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SWAT GLOBAL STRIKE TEAM (PS2)
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Publisher: Sierra Entertainment.
Developer: Argonaut Games. Released: December 2003 (Europe). Genre: Tactical FPS. Other versions: XBOX. Posted 23rd May 2021. By Tom Clare © 2021 |
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Nobody, it seems, was expecting anything especially noteworthy of SWAT: Global Strike Team. That’s the impression I get, trawling through some of the reviews of the time. Releasing in the midst of an incredibly busy schedule for first-person shoot 'em ups, to many, the writing was already on the wall: a cookie-cutter, tactical FPS based on an ageing and increasingly outmoded series. But then again, if you don’t look, you won’t find.
In reality, Global Strike Team was far better than it was ever (at least concertedly) given credit for. There were few first-person shoot ‘em ups on the PlayStation 2 that could match it as an overall package, when it released in the run up to Christmas in 2003. The first hint as to the game’s promise should have been the involvement of long-time purveyors of quality software, Argonaut. Secondly, it utilised a new game engine, OKRE, with a view to extracting the most from a console shoot ‘em up experience. The engine bears similarities to the impressive but similarly overlooked Delta Force: Urban Warfare (developed by tactical FPS maestros NovaLogic), a latter-day PlayStation title that released the previous summer.
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There are all sorts of objectives, including bomb defusals, hostage rescues and sniper takedowns
SWAT: Global Strike Team’s greatest success is in knowing where to pitch a console-tailored tactical shooter. Recognising its strengths, covering potential shortcomings. Tactics and shoot ‘em ups rarely made for easy bedfellows in the years prior (ask anyone who played a PlayStation Rainbow Six outing), however, SWAT makes smart use of the branching capabilities assigned to the D-Pad, offering a range of useful and easy to execute commands. As reviewers were keen to point out, it’s not as deep as its PC tactical FPS contemporaries. Equally though, it’s a more immediate, free-flowing experience: there are no arduous menus to wade through and no campaign planning to bog things down. Its clear command system compliments the flow of the action. There are options to prompt teammates to focus on a particular target, restrain a subdued foe, breach a door, or secure an area and whilst none of them are groundbreaking in themselves, they’re all handy in the right circumstances.
The levels are a lot of fun. The story is uncomplicated action movie shtick, involving two global terrorist networks vying for a powerful new drug, known as SPIKE. Whilst the story itself is nothing that will live long in the memory, it does provide an excuse for a marvellous array of globe-trotting levels. The one-player campaign has 21 to tackle in all and they include a bank raid, a hospital and a snow-capped military installation (evidently the influence of GoldenEye 007 was still very strong at this juncture). There’s also a tropical villa or, on entirely the other end of the spectrum, the sewers of LA.
The levels are a lot of fun. The story is uncomplicated action movie shtick, involving two global terrorist networks vying for a powerful new drug, known as SPIKE. Whilst the story itself is nothing that will live long in the memory, it does provide an excuse for a marvellous array of globe-trotting levels. The one-player campaign has 21 to tackle in all and they include a bank raid, a hospital and a snow-capped military installation (evidently the influence of GoldenEye 007 was still very strong at this juncture). There’s also a tropical villa or, on entirely the other end of the spectrum, the sewers of LA.
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The lingering influence of GoldenEye 007 on early 21st Century shooters is evidenced in a handful of SWAT's levels
There’s a great many ways of tackling the levels and a lot of rewards relating to how you complete them. Of course, the most straightforward way is to go route-one, all-guns-blazing and SWAT: Global Strike Team is versatile enough to make this work. However, the game becomes more compelling when you attempt to complete additional challenges, such as arresting a minimum number of terrorists, avoiding fatalities or taking no damage. Alternatively, there are also commendations for headshots, or kills notched up by your teammates. As well as a primary weapon, the player has a non-lethal dart gun, whilst screaming “hands in the air!” will escalate a compliance metre. Successfully sneaking up behind an enemy and shouting the command will cause them instantly to drop their weapon, whilst riling them with suppressive fire also does the trick.
Credit where it’s due also for the quality of the friendly A.I. who accompany you through each mission. During an era where CPU-controlled teammates were not exactly famed for their consistent and reliable behaviour, they’re relatively competent here. They can prove handy as backup, but you can’t place too heavy a burden on them alone, as bumbling into gunfights is as likely to get them injured as the player. They respond quickly to commands and don’t generally get left behind either. Lead character Kincaid is most frequently joined by Jackson, a bomb disposal expert, and Lee, a sniper who has a few of her own levels that tie-in rather neatly into the progress of the other two.
SWAT doesn’t posses the most inspiring visuals and its familiar, combat-team vibe stifles the potential of its presentation somewhat. However, it feels like Argonaut extracted the maximum from it, as the game looks pleasingly sturdy. Impressive lighting effects are accentuated by the night-vision goggles, which prove a useful and atmospheric means of navigating darker areas. The levels are detailed, if not especially interactive, featuring a great range of colour palettes and environment design that never feels sparse. Character models look fairly average up-close, but realistic, smooth little gestures and movements fit the setting nicely. The level design is impressively compact, something that is showcased by the superbly enjoyable Time Attack mode, which sees the player adding time to a counter with every successful takedown and arrest.
Credit where it’s due also for the quality of the friendly A.I. who accompany you through each mission. During an era where CPU-controlled teammates were not exactly famed for their consistent and reliable behaviour, they’re relatively competent here. They can prove handy as backup, but you can’t place too heavy a burden on them alone, as bumbling into gunfights is as likely to get them injured as the player. They respond quickly to commands and don’t generally get left behind either. Lead character Kincaid is most frequently joined by Jackson, a bomb disposal expert, and Lee, a sniper who has a few of her own levels that tie-in rather neatly into the progress of the other two.
SWAT doesn’t posses the most inspiring visuals and its familiar, combat-team vibe stifles the potential of its presentation somewhat. However, it feels like Argonaut extracted the maximum from it, as the game looks pleasingly sturdy. Impressive lighting effects are accentuated by the night-vision goggles, which prove a useful and atmospheric means of navigating darker areas. The levels are detailed, if not especially interactive, featuring a great range of colour palettes and environment design that never feels sparse. Character models look fairly average up-close, but realistic, smooth little gestures and movements fit the setting nicely. The level design is impressively compact, something that is showcased by the superbly enjoyable Time Attack mode, which sees the player adding time to a counter with every successful takedown and arrest.
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Global Strike Team doesn’t boast an individually memorable level to rival the gravitas of Medal of Honor: Rising Sun’s Pearl Harbour sequence, but Argonaut’s shooter ultimately outdoes EA’s effort through a far greater consistency to the quality of its levels. Rising Sun puts everything into its cinematic opening level, arguably to the detriment of the remainder of the game, whilst Global Strike Team proves an unlikely triumph of substance over style. There’s very little fluff. Some of the busier combat sequences could have been a shade smoother, but on the whole, it runs at a nice clip, a little behind the likes of TimeSplitters 2, but delivering significantly smoother, more satisfying gun play than Rebellion’s Judge Dredd: Dredd versus Death.
Three difficulty settings, 21 missions and a swathe of individual commendations provide an impressive basis for long-term play, but this is just the icing on the cake. As well as the speed-runner’s paradise that is the Time Attack mode, there’s a really good, 10-mission cooperative campaign, that can be tackled split-screen with a friend. This is no mere remoulding of the solo campaign either, but an entirely new story. These levels don’t disappoint, ensuring that SWAT delivers a healthy chunk of longevity. It isn’t perfect, of course, with occasional daft moments arising from the player getting ambushed from unlikely positions and teammates getting themselves killed in seemingly innocuous circumstances. Nevertheless, it’s further evidence of how diverse and talented Argonaut was as a studio and whilst a planned sequel would never see the light of day, it did pave the way for the similarly excellent Urban Chaos: Riot Response. For those who appreciate a well-crafted shoot ‘em up, this is well worth revisiting.
Three difficulty settings, 21 missions and a swathe of individual commendations provide an impressive basis for long-term play, but this is just the icing on the cake. As well as the speed-runner’s paradise that is the Time Attack mode, there’s a really good, 10-mission cooperative campaign, that can be tackled split-screen with a friend. This is no mere remoulding of the solo campaign either, but an entirely new story. These levels don’t disappoint, ensuring that SWAT delivers a healthy chunk of longevity. It isn’t perfect, of course, with occasional daft moments arising from the player getting ambushed from unlikely positions and teammates getting themselves killed in seemingly innocuous circumstances. Nevertheless, it’s further evidence of how diverse and talented Argonaut was as a studio and whilst a planned sequel would never see the light of day, it did pave the way for the similarly excellent Urban Chaos: Riot Response. For those who appreciate a well-crafted shoot ‘em up, this is well worth revisiting.
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VERDICT
"SWAT: Global Strike Team proves an unlikely triumph of substance over style... it's further evidence of how diverse and talented Argonaut was as a studio. Accessible, fun and with loads of longevity. This is well worth revisiting." OVERALL: 8/10 |