  Scouting for baddies in 'SWAT 4 The Stetchkov Syndicate'. |
If they put the SWAT 4 catch-phrase “Move and clear!” on a T-Shirt, I would be the first in line to buy one. You can take that cheque to the bank and cash it.
SWAT 4 is full of little neat moments and elements that just make it cool beyond compare. While the new expansion pack - ‘The Stetchkov Syndicate’ - has some modifications that not only improve the game but change it as well in welcome and interesting ways, it is too bad the single-player missions weren’t longer. At a price of approximately $24.99 CDN, you really can’t grouse too much though.
On the tactical front, players can now use "initiate" and "hold' commands which means as the SWAT leader, your team will not move on a particular order until you given the signal. Though it may sound like a small amendment, it sure does come in handy when you wish to launch simultaneous and coordinated attacks on let’s say an area with multiple entry points. Based on the environment you are about to enter, if you think your troops would be better off with more freedom of movement, the “no armour” option is now available as well.
For very evil gamers like me, the new "Melee Attack" selection is a guilty pleasure. When convincing a suspect or an innocent to surrender or comply with your orders, you are no longer limited to just barking commands at them hoping your booming voice will strike fear into them or gleefully barbecuing them with a taser. With the expansion pack, you can throw your weight around and rough them up with some roundhouse rights that Evander Holyfield would be proud of. Oh, yeah. We bad.
Of course, using "inappropriate" force could cost you points in the end when your mission performance is reviewed but it is so much fun, especially when the scumbag criminals are spitting insults at you, that it may be worth knocking a few of their teeth out depending on what you think of wanton violence.
Along with co-op and multi-player modes, ‘The Stetchkov Syndicate' offers some new toys to outfit your squad with too. There are lightsticks to mark areas you have traveled through, night vision goggles, more machine guns and rifles along with a splendid Cobra stun gun.
It is nice to see that the mandate to protect innocent life and secure the area of operations has not been abandoned in the new seven level storyline. Fans do not want this series to be reduced to a brainless first person shooter. Thus, 'Stetchkov Syndicate’ pack reinforces ‘SWAT’ as the finest and well-balanced tactical shooter on the market today. The developers clearly show they are well on the road to making SWAT even better by tying the separate missions together into a larger storyline involving a European crime syndicate. The small touches of having the squad cleverly comment on their surroundings and the mission at hand for example, make ‘The Stetchkov Syndicate’ a great distraction until another full-scale installment in the SWAT saga is released.
Note: ‘The Stetchkov Syndicate’ is not a standalone product. It requires a full version of SWAT 4 to play.
WHAM! Rating: |
8.5 out of 10 |
ESRB Rating: |
M (Mature). |
Official Web Sites: |
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