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SWAT4: The Stetchkov Syndicate - Hands On Preview
Jon Wilcox
24/01/2006
The team reassembles for another series of incidents in the first expansion pack of SWAT4...
Launched in 2005, SWAT 4 followed a team of SWAT members (obviously) as they 'controlled' various situations in a crime infested city. Players took complete control of the team in a series of missions that required a strong sense of strategy and tactics rather than the simplistic 'run and shoot' gameplay of other FPS titles. With munitions licensed from legendary gun manufacturer Colt, a wide scope for exactly how the missions should proceed, and strong atmosphere of foreboding and tension, SWAT 4 successfully brought certain aspects of what it's like to be in Special Weapons and Tactics. Nine months on and SWAT 4 developers Irrational Games are no longer an independent developer having been acquired by Take-Two Interactive subsidiary 2K Games, making the forthcoming expansion pack The Stetchkov Syndicate something of a swan-song for its indie status.
This first expansion pack for SWAT 4 brings with it seven new single-player missions as well as new weaponry and multiplayer options, with the campaign featuring a storyline that sees the team track down the Stetchkov syndicate rather than rely on a series of standalone missions as per the original title. The core elements that have been added to the game relate to the multiplayer options however, including the addition of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and Unique Leader.
Set across seven missions, beginning with a hostage situation in an amusements arcade, The Stetchkov Situation drops the player into the deep-end right from the start; there's no training mode (if you're a newcomer go back to the main game) and you have to hit the ground running. Working together as 'Gold' team or splitting off into 'Blue' and 'Red' teams, it's essential that care and attention is taken at every turn. Besides the main team, players can also take control of a separate sniper team, which can take out a rogue element swiftly and without danger of injuring (or worse) a hostage; the only problem with that is lining up a shot in the first place. One feature that has been added to improve the flow of the game is the Hold order, which enables players to position the individual teams or the whole 'Gold' group into the corrects places before ordering a Go signal. It's a further refinement of the gameplay seen in SWAT4, and in some respects is such an obvious element that it's surprising it didn't feature in the first place.
Missions continue to be graded with the next mission only becoming accessible once a certain pass mark has been achieved, making it imperative that players execute an operation with the sort of diligence you'd expect from the real SWAT. Points are deducted for a number of things including for every fallen team member and hostage, with further points removed for not reporting that such events have taken place. Collecting evidence such as guns help to build up the score, but the best advice that can be given is to be patient since running into a room before checking for occupants is a sure way to lose team members. For those newcomers to the SWAT 4 gameplay, don't expect to make it through the mission in one piece at the first attempt - this is one of the most demanding FPS titles there is one the market.
But new missions aren't the only additions included in the expansion pack as Irrational Games has also included new weapons, one of which is the Cobra Stungun, a dual-purpose 'less-lethal' gadget and successor to the well known Taser. As well as featuring its predecessor's ability to shoot electrocuting nodes into an opponent, the Cobra also has a Touch-Stun melee attack for close-quarters use. Further gadgets making themselves known include chemical lightsticks (handy for those Hansel and Gretel moments), an extra ammo pouch, and Sam Fisher-style night-vision goggles. Whereas SWAT4 relied on closing/opening doors to signify cleared areas, something that wasn't ideal, the addition of the lightsticks makes it far easier to identify searched areas, and continues to add a further level of realism to the game. With larger levels and enemies that tend to make a bolt for it, making careful searches is an even more important gameplay element in The Stetchkov Syndicate. Adding weapons and a few extra missions are very much bread and butter to the expansion pack business, and so these additions shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, but Irrational has also built several new multiplayer features that expand upon the original structures laid down in the main SWAT 4 game.
The main bulk of the gameplay added in The Stetchkov Syndicate seems to be centred on the Multiplayer aspects, which are set to receive a raft of new features with the game. Together with the already mentioned VoIP and Unique Leader, which enables one player to take command of the multiplayer group, Irrational seem to preparing the game to be far more rounded a SWAT simulator come release. For those online strategists The Stetchkov Syndicate might be the closest thing to staging a counter-assault, especially if the rogue elements are also controlled by players and not AI. Besides returning with all of the gametypes of SWAT4, The Stetchkov Syndicate also features a new multiplayer mode: Smash and Grab. Players are split into two teams with one side aiming to a grab a randomly positioned suitvase and exiting a location within a time limit, whilst another teams tries to stop them. At its heart the gametype is very Capture the Flag, the excitement of the added Cat and Mouse gameplay is sure to excite players tired of the same old mix of Deathmatches and traditional CTF.
The Stetchkov Syndicate also features the Mission Maker seen in the original game, allowing players to customise missions from choosing the location to assigning roles to SWAT members, together with various Civilian and Suspect settings. For those SWAT players a tad tired of commanding a crack team, Mission Maker also allows gamers to assign themselves as a 'Lone Wolf', a 'splinter cell' if you like.
