"Put your hands up and get down on the ground!" Nope, not a new dance tune from the Vengaboys, but the cries of a typical LAPD SWAT officer. Whip out your tear gas and immerse yourself in the world of SWAT 3.
Ben Morris

The first-person genre has been traditionally dominated by adrenaline filled, intense gore fests. Emerging from this extreme violence came a new subset of games that relied on a more tactical approach, as opposed to brute force, in order to provide the thrills.

SWAT 3 moves on from its rather disappointing predecessors in the series to embrace the first-person aspect. As the name suggests, you're placed in command of a highly trained Special Weapons and Tactics element from the LA police department. SWAT teams are brought in as a last resort in cases of extreme danger, such as hostage and armed barricade situations. The game environment reflects this by being very tight and constrained. Forget the vast open plains of Delta Force, SWAT 3 involves carefully manoeuvring around warehouses and apartments in an effort to locate and apprehend suspects.

Success is largely reliant on teamwork, rather than individual effort. Being shot almost certainly results in shouts of 'officer down', so leaping through a building on a Quake-style rampage is definitely out of the question. As commander of the SWAT team you have four officers at your disposal. A menu of verbal commands can be issued at the press of a key and the constant stream of feedback from your officers keeps you informed of their movements.

Communication is an important aspect and this is highlighted when hostilities start and the team go dynamic. Officers start yelling at the suspect in an effort to arrest him, while he responds with backchat and verbal abuse. It's all very realistic to listen to, and it's far too easy to sit back and become absorbed in the situation, instead of getting in there and busting people.