Spec Ops: The Line is an action-packed Third-Person Shooter that delivers heart pounding physically close combat through a squad-based play mechanic. Players lead a team of three characters, Captain Martin Walker, Lieutenant Adams and Sergeant Lugo. Each character has his own distinct personality and specialized skills, and the mature story they each play a role in explores the dark side of war in a realistic way, in which there are no good outcomes, only hard choices. As missions are completed more advanced weapons and equipment are made available. In addition, the desert environment of Dubai is brought into the game in a unique way with stunning visuals, and dynamic sandstorms that actively effect level designs, and which can be used to help and hinder progress. The vertical interiors of Dubai high rise buildings also provide tactical advantages and risks that can used be by players. Multiplayer campaigns bring new modes and unusual situations and environments to expand the single player experience.Key Features
- A new portrayal of the military shooter experience with twisting narrative uncertainties.
- Action packed 3rd Person Shooter gameplay provides an up-close and personal view into the brutality and emotion within the combat.
- Command an intelligent and powerful squad of Delta-Force soldiers in a dangerous and unpredictable combat zone.
- Cross “The Line” in a mature story that explores the dark side of war, where there are no bright outcomes, only bad or worse choices.
- Unique Dubai setting strikes the imagination and transports players to a larger-than-life playground for vertical gameplay and stunning visuals.
- Sand-filled Dubai provides new gameplay experiences including sand avalanches, and powerful, disorienting sandstorm combat.
- Customisable, Class-Based, Blazing Multiplayer
Flatline wrote on Mar 30, 2018, 12:03:
Legitimate question- Did you try/hesitate/explore other options before the "twist" happened? I'm willing to bet 99% of people didn't and charged straight into it.
Also, I'm going to point out that the "twist" isn't even really a twist. It's basically the tonal shift point of the game. And it's foreshadowed in the game.
A lot. SPOILER A lot of the things you see in the game even before that point... um... aren't really there. You turn around and backtrack and stuff disappears on you. There's a *lot* of hallucinations that you suffer throughout the game that if you aren't paying attention you never notice. It's just after the WP scene that you disassociate your guilt onto the colonel and things go downhill faster END SPOILER
As for killing American troops because they fired on you... you... ah... didn't pay attention to that scene did you?
I re-played it recently and was impressed at how a lot of the complaints about the story were actually me mind-caulking things to put my narrative in a better light. It also turns out that I was remembering the narrative my squad mates were helping create to justify our actions.
The ending is a little more heavy handed than Bioshock's "A man chooses" scene. And the story isn't perfect, but it's pretty good. A damn sight better than most of the stories that 1st/3rd person shooters offer up.
There's multiple endings too. When you finally confront Konrad explore some of your options. One of them is almost too weird to be real, and lends credence to a theory that SPOILER Walker never survives the helicopter crash in the beginning of the game.
Drayth wrote on Mar 30, 2018, 09:31:Creston wrote on Mar 30, 2018, 09:18:
I felt more sorry for killing the poor monkeys in Mass Effect to try to find a piece of Geth tech that they'd stolen.
Uhm, I'm not sure how to break this to you, so I'll just come out and say it - you don't have to kill the monkeys to find the tech in that mission.
It'll be ok... I'm sure their souls forgive you.
Flatline wrote on Mar 30, 2018, 12:08:Drayth wrote on Mar 30, 2018, 08:56:
I wouldn't say the whole thing rides on the single twist. There's some subtle elements like, EDIT -- nm, even while trying to be vague I felt like I was saying too much.
The "twist" is a tonal shift mainly. I didn't even feel like it was a crux of the story because Spoiler: Walker starts making bad decisions immediately. The plot intentionally blows past the fact that you're on a recon mission and aren't even supposed to interact with anyone- just leave and go get the cavalry if you find survivors. On retrospect, the dude is nuts before he sets foot in Dubai. You can see it in his obsession with Konrad even before the WP mortar thing.
Drayth wrote on Mar 30, 2018, 08:56:
I wouldn't say the whole thing rides on the single twist. There's some subtle elements like, EDIT -- nm, even while trying to be vague I felt like I was saying too much.
Creston wrote on Mar 30, 2018, 09:18:
The big "twist" in the middle is not a twist, because you have no other choice EXCEPT TO DO IT.
Well, sure, I guess you could say "I'm not going to do it, I'm going to uninstall the game I paid money for." But there's no choice in game whether you do it or not. That big button is there, and the only way you are proceeding is by hitting that button and initiating the Twist.
That's not storytelling, that's cheap, pretend drama.
Furthermore, the whole "You're shooting American soldiers the whole time! And you're an American soldier!"
Eh, yeah. You're shooting American soldiers because they attack you first. You are defending yourself. By opening fire on American soldiers, that whole outfit commits treason.
Creston wrote on Mar 30, 2018, 09:18:
I felt more sorry for killing the poor monkeys in Mass Effect to try to find a piece of Geth tech that they'd stolen.
Drayth wrote on Mar 30, 2018, 00:53:MattyC wrote on Mar 29, 2018, 23:58:
I mean it is still Zero Punctuation, but I don't think he had sounded that into a review game since Skyrim.
I don't hate all the games he hates, but I like all the games he likes.
DangerDog wrote on Mar 30, 2018, 00:42:ItBurn wrote on Mar 29, 2018, 23:13:
One of the worst games I've ever played. I'd rather play E.T. on the Atari.
That good eh? Well now I have to play this thing. lol
Drayth wrote on Mar 29, 2018, 23:41:
Very unique game, story wise.