You take the roll of a SWAT squad leader during a time of great hope for the nations of the world. The year is 2005 and a very important Nuclear Abolishment Treaty is about to be signed by every nation in the world. Since this meeting is taking place in the City of Angels, the duty of making things safe for the foriegn reps has fallen on LAPD SWAT. For a the next few weeks the players team will have to keep the peace in a number of high risk situations that can mean life or death for many.

In terms of presentation this game is represented very well. The attention to visual detail is probably the most impressive part of the title. Right down to the slight glow eminating from the outdoor swimming pool, every building a mission takes place in has excellent detail and lighting. The squad is also well detailed, and you can even make out their eyes shifting around looking for possible suspects.

Another fine attention to detail made by the development team involves the realistic bullet physics that are incorporated into the title. Different guns shoot different bullets with many different effects. Using these enviromental consistancies are very important in minimizing casualties on all sides.

The suspects are probably the most complicated part of SWAT 3. Unlike some first-person titles, shooting first and asking questions later is not always the best option. The players' ratings as an officer depend on their conduct being up to snuff while in action. Not only does the survival rate of your team matter, but the survival rate of the suspects and hostages.

Encounters with any suspect can be a little nerve wracking. The option is always open to shoot him dead where he stands, but the player will probably want points and chances at commendations. So the few seconds between the time an encounter is made, and action is taken can be really rough. Deciding to try and negotiate can mean a bullet in the head, and sometimes it can mean a successful arrest. Timing is everything in this title with a lot of split second decision making on demand.

Most of the Non-Player Characters act pretty realistic. When arrested they curse you and struggle until you call in the trailers to round them up and take them outside. Some hostages respond based on who they are, under what conditions they have been in, and a lot of times in confusion from being in their situation. All suspects and hostages are very expressive, and this really adds a level to realism to the title. How would you feel about being handcuffed after being held hostage for eight hours?

I love how vocal the NPCs in this title are. Disgruntled hostages and suspects express their feelings to you as you handcuff them, approach them, or as they lie wounded on the ground. Most of the time it isn't too pleasant, as would be expected in any high risk situation. Occationally you will handcuff that one hostage that understands that the squad is just doing their job. This nice mix of audible emotion ends up being a great tool in creating realism.

The squad artificial intelligence is where SWAT3 suffers a little bit. They take orders really well, and follow complex scripted actions with a keystroke or two left to the player. They execute them efficiently and always follow orders. The frustration comes with how often they seem to get in the way during high risk combat situations. When things heat up in smaller areas with one or more of the squad involved the player getting a clear shot, or moving about the room mainly involves running up against the squad members till they are sort of pushed out of your way, or you manage to squeeze past them. This is a problem because although your squad responds very well to the commands given, their physical reaction to your movements aren't always dead on.

The variety of missions is probably one of the best features of this title. One comment was made to me recently that titles like R6: Rogue Spear had too many hostage situations, which ultimately lead to somewhat dull missions. SWAT 3 admittedly has hostage situations, but they are appropriately peppered through the title. Some missions involve simple arrests, while one of my favorite missions involved my squad entering a dark construction yard to locate suspects and surface to air missle launchers which had recently been firing at planes arriving at the local airport.

From the beginning the player can access all of the missions from the very beginning in a much more straightforward Mission Mode. This allows them to become accustomed to controls, weapons, situations, and refine their skills before they enter the Campaign Mode where every single action they make causes a consequence. Although this demand for ultimate skill in handling the Non-Player Characters and the Squad is a fundamental part of the title, it is also a big factor in the title's replay value. There's a lot to learn.

The biggest hit SWAT3 takes was the exclusion of multiplay. Although this wasn't always a fundamental part of PC gaming a few years ago, this has become a huge factor for many gamers out there. Although replay value in single player is quite high, the inability to play with people online makes this a solo job. Sierra does plan to release a patch of some sort sometime early next year though, and this should add what many SWAT fans will be craving after their tour of duty in the single player campaign.