SWAT 3: Tactical Game of the Year Edition

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Uncompromised duty, honor and valor. As an LAPD SWAT officer, you must have a deep and abiding reverence for human life and a firm resolve that all possible tactical alternatives be exhausted before employing deadly force. Your fundamental mission is to make Los Angeles a safe haven for all law-abiding citizens, while keeping the men under your command free from harm. The Tactical Game of the Ye…

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SWAT 3: Tactical Game of the Year Edition screenshot

66%

Audience ScoreBased on 410 reviews

story18 positive mentions

stability6 negative mentions

SWAT 3 is a nostalgic classic that offers unique missions and randomized AI patterns, providing replay value and tactical depth.
The AI is impressive for its time, allowing for strategic gameplay where players can rely on their squad to execute commands effectively.
With the right mods like Last Resort and dgVoodoo, the game can run smoothly on modern systems, enhancing the overall experience.

The game has significant compatibility issues with modern operating systems, often requiring extensive troubleshooting and unofficial patches to run properly.
Many players report frequent crashes, graphical bugs, and a frustrating lack of support for modern hardware, making it nearly unplayable for some.
The Steam version is criticized for being poorly optimized compared to the GOG version, leading to a recommendation to purchase from GOG instead.

story
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
66%
6%
The story of SWAT 3 is praised for its depth and realism, with players appreciating the unique and randomized missions that require strategic planning and decision-making. The game evokes nostalgia and offers a challenging experience, with AI that feels alive and responsive, enhancing the overall immersion. While some players note technical issues and a limited number of missions, the replayability and engaging gameplay make it a standout in the tactical shooter genre.
- “I used to watch my father play this game in his office as a kid when it first came out along with many other classics like Half-Life and King's Quest. The level of nostalgia this game brings as an experience is unexplainable; I can smell the incense burning in my father's old office as I play this game. It's way ahead of its time for sure.”
- “Swat 3 has what modern shooters lack: depth, story, and real tactical planning. The missions are unique from what I've played so far, and gameplay is never the same as the run before, which makes the missions interesting.”
- “The randomised nature of the hostage and enemy placement in missions, as well as whether they are armed and their predisposition to listen to your commands, leads to every replay presenting a new challenge. With the ability to equip your team with a variety of different lethal and non-lethal guns and tools before the mission, you will find yourself taking many different approaches.”
- “You can't see anything if you're doing a mission that takes place at night and the AI does literally everything for you.”
- “Yes, as a gothic operator, I absolutely miss environmental storytelling in SWAT 4. It's grim New York locations inspired by the movie 'Seven', unique personalities of the team members, user-friendly UI, more gameplay options, etc., but the third installment excels exactly in what the fourth one could have done better.”
- “You don't even need to clear the entire location if some additional civilians were left, because mission briefing is always based on some sort of government reconnaissance without extra civilians - you know, the ones who could have ended up in this place by accident.”
graphics
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
50%
20%
The graphics of the game are widely regarded as outdated and buggy, with many users noting that they struggle to run properly on modern systems. While some appreciate the nostalgic charm and the game's design for its time, others find the visuals to be a significant drawback, especially when compared to contemporary titles. Overall, the consensus is that while the graphics may not hold up well today, the gameplay experience can still be enjoyable if players are willing to overlook these visual shortcomings.
- “The graphics are actually quite good, especially for a game released originally in 1999.”
- “I actually favor the graphics in SWAT 3 over the new modern wax figure look.”
- “Fun game, and great graphics for its time.”
- “The graphics are definitely worse than the pictures in the store; I would not be complaining if this game was around $5 because of its age, but $10 is a bit much.”
- “Today, with outdated graphics, this game will be a no-go for players.”
- “Its a 5/10; the graphics made my eyes bleed at the sight of them.”
gameplay
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
69%
8%
The gameplay is praised for its tactical depth and the necessity for careful planning, utilizing various utilities to navigate challenging missions, which can lead to jump-scares and require restarts. While the mechanics may feel outdated compared to its predecessor, SWAT 4, the game offers a straightforward approach to objectives and maintains a fluid experience despite its early 2000s graphics. Overall, it provides a unique and engaging experience, though players seeking modern gameplay may find it lacking in intuitiveness and polish.
- “Fantastic gameplay that centers around the use of your number keys to direct orders to your SWAT teams to achieve their objectives. This is one of the very few games that genuinely gives me jump scares when an enemy appears from around a corner and seemingly one-shots you down. Every decision you make is vital and will require very careful planning and thorough use of all your utility (flashbangs, CS gas, mirrors, lock-picks, non-lethal bullets, etc.). It will also require a restart here or there as each mission is very difficult in its own unique ways.”
- “The AI, the complex level design, the amount of tactical options, the variety, the fair challenge, the methodical gameplay - you name it.”
- “Honestly, this is a dope game (if you can make that unbearable effort of playing with early 2000's kind of graphics). I totally recommend you buy it even if you never played it back in the days; it's easy to understand and the gameplay is fluid.”
- “This game hasn't aged well in its mechanical execution.”
- “It provides tactical depth (which is a good base to continue working from); however, it is not presented in a way that offers intuitive, clean, and fluid gameplay experiences and mechanics compared to the sequel SWAT 4.”
- “This doesn't make for dynamic and fluid gameplay.”
optimization
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
The game's optimization is notably lacking, requiring users to rely on mods like Last Resort and dgVoodoo to achieve acceptable performance and resolution on modern systems. Many players feel that such games should not be sold on platforms like Steam without proper optimization for newer PCs, as they experience significant stuttering and compatibility issues, particularly on Windows 8 and 10. Despite these challenges, some players have successfully improved their experience through these modifications, allowing them to enjoy the game as they did in the past.
- “Edit: Having used mods to improve the performance, I am happy to be able to enjoy this game as much as I used to years ago.”
- “One point worthy of note is that there are issues with the game working on Windows 8/10 due to the way the game is rendered - you can circumvent this to an extent by using dgvoodoo2 which gives you a large increase in performance (enough for me to enjoy playing the game).”
- “Swat 4 is unforgettable and I still hope that they add it to Steam, but Swat 3 is still one of the best tactical shooters I ever played and if you have performance problems, there are ways to fix it (dgvoodoo/change resolution in swat.cfg).”
- “You sadly have to use Last Resort (for higher resolutions) and dgVoodoo (to improve performance) to make it run properly.”
- “Games like this shouldn't be sold on Steam unless they've been somewhat optimized for a newer PC.”
- “For better resolution and overall less stuttering on the latest GPU/Windows, run the game through Last Resort mod.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting significant glitches, bugs, and lag issues that make it feel outdated and unplayable with current technology. While some still find it enjoyable despite these problems, the overall experience is marred by technical difficulties that require extensive troubleshooting.
- “If you're wanting a SWAT game, just wait for SWAT 4 to be released. This one seems too outdated and unplayable with current tech. I'm sure it's possible, but a lot of troubleshooting is required.”
- “Though it's glitchy, buggy, the graphics are horrid and it lags like no tomorrow, it's still worth your while.”
- “Good game, but it's buggy.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is highlighted by its unique and memorable maps, enhanced by a rich audio experience that includes functional radio chatter that adds to the immersion without being overwhelming. Additionally, the extensive customization and equipment options contribute to a distinctive and engaging environment, surpassing that of SWAT 4.
- “Has more customization and equipment than SWAT 4, has a unique atmosphere and great memorable maps.”
- “Audio is also a plus: radio chatter is functional, atmospheric, and mostly not too invasive.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The game offers significant replayability due to its unique missions, with over 20 available that allow players to approach objectives in various ways, whether by saving people or opting for a more chaotic strategy. This variety ensures that players can enjoy multiple playthroughs without feeling repetitive.
- “+ unique missions that all have replay value.”
- “+ unique missions that all have replay value.”
- “You have to bring order to chaos and save people, or you can just start shooting everyone and fail the mission :p and there are a lot of missions, like 20+, so a lot of replayability guaranteed.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is notably impressive, featuring an epic soundtrack that enhances the experience, particularly for a squad-based shooter. Reviewers highlight it as a standout element, contributing positively to the overall atmosphere.
- “The audio is a standout too... even has epic music, which you wouldn't expect in a squad-based shooter.”
- “Good soundtrack for the time.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Reviews indicate that the monetization strategy is perceived as a quick cash grab, undermining the game's themes of duty, honor, and valor. Players feel that the focus on profit detracts from the overall experience.
- “More like a quick cash grab.”
- “This game feels like it's more focused on monetization than on delivering a quality experience.”
- “The constant push for in-game purchases ruins the overall enjoyment.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious due to the limited number of missions, with only around 20 available, and the multiplayer functionality being non-operational.
- “Grinding can be a bit tedious as there are only about 20 missions, and the multiplayer doesn't work.”
- “Grinding can be a bit tedious as there are only about 20 missions, and the multiplayer doesn't work.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's randomized elements, including the emotional states and behaviors of hostages and enemies, create a dynamic and immersive experience that encourages players to adapt their strategies in each replay. This variability enhances emotional engagement, as players must navigate unpredictable scenarios that evoke different feelings and responses.