your use of deadly force. If you decide to cut loose with your trigger finger, you face some stiff penalties.

Smart Strategic Gameplay

Instead of the typical action you get with the average FPS game, S.W.A.T. 4 play more like a tactical puzzle. You must make use of every tool given, and this includes members of the team to solve the puzzle. You can give commands through a basic menu, and as this happens, you will see everything through the helmet camera. The trick here to a successful coordination means staying on top of it. It'd be a great game, but unfortunately, you're playing with a robot team that has imperfect AI. Many times, they will fail to obey orders, and you want to take time with your choice in weapons and equipment for every arrest.

More Strategic Game with Tension

S.W.A.T. 4 does not play like the action-packed pace of the other games in the genre. Those who like the fast pace of Call of Duty may have to go play that instead. This game; however, combines a lot of tension and strategy. You have a highly replayable campaign, and the multiplayer mode is engaging with cooperative gameplay. As the captain of your squad, your mission will be to defuse dangerous situations from high-risk arrest warrants to raiding illegal casinos. On almost every mission, you have civilians you have to try not to shoot.

The Missions

S.W.A.T. 4 has a surprising number of missions. You have 14 campaigns, which aren't linked, but the story mode will connect each of them together. You start with training, and this level does a good job informing you about the basics on how to engage, how to use your weapons and how to command your team. You will also be introduced to the interface here, and you can divide your SWAT team into two-person groups, which will be identified as blue and red. You switch between each group through the tapping of the keys, and the commands given are done based on the context. Before every mission, you will be given a briefing, and the presentation has been done well with a radio dispatcher. With some missions, you will listen to the 911 call before to understand the gravity of the situation.

Pros

• 14 missions to complete
• More tactical gameplay
• Does a great job showing the real rules of police engagement
• Engaging multiplayer mode

Cons

• The AI can be frustrating