SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle

"All you need now are donuts..."

The tactical shooter genre is one that has seen a significant rise in popularity recently, and the flood of new games to it seems to be never-ending. Tom Clancy’s shooters will probably be the first to leap into people’s minds when they think of this genre, however a few years ago Sierra released their own little gem of a game; ‘SWAT 3’.

Okay, from the title of the game I assume that most people will know exactly what the game is about, but for those people who don’t (you know who you are!) SWAT is the ‘Special Weapons and Tactics’ department of the American police force. These men (and women) are highly trained soldiers who are used to bring order to chaos, while still upholding the ideals of the police force. That is, they don’t necessary shoot to kill like a military force.
‘SWAT 3’ puts you in the combat boots of a SWAT team captain, and lets you call the shots (excuse the pun) in various different missions, from all out tactical fire-fights, to defusing bombs and saving hostages. The story revolves around a peace conference to be held in the US with diplomats from all over the globe attending. Of course this means that the conference is at a high risk of terrorist attacks, and it is your job to protect the lives of these dignitaries. While the plot sounds ok, the sheer number of times these dignitaries manage to get captured is really quite pathetic, and you’ll be jumping from movie theatres to hotels just to save these sorry sods who have been taken hostage, yet again. At your disposal is authentic weaponry and tactical tools, all used by SWAT in real life.
While the story doesn’t really gel together all that well, it seems to do the job stringing along an otherwise unconnected series of missions.
Story: 3

‘SWAT 3’ certainly isn’t much to write home about in terms of graphics. Not to say the graphics are poor, they are just average. Some of the objects are large and blocky, while backgrounds are nothing but shoddy looking bitmaps stretched around the level. The character models are also decidedly average, with many of the skins used to the point of repetition. The number of black ski mask clad bad guys you shoot is truly astounding, and at times it feels like you’re fighting an army of clones. There are some different skins thrown into the mix in some part, and this often creates a feeling of uncertainty in a level. Is that person a hostage or a terrorist? Still, this effect is not used nearly enough, and some more variation wouldn’t have gone astray.
With people of middle-Eastern descent copping a bit of a bad wrap in the media recently, it was good to play a game where the lead terrorists weren’t middle-Eastern. This may sound a little strange to some people, but it was good to see Sierra avoid this overused and rather exploited cliché.
One of the other highpoints of the game was the overall presentation of menus, both outside and inside a game. Everything is arranged well so that you can tell exactly what is going on. Upon choosing a mission you a presented a map covered in dots. Clicking on these different dots presents a different mission in a different area. A nice little touch. However the in-game menu is by far the most effective. There are no gun models, and unlike ‘Rainbow Six,’ no big obtrusive bars at the bottom of the screen. Instead we have a cross hair, a tiny bar that shows your current health, some number keys to give commands and a small icon of a person relating to stealth and movement. This effectively means that more than 90% of the screen is dedicated to the game, better allowing the player to focus on what is going on around them.
The maps were one of the highlights, taking you from classy hotels, to seedy night clubs, television studios, movie theatres, sewers, hospitals, car parks and just about everything in between. Most of these maps were well designed, however there was the odd one or two that just didn’t flow well, or became maze-like and confusing, the sewer and hospital maps especially. Almost all of the maps present a very linear approach to each level, and unlike the ‘Rainbow Six’ games, you are given only one spot where you can enter the level. While this is a bit of a disappointment, it doesn’t detract from the game overall.
Otherwise, the animation was fine, the video clips laughable, and the textures blurry. That about covers this area I think...
Graphics: 7

And now we come to the sound. Two words best describe this aspect of the game, and they are ‘below average’. Ok, so the gunshots are pretty cool and realistic, as are the sound of the bullets hitting the glass, but most of the voice acting is just atrocious, as is the script. Want an example? ‘I have a beautiful daughter in Russia, she seeks handsome American husband!’ Now imagine all of that with one of the fakest Russian accents you can muster, and you’re halfway to where the game is at. Another example is when certain female characters are ‘rescued’ they refer to SWAT using profanities. Well excuse me for saving you! Next time I’ll just shoot you in the head and be done with it.
As for the music... ah...there was music? Could have fooled me!
Sound: 5

By now you’re probably scratching your head and wondering why I called the game good at the start and then proceeded to take it apart. Well, the saving grace is in the gameplay. Forget the average graphics and sub-par sound, the gameplay is by far ‘SWAT 3’s’ best point, as it rightly should be in any good game.
Upon entering a game of ‘SWAT 3’ you are presented with a menu that allows you to chose your team and equipment. Mainly this is for you to chose a primary weapon from a list of four. These are a shotgun, MP5, silenced MP5, and M4A1. Each has different characteristics and is better used in specific missions. Once that’s been sorted out, you get a short mission briefing, outlining the situation and your objectives, then its off to be dispatched on your mission.
‘SWAT 3’ gives you total control over your team, and through a simple number based menu in the top left corner of your screen you can tell them exactly what to do. Utilising your team properly is essential to your success, and thanks to a sophisticated AI system they never miss a beat. You can co-ordinate an attack that sees your team breaking into a room, flash banging it, shooting or arresting the suspects and taking the hostages into custody, all through a few simple numbers.
The missions themselves vary between hostage rescue and arrest warrants, however there is plenty of opportunity to get trigger-happy. The placements of enemies is mostly random, meaning that each time you play over a mission the placement of the enemies changes. This works well in keeping the player on their toes, as they never know exactly what to expect.
However it’s the authentic SWAT tools that give this game an edge over its competition. Some of the cool things you have access to include a wand with a small camera on the end. Using this it’s possible to peak around corners and spot enemy positions. Being a police officer you can also arrest suspects, if you can get them to surrender that is! Most won’t go down without a fight, and a clever AI system sees them circling around behind you to get the jump on you. These guys aren’t just cardboard cut outs, that’s for sure.
There are some things that hamper the gameplay though, such as a sometimes poor map design and little direction to your objectives. The sewer map is a classic example of this, being a complete maze to navigate with no clear direction on what you’re meant to be doing. I’ll admit that I ended cheating just to clear this map, that’s how frustrating it became. Another thing that may concern some is the lack of an in-game save feature. Games are only saved after successful completion of a mission, so get killed at the end of a level and you’ll have to start all over again. This wasn’t such a problem for me as I never found the game challenging enough to warrant one.
The games length isn’t too bad, with a heap of missions to complete in the single player mode and even more in the skirmish mode. I was able to complete the single player part in only a few hours, and most of the skirmish missions as well. Still, it’s fun to play over using different weapons and trying different approaches.
Game Play: 8
Life Span: 6

Pros
+ SWAT tools
+ Good map design
+ Plenty of missions
+ Simple menu system

Cons
- Graphics
- Awful voice acting
- Some poorly designed maps
- Repetitive character models

‘SWAT 3’is a refreshing tactical shooter that offers a more unique perspective then most other games of its genre. For those of you who enjoyed Tom Clancy’s series of games, then definitely check out ‘SWAT 3,’ you won’t regret it. Plus this game can be picked up dirt-cheap these days, so it’s worth a try.
Overall: 7

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/17/04