History VideoGame / SWAT4

** Then, in the Stechekhov Syndicate Expansion Pack, on Mission 4, we've got this snarky bastard right here, snarking to a SWAT officer. Might I add he's a civilian, no less?:

A [[FacklerScaleOfFPSRealism realistic]] [[TacticalShooter tactical]] FirstPersonShooter video game, developed by Creator/IrrationalGames (makers of ''VideoGame/SystemShock2'', the ''VideoGame/BioShock'' series and ([[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers surprisingly]]) the ''VideoGame/FreedomForce'' series) and published by {{Creator/Sierra}} in 2005. It's the fourth installment of Sierra's ''VideoGame/{{SWAT}}'' series (itself a SpinOff of the older ''VideoGame/PoliceQuest'' series). The game is set in the fictional US East Coast city of Fairview and unlike its predecessor, ''{{VideoGame/SWAT 3}}'', it deals with more mundane-themed missions, usually involving professional rescuing of hostages or neutralizing various terrorist groups or criminal gangs. The player takes on the role of a young SWATTeam officer, a recent transfer from the LAPD to the Fairview special response unit, who acts as the leader of a five-man SWAT squad, issuing commands, and using team work and close cooperation between all the members of the squad to achieve the necessary goals of each mission in the most effective way possible.

* {{Ruritania}}: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] in one of the missions by [[FunnyBackgroundEvent a random news report seen on a muted TV screen]], showing news infographics about an ongoing conflict in "Soboskistan". The capital is apparently called "Mulkso" and the report is being handled by war correspondent Nate Wells (one of the Irrational devs).

** Tying unarmed civilians and suspects on the spot instead of escorting them out despite how most of the situations are surrounded by police vans and leaving them tied on the spot would make them an easy target for armed bad guys.

* NoNameGiven: The SWAT Leader you play as is never named in-game, thoughe he is given the name "Kurt Wolfe" in the PSP Spin-off ''Target Liberty.''

* SurpriseCreepy: There's a genuine case to be made that ''SWAT 4'' is really a {{Horror}} game in disguise. As early as "Fairfax Household", you are tasked with searching through the house of a SerialKiller as you slowly unravel what he's been doing to his victims. Even in levels that aren't explicitly about murderers and cults, the creepy ambience, dark spots, DroneOfDread background music, night time environments and the knowledge that a suspect with a shotgun could be hiding around any corner can keep you on the edge of your seat.

* SpiritualSuccessor: ''Ready Or Not'' unashamedly tries to be SWAT 5. [[https://youtu.be/0PH_f3zo5_A?t=89 One trailer]] references the "Bring Order to Chaos" catchphrase, and opens with "TOC to (...) Team" on the radio.

** The taser is still ranged, and will stun a subject instantly, so it is still useful. In Elite Forces hower, hitting hostages with beanbag or punching counts as hurting a hostage which reduces precious points in Hard and Elite and you must use either the taser which can kill elderly hostages or hostages who are under the influence of drugs. Pepper Spray is the safest option for calming a hostage down with no risks.

*** On rare occasions when you shoot a suspect, they will drop their primary weapon and draw a second gun. Quite often, the game will not register shooting them then as justified force until they actually point their second gun at you. In real life, an officer would be authorized to shoot them moment they see the suspect drawing a gun, let alone another one.

* BlastingItOutOfTheirHands: Suspects have a chance of dropping their weapon if they're shot in their gun arm, so it's a viable strategy to shoot a gun out of their hand if you have good aim...just make sure they don't pull out a backup.

* StopOrIWillShoot: Players have access to a large amount of nonlethal weapons and you get a lot of points knocked off for 'Unauthorized Use of Force' - shooting without shouting for compliance (ie. "Hands up!") unless they've already pointed a gun at an officer or a hostage - which is an open invitation to shoot first for the sake of you, your squad, or the hostage. The game is at its most fun when you mercilessly attack with tasers, paintball guns, and beanbag shotguns. Especially as less-lethal force isn't penalized. The negligently unaggressive police A.I. sometimes makes you wish your SWAT teammates would shoot on sight, though, since you often get low points on a mission because one of your teammates told a suspect to surrender, and the suspect responded with a shotgun blast to the officer's face, costing you both an officer and 20% of the mission score. Your SWAT teammates won't fire unless fired upon even if you equip them with less-lethal stun weapons (i.e. tasers or pepper spray).

** The base game has a mission against Ukrainian criminals, who speak with American accents.

** The taser is still ranged, and will stun a subject instantly, so it is still useful. In Elite Forces hower, hitting hostages with beanbag or punching counts as hurting a hostage which reduces precious points in Hard and Elite and you must use either the taser which can kill an elderly hostage who are under the influence of drugs. Pepper Spray is the safest option for calming a hostage down with no risks.

8 BadgesAndDogTags: It's implied that Jackson is ex-military, as he remarks that a room in the Children of Tarrone Tenement reminds him of boot camp.

* BlastingItOutOfTheirHands: Suspects have a chance of dropping their weapon if they're shot in thir gun arm, so it's a viable strategy to shoot a gun out of their hand if you have good aim...just make sure they don't pull out a backup.

** Purely in regards to the aesthetics of the game: Most levels have numerous subtle visual references to the backgrounds of the victims and/or targets. For just one example, the hospital level has one room intricately decorated for a child's birthday party... but with a bloody stain on the bed. The hospital level also has [=TVs=] with a news report playing after the team enters the hospital, [[EndangeringNewsBroadcast where the reporter tells everyone watching that SWAT has just entered the building]]. If you take notice of it, your character will call TOC and tell them to get her off the air -- shortly afterward, every TV in the level will be broadcasting nothing but static.

* DynamicEntry: Though some situations will encourage you to opt for clearing a room [[StealthBasedGame more stealthily]], this is the most common tactic for entering and clearing a room. If planned and executed well, it routinely results in a BigDamnHeroes moment for your SWAT team. The game manual and tutorial does encourage you to make sudden and loud entries into rooms with an ongoing hostage situation, because the enemy AI takes elements like shock and surprise into account. Most suspects will surrender as soon as the door flies to pieces and the room gets engulfed with tear gas and the rabid shouts of your teammates.

* ExpansionPack: Released a few months later and called ''The Stetchkov Syndicate''. It adds seven new missions connected by a more overarching crime story, various useful new weapons (including a cool tear gas grenade launcher and a more modern tazer pistol, which can double as a melee EmergencyWeapon), the option to issue a whole string of various "to do" commands to your squadmates, and numerous bug and AI fixes (criminals become even more cunning, ruthless and resistant to arrest and your squadmates are also brighter in general).

* FacklerScaleOfFPSRealism[=/=]NintendoHard: Very, very, very far towards the hard end of realism. Besides the fact that you have to abide by police regulations and protocol (meaning you can't shoot unarmed people and have to deal carefully with armed suspects), your overall movement and gunplay abilities feel really believable. Characters can't take much damage before they die, even if they're wearing body armor and helmets. No one can jump and you and your squad mates can only run at a reasonable pace, being careful in the potentially dangerous enviroment of the hostile area you're clearing. Getting shot in the leg will slow you down and make you limp a bit, while getting shot in both legs will disable your ability to run. Getting shot in the hands will slightly diminish your ability to take precise aim. And since we mentioned it, the accuracy of your aim and fire can be increased by 1.) Crouching. 2.) Walking more slowly. 3.) Shooting in semi-automatic mode instead of full-auto or burst mode (recoil is a real bitch in this game). Sans the marksman rifle, none of the firearms have functioning scopes, but you have a context-sensitive crosshair for each weapon, even the stun grenades. The smaller and tighter it gets, the better aim you have. Magazines avert OneBulletClips and are reloaded manually by the player, not automatically. A particularly nice touch is that you can even select different types of ammo in your loadout menu: Full-metal jacket bullets are good for taking down well-armoured foes, but have the downside of being able to punch through weaker materials (like wooden doors and walls or even unarmoured bodies), accidentally injuring anyone standing on the other side. Standard casing bullets are slower and weaker, and while they can't punch through body armor, they're really ideal for fighting unarmoured suspects.

* GreyAndGreyMorality: A few of the missions give the suspect justifying reason:

** "Sellers Street Auditorium" features a group of armed fundamentalist activist (most of which are very highly unlikely to kill civilians) storming a satanic themed rock concert... In which the band that perform are also dealing and using drugs.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: You can blind and stun yourself with the flashbang and stinger grenade. Bizarrely, in singleplayer you and your bot teammates are immune to CS grenades, but in multiplayer you have to equip the gas mask to safely use CS grenades, and even that doesn't save you from the pepper gun or mace (instead reducing the stun duration by about 90%).

* HollywoodLaw: If an armed suspect runs from you, shooting him is considered improper use of force. While the United States does have severe restrictions on a police officer's authorization to shoot fleeing criminal suspects, this would be permissible in virtually every situation your team faces in the game. Most of the levels involve hostage situations, and an armed felon fleeing from police contact would present an imminent threat to any hostages in the area. Even in the ones that don't, a fleeing armed felon still presents an imminent risk to your team and would generally be considered a justified shoot.

* IGotYouCovered: Standard procedure.

* InstantDeathBullet: Averted for the most part. While it is entirely possible to kill someone instantly with one shot, it requires some realistic situation, such as the gun being of high caliber or simply a headshot. Depending on how good the body armor they are wearing is and how powerful your gun is, it's also possible for enemies to survive being shot a couple of times, although if shot in the right place they will lose accuracy or have to limp. Also, they don't always die when shot. Sometimes, their body armor will save them from death, but they will still be incapacitated.

* LawOfInverseRecoil: Averted thoroughly.

* MissionControl[=/=]VoiceWithAnInternetConnection: The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tactical_Operations_Center TOC]] and [[HoldTheLine Highground]] operators. Also the supporting sniper teams, known as [[ShoutOut Sierra 1]] and [[ShoutOut Sierra 2]]. All three of these double as TheVoice, since you never meet them in person, though you do see through Sierra 1 and 2's helmet cams when you control them.

* NeverHurtAnInnocent[=/=]MercyRewarded[=/=]VideoGameCrueltyPunishment: A [[PlayerPunch major gameplay mechanic]] and [[{{Deconstruction}} plot point]] of the game. You get penalized for using deadly force against anyone who isn't attacking, criminals included. Even if they've ran off to grab a gun, you can't just outright kill them - unless they actually threaten you, your squad, a civilian, or attempt a shoot-out.

* NoCommunitiesWereHarmed[=/=]WhereTheHellIsSpringfield: Welcome to the bustling metropolis of Fairview... Somewhere in... New England?

*** Probably not NYC, as NYPD's tactical unit is called ESU and not SWAT.
** Wikipedia says that the setting is the city of Fairview, an amalgamation of New York, Boston, and several other East Coast cities.

** [[ScrappyMechanic The enemy must be preparing or actually shooting at the player before the player can shoot the enemy, otherwise the player is penalized for an unauthorized use of deadly force.]] In reality, a police officer has the right to shoot anyone he/she perceives as a deadly threat, especially given where the mission in the game involves enemies with clear intent to harm civilians, such as active shooter, armed militia, armed robber, armed syndicate, fanatics with intent of causing citywide explosion, and terrorists. They'll have to justify their usage afterwards and sign a lot of paperwork, but every single scenario in the game (besides maybe the first couple missions) would easily see the protagonist being able to justify any shots he made.

** Almost all doors are double-hinged, so they can open both ways.

* ArmorIsUseless: Your SWAT body armor is totally ineffective. Even against enemies armed with pistols, your character and your teammates will still die with just a few center-mass hits, sometimes even 1, which even a normal patrolman's ballistic vest should protect against. For the enemies it's a little better. Enemies wearing armor can take several shots if you are using hollow point rounds, but they will still be dropped by repeated hits probably quicker than a person wearing real life ballistic vest would. Also, their armor provides no protection whatsoever against tasers. In real life, even a heavy sweater will often be enough to prevent taser prongs from going through.

* ArtificialStupidity: Quite ''a lot'' by your squadmates.

** In the original game, once a suspect surrenders, they will stay permanently surrendered, even if you if you leave their area without handcuffing them or securing their weapons. This was fixed in the Stetchkov Syndicate expansion, where non-handcuffed surrendered enemies will pick up their weapons and return to action if no officer is watching them

** The "Unauthorized Use of Deadly Force" penalty applies even in situations where there an active shooter with full intent of targeting civilians on site, groups of heavily armed militias/terrorists taking entire buildings siege, and a group of fanatics with equipment and intent to cause a citywide explosion, all of which warrant full authorization of deadly force against armed suspect.

*** On rare ocassions when you shoot a suspect, they will drop their primary weapon and draw a second gun. Quite often, the game will not register shooting them then as justified force until they actually point their second gun at you. In real life, an officer would be authorized to shoot them moment they see the suspect drawing their gun
* AssholeVictim: When you and your team storm the Diamond Wholesaler's Meeting Room, you will find a slide show that shows what they were discussing before the bank robbers came; how their outsources in central Africa [[Film/BloodDiamond will suffer a dramatic decrease in efficiency due to the "local enforcement of international law"]]. ''Ouch''.

* BlatantLies[=/=]NeverMyFault: The suspects in some missions, particularly those featuring drug dealers, come up with some pretty amusing excuses as to why they're there while you and your team arrest them. Take this soundbite from a mobster in the mission where you raid a Stetchkov-controlled drug lab as an example:

* BombDisposal[=/=]TimeBomb: An objective in the penultimate mission set in a hotel taken over by

* BrandX[=/=]BlandNameProduct: Virtually every product you see in the game is of this variety (even company ads and promotional posters for movies and games), [[PlayedForLaughs but with obvious nods to the brand it's parodying]].

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: See the AssholeVictim example above.
* CowboyCop or ByTheBookCop: Depending on your style, you can choose to go in gunning down every suspect without calling for compliance. But, as already mentioned, the game only rewards you for playing by the book.

* {{Cult}}[=/=]ChurchOfHappyology: [[spoiler:The Tarronians, led by a certain SinisterMinister from Iowa named Andrew Tarrone. You visit their eerie half-abandoned apartment building in mission 9.]]
* {{Deconstruction}}: This is an FPS which greatly discourages (and outright punishes at harder levels) killing, even directed to bad guys, since the game expects you to become a police officer. Therefore, playing like a BodyCountCompetition like most shooters will give you low rating. However, the game has varieties of non-lethal weaponry ranging from paintball gun that shoots pepper-filled paintball to the rubber shooting shotgun.
** In most team-based games, an ally getting shot would be seen as terrible. However, again, you are being tested as a SWAT officer, meaning failing your adherance to police procedure (not taking in suspects alive, for instance) is more of a penalty than not bringing your squad back. While this may seem like InsaneTrollLogic to some, it is the ideal of a SWAT officer to get the job done right.

** [[spoiler:All of them are horrified to find the graves of the Cult's children in the basement of the Taronnian mission, with the normally stoic Player Character [[NotSoStoic sounding noticeably disturbed when he calls it in to the TOC]]]].

** Your AI teammates' pathfinding abilities will sometimes run afoul of more complex room and building layouts. At its most basic level, this can result in your entire team being wiped out in one spot, as they get stuck on an obstacle in sight of a gunman.

** [[spoiler:All of them are horrified to find the graves of the Cult's children in the basement of the Taronnian mission]].

* MissionControl[=/=]VoiceWithAnInternetConnection: The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tactical_Operations_Center TOC]] and [[HoldTheLine Highground]] operators. Also the supporting sniper teams, known as [[ShoutOut Sierra 1]] and [[ShoutOut Sierra 2]]. All three of these double as TheVoice, since you never meet them in person.

* RaceAgainstTheClock: The Old Granite Hotel level gives you 10 minutes to find and disarm all the bombs on the top floor before they detonate. In the Stetchkov expantion, the Department of Agriculture level is even tougher, as you have to find and disarm 6 bombs in 15 minutes that are spread all throughout the level.
* RightWingMilitiaFanatic: The "America Now" terrorist group from the Old Granite Hotel mission fit this trope to a tee. According to the mission briefing, they're xenophobic isolationists with an ideology defined by opposition to immigration, free trade, and globalism in general. The hotel the mission takes place in is majority owned by French companies, and the terrorists demand a ransom from the owners as "a repayment of their debt to the American people."

* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: One mission has you deal with Ukrainian mobsters, while another has you face off against North Korean paramilitaries. In both cases, they speak with American accents. The latter case is particularly odd, as you encounter a South Korean diplomat who ''does'' have a Korean accent in that same mission.

* TranslationConvention: In the mission wherein a local hospital has been stormed by North Korean paramilitaries attempting to assassinate a South Korean diplomat, said North Koreans speak with American English speech patterns and accents. The diplomat, at least, [[JustAStupidAccent sounds stereotypically Asian]]. Possibly justified; [[FridgeBrilliance maybe they were trained to pass themselves off as Korean-American domestic terrorists?]]
** Somewhat averted in ''The Stetchkov Syndicate'', wherein the eponymous Bulgarian arms dealers speak English with a thick East-European accent, but [[PoirotSpeak drop a few foreign words into their sentences]]. Unfortunately, they use Russian words, not Bulgarian, which makes it even worse.
** The base game has a mission against Ukrainian criminals, who speak with American accents.

* SuperOCD: Apparently, all your computer-controlled teammates have it, given their absolute insistence, when you're gathering around doors, that everyone be in the ''exact'' right spot.