SWAT 4: The Stetchkov Syndicate Critic Reviews

Debrief: SWAT 4: The Stetchkov Syndicate enhances the best tactical shooter experience ever. Do I hear a 10-4 from the responding officers?

Although it's short, the high replayability factor and some brilliant additions to both equipment and gameplay, make this is one of the best solider-sim expansion packs ever released. Period.

If you're looking for a smart game that doesn't require the patience of Job or the genius of Einstein, but a little more intelligence than a monkey with his hand on his joystick, then SWAT 4 and The Stetchkov Syndicate expansion pack are definitely for you.

One of the most solid expansions I have ever played.

With challenging content, expanded multiplayer, enhanced single-player, and more weapons, there's plenty of game to be had.

Good add-on for an excellent game. With fists, finally!

The Stetchkov Syndicate's additional weapons, aggressive suspects, and new multiplayer mode breathe new life into an already great tactical shooter.

Single-player missions are dynamic and exciting, and the multiplayer is excellent, especially when you're playing the co-op.

It expands on the original game with quality missions and offers significant upgrades to co-operative multiplayer.

The Stetchkov Syndicate takes that sense of style up a notch as you flit through a church rammed with recovering junkies in one level, then sweep into a rock club with a massive devil statue the next. Excellent.

An intelligent update that gives you just enough to make it worthwhile.

Even for those people who hated the previous generations of the strategic break and enter, I suspect you'll come away loving this.

It may seem like a small thing but bringing an over-arcing storyline really knits the action together quite nicely, although it would have been even better if there were more than just the seven missions.

The multiplayer portion of the game is where Swat 4 shines and it is no different with the expansion pack.

The whole routine of coming to a doorway, deploying your Optiwand, storming the room, arresting the suspects, cuffing them, picking up the weapons, reporting it all to dispatch - it all just becomes a bit of a chore after the hundredth room or so.

There were time when I felt more like I was playing an amateur mod than a professional expansion pack.

The new missions are tough, and should give the more experienced fans something to challenge themselves with, while the expanded accessories and arsenal are quite cool. It’s a bummer that the new melee attack is so limp – we’d really have expected a bit more force behind our police brutality.

So if you're looking to give SWAT 4 a bit more longevity, your $20 will go a long way with Stetchkov Syndicate, but sadly not as far as it could have gone.

With the Stetchkov Syndicate, the bar continues to plummet in terms of how much we can expect in our expansion packs.