Police Quest: SWAT 2

About

"Police Quest: SWAT 2" is a tactical simulation game that allows players to build and control either a SWAT team or a terrorist organization. The game features 15 missions for both SWAT and terrorists, with various units and equipment such as K-9 units, snipers, and explosives at your disposal. Players can undergo actual SWAT training and engage in realistic tactical combat, utilizing weapons like MP5 submachine guns and flashbangs. You can also create your own missions and challenges.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

75%

Audience ScoreBased on 76 reviews

gameplay3 negative mentions

Police Quest: SWAT 2 offers a nostalgic experience with engaging tactical gameplay that has stood the test of time since its original release in 1998.
The game features two distinct campaigns, allowing players to either command a SWAT team or take on the role of a terrorist organization, providing a unique twist to the gameplay.
Despite its outdated graphics and controls, many players find the game to be surprisingly entertaining and rewarding once they learn the mechanics.

The game suffers from significant performance issues on modern systems, including frequent crashes and low frame rates, making it difficult to play.
The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, which can lead to frustration, especially for new players who may struggle to understand the controls without a tutorial.
Many players have reported that the game is unplayable or requires extensive troubleshooting to get it to run, detracting from the overall enjoyment.

story
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
81%
10%
The story of "Police Quest SWAT 2" revolves around commanding a SWAT team through a series of 30 missions that tackle various high-stakes scenarios, such as domestic violence and hostage situations. Players can also experience a second campaign from the perspective of the antagonists, although the missions vary significantly in difficulty and design quality. While the game offers some nostalgic elements and independent storylines, it suffers from technical issues and a lack of variety in mission execution.
- “As is obvious from the title, you command a SWAT team through a 15 missions long campaign full of domestic violence situations, bank robberies, hostage takings, and psychopaths on a rampage.”
- “In total, there are 30 missions, 15 for each respective campaign, and each storyline is independent of the other, though some scenarios are similar.”
- “The scenarios are never the same when you play each mission, which adds to the gameplay and avoids repetition.”
- “In a neat twist, there is a second campaign with 15 more missions that lets you play as the bad guys, but the missions in this second campaign are either so ridiculously easy or so ridiculously frustrating that it feels downright broken at times.”
- “Many of the missions can be completed in under a minute or two just by taking your squad and immediately running off to the edge of the map (bad guys escaped = win!), others are so cryptic that you'll almost certainly need to look at a walkthrough.”
- “Several missions are also scripted in a way that allows for little variety in the way the mission itself is played.”
gameplay
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
56%
33%
The gameplay of Police Quest: SWAT 2 is characterized by its realistic tactical mechanics and real-time squad-based strategy, reminiscent of classic titles like Jagged Alliance and X-COM Apocalypse. While some players initially find it frustrating due to bugs and control quirks, mastering the game leads to a rewarding and entertaining experience, especially with the discovery of powerful tools like the gas grenade launcher. Overall, it remains a nostalgic favorite for fans of tactical gameplay, appealing to both new and veteran gamers.
- “But boy, after I gained more and more understanding of the controls and mechanics and finally discovered the omnipotent power of the almighty gas grenade launcher, the game made quite a recovery and turned from an initially frustrating mess into a surprisingly easy and increasingly entertaining affair.”
- “Apart from the fact that the game is really buggy on modern OSs, the core gameplay is just so amazingly realistic!”
- “By modern standards, some of the gameplay can be frustrating, but when you figure out the quirks of getting your officers to do what you want them to do, it's a lot of fun.”
- “Police Quest: SWAT 2 is one of the early old-timers to introduce tactical, real-time squad-based gameplay to PC gaming, and was first released by Yosemite Entertainment for Microsoft in 1998.”
graphics
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The graphics of the game are criticized for being extremely outdated, resulting in small and undetailed visuals that can make gameplay difficult to follow. Additionally, the game suffers from choppy performance on modern systems, further detracting from the overall experience.
- “Additionally, thanks to the extremely outdated visuals, everything is so small and undetailed in this game, which makes it pretty hard to see what's really going on at first.”
- “Unfortunately, the game runs pretty choppy on modern systems, too (not so much that it becomes unplayable, though), and altogether the outdated, minuscule visuals, antiquated controls, and pretty erratic AI almost made me dismiss SWAT 2 as just one of those games that are simply way too old to still be enjoyable.”
- “The way a 2D game worked in that era is basically putting countless little graphics up on the screen at once, and the game simply gets swamped.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, particularly on modern operating systems, leading to a buggy experience. Despite the core gameplay being praised for its realism, players have encountered persistent problems that detract from overall enjoyment.
- “Apart from the fact that the game is really buggy on modern operating systems, the core gameplay is just so amazingly realistic!”
- “After all the troubleshooting to make it run on a modern system, the reality is an old game that had issues with pacing and rudimentary controls.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
The game is considered a classic with notable replay value, appealing to some players who enjoy revisiting it periodically; however, younger gamers may find it less accessible or engaging.
- “A classic that has replay value every so often, though younger gamers might find it challenging.”
- “The game offers a variety of paths and choices, making each playthrough feel fresh and exciting.”
- “With multiple endings and unlockable content, I find myself coming back to this game time and again.”
- “While this classic has some replay value, younger gamers might find it challenging to engage with it.”
- “The game lacks significant replayability, making it hard to justify multiple playthroughs.”
- “After completing the game once, there isn't much incentive to return for a second playthrough.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game currently suffers from sluggish performance, leading users to recommend a revamp for better optimization.
- “I would recommend it if they revamped it for better performance, but it just feels too sluggish right now.”
- “The game suffers from severe optimization issues, making it frustrating to play.”
- “Even on high-end hardware, the performance is disappointing and far from what I expected.”