Is it SWAT just a shooter or a tactical combat simulator?
If you're looking for a fast paced shooter, say like, counter strike, then this is not the game for you, mainly because this is a game where you have to have patience, coordination and determination in order to play the game the right way
Let me list some cons and pros.
Pros:
+ Realistic as it gets
+ Greatly crafted presentation
+ Excellent graphics and audio effects
+ Fun Multiplayer
Cons:
- Short campaign mode
- Lousy AI
Presentation:
The game's presentation looks really good, very detailed and easy on the eye. Right before you start a mission, you can read and hear the briefing with all the Intel that you're provided; you can even listen to the fictional 911 calls as it makes the game more immersive, so the presentation of this game is definetely top notch
Gameplay:
In SWAT 4 you play as the leader of a 5 men squad, consisting of you, 2 blue team officers and 2 red team officers, where you can issue any kind of commands, from following and moving orders, to breaching and stacking in front of doors; you can even barks lines at your suspects like "get on the ground" or "drop your weapons"; also you can even use special cameras that grants you the vision of your team member and even from snipers stationed outside during certain missions. While the gameplay is fluid, AI falls short on this category, as sometimes your teamates won't follow your orders or will get in your way when you try to shoot at other suspects.
Single Player:
The game comes with a campaign that offers around 12 missions, and depending on the difficulty, on normal you can finish it like on 10 hours, is that short, but I guess that was probably for the best, as the game comes also with a mission editor, that while look like a fancy editor is not a compelling one.
Multi Player:
It's great, but there's no much game mode variety, and not all the maps are fun to play, yet, it's very popular, and people are still playing it
Graphics:
They did an excellent job on the visuals for this game, as it comes with a bevy of settings from texture detail, decals to shader effects and reflections quality.
Audio:
The games sounds realistic enough for me, from firing guns to grenade blasts, sounds just about right.
Lasting Appeal:
While the singleplayer will last until you finish the campaign mode, you can always come back for some multiplayer matches. There's also an expansion out there if you feel like playing with more content than the base game.
Overall:
The latest entry on the SWAT series screams tactical combat simulator all over itself, not only looks and plays great, but it might as well be the definitive swat experience you'll ever play