Sierra's Quest series of adventures, such as King's Quest, Space Quest and Police Quest, are predictable games. Before you even open the box, you can xpect a certain formula: namely, a puzzle-driven adventure game with typical Sierra side-view action, where you must maneuver through a variety of locations, avoiding death at every turn. Kings' Quest has always emphasized attractive graphics, while Space Quest's forte is juvenile humor and spectacular player deaths. Police Quest, on the other hand, has been known for its attention to realism and "by-the-book" procedure.
That commitment to realism has not diminished in Police Quest: SWAT (hereafter SWAT). Rather, the sheer amount of realism and detail is remarkable. What has changed, though, is the interface. Instead of a side-view adventure, SWAT features a variety of perspectives and effects. You can see yourself in third-person video clips, while in the action sequences, you take a first-person shooter's perspective. A menu allows you to travel between locations such as the Academy and Shooting Range, while directional arrows allow you to jump between locations when you're on a mission. Just about everything is digitized in his game, so SWAT looks much more like an interactive movie than its predecessors.
Have all these changes made SWAT the ultimate Police Quest? To be honest, I've played the game for hours and hours, and I still can't make up my mind. SWAT has a lot to recommend it, but it's definitely not a game for everyone.
You start the game as a SWAT Pup - in other words, the new guy. As you might expect, you're in for your fair share of put-downs, especially when you do something incorrectly. If you like games that give you unlimited power or place you in the role of hero/leader/demigod, then SWAT might not appeal to you.
You'll spend your early game wandering back and forth between several training locations. During this time you can participate in assault drills and sniper practice, look at digitized interviews of real SWAT officers, sift through mountains of detail on your guns and equipment, or read through volumes of SWAT protocol. Much of this information is not necessary for actual game play, but some players will love the ability to pore over every little detail of their customized .45 pistol or assault shotgun.
After some preliminary training, you'll spend most of your time waiting for call-ups. This is where all the drills and information comes into play: it gives you something to do between missions. Eventually the red light will flash, indicating that it's time to get to the real action.
You perform one of three roles on a call-up: assaulter, sniper, or element leader. Assaulters are the guys who smash down doors, sneak into buildings, and generally do the dirty work. Element leaders get to plan the SWAT team's attack, while the snipers perform a very obvious function.
After the attack plan is discussed, it's time to get to work. You switch to a first person perspective and use a variety of tools to complete your mission. You can use LASH (a radio interface that lets you communicate with your team), a menu of hand signals, directional arrows for movement, and any equipment you might have at hand.
Video clips are used frequently during missions, and your cursor changes into a SWAT symbol during the times that you cannot interact with the game world. These video clips enhance the feeling that you're actually participating in a real-life call-up. In fact, the sense of realism throughout this product is superb, so you'll never have a hard time suspending your disbelief.
The realism of SWAT is undeniable, the production values of the cut-scenes are high, and the presentation is excellent overall. However I can't help feeling that, as in many "interactive movies," SWAT suffers from Dragon's Lair syndrome: you spend too much time looking at video clips, and the interactive parts require you to perform very exact maneuvers. You don't need great reflexes, but often you'll be stuck wondering what the heck you're supposed to do: it isn't always clear.
There aren't many missions is SWAT, but you'll spend lots of time re-playing each one, because it's so darn easy to fail. There is a single set of "correct procedures" for each mission, and your job is to figure out what to do, and when.
If you love realism and detail, or you really love the idea of being on a SWAT team, then SWAT's presentation and craftsmanship will win you over. However, if you want to express your creativity and innovation, or you hate guessing the proper path through a sea of Dragon's Lair-style hazards, then this Police Quest is definitely not for you.
