History VideoGame / SWAT3

* EverythingFades: lightly and justified, bodies/dropped weapons normally never fade, except for respawning players/bots in Multiplayer, however as part of procedure, you need to call in trailers (A second never-seen-in-game team who's job is to bring hostages/cuffed suspects out) who esentially function as an off-screen cleanup of secured hostages/suspects, notable since the sequel SWAT 4 has the trailers "standby" instead of being sent in, so all handcuffed/incapacitated hostages/suspects don't fade.

* PyrrhicVictory: If you die during the final mission, but manage to disarm the nuke first, the game treats this as a success.

* CrossDressingVoices: Official mods by Sierra that are available for download added Female character models for both SWAT and the multiplayer playable Tangos, due to the fact there is only one set of Male SWAT voices made when the game is shipped, both use male voice lines. (This also means the Tangos say things that it only makes sense for SWAT to say such as "Suspect down".)

** Even Sierra themselves made some mods for the game after it was released; the Tactical Game of the Year edition comes with optional "Commander" and "Tier One" packs which add almost every enemy-only weapon to the player's arsenal, alongside entirely-new goodies.

''SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle'' was the third installment in {{Creator/Sierra}}'s ''VideoGame/{{SWAT}}'' series, the more action-themed spinoff of their previous ''VideoGame/PoliceQuest'' series. Developed by the Sierra Northwest studio and published in 1999, this game was in many ways a milestone in the series: The first ''SWAT'' game to be a squad-based tactical FirstPersonShooter, the last ''SWAT'' game to be set in Los Angeles and be developed by an in-house studio of Sierra, and one of the more successful and acclaimed tactical shooters of the late 90s (bear in mind that the subgenre was basically brand new back then, with progenitor ''VideoGame/RainbowSix'' only releasing a year beforehand).

!!This game provides examples of:

* ItsAWonderfulFailure: Failing the last mission causes a nuclear explosion and the death of everyone inside including the player and the team.
* MercyRewarded: As with its successor, ''{{VideoGame/SWAT 4}}'', the game docks you points for killing civilians and suspects. The only exception to this is defensive shooting if your squad or the hostages are under threat.

* {{Deconstruction}}: The idea that a good action game doesn't necessarily have to involve purely shooting people in the face has become a tradition in the ''SWAT'' series, and this installment is no exception. Adherence to procedure, protocol and less violent solutions of hostage situations is paramount throughout the game.

* ItsAWonderfulFailure: Failing the last mission a causes nuclear explosion and the death of everyone inside including the player and the team.

* HostageSituation: About 2/3 of the missions in the game consist of rescuing hostages.

* UpdatedRerelease: ''Close Quarters Battle'' was rereleased with new content as ''SWAT 3: Elite Edition'' and again with more content as ''SWAT 3: Tactical Game of the Year Edition'', however both were made available as patches for older versions (although only people who bought the Game of the Year Edition were able to get the disc featuring videos of Blackwater demonstrating tactics).

* FinalDeath: Played with. [[spoiler: In the last mission, there is a nuclear bomb that needs to be defused. If you die, the bomb goes off and the usual restart mission button at the death screen is gone]]. Though you can just replay the mission through the main menu.

** Even Sierra themselves made some mods for the game after it was released; the Tactical Game of the Year edition comes with optional "Commander" and "Tier One" packs which add almost ever enemy-only weapon to the player's arsenal, alongside entirely-new goodies.

NeedsWikiMagicLove. If you're a fan, old veteran or modder of this game, feel free to add to this page!

* FinalDeath: Played with. In some missions, there is a nuclear bomb that needs to be defused. If you die, the bomb goes off and the usual restart mission button at the death screen is gone. Though you can just replay the mission through the main menu.

* ItsAWonderfulFailure: Failing the last mission a causes nuclear explosion and the death of everyone inside including the player.

Website/GOGDotCom has made [[http://www.gog.com/game/swat_3_tactical_game_of_the_year_edition the Tactical Game of the Year edition available]] for ten dollars.

* NextSundayAD: The game was published in 1999, but the campaign is set in 2005. Some minor glimpses into the future include the signing of a global nuclear weapons ban treaty (which the campaign's main StoryArc revolves around) and the fact that the in-game {{HUD}} of you and your squad is supposed to be a helmet-mounted digital readout (in the vein of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_F-35_Lightning_II#Helmet-mounted_display_system F-35's pilot helmet]], just simpler). Since it's a late 90s portrayal of the [[TurnOfTheMillennium 2000s]], there is some very minor amount of {{Zeerust}} in the ideas presented (such as some missions including cars with still-active alarms, which have the usual horn-blaring alongside a mechanical voice warning "STEP AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE" every few seconds). Other than that, there aren't many futuristic elements in the game.
* RightWingMilitiaFanatic: Sovereign America, a Militia group who rejects all government authorities including police as they believe they are all part of an One World Order conspiracy to take over America. They're also an ApocalypseCult since their leader preaches end of the world rhetoric.
* ShownTheirWork: The level of detail in regards to a tactical SWAT operation is impressive, with extensive detail and explanation of everything from fire and movement and use of force/lethal force to taking into account different penetration on different rounds depending on plaster, glass, wood, concrete, ect and how lower level criminals are more likely to surrender where high ranking terrorists and mercs would rather go out in a blaze of glory.

Website/GogDotCom has made [[http://www.gog.com/game/swat_3_tactical_game_of_the_year_edition the Tactical Game of the Year edition available]] for ten dollars.

You may purchase the [[http://www.gog.com/game/swat_3_tactical_game_of_the_year_edition game of the year edition from Good Old Games for $9.99]].

* FirstPersonGhost: Applies to the squad leader, of course, though this can be averted by entering "handsup" into the console.

* {{HUD}}: Being a realistic squad-based tactical shooter, the HUD in this game is very minimalist. The most you get is a crosshair evoking your gun's ironsights or the actual crosshair on its optics, or an image of whatever equipment you're using; a silhouette of yourself showing whether you're in stealth or dynamic mode and whether you're sprinting; a meter indicating injuries if you get non-fatally shot; an optional panel in the upper left showing what number keys to press for different communications; and other, optional panels giving a view of what one or more of your teammates are looking at or to look through the opti-wand when it's in use.

* IGotYouCovered: One of the standard squad procedures.

* HarsherInHindsight: In one mission, terrorists shoot down an airplane and the FAA tries to ground air traffic in the region with little success. Two years after the game's release, 9/11 happened and the FAA grounded air traffic across the country.

NeedsWikiMagicLove. If you're a fan, old veteran or modder of this game, feel free to add to this page !

* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: Mission 15 takes place in one. Justified it that its a Storm Drain System.

* {{HUD}}: Being a realistic squad-based tactical shooter, the HUD in this game is very minimalist. The most you get is a crosshair evoking your gun's ironsights, the actual crosshair on its optics, or an image of whatever equipment you're using; a silhouette of yourself showing whether you're in stealth or dynamic mode and whether you're sprinting; a meter indicating injuries if you get non-fatally shot; an optional panel in the upper left showing what number keys to press for different communications; and other, optional panels giving a view of what one or more of your teammates are looking at or to look through the opti-wand when it's in use.

* GenrePopularizer: Along with the original ''VideoGame/RainbowSix'' game, it greatly helped to popularize squad-based tactical shooters.

''SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle'' was the third installment in {{Creator/Sierra}}'s ''VideoGame/{{SWAT}}'' series, the more action-themed spinoff of their previous ''{{VideoGame/Police Quest}}'' series. Developed by the Sierra Northwest studio and published in 1999, this game was in many ways a milestone in the series: The first ''SWAT'' game to be a Squad-based Tactical {{FPS}}, the last ''SWAT'' game to be set in Los Angeles and be developed by an in-house studio of Sierra, and one of the more succesful and acclaimed tactical shooters of the late 90s (bare in mind that the subgenre was basically brand new back then).

You may purchase the [[http://www.gog.com/game/swat_3_tactical_game_of_the_year_edition game of the year edition from Good Old Games for $9.99]]

For the game's successor developed six years later by {{Creator/Irrational Games}}, see ''{{SWAT 4}}''.

* GenreShift: As already mentioned, this was the first game in the ''VideoGame/{{SWAT}}'' series to be a full-fledged {{FPS}}. It proved even more successful than the first two games and helped cement the notion of tactical squad-based [=FPSes=] as a viable subgenre.

* {{HUD}}: Being a realistic squad-based tactical shooter, the HUD in this game is very minimalist. The most you get is a crosshair evoking your gun's ironsights, the actual crosshair on its optics, or an image of whatever equipment you're using; a silhouette of yourself showing whether you're in stealth or dynamic mode; a meter indicating injuries if you get non-fatally shot; an optional panel in the upper left showing what number keys to press for different communications; and other, optional panels giving a view of what one or more of your teammates are looking at.

* NextSundayAD: The game was published in 1999, but the campaign is set in 2005. Some minor glimpses into the future include the signing of a global nuclear weapons ban treaty (which the campaign's main StoryArc revolves around) and the fact that the in-game {{HUD}} of you and your squad is supposed to be a helmet-mounted digital readout (in the vein of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_F-35_Lightning_II#Helmet-mounted_display_system F-35's pilot helmet]], just simpler). Since it's a late 90s portrayal of the [[TurnOfTheMillennium 2000s]], there is some very minor amount of {{Zeerust}} in the ideas presented. Other than that, there aren't many futuristic elements in the game.

* StopOrIWillShoot: Played fairly straight, but also subverted a bit. Your officers are much more likely to shoot a suspect if he's so much as holding a gun, let alone pointing it at them or shooting it. That said, they will immediately stop shooting at the suspect if he drops his gun and surrenders, assuming they missed. In later games (''SWAT 4'', etc.), teammates are a bit more lenient towards the suspects and give them a brief amount of time to drop their weapons.