SWAT: Target Liberty
Score: 60% ESRB: Teen Publisher: Sierra Entertainment Developer: 3G Studios Media: UMD/1 Players: 1; 2 - 4 (Ad Hoc) Genre: Squad-Based/ Shooter
Graphics & Sound: In SWAT: Target Liberty, you are Kurt Wolfe, a New York City SWAT team leader who gets caught up in a war between two rival Korean gangs. Somehow the gang war leads into a bigger threat and eventually, your team is sucked into a standoff with a group of terrorists with nuclear capabilities. There's little reasoning behind the sudden story shift or Homeland Security entrusting a group of three SWAT members to handle the situation, but these points are the least of the game's problems. SWAT: Target Liberty's gameplay takes place from a top-down view not unlike Killzone: Liberation. This plays in the game's favor; not only does it give SWAT an original look, but allows you to appreciate the neat environmental details. The top-down view makes it easier to see the smaller details that would likely be overlooked from the traditional 3rd-person perspective. Maps are lit well and packed with small details, such as trees swaying in the breeze or rats scurrying around dark corners. Sound doesn't make any major strides, though it is more than passable. Officers have just enough force behind their words to command authority without slipping into the overly-authoritarian voice usually used by the stereotypical "tough as nails" drill sergeant seen in movies. On the other hand, enemy voicework can be pretty rough, mostly due to the overly done accents. Gunfire and other weapons noises carry some weight and impact, though the PSP's speakers do diminish the effect.
Gameplay: Although the story is a bit... well, not all that great, the gameplay does have some strong moments. Although you only have direct control over Kurt, you indirectly control two other officers who tail you throughout each scenario. You can order them to take cover, bust down doors or arrest/ interrogate criminals. There's a lot that you can do in each level and, for the most part, it is pretty engaging. So what's the problem? By the time you've completed the first level, you've basically seen and done everything the game has to offer - which makes for a boring experience. Everything else is very straightforward and canned. You'll get the same responses from every suspect until you find that certain guy and tactics are limited. The only real choice you have during the single-player game is whether or not kill suspects - and even this has a way of handcuffing you to a particular play style. Taking the non-violent path through encounters nets you experience that is then spent on upgrading your partners' skills. You'll earn experience in other ways, though you'll get more if you play a certain way, which is extremely limiting. Target Liberty also includes a multiplayer mode via an Ad Hoc connection. Here, each of your friends take the role of a member of the team, which makes the game a little more enjoyable only because you don't have to rely on the A.I. The available modes are neat, and only make you wish the core gameplay as a little sharper. In one mode, you have to take out a number of hostile targets while in another, you collect hostages and return them to your base.
Difficulty: SWAT: Target Liberty isn't a hard game, just a frustrating one. When it comes to simple officer versus gang member/ terrorist, there is some sense of balance. Although you'll wonder about accuracy, there is never a feeling that you're completely outgunned or outmanned. At the same time, actually getting your team to do what you want is a bit frustrating; sometimes they won't listen while most of the time, they'll listen and respond really late. Mission objectives are really clear, so you'll never wonder what to do next, but at the same time, they become so dull and repetitive that you'll groan every time the next objective pops up. If you can handle the awkward controls, you'll have little trouble with each mission.
Game Mechanics: Each officer has their own particular talents, like marksmanship, interrogation or observation, which makes things easier on you. The skill system is cool, though some of the decisions make little sense. Low-level marksmen are bad shots, which makes you wonder how they found themselves on the SWAT team to begin with. The heart of the gameplay is the tactical side which has you ordering your men into position and deciding which of the two to use in certain situations. One guy is a negotiator, so you'll want him to interrogate suspects, while another might be a sniper. There's a fair amount of strategy involved when it comes to selecting who to take with you, though once you're in the game, your squad moves at a snail's pace and respond to your orders just as quickly. This adds an unneeded, tedious pacing to the game. Even with tricked-out marksmen, combat is dull. Although you're objective is to only kill when absolutely necessary, your teammates will sometimes open fire on a suspect even after they've surrendered. Thankfully, most are pretty bad shots. Most combat is close quarters though, so gunplay soon becomes a non-issue since you'll soon discover that a well-placed rifle butt to the head is the most effective weapon in the game. SWAT: Target Liberty is a great concept that unfortunately gets too tied up with flaws to be any fun. The idea of a tactical, top-down shooter on the PSP is a great idea - especially one that doesn't focus on the military. Were it not for the slow pace and a few frustrating design ideas, Target Liberty would be an easy recommendation.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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