GameOver - 1999 E3 Coverage

Sierra showcases SWAT 3: Close-Quarters Battle

Date: May 13th

SWAT 3: Close-Quarters Battle moves strategic combat to new levels of realism in photo realistic 3D environments. Players assume the role of element leader, one of two in a ten-man squad. Throughout the chaos of hostage rescues, high risk warrants, barricaded suspects and VIP detail, players take command of a five-man assault team in an attempt to save innocents and negate the bad guys.

Responsibilities for the element leader include: outfitting the team with tactical gear and weapons, and assigning them team positions during pre-assault briefings; dividing them into two two-man teams or keeping them together as a four-man team during tactical assaults; and commanding their tactical actions from the beginning to the end of each mission. Beyond the tactics, players are also a part of the action, and have to lead their teams through dynamic entries, target identification and engagement, using gas and flashbangs, deciding when to use less than lethal force and choosing to move in stealth or dynamic modes.

The game takes place from a first-person point of view, with the interface existing as the inside of a SWAT team helmet with electronic display meters for tracking player health, the existence of noxious gasses and other warnings. Players have the ability to change points of view by switching to the SWAT cameras each assaulter has mounted on their helmets.

The heart of SWAT is special weapons and tactics and the element leader must be not only proficient but a master of these. Included in the element leader's repertoire are tactics such as slicing the pie, shooting through walls, compliance, securing of suspects and evidence, deployment of CS gas, flashbangs and Chemlites. Weapons to master include the M4, a modified Less-then-Lethal M4 , the MP5 subgun, Benelli shotgun and the 1911 handgun.

SWAT 3's twenty missions are set in Los Angeles in the year 2005. Various recognizable locations, such as LAX and the Convention Center, as well as unknown locations, are the settings for the various missions. Missions are populated with a wide assortment of AI driven bad guys, ranging from fanatic fundamentalists, religious zealots, extremists and survivalists to disgruntled citizens. All have wrecked havoc and committed, or are about to commit, a deadly crime, giving the game's pro-active SWAT team the authority to shoot at will. Of course, SWAT is still a civil law enforcement agency and not a military unit, so laws still apply to them. In other words, shooting an unarmed citizen might not be the best tactic to use. The criminal AI, as well as the victim AI, is dynamic and will respond to the player's actions and the actions of the player's team. There is no one way or one path to successfully complete a mission. It will be up to the individual player to determine the best tactical approach for a given situation.




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