A great team based tactical shooter
This game absolutely blows the Rainbow Six franchise out of the water. In terms of realism, action, tactical aspects, etc; this is THE game to own over any TC RS games.
There is no centralized story, but that's what I expect from a SWAT game since it's about what SWAT does on an almost daily basis. Each level has a backstory to it and all of them can be related to events that have happened. The levels themselves are cleverly constructed so that there are many spaces and blind spots where enemies can hide, so expect to move at a very slow pace. Going into the game like it's a run and gun type of game will get you killed in a heartbeat. Unlike many games (yes, this includes TC RS), you need to work with your teammates and figure out a way to subdue the baddies without resorting to use deadly force or whatnot. One mistake, whether it be shooting an enemy dead without authorization, accidently shooting a team mate, or using excessive force will result in a significant amount of points deducted in the end of the level.
Yes, there is a point system that evaluates how well you did in the end of every level. Points are given or deducted based on how many people you have "neutralized" (enemy that is killed or handcuffed), how many hostages you saved, how much evidence you have obtained, and the number of squad members that have survived at the end of the mission. Depending on what difficulty you have set, there is a certain amount of points you need to achieve to progress to the next level. The grading system is a bit rough, but its reasonable if you look at it in a realistic standpoint (ex: being deducted 15 points for unauthorized use of deadly force on an enemy). The points are out of a possible 100 and kudos to anyone that gets an above rating of 75 because this game is hard!
The difficulty is pretty grueling and unforgiving. Enemies can kill you with one hit, your team mates can accidently kill you and vise-versa, you can accidently kill a hostage which automatically fails the entire mission, enemies popping out of nowhere and making you scream like a little girl at 2 AM in the morning (not a pleasant experience), and getting shot in the leg and going at the pace of a damn slug the whole way through or getting your arm shot and having the aiming ability of a retarded-blind-armless baby… Yeah this game is really friggin' hard, but waddaya expect from a SWAT simulation game? However, be ready to repeat levels occasionally because if you fail a mission or get killed you have to start from the BEGINNING! So yeah, be careful and progress the level slowly (best advice ever if you're going to play this game).
Run and gun style games are generally frackin' awesome, but having that mindset going into SWAT is like the number 1 no-no. You have to have patience, concentration, and a good sense of your surroundings to get through each level. Pace yourself, always send your squad members ahead of you, smoke, flashbang or sting every room because you'll get killed faster than a person sentenced to death in China if you don't take these precautions (HAHAHA, I madez a reference to China's speedy trial and execution policy). Because if this pacing, you really feel a sense of complete terror; you have no idea what's going to happen. You'll have times when your heart is racing. Just be prepared for times when you are the only squad member alive and there is 1 more baddy you must neutralize; my hands sweat like crazy in those situations. To put simply, this game can be tense!
However, there is some negatives I really need to point out: AI of squad members, if you're playing alone, can be extremely frustrating; sometimes you tell them to throw a flashbang into a room but somehow they throw it against the door frame, totally missing the door opening (the fu..), and blinding your entire team which can lead to everyone getting slaughtered! Not cool… What really pisses me off is that you have to restrain everyone. Sometimes there is like 30 hostages you have to save and restraining and reporting every single one of them is tedious as **** If subduing the bad guys wasn't hard enough…
Graphics wise, this isn't pants creaming great, but it is tolerable.
Multiplayer is GREAT! (I just want to end this review..)
I personally congratulate anyone who has read this review up to this point! GREAT JOB! But pleas bear with me.
Character customization is stellar. You can change your primary and secondary load out, change bullet type (FMJ or hollow point), armor, and stuffz. Not as customizable as Rainbow Six in terms of uniform color and different attire, but whatever.
Thank you to the people who read this all the way through! To say that this game is great would be an understatement. It's friggin' awesome and I bet you that Angry Joe would give it a "Badass seal of approval" because I would… SWAT 4 is as fun and realistic as it gets, people. Put down your copies of whatever Rainbow Six games you have and check this title out. If you don't you haven't lived life to its full potential and I personally think you should jump off a bridge.