• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Spec Ops: The Line |OT| Apocalypse Whenever - Starring Nolan North

spekkeh

Banned
Loved the game, just did all(?) three endings. My first one was
I shot myself in the head. Seemed fitting, had to pay penance for the atrocities committed. Was amazed there was a whole epilogue if you didn't lol.
I think all three endings were significant and good endings frankly. Even the
murder spree
one. Maybe especially that one. Also explained to me why people were talking Farsi.
 

spekkeh

Banned
Oh there's another one
I thought you had to die while getting picked up
. Cool, get to play it again :D. I absolutely loved all the attention to the little design details this game has, should've taken notes, there were so many times that I went 'oh that's clever!', even above the ones already mentioned in the articles posted previously, but now I can't remember any but the most obvious.

For instance (really obvious one, everyone noticed this one of course, just want to laud the designers for it) during the
white phosphorous
scene.
That you started out with the gamey 'death from above' screen, and then gradually you saw Walker's steely determined face mirrored more and more.
Gave me chills all over. Much more than the ensuing scene which was a bit overdone.
 

antitrop

Member
Just a heads up, I'm going to be doing a special Halloween stream of Spec Ops: The Line starting now!
This is my favorite game of the year and I raved about this game in earlier pages here in the OT over the summer. Watch if it interests you.

http://www.twitch.tv/antitrop
 
so i started playing this weeks ago and stopped because...well for the first two hours or so the game's fucking boring. but after hearing jeff mention it again on the giant bombcast, i decided to start again last night and...holy fucking shit. this game goes real dark REAL fast. as someone who plays games for story, and wishes more shooters had better story, i am eating this up hardcore.

it's not groundbreaking or novel, but for a game, it's certainly one of the better narratives i've seen. the way walker's face gets more panicked as things get worse is amazing. you really start feeling the tension and after awhile i realized i was almost holding my breath during some firefights. the major "you'll know it when you see it" turn in the plot actually had me feeling ill and angry at walker and adams.

also fuck that
mannequin
sequence with the heavy.
 

Nome

Member
I guess most of the impact is lost on me because I saw Apocalypse Now for the first time two weeks ago. There are some really nice touches (white phosphorus scene, mannequin scene, the awesome multiple endings), but the actual game that ties them all together wasn't really fun to play.
 

dmshaposv

Member
I just played this game.

I don't think it is a good game but it is a nicely paced experience.

I dont give a shit about third person shooters these days (the last one I played was an year or two ago) but this game's novelty is definitely some moments that will remain far longer than any other game.

If a game affects my behavior
after the white phosporus scene, I was more conscious of killing civilians
then its done its job. Pity, the last few chapters drag on with mundane action (the gameplay is very very standard fare).

I liked how the character deteriorated over time (his voice becomes more harsher and angrier). This was a neat storytelling device and wished the game had more of those.

All in all a solid 8/10. I'd much rather play this than the other countless gears clonefests. At least it tried to do more than the usual game. And I love ambition.


The game had a fuck awesome soundtrack. Great choices of songs.
 

colt45joe

Banned
not sure why mostly everyone says this game isnt fun. i had fun shooting everyone. aiming, shooting, and running around mechanics felt better than gears of war, and uncharted i thought.its very smooth and responsive.
 

dmshaposv

Member
The games shooting mechanics are servicable - the squad mates came far too many times in my way and didnt help enough.

Also hated the context sensitive buttons. I must have died more times in the game just because walker decided to melee instead of vault over something.
 
Just wanted to share this.

iZXyHAn2cu5yt.gif


If it reminds you of a certain game, that's because some of the developers worked on Condemned too.
 

Pakkidis

Member
Just finished the game 5 minutes ago, great game with a very good narrative. It was becoming very obvious what was happening the further you play it
I got the feeling he was suffering with PTSD, even his voice and dialogue was changing as the game went on, nice little touch. The loading screen 'tips' starts saying different things as the game goes on, I like the 'your still a good guy' or do you still think your the hero?'

So from what I understand, Konrad was always dead and you were just using him as an excuse to commit the atrocities while thinking you were the good guy all along?

What are the endings people are talking about, Konrad just spoke to me about my atrocities and then I let him shoot me, he said the mission was a failure and then the end credits rolled up. I did the ending again and shot myself and the same thing, am I missing something?
 

Sullichin

Member
Got this on the cheaps and enjoying it so far, but the fps drops to nothing for a couple of seconds when (I think) it loads a new area. I tried deleting my config files and that didn't seem to make a difference. Anyone else get this? Kind of disappointed with performance overall, I only get 30fps at 1440p but I can get 60fps in Sleeping Dogs. One last thing.. I hate the blood on the screen splatter effect. Looks even more ridiculous in a TPS.
 

Des0lar

will learn eventually
Just finished the game. Interesting story, loved the detail they put into the characters and how they evolve over the course of the game.

Shame I didn't like most of the gameplay itself. I just don't like it when I feel like killing hundreds of waves of stupid enemies. They should have made the killing more impactful. Not shooting 400+ enemies as a squad of three people.

Watched all other endings on Youtube. Pretty cool. Maybe I will get back to this game one day and do things differently.

There is no other way to solve the
white phosphorus scene
, right?
 

firehawk12

Subete no aware
There is no other way to solve the
white phosphorus scene
, right?
Nope.

Whether or not you believe in the "other ending", you may want to go back through the thread where I point out one of the big twist endings that you may have missed just to see what you think about it.

Even after all this time, I still think it's the best ending. lol
 

ultron87

Member
Just beat this after getting it for 5 bucks. Would've been happy paying 3-4 times that. Interesting themes and messages and the game play was actually pretty solid for the most part.
 
I finished this yesterday.

Great game. It was a little heavy-handed at times, but I can't fault the devs for trying something different that, in most instances, succeeds in its goals. I have to agree with what the lead writer has said in regards to the other possible "ending".

I've been thinking about doing a write up discussing this game and Hotline Miami. I'll post it here if I do.
 

antitrop

Member
I will be starting an ad-free, beginning to end playthrough of Spec Ops right now on Suicide Difficulty. Probably takes about 4 hours to beat. Enjoy!

http://www.twitch.tv/antitrop

I did it before on Halloween but I forgot to save the VOD, might as well do it again.
 

G.O.O.

Member
I didn't think I'd post in a thread named "spec ops" a few weeks from now.

But I just finished the game and I feel like shit. Amazing experience, one of the very few that wakes up my "games = art" thoughts. Reminds me of Walking Dead, with choices without a "good" option.
 

Montresor

Member
I just finished the game... and I absolutely loved it. <3

One of my favourite things is the slick title menu. I love the image of the soldier sitting at the top of that building, with the flag brightly fluttering upside down, the american anthem playing on the electric guitar and the soldier overlooking all of Dubai. The best part is the way the title menu changed as you progressed through the campaign: major story spoiler
After Lugo dies, the title menu's music changes and the aforementioned soldier is dead on his peak, getting picked away by crows. And when you move beyond that point in the campaign, the sun eventually sets way down, and the title menu changes to a dusk setting with Dubai's buildings on fire.

I loved pretty much the whole game. I thought the storyline, setting, sound, graphics, and art style were all undeniably top notch. The game play was also great. Not superb, not mind-blowing, but pretty fucking good third-person shooting. One of my top games in 2012.
 
I just finished this now.

My favourite video game story of the year.

Brilliant deconstruction and critique of the modern shooter genre - especially games like Call of Duty which reward players for violent action.

I felt uncomfortable, guilty, and disgusted at some of the things I partook in as the player behind Walker's actions. Great use of the medium - only interactive art such as video games can make a person complicit in the actions of the narrative, rather than being a merely a passive observer. The metanarrative around complicity of player choice in video games is indeed provocative.

But I think the thematic centrepiece of the game is the way foreign ethnicities are rendered as "other" by media and therefore less than human, making killing them a guilt-free act. If the idea of killing rogue American soldiers makes you uncomfortable, why don't you even think twice when gunning down Arabs or Russians? After all, they are both entirely virtual constructs. Why is one virtual life somehow more valuable than another - is it because you value one over the other in real life? And if so, what caused this belief?

Great environments and art direction and voice acting, and extremely well done presentation around Walker's mental state and how it degrades over the course of the game. One of the great examples of gameplay telling the story. Even the little touches like the slow-mo headshots and the snarky loading screen "tips" put question marks into the player's head - are you enjoying this? Should you be?

The game isn't "fun" in the traditional sense of gaming. Like Requiem for a Dream, it's meant to make you feel uncomfortable, it's meant to be brutal and harrowing. And it's also meant to be thought provoking and stay in your head after the credits roll. And it is, because I'm typing this post right now.

Mission accomplished, Yager. I've grown up. Games have grown up alongside me, and it's nice to see a title like this deliver more than what I expect from today's mindless, hyperviolent and juvenile modern shooters.
 
Just completed this as well. I'm not sure how this went under the radar for me, but it was a great gaming experience. Best $2.50 I have ever spent. I really hope the developers get a shot at a true next gen, high budget game. I want more.
 

TTG

Member
Just finished this game, very interesting. I don't remember any other game that handles the main character anywhere close to how this goes. I thought I wanted to go back and trace exactly what starts to happen to Walker and when, but then it hit me that I would have to play through all of it again and that's... yea.

I wonder why this game didn't gain more recognition(maybe it has and I haven't noticed). Maybe if it was a better shooter? But, even saying that sounds wrong. Would it have been a better or more meaningful game if it was more fun to shoot? Anyway, on one hand a very mundane game, but maybe the most interesting one of 2012 as well. You are a strange one, Spec Ops.
 

Ithil

Member
Well I just blasted through this in one sitting. My reaction was something like this.

ibrCg5MNCsOp8C.gif


Kudos to the devs, for making something different. I'm glad I played it.
 

tonypark

Member
When I go on the psn and try to buy it its written disc only.
What is the meaning of this exactly?
I can still install and play the game off my HDD right?
 

TheSeks

Blinded by the luminous glory that is David Bowie's physical manifestation.
When I go on the psn and try to buy it its written disc only.
What is the meaning of this exactly?
I can still install and play the game off my HDD right?

Er-If it's "Full Game" then yes. If not, then no.

And I agree with Jett, if the true meaning is
it's all a dream lolz
then that makes no damn sense: Walker
walked through the desert by himself? REALLY?
 

Kallor

Member
Bought this from gamefly a week or so for $3.99 and played through my first run on hard in about 7 hours. Only a few tough areas. Really enjoyed the character development. Some nice graphics, good pacing and interesting story. Well worth the money. 7.9/10
 

An-Det

Member
Definitely, though if you're on the fence I guarantee it'll be $5 at some point soon again. I finished it last week and it was well worth the money.
 

Jubern

Member
Sorry for the bump, but I just played this thanks to the European PS+. It's a game that would never have gotten my attention if not for some people praising its storytelling and how surprising it could be, from the perspective of someone who'd expect nothing but a shootbang TPS.

I finished the game in three sittings, and while I found the gameplay to be perfectible (and I'm not big on TPS or FPS to begin with), I can definitely see what people were talking about and I'm glad to play this. Not the best game ever, but a great experience that certainly makes you think quite a bit.
 
Also sorry for the bump but

is this THE fps to play for a gamer who loves a strong narrative and hates dudebro COD?

I'm thinking about picking it up.
 

venom2124

Member
It's a third person shooter that's more narrative driven than almost any other shooter. I enjoy cod but spec ops story is something special. You'll enjoy the game if you like Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now.
 

firehawk12

Subete no aware
Also sorry for the bump but

is this THE fps to play for a gamer who loves a strong narrative and hates dudebro COD?

I'm thinking about picking it up.
It's the only game that at least tries to do something interesting with the fact that it's limited by being a third person shooter.
It's not Apocalypse Now, of course, but in game terms, it's probably the closest thing we have to a genuine attempt to tell a PTSD/horror's of war story.
 
It's a third person shooter that's more narrative driven than almost any other shooter. I enjoy cod but spec ops story is something special. You'll enjoy the game if you like Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now.

Oh snap, I did not have my facts right ;-)
Well this is a good recommendation, I will pick this game up.
 

Toa TAK

Banned
I don't care what this game tells me, I AM THE HERO!

YOU HEAR THAT?

I SAVED THEM.

But seriously, great story and yeah, it hits you directly with what it's trying to say. I swear, I think if the gameplay was better, it would get more recognition. Thoroughly enjoyed this title, though, regardless.
 

Arken2121

Member
I don't care what this game tells me, I AM THE HERO!

YOU HEAR THAT?

I SAVED THEM.

But seriously, great story and yeah, it hits you directly with what it's trying to say. I swear, I think if the gameplay was better, it would get more recognition. Thoroughly enjoyed this title, though, regardless.

Right there with you. Replayed this about three times for the feels.
 

Toa TAK

Banned
Oh yeah. Going to go in one more run for the difficulty achievements (the harder two) and then I'm set.

I decided to
shoot Konrad in the mirror and give myself up to the Americans who came to save me.

Also, really loved the idea of fighting against the American Army. The only other time I've done this in a military shooter was MW2 (which was also really cool). Although, I didn't feel any differently about taking them out. They were shooting at me and they needed to go.
 
Top Bottom