SWAT: Global Stike Team

Global Strike Team puts you on Samuel Jackson?s side of the gun?even though there?s no connection to that movie.

There?s no connection between this game and the summer action flick, but they actually share a lot of similarities?light on realism and story, heavy on wham-bang action. That means Rainbow Six vets will scoff at SWAT: Global Strike Team?s more Hollywood approach, but if you were always turned off by Rainbow?s daunting complexity, this engaging first-person shooter could be right up your alley.

?Freeze!?
The interesting twist in this FPS is that because you are a cop, you can?t hose down a room without first shouting for the bad guys to surrender, and you actually have to capture and arrest some of them alive. You work in a three-person unit, issuing simple but effective commands, and cycling between the roles of sniper and team leader. The resulting dynamic is a mix of deliberate pacing and frenzied firefights that requires smart use of your trigger finger and your brain?but neither too heavily.

The silly part is that your team works worldwide, but fortunately, the bad guys are polite enough to patiently wait while you jet to their location to save the day. Other silliness includes highly trained operatives who can?t jump over knee-high barriers and forcing cops to earn better equipment by completing missions rather than just giving them the tools they need. So you have to be willing to suspend a goodly amount of disbelief.

?Get Down!?
One of SWAT?s big hooks is that you can use a USB headset (like the SOCOM one) to bellow various commands ranging from restraining suspects to blasting open doors. Unfortunately, it performs unevenly?sometimes catching your every word and sometimes leaving you talking to yourself as you eat lead. It?s cool to try briefly but isn?t worth using in the long run. Fortunately, the other controls function smoothly.

The missions unfold in a strictly linear fashion, but the enemy locations change fractionally each time you die or replay a level. The A.I. isn?t a very demanding opponent, and FPS pros will find the action easy but enjoyable on even the Hard setting. The graphics are mostly good, mixing great lighting and sharp interiors with feeble exterior scenery. The audio is weak, particularly the lame dialogue. Both are ratcheted up a notch on the Xbox version.

SWAT?s action isn?t of the highest caliber. But with 21 levels, some cool concepts, and great multiplayer support, it?s a fine rental for most and an enjoyable mission for FPS fans.

Also on the Xbox

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