SWAT 3: Close Quarters (1999) #5

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Published on October 18, 2022 12:00:28 AM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYb8FZ68KWs

Game:

SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle (1999)

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Review

Duration: 28:37

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SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle is a tactical shooter video game developed by Sierra Northwest and published by Sierra Entertainment for Microsoft Windows-based PCs. It is the seventh installment of the Police Quest series and the first game in the series to be played from the first-person perspective. Unlike many other first-person shooter games, SWAT 3 places an emphasis on realistic police methods and tactics, including proper room clearance, use of less-lethal weaponry, ordering compliance and arresting enemies rather than shooting on sight, and differentiating between authorized and unauthorized use of lethal force.

SWAT 3 is set in 2005 Los Angeles, with the player assuming the role of a Los Angeles Police Department SWAT officer, leading a five-man element of computer-controlled teammates. Los Angeles is due to host a major, United Nations-brokered nuclear disarmament treaty signing attended by a number of world powers. LAPD SWAT is tasked with protecting the treaty event and the attending dignitaries from a number of violent criminal and terrorist groups seeking to either abuse or disrupt the treaty signing event for their own ends.

SWAT 3 was met by positive critical acclaim, attracting praise for its graphics and AI sophistication. A sequel, SWAT 4, was released in April 2005, developed and published by Irrational Games and Sierra owner Vivendi Universal.

Gameplay
SWAT 3 is a tactical team-based first person shooter played cooperatively with computer or human-controlled teammates, as a five-man Police SWAT element. The game is divided into missions, representing separate SWAT deployments to various crisis situations. Mission environments are typically indoors, necessitating room-to-room CQB tactics. Operations include hostage rescue, armed standoffs and bomb disposal. Enemies, referred to as 'suspects', include individuals, disorganised small groups and trained, politically motivated terrorists.

Unlike military shooters, such as the comparable Rainbow Six games, the player and teammates are cast as policemen rather than soldiers. The primary objective when dealing with armed suspects is to arrest them alive instead of shooting on sight.[1] Some incidents of unauthorized use of lethal force (shooting an unarmed, incapacitated, surrendering or non-threatening character) will result in mission failure.

The original game has 16 missions total, ranging from rapid deployment to VIP protection. Some of the maps are based on real locations such as the LA City Hall and the Convention Center. The expansions added 11 new missions, giving the game a total of 27 missions. The earlier missions are more routine SWAT deployments, keeping the learning curve shallow for new players.

The SWAT team's equipment is focused towards less than lethal and CQB tactics, with some updates to suit the futuristic setting. In addition to the LAPD SWAT standard issue Springfield M1911 sidearm, the player can equip individual squad members with an HK MP5 or MP5SD submachine gun, a Benelli M1 Super 90 shotgun or a Colt M4A1 carbine. The M4A1 has a secondary barrel for firing non-lethal beanbag rounds in addition to its primary full metal jacket, the M1 Super 90 can be loaded with either buckshot or breaching ammunition for destroying locked doors and the MP5, MP5SD and M1911 can be optionally loaded with either full metal jacket or expanding hollow point ammunition, depending upon the situation. All weapons have a flashlight attachment. The game allows the different types of ammunition varying levels of penetration through different materials, making "spray and pray" firing risky due to the potential of hitting an unseen NPC.

In addition to firearms, the player's SWAT officers are equipped with flashbang and tear gas grenades for disorienting and debilitating suspects, breaching explosives for opening locked doors, lightsticks for signalling and lighting, a Leatherman multitool and an 'Opti-Wand'; a camera on a telescoping wand used for safely looking around corners and through doorways - a high-tech equivalent of real-life mirror on a stick tools used for the same purposes. Officers wear body armor and enclosed helmets with inbuilt respirator equipment and a HUD projected inside the faceplate, used as an in-game explanation for the presentation of ammunition counts, targeting reticules and other information.

The player character's health is displayed as a vertical scale. In-game, this represents the readings of various sensors inside the officer's clothing measuring blood loss, body temperature and other vital signs. Health does not regenerate and injuries cannot be treated mid-mission. Officers cannot withstand a large number of injuries without being incapacitated. This encourages the player to use slow, methodical CQB tactics making use of flashbangs and tear gas rather than run and gun style assaults.

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