Police Quest: SWAT

I think the Police Quest series as a whole might be the weakest of Sierra's Quest franchises, and the first SWAT entry is no exception. It comes from the janky FMV era of Sierra, which I'm not really fond of. This isn't really a point and click adventure game like the original Police Quest games, it's an overly complicated mess of an interactive FMV simulator. Terry Bogard's review here on Steam does a much better job explaining why it's not worth trying than I ever could.

Its an interesting little title. A full motion video real time tactics and strategy first person action shooter about the LAPD SWAT. Yeah, its a lot of things at once. I've never really seen an FMV RTS FPS hybrid before. Like a lot of 90s games, it has a STEEP learning curve. It ran right out of the box for me, but your results may vary. If you like innovative games, maybe give this a try. If its too much, theres always SWAT 2 and 3 available.

Just think of this game as a rotten McDonalds cheeseburger that you accidentally left behind your couch to find it again decades later.

There is a lot of charm and nostalgia in this game. Also because it's fun to mess about, get arrested, throw random flashbangs get told to "GET OUTTA HERE!", get shot by your own squad-mates, smoke out an old woman with a shotgun and get arrested and sentenced to death for it, get a bollocking from your sergeant for messing around and other things. The game takes itself very seriously so it's funny to mess about.

But man it's boring and painful to play otherwise. There's a youtube video with ways to lose and that's probably a more fun investment of your time these days than playing this.

Therefore although I don't dislike the game I couldn't recommend it in good conscience. Just watch the youtube vid with ways to lose.

Rescue old grannies in the greatest FMV SWAT game ever created. Annoy the drill instructor, get arrested on calls, and execute picture perfect operations to save the unstable and their hostages. A+ for a retro gamer

Back when this first came out in the mid-90s it was pretty awesome and I sunk a lot of time into it as a kid. I bought it for the nostalgia and everything works (it seems they fixed the save issue) just as it did before. For that reason, I'll give it a thumbs up. If you've never played the game, you probably won't like it as it's a point & click game that is somewhat technical and lacks instructions on what to do or where to go.

I like the idea of mixing gaming and "education"/simulation and I also love the later SWAT games (3 and 4, have not played the 2:nd yet but look forward to it).

I actually really liked this one also at first even with the cheesy real time recordings etc and it even teaches some real life tactics like slicing the pie, button hook and how to correctly adjust the scope to compensate for wind and range etc

It is just too bad that everything falls apart in the actual "missions" and they are the worst case of "game design" I have ever seen in my entire life, and I am not exaggerating (wait until you get to Eastman Enterprises and have to use the leach to assign "commands") and are not about making tactical decisions with different outcomes but more in the line of the worst kind of goofy old school point and click if/then statement adventure game where there is a "puzzle" with one single solution you have to try to brute force yourself through with trial and error, and the rest is game over and you have to try to figure out what the developers had in mind. And even then is an abysmal one at that that totally lacks logic and execution where it is just guesswork as to what command to click on and in what order and where it is completely arbitrary what "solution" is the right one at a given time and where the rest lead to failure. Even something like Dragons Lair feel more fair and logical than this. To make matters worse even identical situations or commands on different locations don't even share the same logic. And if things could not even get worse from there even with the extremely limited options you have your character will sometimes insert his own actions (like rushing into a door you commanded to open when that was actually possible which is often not the case) which always are completely disastrous just to kill you off and all of your officers as they charge into a room they signaled was cleared one second ago looking at the ceiling and the floor and gets gun downed like flies by one guy like something out of a benny hill movie. Honestly as the best pats of this game is the education part of it with certain aspects of the police work, but the mission part of this game (at least the later ones where you assign orders) would be best served as an education on the very worst aspects of game logic. These particular parts are honestly so bad that it becomes morbidly fascinating in a way and is probably why I have a hard time putting it down.

It is a shame though because with just some more thought going into these sections to make them actually feel more like dynamic tactical situations with different outcomes and not the worst part of a linear and badly designed point and click "puzzle" game (where the puzzle aspect is really a single if/then statement with a lot of smoke and mirrors to give illusions of choice) so they where at least playable this could be a real unique classic.
Now it is unique, but not entirely in a good way.

Game Crashes on load. Tried a couple of work arounds, nothing.

Basic Movement: To move, make sure you have the arrow selected as your cursor (right click to scroll through cursor options), then bring your mouse to the edges of the game window (Top, Sides, Bottom, etc). You will see the pointer arrow of your cursor change to a fat directional arrow. Click on that and you will ostensibly move in that direction, though my ideas do differ from the games at times.

Tactical Movement (for tactical tactics): Press 3 on your keyboard, select "Slice the Pie" from the little inventory window at the bottom of the screen. Wave that stupid 3 piece pie around until it turns into one piece, then click. Profit.

Spoiler Tip:










If at first you don't succeed, use the mirror.

No Fear, its late 1995. Pokemon wasn't a thing yet, Nintendo 64 is still only found in magazines. An obese shroom chomping, dinosaur riding, Italian plumber was your best friend. While enduring his psychedelic trip and slamming his head into blocks, your Mother walks through the door. She seems excited as she gingerly holds a double CD case and a rather thick book. You eye up her prize, wondering what treasure she holds. Before you can express your curiosity, she preemptively exclaims "No, this is mine." You follow her, curiosity peaking. After an agonizingly long installation on the ol' Dell, the game comes to life. We open the walkthrough book and brace for awesome. The Sierra logo appears, an old friend from Kings Quest. A crack head appears and opens fire, the letters of the logo spinning with each shot. WHOA! This is gonna be tight! The title screen appears...

That music, that banging title screen music that slaps harder than Will Smith. The kind of music that makes you feel like a hero. Police officers in full battle rattle adorn the background. My young mind was blown. She clicks new career and listens patiently to the opening. Boring! When do we get to shoot things!? She selects her name, "Swat Pup" (the default name) because she was probably feeling cute. The opening cinematic starts with your superiors standing around and talking (so far, very accurate). They begin to address you, welcoming you to "D Platoon." I refuse to sit and listen to another stupidly long monologue, my little brain cannot handle this. I encourage my Mother to skip this, its unimportant. She clicks the screen. Next thing she knows, she's being cursed out for interrupting a superior officer. Getting yelled at is far more exciting than their narcoleptic welcoming party. "FINE, you play then!" My now angry and scornful Mother exclaims.

I'm training, shooting paper. Using full auto when I'm told single fire only. Shotgun time, slugs instead of buckshot, despite the rangemaster asking so nicely. He asks if I am a comedian or LAPD SWAT? I don my Gas Mask and chuck a flashbang in case we need to practice for another Waco. Get yelled at more. More training, off to the Sniper Range to unlock my inner Ruby Ridge. Do poorly, get yelled at for trying to shoot sharpshooter targets with a pistol. Finally, time to learn tactics. After learning how to enter buildings and shoot dogs, we're finally called up for our first mission.

We're in Hollywood. Grandma's got a gun. Grandma's about to get aerated. Told to talk to the neighbors. Screw that, he's boring standing there with a rake. I decide to talk to my pals. Briefing time. "Pup, what'd you learn from the neighbor?" I am forced to admit I didn't bother. Get dirty looks from command. Told this will be a stealth mission. Oh boy! Given the shotgun. Disappointed that the shotgun has no silencer, thought it was a stealth mission... We enter the house. Decide to be a hero, I blitz straight through. Suddenly, i'm playing a death simulator and discovering how many ways Mrs. Fields can dome me. Decide to be a good boy and follow the team. Slicing pies and waving shotguns. Last room in the house. Throw a flashbang. Grandmas pacemaker explodes, i'm fired. Shoot through the shower curtain, I'm fired. I channel Norman Bates and try to peek in the shower and get domed. I must declare the obvious, I hand signal she's in the shower. Betty White's cuffed, happy cinematic plays. Everybody pats you on the back.

This game is pure nostalgia today. Back in 1995, I thought this was the coolest thing I had ever seen! It really made you feel like a SWAT cop. Today, this game aged poorly, like pretty much every other FMV game. If you enjoy these kinds of old school games, you will like this game. Just don't forget to check the internet for a walkthrough. What you actually need to do is not always obvious. The first mission is pretty forgiving but the others (especially the third at Eastman Enterprises) are not and require very specific inputs for success.

Regardless, if you have the patience to learn the game and/or follow a guide, I absolutely recommend this game. It will not appeal to the vast majority of players who need the instant gratification and action provided by Call of Duty and the like. It is, however, a classic in the Sierra Games catalog and a must for the nostalgia or retro gamer.

This game is a respectable effort, but likely more of a game to get for the laughs than the actual gameplay experience. The acting is dubious at many points in the game and there are only a small handful of missions. Your actions as a member of your unit will directly impact the efficiency (and potentially safety) of your entire team and the outcome of the mission. You'll need to follow your leader's orders (including hand signals) to keep your team and yourself safe.

The final mission is an insult to the player. As the leader of your team, your orders must be absolutely precise. The slightest bad call results in death, and there are MANY orders and actions you must execute to complete the mission. Expect many, MANY game over sequences. Your best bet is to consult a walkthrough. Don't torture yourself trying to figure out what to do on your own.

Overall, I would recommend this game to someone looking for a laugh. For the low price tag, it's worth it. The hardcore gamer likely won't appreciate the experience Police Quest: SWAT offers.

Very good and educational. Banger 90's soundtrack. Only downside is that there are very little to no instructions in call ups what to do. Otherwise kinda funny.

Note: This guide explains how to quickly/easily edit the game's conf file to correct the aspect ratio so it isn't stretched. This will also allow for use of the Steam Overlay and the taking of screenshots.

Police Quest: SWAT is an outstanding piece of edutainment and serves as an impressive 1990s SWAT simulation in terms of the scenarios, overall realism, and depth of technical details.... but the gameplay is atrocious. Basically, it's a game that makes me want to enjoy it then does everything in its power to make that almost impossible.

Unlike its predecessors in the Police Quest Series, SWAT knows exactly what it wants to be. It ditches the coke-fueled, terrible writing to embrace a fully educational, maximum immersion approach that's more of a training simulation than a game.... which is actually fantastic. There's hours worth of in-game technical documentation to browse through, recorded interviews with SWAT veterans (best part of this), training demos, and relatively polished FMV briefings, training, and execution. The general presentation is solid. There are only a handful of actual "call ups," ie. the real-world scenarios where you're doing actual non-training SWAT stuff, but each scenario plays differently depending on whether you're an assaulter, element lead, or sniper and there is RNG that makes it so the scenarios are different each time regardless of our position. This is a pretty cool approach that creates a ton of replayability, if not for the game's drawbacks.

There are several issues that prevent this excellent bit of training simulation from being a properly enjoyable game. First, expect to spend way, way, waaaaaaaaaaayyyy more time than you're comfortable with doing repetitive drills and training exercises between callups and when unlocking qualifications (just like real SWAT would). This is "realistic" and the training exercises are well done.... but this takes realism to a level of pedantry that has us feeling like we should be collecting a paycheck for playing in that we're literally just sitting there, bored, on-call, waiting for something to happen. Iunno... props for the commitment to realism, I guess, but at the end of the day I want control over how my playtime is being spent, not RNG to mimic irl monotony. The next critical issue is that the controls are absolutely terribad. It's not the end of the world that scenarios generally require the exact, explicitly correct course of action, as we want the game to be accurate, but it's bs that its sometimes harder figuring out what to click & where to do the correct action when we already know what the correct action is. Lastly, skipping cutscenes is finicky as hell. Sometimes we can, sometimes it doesn't want to let us... this wouldn't be the end of the world except for the fact that, combined with the controls being so bad, you will get to watch obnoxiously long death reels while trying to figure out exactly where to click the Slice-the-Pie command on a specific screen so it registers, etc.

I would recommend this to anyone hardcore interested in police work or SWAT tactics circa 1990s. The game has a ton of educational and historical value, it's just completely missing any semblance of gameplay polish. Had the controls been better fleshed out and had we been given more direct control over when we do in the call-up scenarios (and manual scenario customization options, if we wanted), this could have been a phenomenal game. This all has nothing to do with its age, it's just a game that fails to live up to its full potential due to poor quality control. This is a game that I find myself really, really wanting to like in that it's not without its charms but it's objectively a mess overall. If you still decide you're interested, I strongly suggest waiting for a 90% off sale.

This game is not an adventure game like the other Police Quest games by Sierra. It's more of a slow, linear semi-strategy game. Strategy really isn't the right word. It's more of a rule-following game (they were trying to be realistic). It's the kind of game where, if you check your corners coming into a room, everything will probably be fine, but if you don't, you're definitely going to die.

All in all, there are only THREE missions to go on in this game. The time spent in between is spent reading about rules and interviews with SWAT members in real life, practicing your shooting skills at the target and combat ranges, or practicing your sniping skills (optional). If you become good enough as a sniper, you will be called up as a sniper on the third mission. Otherwise, you'll be part of the assault team.

They get around the FMV downside of not being able to use a player name by just calling you "Swat Pup" or "Pup" throughout the game, even after you've proven yourself and have advanced in the ranks. It's irritating. I wish they had at least changed the nickname when you started getting respected.

The game is very short. Even without knowing what you're doing, you should be able to beat the game within 3-4 hours. 2 or less if you do know what you're doing.

I'd recommend this game at a low price ($5 or less). It's probably more fun if you've got the nostalgia factor. I really like the style of the game, but I'd rather there had been more missions and a more easy way to trigger missions (right now you just go to the various ranges or read until an alarm goes off).

That's it. Put 'em on safe and let 'em hang.

It's a classic game.
Back in the day I remember playing this and thinking to myself, " man this is like real life!" . Well not so much anymore lol.

This game still has some mild replay value to it. It's from the 90's when FMV (Full-Motion Video) used to be used a lot in games. Personally I always liked the FMV type games, they're kind of like watching an interactive movie.
Anyway, in this title there are several "Call ups" which are missions you get a call to go to, each have a couple different ways for the scenario to play out. There are different weapons training, including sniper training. It does have some bullet dynamics to it like wind and bullet drop, so there is some realism to it. The voice dialog isn't the best and sometimes is laughable, but it still suits the games genre and age. The controls are a bit difficult to get used to at first, but once your a properly trained member of SWAT, you'll have it figured out in no time.

I'd give it a 3/5 and would recommend it to a friend that's looking for a game to kill some time.


There's a decent walk-through here http://www.sierrahelp.com/Walkthroughs/PQSWAT1Walkthrough.html

After about 20 years I was finally able to arrest that old lady before she shot me to death. I even qualified as a sniper. Thanks internet :)

SWAT 1 is the first game in the SWAT series, and arguably the most realistic as a lot of your time is spent training and not just mowing losers down. You will be verbally reprimanded if you attempt to skip cutscenes and if you use the wrong weapons during shooting drills.

It's now a 23 year old classic that is very informative, but not as fun to play.

While I'll have to recommend it simply on nostalgia and the fact that it is very informative about real SWAT, you will find that it's very hard to control and somewhat random at times, and clicking the right place at the wrong time will get you sent back to the department without warning.

All in all, it is a classic so I'm gonna recommend. You should play this game.

It's a moot point to discuss the merits of a 20 year game like Police Quest: SWAT but considering I bought this along with a majority of the Sierra catalogue on Steam, I thought it may be best to warn prospective buyers who think this game stands on it's own individually. In short: It doesn't.

Police Quest: SWAT is an FMV adventure game by Sierra intended to be played on PC. As previously stated, it is indeed a very old game, but despite that when I ran it on a modern PC with the bells and whistles, it works effortlessly, so it'll play as good if not better than if you played it when it first came out.

There's a lot of good with this game, albeit the majority of it lies in the gimmicks. In SWAT, you can allow yourself to be educated in the ways of Police SWAT training (Circa 90's in Los Angeles) and occasionally put some of the knowledge you get to the test in about 8 or so scenarios. The game seems to be overly detailed, which can be good if you're really REALLY into Police tactics and equipment.

Now for the bad, and hoo boy is there a lot of bad. After spending plenty of time on the range with small arms and Sniper training, learning about the various hand-signals and LASH radio system, as well as police tactics and lingo, you'd think this would allow some varied approaches to situations, right? No. Not at all. This is a walkthrough-mandatory game with certain missions. Your reaction time with weapons is irrelevent, if the game decides that a fragile old lady (literally the situation) with a gun taking a full 3 seconds to aim and fire on your team and you is what's going to happen, If you don't play according to the walkthrough, you will die and die a lot. What's worse is that the game mocks you for trying to do things without a walkthrough, by having suspects that warp reality to be in different places, depending entirely on what scene it is. That wouldn't be so bad, but this isn't a SCI-FI game.

Now, you might believe that you have the reaction time to shoot the old lady, and you're probably right and the game already trains you more in the use of your firearm than literally any and all other equipment. (There are no training missions in this game beyond the firing range) However, all suspects in this game up until the point where you get sick of the game and stop playing have cutscene immunity. By this, I mean that as soon as you deviate from the walkthrough, the game will take all control away from you, the suspect appears, and you die. So even if that old lady literally fumbles with her gun, you can't do anything.

What's worse is the equipment system. Because this is an adventure game, you select the different equipment/commands for the situation and use it appropriately. However, you are rarely going to have time enough to select the equipment and callout commands that you think would be necessary for the situation, since there's very little downtime in some scenarios. As far as I know, there's no hotkeys to remedy this.

I mentioned time there, and that's because the worst part of this game is the arbitrary time limits. One mission that deals with a bomb threat is what inspired me to make this review. It starts off normal, the SWAT team approaches the entryway of the building, and waits your command. If you don't act within literally 2 seconds, you die. This is the result of a Stealth approach, and there is ample time to respond to the shooter, but because the *game* decided you can't shoot, there is nothing you can do. Oh, sniper planted on the entry side to provide cover? No, you die. Click on the door and try to rush in? No, doors don't work that way silly. Oh, I got an item for thi- Too late, scrolling for the item you are interrupted and die. There's no reason for these time limits almost ever, they're just there to provide tension. The worst part is that because this game looks so dated, I started wondering how people with ruddy keyboards and trackball mice were supposed to react.

My litmus test for if an adventure game is worth it is if the gameplay is worthwhile. This title is not. It's inordinarily difficult to do a blind playthrough of and difficult even if you rely on one of the rare and elusive walkthroughs for this game. Watch a playthrough or letsplay of this instead and you'll save yourself the frustration.

Great game, brings back a lot of memories! In order to get around the save game problem you will need to create 10 folders in the main game directory under the PQ_SWAT folder. The folder names need to be SWATDATA.000 through SWATDATA.009!

Good game. Bring old memories. The solution for the "save game" problem is in the discussions of Police Quest: Swat. Can't wait for the entire swat series on steam.

childhood ;-;

Positives
- Not badly priced
- Fun
- Dank soundtrack
- Almost too 90s

Negatives
- If you play it too much it become painful
- Save feature needs fixing