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[bananafactory]

Like a lot of people I skipped this one when it came out because, Spec Ops: The Line? What a fucking awful name for this game.

Anyways, I played an hour or so on PS3 when it came out on PS+ but never really got into it. Every couple of weeks I hear someone praise it and today I found out it's quite short and available on Steam so I thought alright, let's do this.

Holy shit. What a rollercoaster. This game does a lot of things very well, so it's a shame the things it doesn't hold it back from being what I would otherwise consider a true classic (it kind of still is, in my mind, though).

The good stuff:

Atmosphere

The setting of Dubai is actually quite unique in games - I can't say I've ever experienced anything like Spec Ops' depiction of it. The sandstorms are intense and the beauty of the buildings mixed with the desolation of the desert make for a great backdrop, as well as providing a great way to mix up the setting as you move through the brief story.

The Narrative:

The game starts innocently enough, perhaps to its detriment in impatient cases like myself the first time around - as there is little there to hint at the madness to come. But the buildup and payoff for each cruel twist and horrifying decision are handled excellently, with decisions truly being made in haste only to discover the reality of the consequences afterwards. And if the ending is predictable, it certainly fooled me. One of the most fitting and memorable conclusions to a game that I can recall. It's also a perfect example of a game being precisely as long as it needs to be. Spec Ops never wears out its welcome and just as you are becoming tired of shooting endless waves of military grunts, it's over. I also appreciate the little touches as Walker's mental state deteriorates over time, like his physical condition (clothes and face getting messed up), and the executions getting more and more brutal - he goes from punching them out to straight up sticking a shotgun down their throat and blowing their head apart.

The Meh:

Gameplay

While the gameplay isn't bad per se - the shooting feels good enough and I appreciate the restraint shown by not adding crazy superhero like perks and skill upgrades - it's missing something I can't quite put my finger on. There's just a kind of sweeping mediocrity to it that prevents it from ever being truly exciting, probably my biggest gripe with the game. I'm not sure what could improve it, maybe some more environmental interaction and flexibility like the brief times you are able to shoot out windows to bring in sand, or perhaps a more complex teammate command system.

Graphics

The art direction is actually quite good, but it's certainly not a pretty game on a technical level. As far as PS360 era releases go it's certainly serviceable, but I feel the setting deserves more aesthetic justice than it received.

Overall

This is one of the most intense, horrifying, and compelling stories I've played in a game recently and it's a shame the game doesn't quite reach the level of excellence that I think it could have. I see Yager is developing a space sim next but I do hope they revisit something like this down the road because it's clear they are good at it.

This is Captain Martin Walker, requesting immediate evacuation of Dubai. Survivors... one too many

 

[Nordicus]

Overall

This is one of the most intense, horrifying, and compelling stories I've played in a game recently and it's a shame the game doesn't quite reach the level of excellence that I think it could have. I see Yager is developing a space sim next but I do hope they revisit something like this down the road because it's clear they are good at it.

This is Captain Martin Walker, requesting immediate evacuation of Dubai. Survivors... one too many

Now you want to watch Walt Williams (Spec Ops writer) GDC video
We Are Not Heroes: Contextualizing Violence Through Narrative

 

[Jintor]

i really do love this game, even if some of the dev answers they gave around it are weird (I will never consider a potential player solution to be 'walk away from the game' because that's not a decision a player can eventuate on a gameworld, but rather one that only applies to actual reality and thus doesn't constitute to my mind a 'player choice' that is part of the system of a game)

I'm fairly certain the gameplay was intended to be a certain degree of harrowingly repetitive and exhausting, though I suppose that doesn't necessarily excuse it

 

[Deleted member 471617]

Good 8/10 game for me. I enjoyed it. Story was excellent. Everything else was solid.

 

[SJRB]

Game is pretty amazing. Play on easy because combat will get tedious, but the setting and story are great.

 

[Sojgat]

Amazing game.

Gameplay is better than people give it credit for. FUBAR difficulty is where it's at. Every encounter becomes a combat puzzle. Two button cover system was a good feature.

 

[Nordicus]

Gameplay is better than people give it credit for. FUBAR difficulty is where it's at.

I might agree... but the boat fight. The fucking boat fight. GRRR

 

[May16]

There's just a kind of sweeping mediocrity to it that prevents it from ever being truly exciting, probably my biggest gripe with the game. I'm not sure what could improve it, maybe some more environmental interaction and flexibility like the brief times you are able to shoot out windows to bring in sand, or perhaps a more complex teammate command system.

The realization that

Spoiler

the repetitive gameplay is all part of the theme that war is hell real combat is fucking stressful and unfun does help appreciate it a little more.

It doesn't make it any more fun to play, of course, but for me, once I got that it was like, "Aaaah. Yeah that makes sense."

 

[danmaku]

i really do love this game, even if some of the dev answers they gave around it are weird (I will never consider a potential player solution to be 'walk away from the game' because that's not a decision a player can eventuate on a gameworld, but rather one that only applies to actual reality and thus doesn't constitute to my mind a 'player choice' that is part of the system of a game)

I'm fairly certain the gameplay was intended to be a certain degree of harrowingly repetitive and exhausting, though I suppose that doesn't necessarily excuse it

Spec Ops likes to mess with your expectations as a player. Of course you don't expect "not playing the game" to be an option, they wanted you to keep playing until the end (that's your "duty" as a gamer!) and then realize nobody was forcing you to do it.

On the same subject, I love how the game starts with a high octane action setpiece straight out of Call of Duty. It sets your expectation to "another dumb shooter" and then the game turns out to be totally different.

 

[wittengstein]

This was the first game i've played on my new rig couple of years ago,while the story was a bit predictable narrative was really strong and hold it together until the very end.
And as far as i'm concerned

Spoiler

Welcome to Dubai

ending is the greatest&most fitting ending to a videogame ever,those final words still gives me chills,great performance by Nolan North.

 

[Auctopus]

I felt this game fell in to the trap of just because you are parodying a genre doesn't mean you are absent from that genre's faults.

 

[Whom_Gods_Annoy]

I might agree... but the boat fight. The fucking boat fight. GRRR

That was like the one section I didn't enjoy. I lost count of how many times I heard "Get to that yacht!" and then got gunned down because there's zero cover.

Other than that, a very memorable experience.

 

[jetsetnickradio]

It was actually really boring most of the time. It's pretty much Uncharted x Call of Duty. The way the story twisted was kind of cool and the art direction in some spots was neat, but the gameplay was your typical "hide in cover and fight waves of bullet sponge enemies for 10 minutes, then move onto the next killbox and repeat. Also obligatory vehicle and turret sequences."

 

[Arkanius]

I loved this game to death. 0 expectations when I started playing it and I was actually touched by it when it was over.

I'll never forget it.

Gameplay was good for me, I actually had fun with the shooting mechanics. The setting was marvelous.

 

[aku:jiki]

I just finished this last week and was also impressed by it. I was actually satisfied with the gameplay and I thought the direction of the game was impressively strong and focused, from aesthetics to writing and theme. I feel like the game misses the mark on what it's trying to do with the story and the twist feels like a mess, but I appreciate that it tried.

Really disappointed that their next project is just some multiplayer thing. That's not where their skillset lies and they shouldn't be branching out this early...

I felt this game fell in to the trap of just because you are parodying a genre doesn't mean you are absent from that genre's faults.

Yeah, it does contradict itself sometimes. What's suppoesd to be the meta excuse for why there are "murderkill people X number of times in Y number of ways" acheivements, for example? Am I supposed to feel bad about getting my 50 headshots achievement? Because I don't and that's not really how games work.

 

[danmaku]

I felt this game fell in to the trap of just because you are parodying a genre doesn't mean you are absent from that genre's faults.

I'd say it's a deconstruction, not a parody. Spec Ops doesn't make fun of shooter tropes, it wants to destroy them (you are not a hero, shooting people is not fun, etc.).

 

[cantona222]

Yes. It is a great game. I picked it up on the Xbox 360 more than 2 years ago when the price was less than $20. I really enjoyed the game.

 

[jetsetnickradio]

I'd say it's a deconstruction, not a parody. Spec Ops doesn't make fun of shooter tropes, it wants to destroy them (you are not a hero, shooting people is not fun, etc.).

Yeah but that doesn't happen until half way through the game. The first half is just boring and conventional.

And then when the twist does start to rear its head, it just feels bitchy and out of place. Kind of like those anti-war messages that would pop up when you died in older Call of Duty campaigns.

 

[Auctopus]

I'd say it's a deconstruction, not a parody. Spec Ops doesn't make fun of shooter tropes, it wants to destroy them (you are not a hero, shooting people is not fun, etc.).

Yeah, sorry. I was thinking of a better word than parody but you get what I meant.

 

[Orgen]

Amazing game (even the gameplay but it shines in FUBAR difficulty).

 

[User 479360]

I remember buying the Spec-Ops games as a kid, thinking they'd maybe be good and ending up disappointed after the first or second level, never to return. This one piqued my interest as soon as it was announced, though, because it looked unique and like it had a shot at being good.

Thankfully, it was. Quite good, too. I liked it quite a bit.

The shooting mechanics left something to be desired, but the storyline, world and sense of immersion were on point. It's a really solid game.

 

[Jintor]

Spec Ops likes to mess with your expectations as a player. Of course you don't expect "not playing the game" to be an option, they wanted you to keep playing until the end (that's your "duty" as a gamer!) and then realize nobody was forcing you to do it.

It's not that I don't expect it, it's that I don't think it's a valid way to interact in the sense of making a decision as a player character. As a player, sure - but it's essentially worthless. Given that the choice aspect of interactive gaming is its arguably most unique part, walking away creates no capacity for the gameworld to react, and in fact simply cuts off the experience entirely.

Perhaps I should clarify that I mean 'walking away as a player choice in response to a forced situation'. Something like Undertale I think raises the idea of simply leaving a game be in a much more interesting context than "You have to do the thing or the game won't continue"

Yeah, it does contradict itself sometimes. What's suppoesd to be the meta excuse for why there are "murderkill people X number of times in Y number of ways" acheivements, for example? Am I supposed to feel bad about getting my 50 headshots achievement? Because I don't and that's not really how games work.

It's an area where the game ran into the reality of having to be a thing that complied with console standards. The fact that it has a multiplayer mode is also another 'had to be done or it wouldn't get published' kind of thing.

Yeah but that doesn't happen until half way through the game. The first half is just boring and conventional.

And then when the twist does start to rear its head, it just feels bitchy and out of place. Kind of like those anti-war messages that would pop up when you died in older Call of Duty campaigns.

I don't think that's true at all; Spec Ops is disquieting and weird from the very start of the game, even if the heroes protagonists don't necessarily realise it yet.

 

[danmaku]

Yeah but that doesn't happen until half way through the game. The first half is just boring and conventional.

And then when the twist does start to rear its head, it just feels bitchy and out of place. Kind of like those anti-war messages that would pop up when you died in older Call of Duty campaigns.

It's meant to be so. As I said, Spec Ops wants you to think it's just another dumb shooter. At first you should feel like a badass, shooting people and cracking jokes with your teammates, and then you realize it's not as fun as you thought (there are hints that something's not right since the begining, though).
Of course it can only work to a certain extent, mainly because it's a game and needs to be reasonably "fun" anyway. I thought the first part was quite boring too, because I'm not a big fan of military shooters, but that's normal. It can't have the same effect on everyone.

 

[jetsetnickradio]

Maybe I'm being too down on the game, I did enjoy it enough to finish it. And I might even go back and replay some day so that I can earn more of the trophies. Maybe I'll appreciate it more on a second playthrough.

 

[Mr_Zombie]

It's an area where the game ran into the reality of having to be a thing that complied with console standards. The fact that it has a multiplayer mode is also another 'had to be done or it wouldn't get published' kind of thing.

Yes, I remember reading that 2K basically forced Yager to include multiplayer, it was another checkbox that just had to be in the game. I suppose achievments were the same thing.

 

[Alkastelca]

OP, You're still a good person.




Love it !
Captain Martin Walker's change through the game is masterfully done.
Also got a platinum with it. It was hard but worth it.


And fantastic use of licensed music like:

Deep Purple - Hush

The Black Angels - The First Vietnamese War

The Black Angels - Bad Vibrations

Martha Reeves and the Vandellas - Nowhere to Run

Mogwai - Glasgow Mega Snake

Jimi Hendrix - 1983...A Merman I Should Turn To Be

 

[black070]

Amazing game that flew under the radar, anyone who hasn't already really should give it a run through.

 

[Safe Bet]

awesome op

i'll be in to join the thread once i get a bit further in the game

 

[Rebel Leader]

You are still a good person

 

[Concrete Charlie]

The shooting and game mechanics weren't the greatest but the story kept me hooked. Liked it!

 

[Sadist]

Got this game as a gift via Steam and the only words attached to it were "it's not what you expect"

It isn't. As far as third person shooters go it's solid. Doesn't do anything out of the ordinary. The story however... damn. That was something I didn't see coming. One of the best stories I've experienced in videogames. End game is fantastic.

 

[OrbitalBeard]

I loved the setting but hated everything else, including the narrative. In fairness though,I think it would have had more of an impact on me if I hadn't known anything about the game going in.

 

[Mutley]

I believe this could possibly be Nolan North's best voice acting for a game. The change of Captain Walker from the beginning as calm and cool to

Spoiler

going absolutely insane in the end

is very well done. The game part may not be as good but the story is second to none. Everyone should give this a go!

 

[Funyarinpa]

Honestly I don't really get the story of this game, but I really like it nonetheless.

Also lolwut at the graphics comment OP, Spec Ops is easily one of the most gorgeous games I've ever played.

 

[AKyemeni]

If there was a remaster of this game I'd totally buy it in a heartbeat.

 

[Coll1der]

The game is amazing. I would love to see other genre deconstructions, but it doesn't happen often enough. I would say that Witcher 3 is good at subverting fantasy tropes, but there is still nothing of the kind for sci-fi.

 

[Alcoholikaust]

Phenomonal game- glad it came up in discussion with TwitterBros yesterday- (hope Dawg plays the copy I sent him!)

need to replay it on PC soon

 

[heringer]

Bland shooter with a cool but overrated story. I was a bit disappointed with the game.

 

[Lord British]

In my opinion, Spec Ops: The Line is a good example of a game that's worth more than the sum of its parts.

I think its narrative can be ham-fisted, I think the gameplay is pretty banal. As a videogame though, it's totally unique in what it does.

 

[msdstc]

Ughh this game is lousy. The gameplay is repetitive and some of the most unfair garbage ive encountered. On FUBAR there are parts where you will die before you even get a chance to take control of the character after a reloading a save.

The gunplay is lousy, the cover system is weak. I like the teammate controls for the most part but it really doesn't make up for all of its flaws. I played this due to psplus having it for free and GAFers strongly reccomended it. I'm still unsure of where all the hype comes from. I'm also surprised that so many people praise the story. It was a pretty generic storyline with a run of the mill twist.

 

[Theodoricos]

One of the few games with a genuinely great story. It's nothing new, but it's amazingly presented. Love this game.

Also, the gameplay of Spec Ops: The Line being bland is a feature, not a flaw. That's kind of the point.

 

[elguero]

Right behind Red Dead and Uncharted 2 as game of the generation for me. I think it's the best interpretation of the Heart of Darkness story. I agree with other posters in that the tedious game play actually adds to the overall experience of the game by highlighting the mundane brutality of war and the mindless murder simulation of the modern FPS genre.

 

[bananafactory]

Interesting to hear so many say the gameplay is actually a commentary - that's a very risky decision but I respect it.

Now you want to watch Walt Williams (Spec Ops writer) GDC video
We Are Not Heroes: Contextualizing Violence Through Narrative

Thanks, I'll definitely check this out.

 

[Lord British]

Also, the gameplay of Spec Ops: The Line being bland is a feature, not a flaw. That's kind of the point.

Ehhh. I don't really buy this, even coming from the devs.

Yager: "We made our game intentionally bad to reinforce the themes of the narrative!"

Publishers: "Fuck off"

 

[samn]

I tried to play this but the gameplay was boring so I couldn't get into it.

I'm sure the narrative is good but I'm also pretty sure I know what it's aiming for and doubt it has much to say I haven't already heard so have no reason to slog through the meh shooting..

 

[Morts]

Great use of loading screens in the narrative.

 

[Infinite Justice]

Cool story, decent gameplay.

Bump it down to easy mode if you must.

 

[bananafactory]

Cool story, decent gameplay.

Bump it down to easy mode if you must.

Yeah I had to do this on the later levels. Shit was infuriating, especially the yacht

 

[antitrop]

I've talked this game to death, so I'll just leave this here.

Spec Ops: The Line ending recreated in Source Filmmaker with TF2 models

 

[Nordicus]

I've talked this game to death, so I'll just leave this here.

Spec Ops: The Line ending recreated in Source Filmmaker with TF2 models

Btw, it took this recreation for me to notice that Walker's lips were moving during that one shot where he was standing alone