Bad boys, bad boys…
Keep the peace or wreak havoc on the streets of LA. Police Quest: Swat 2
is a real-time action simulation based on actual LAPD call-ups. You can choose
to lead a highly trained SWAT team or lead a deadly band of militia/terrorists
on a campaign to re-educate the people against the tyranny of our government.
As the police you go through a series of missions involving domestic violence,
liquor store robberies [complete with frantic Vietnamese-speaking clerks], bank
robberies, and of course confrontations with the Five Eyes.
As the Five Eyes, you get to wreak mayhem by going on missions ranging from
getting media attention by taking hostages at an airport or during a speech,
to passing out literature to capture the thoughts of like minded super-patriots
such as yourself.
Before I go any further, I just have to add that Yosemite Entertainment did
a great job creating the proper feel and atmosphere for this game. Although
the game does follow a very linear and rigid script as far as how the missions
occur, the voice overs and acting really make you feel like you are in middle
of whatever situation your supposed to be in. I especially like the debriefing
interface after each mission, where the police chief gives you the low-down
on your performance. What is especially cool (or even funny) is the terrorist
debriefing where your fearless leader, Basho, feeds your mind with twisted terrorist
propaganda and justification for the havoc that you have wrought! I’ve always
wondered how people in militant militias might think and see life, and quite
frankly, now I know why we call them crazy.
The FMV’s are very well done and add further to the ambience and tension of
a police situation or terrorist campaign. You can go on 15 swat and 15 terrorist
missions or create your own. You can choose to build up your swat or terrorist
team from over 100 Swat officers or 100 terrorists. Or you can get started quickly
and play the default team provided for either side.
You can equip your units with a list of weapons and tools ranging from flashbangs,
hand grenades, gasoline, entry explosives, HK submachine guns, or simple tools
like a crowbar. As the police you can even call in K-9 units, explosive experts,
snipers, helicopters, and armored riot vehicles.
The single player
mode works like a charm. You can command your team of swat or terrorist, with
ease as a group or individually, through the easy to use and literally self-explanatory
action icon buttons. You can quickly access your team players individually,
and quickly change their weaponry or equipment to best attack the situation
at hand. Accessing your snipers, helicopters, and armored vehicles is as easy
as clicking a button and pointing at the target or destination.
The graphics are very nice. All the sprites are sharp and well animated. The
characters are in proper proportion to their environment and their movements
are fluid and very realistic. I have no complaints.
The emphasis is on gameplay, and Swat 2 looks like a real winner. Although
the game is very linear, Swat 2 has some definite replay value in the
ability to create your own missions.
For those of you who want to master Swat 2, you can read the 206 page
manual that comes with the game. For those of you with less patience, Swat
2 comes with 3 cheat cards or quick reference guides that give the hot keys
for single play and multiplayer. If that isn’t enough, Swat 2 also has
in-game help. If you’ve ever forgotten what an icon or button does, then simply
right click it with your mouse. A yellow box will appear, telling you what it
does and even step-by-step instructions on which keys to use. Now that’s what
I talking about!!
I cannot rave about this game enough! What is not to like about this game?
Well, that is a question I thought long and hard about. If you are a gamer bent
solely action games then Swat 2 may not appeal to you. Otherwise, if
you’re open to something new, with a little more depth than “point at snarling
cyber-demon and fire BFG”, then Swat 2 is a great alternative and
a game worth having.
If you’ve never been a fan of action sims, or never tried them, then you should
try Swat 2. It is a game that will deliver the depth that a seasoned
action sim fan is looking for. Yet, Swat 2 can also be played by someone
trying the action sims for the first time. Lock and load…. hut hut hut hut
hut hut
