Special Weapons And __Tactics__
I can understand if different people have different tastes & preferences when it comes to games, but why would you dock a SWAT sim. for focusing on SWAT tactics? I've decided to post this review on both IGN and Gamespot because their editor reviews of this title are horribly inaccurate and show a failure to actually learn how to play the game properly--that is, with actual tactics. Not that I'm all that surprised when both sites appear to hire game reviewers seemingly straight out of high school.
Now, onto the actual review...
SWAT: Target Liberty is a squad-based tactical "shooter" presented from a 3rd person isometric perspective. The emphasis, however, isn't so much the shooting as it's the SWAT tactics, strategy, and planning.
Panned by critics from popular game review sites, Target Liberty is perhaps one of, if not _the_, most underrated tactical shooters for the PSP. The title boasts stunningly crisp & detailed in-game graphics, excellent pre-rendered cut scenes, all complimented by solid voice-acting and sound effects.
But all this would be in vain if the actual gameplay was wanting. However, SWAT delivers all that it promises--and much, much more. The pseudo-isometric display that the title employs is perfectly suited to the type of tactical combat the game is centered around. The controls are simple and intuitive, yet allows for robust maneuvering and tactical planning.
It is quite inappropriate to compare Target Liberty with straightforward action/shooter games like Killzone: Liberation as the core gameplay, and indeed the entire gaming experience, that these games try to deliver are completely different. And that is perhaps the greatest pitfall for most professional critics reviewing this title. If you think that SWAT teams operate like military special forces, charging into buildings with guns blazing, then you probably watch too much TV or too many action movies.
In SWAT: Target Liberty you are awarded points, not for the number of people you kill, but the number of people you save--including both civilians AND suspects; lethal force is absolutely only used as a last resort. This is perhaps the most distinguishing characteristic of the title. And that is also why you start the game by equipping an assortment of less-than-lethal weapons and tactical implements such as flashbang grenades, CS gas, and C2 breaching charges, in addition to your conventional firearms.
Players complaining about the running speed of the characters are probably playing the game incorrectly. This isn't Counter-Strike, and you shouldn't be running around firing wildly out in the open. The emphasis of the game is on stealth and tactical maneuvering. In most cases, you should be maneuvering your squad in controlled staggered movements while always maintaining cover.
The bulk of the action occurs in breaching maneuvers when you first enter an unsecured room. This is done with careful planning after scoping the room out with a mirror and assessing the tactical situation behind the door (or open doorway in some cases). In a successful breach maneuver, you won't have to fire a single shot to subdue the suspect or suspects. How successful your breach is depends heavily on your dynamic entry technique. This may mean the use of flashbangs/CS grenades, or blowing the door open with C2. Additionally, intimidation is a big factor. Rushing in from all sides and surrounding the suspect while shouting commands for him to lay down his weapon will ensure compliance much better than entering a room alone and trying to subdue a suspect on your own. This unique type of combat requires swift action in gaining control of a situation and subduing suspects, but that involves quick thinking rather than quick movement. If you are jumping out of corners strafing suspects, your shots will have no accuracy and likely end up killing hostages/civilians.
And as mentioned before, strategy and planning are a huge part of the game. A good player will move slowly and cautiously, constantly checking the map to get the layout of the building. The best offense really is a good defense in this case. Rather than jumping around to avoid getting shot, you need to make effective use of cover and prevent yourself from being flanked. After scoping out the map and identifying potential entry points to a particular room, you can stack up your teammates or position your squad in a way that best exploits the layout of the environment to give yourself a tactical advantage. Remember, there may be perps in adjacent rooms that may rush in if they hear something, so always watch the doors and try to gain control of the situation as quickly as possible. If you manage to take a suspect by surprise, act forcefully, and have your gun trained on him before he can react, he will usually surrender without a fight. However, if you don't restrain a suspect or have a teammate do so quick enough, he could go for his gun again and attack you.
The tactical & strategic depth of this game is absolutely amazing. Before every mission you can not only choose the equipment that each squad member carries, but also the individual SWAT members to assign to your squad, each of whom has a unique skill--such as observation, which allows you a greater detection/visibility range; breaching, which allows the member to gain compliance from suspects quicker; negotiation, which helps you gain more information from questioned suspects or civilians; and accuracy. From the very start the game introduces players to squad tactics and basic procedures & techniques with detailed tutorials. The fundamentals of the gameplay are laid out pretty clearly by these tutorial missions. However, the richly nuanced tactical gameplay goes much deeper than many players and game critics seem to recognize.
The first mission takes place in a New York subway, and while it provides a tactically rich environment and demonstrates most of the fundamental aspects of the game, it is much easier than some of the later levels. Still, it provides enough strategic depth and dynamic tactical variables for repeated runs to retain a fresh feel. I probably ran through the first level 3 or 4 times to unlock all bonus materials and gain the full 100 pt. level score before advancing to the next mission. And after about 3-4 missions the immersive, albeit farfetched and at times slightly silly, main plot started to unfold. Not only this, but I was also pleasantly surprised by the RPG-like experience based character progression that the developers included in the game. This has a perhaps intentional side-effect of changing the gameplay while increasing the tactical depth of an already strategically and tactically robust title.
As the game progresses and squad members promoted, each character's skill level will be increased according to their amount of experience. And when this happens, you'll find your tactical options greatly increased. For instance, when your main character (Wolf, the squad leader) is promoted, he will gain greater control over squad movements. After a while, not only will you be able to assess the health and cooperation level of suspects & civilians, you'll also have a greater range of combat effectiveness. Perhaps one of the more significant skill upgrades is the ability to pre-plan squad movements within a room before a breach. This greatly raises your squad's survivability by allowing them to take immediate cover upon entry. And as with any combat operation, intelligence is the key to strategy and planning. Not only will you be able to identify suspects and civilians more easily as your skill level increases, but you'll be able to extract more and more useful information from them, allowing you to anticipate many threats before you encounter them.
I honestly cannot say enough about this game. It's definitely more heavy on strategy than on shooting, so simply calling it a shooter is really a mischaracterization. In fact, aside from the sniping objectives, I would stick to LTL force for the best results (ie. rubber bullets, pepper balls, CS gas, etc. or even an occasional good 'ol fashioned pistolwhippin' for the particularly intractable suspect or uncooperative civilians). Fans of strategy games and tactical shooters should disregard the flawed reviews of the title by mainstream game critics and give SWAT: Target Liberty a try.