SWAT 4 is a tactical first-person shooter computer game developed by Irrational Games and released by Vivendi Universal on April 5, 2005. It is powered by Unreal Engine 2.0 technology enhanced by Irrational Games. An expansion to SWAT 4, entitled SWAT 4: The Stetchkov Syndicate, was released on February 28, 2006.
In single player, the player leads the police special operations squad, SWAT, in resolving various situations, such as hostage standoffs or apprehensions of dangerous subjects. In multiplayer, you can choose among Co-operative gameplay mode (Coop) or several adversarial modes, played by SWAT and Suspects, as listed below:
- Barricaded Suspects: The usual 'team deathmatch' mode except you can also arrest opponents for more points.
- VIP Escort: SWAT must escort the VIP to an extraction point on the map while the suspects try to stop him.
- Rapid Deployment: SWAT has to disarm bombs randomly placed throughout the map while try to stop them.
- Smash & Grab (TSS only): A variation of 'capture the flag' – suspects try to transfer a briefcase to the exctraction point while SWAT must stop them.
The single-player campaign in vanilla SWAT 4 contains 13 missions – the expansion adds 7 more. The missions are not related and there is no overarching storyline. The game aims to have gameplay similar to real SWAT experience. For example, it encourages the use of non-lethal force to subdue and arrest subjects rather than shooting them. The game is characterized by its excellent, relatively unpredictable artificial intelligence. Each mission will play differently as the suspects are randomly spawned on the map.
In the multiplayer coop, the suspects are much tougher, providing additional challenge for teams of human players. The adversarial modes provide plenty of hectic close-quarters battle, with the additional twist of being able to arrest opposing players.
