Spec Ops: The Line

[AWS260]

Spec Ops: The Line (what a terrible name) wasn't on my radar at all, but I picked it up after reading the very intriguing RPS review. I wasn't disappointed.

It's a third-person cover shooter -- my first since Rainbow Six Vegas 2, I think. The gunplay is pretty standard as these things go, and at normal difficulty, well-tuned for my decaying thirty-something reflexes. The real strength of the game is in the setting, atmosphere, and story. At the outset, it looks like a typical military shooter -- you're a badass Delta operative facing hordes of nameless enemies somewhere in the Middle East. But it pretty quickly takes a turn for the confusing, then the unsettling, then the slightly surreal. In terms of narrative, it's probably the most ambitious shooter I've played since BioShock.

I don't want to say more to avoid spoilers, but if you enjoy shooters and place a premium on story, then you may want to check it out. Caveat: the single-player campaign is only 6-7 hours. But I'll take 6 hours of very good-to-great over 20 hours of average any day.

[ChrisGrenard]

I just beat it earlier today. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

I will also warn that the game only took me 8 hours to beat, but I plowed through it because I enjoyed the plotline so much. Here's a link to my amazon review.

[gbasden]

Chris, where did you find this on sale? I'm really interested in this, but I can't quite stomach $50 for 6 hours of single player. Reading really good reviews like these makes me question that, though.

[Kasey Chang]

Wasn't it on Sale on Amazon for 50% off?

[Lordnine]

Looks like it is still on sale for $25 on Amazon. Steam works game so buy it and download directly from there once you have the key.

[gbasden]

Thanks much!

[Sepiche]

I picked this up via the Amazon deal the other day and have been enjoying it. I'm a little ways in now and it's starting to feel a bit stale (it's pretty much the same thing over and over again with only slight variations being added now and again), but overall the combat is enjoyable and the setting is pretty amazing. In particular I like that most big battles have more than a few environmental pieces that can help you win if you notice them... the best being blowing up retaining walls and burying your enemies in sand.

I'd probably feel a little ripped off for $50, but the $25 deal off on Amazon took all the pain away.

[gbasden]

I'm very near the end now. I really have been enjoying this game. The story is adult and engaging, which is unusual for a shooter. The action is decent. The various weapons do feel different, with all of them having different secondary fire modes. The M4 you start with has the option of attaching a noise suppresor, while the AK can be set between full auto and 3 round bursts. Another rifle is single shot, but has a 4x scope, and sniper rifles have up to a 16x scope. The firefights are a nice mix of outdoor long range engagements and up close room by room fights.

All that said, the story is really the reason I've been pushing through this game. The fighting really hasn't been the draw for me - it's a matter of wanting to find out what's happening. Ruined Dubai provides a fantastic backdrop to the story, both from a plot and a visual perspective. Fighting through the remains of opulent buildings and then transitioning into a raging sandstorm makes for a unique experience. I definitely recommend giving this game a try, especially if you can get it on sale through Amazon or through the Steam Summer Sale.

[Asharak]

the Steam Summer Sale.

In which, by the way, it is featured as a Daily Deal today, at 33% off; for the rest of the sale, it's been only 10%. Given that it's still only sitting at #10 on their best sellers list even today, I doubt it's going to recur on the last couple days of the sale, so this would seem like your best opportunity to nab it.

- Ash

[Reemul]

Well amazon have had it at 50% so I will wait until it gets to at least that.

[Smoove_B]

At the outset, it looks like a typical military shooter -- you're a badass Delta operative facing hordes of nameless enemies somewhere in the Middle East. But it pretty quickly takes a turn for the confusing, then the unsettling, then the slightly surreal. In terms of narrative, it's probably the most ambitious shooter I've played since BioShock.

I think I totally skipped this when it first came out because I figured it was just another military shooter. Just finished the game (and it is short) and I was really impressed with how it all came together.

These links are full of spoilers, but if you're looking for some more info about the game after you finish they are an interesting read, particularly the last one:

Don't be a hero
Spec Ops: The Line and why we play violent shooter games
Story secrets of Spec Ops

[Paingod]

I've heard a lot of good press on this and know more that I'd want to going in - but it almost made it into my Steam list for sales. I just didn't need another shooter, no matter how good. I only get that itch once every couple of years.

[Smoove_B]

To classify this game as a shooter is unfortunate, though initially probably necessary to try and attract customers. While there is lots of gun play, the shooting mechanics aren't really the focus of the game. You're absolutely playing for the story.

[YellowKing]

Late to the party, but I picked this up over the course of the Amazon/Steam holiday sales and just got around to playing it. Having a total blast - this one flew completely under my radar. While the story is really good, I'm actually loving the combat. I like that it doesn't take 50 hits to kill a guy (well, at least the non-heavies). I like that it doesn't take 50 hits to kill YOU. Also, ammo is really limited so you're constantly rationing it while scrounging up whatever weapons you can get your hands on. Combine all that and you get some really tense firefights. So far I've found it challenging without being frustratingly so, which adds up to a really entertaining experience.

[whispa]

Picked this up as well. Looking forward to getting into this one. Thanks for the feedback!

[elite]

Don't you think that Spec Ops is a damn bloody game?

[ChrisGrenard]

Don't you think that Spec Ops is a damn bloody game?

Bloody damn good. You got the order mixed up there, but close enough.

[Kasey Chang]

I got like a 15 buck "commission" from my Amazon associates thing. I'm using it, and the $5 promo credit on the Bioshock 1+2+Specops:The Line bundle.

[Mr Bismarck]

Specops:The Line bundle.

I just finished it yesterday and my reaction at first was that it really stood out from other manshoots, but that that said more about them than it did about The Line. Then here I am a day later still thinking about the game.

Reading (spoilerific) articles and listening to (spoilerific) interviews have broadened some of my understanding and shown me some things I missed like...

Spoiler:

Konrad's face is in some billboards in the very early levels - did I imagine him and give him a billboard's face? Or was I already hallucinating so early that I put Konrad's face on billoards?

Also...

Spoiler:

At the end when Konrad says "you could have just... stopped" I was trying to think back to an exit out of Dubai that I missed somehow, but on listening to the dev it turns out that what he meant was "you could have turned off the game." I haven't before heard a dev trying to elicit his own gamers to stop playing.

In other news, this is a really nice rug.



A tsunami in Dubai.

[Smoove_B]

Yeah, if you scroll up a bit I linked some articles that go into ridiculous details about things in the game (totally full of spoilers). It's definitely a different experience than what you are expecting, that's for sure.

[Mr Bismarck]

Did you shoot a deer?

Spoiler:

I asked this question on a couple forums and generally got an answer along the lines of "shoot the deer? You think I'm some sort of monster?"

From people who just shot six hundred people in the face.

[Teggy]

Did you shoot a deer?

Spoiler:

I asked this question on a couple forums and generally got an answer along the lines of "shoot the deer? You think I'm some sort of monster?"

From people who just shot six hundred people in the face.

But it's an achievement!

[Smoove_B]

I have a feeling they added that just to see how many people would do it. It is pretty hilarious that various individuals would voice disgust at the idea.

[YellowKing]

Maybe it's because I had just finished Far Cry 3, but I went through this game with absolutely no remorse or emotion whatsoever. The "moral" of the developers was completely lost on me, because if it moved I shot it. I didn't give a damn whether it was enemies, Americans, or my own men (get the hell out of the way bro!)

I was burning dogs to death with a flamethrower in Far Cry 3. If I had seen a deer I would have not only shot it, but skinned it and pissed on its face.

NSFW (but hilarious) link about deer hatred:

Louis CK Hates Deer

[Mr Bismarck]

But it's an achievement!

Interestingly, Steam achievements state that about 48% of people have completed the game.

7.4% of people have finished the game on "Suicide" difficulty level.

Meanwhile, the number of people with the Deer Hunter achievement - something that's open to anyone with a bullet and eyes? ... 8%.

I actually didn't shoot the deer the first time through, but when I went back to replay a couple of the chapters to look for things I'd heard about in a Dev interview I saw a collection of five or six deer together. So I shoot one of those.

[Teggy]

But it's an achievement!

Interestingly, Steam achievements state that about 48% of people have completed the game.

7.4% of people have finished the game on "Suicide" difficulty level.

Meanwhile, the number of people with the Deer Hunter achievement - something that's open to anyone with a bullet and eyes? ... 8%.

I actually didn't shoot the deer the first time through, but when I went back to replay a couple of the chapters to look for things I'd heard about in a Dev interview I saw a collection of five or six deer together. So I shoot one of those.

Well, it's not so easy to do unless you are looking for it. There's one opportunity that I totally missed even playing the game twice through, and the other you have to make a specific story choice or it is not available to you.

[Smoove_B]

I didn't give a damn whether it was enemies, Americans, or my own men (get the hell out of the way bro!)

If you made it through the white phosphorus mortar sneak attack about 1/2 through the game without feeling anything...you might need to explore therapy.

[Lordnine]

If you made it through the white phosphorus mortar sneak attack about 1/2 through the game without feeling anything...you might need to explore therapy.

That part of the game kind of ruined the experience for me, not because it was horrible but because it was an obvious set up.

Spoiler:

I looked through the aiming device and clearly saw a bunch of civilians huddled together so I put the weapon down. I sniped the endlessly spawning enemies for about 10 minutes before I realized that the game was forcing me to do something I would never choose to do. There are lots of ways they could have handled it better. The worst thing is I was in absolutely no danger where the event takes place; I killed probably 50 guys and only stopped because I became bored.

Also, I never saw the deer.

[Mr Bismarck]

Well, it's not so easy to do unless you are looking for it. There's one opportunity that I totally missed even playing the game twice through, and the other you have to make a specific story choice or it is not available to you.

Spoiler:

Around the corner from Riggs there's a deer whether you shoot Riggs or not - I don't think it's gated by your choice about what to do with Riggs.

The reason I didn't shoot one the first time is because I shot Riggs, so I didn't have a bullet left for the Oryx. I don't know, but I'm fairly sure if I'd left Riggs to burn I would have shot the deer. I am a monster.

Then when I went back in to Chapter 1 to look for the billboards that have Konrad's face on them, I noticed a bunch standing around right at the start with a large pink neon sign overhead flashing "GET ACHIEVEMENT HERE!"

[YellowKing]

That part of the game kind of ruined the experience for me, not because it was horrible but because it was an obvious set up.

I agree. A lot of the "philosophical choices" aspect of the game was lost on me because I felt like they were railroading me into situations in which I had no real choice. So instead of agonizing about it, I just did what they were obviously wanting me to do so I could get to the next firefight.

If you made it through the white phosphorus mortar sneak attack about 1/2 through the game without feeling anything...you might need to explore therapy.

Spoiler:

That part did make me hesitate because I have kids. Seeing the dead mother and child was painful. However, I moved on, shot some more people in the face, and felt better.

[Teggy]

Well, it's not so easy to do unless you are looking for it. There's one opportunity that I totally missed even playing the game twice through, and the other you have to make a specific story choice or it is not available to you.

Spoiler:

Around the corner from Riggs there's a deer whether you shoot Riggs or not - I don't think it's gated by your choice about what to do with Riggs.

The reason I didn't shoot one the first time is because I shot Riggs, so I didn't have a bullet left for the Oryx. I don't know, but I'm fairly sure if I'd left Riggs to burn I would have shot the deer. I am a monster.

Then when I went back in to Chapter 1 to look for the billboards that have Konrad's face on them, I noticed a bunch standing around right at the start with a large pink neon sign overhead flashing "GET ACHIEVEMENT HERE!"

Spoiler:

Well, that's what I meant - if you shoot him you no longer have a bullet to shoot the Oryx.

[Kasey Chang]

Just finished the game, and I'm sure I missed a TON of things. And my mind is feeling very f***ed indeed. Which I'm sure is exactly what the developers intended.

EDIT: I never saw the deer either. (Which means I was obviously hallucinating... there is no "deer" in Dubai, is there?)

[Teggy]

Just finished the game, and I'm sure I missed a TON of things. And my mind is feeling very f***ed indeed. Which I'm sure is exactly what the developers intended.

EDIT: I never saw the deer either. (Which means I was obviously hallucinating... there is no "deer" in Dubai, is there?)

Oryx, not deer.

[Kasey Chang]

Oryx is an antelope... (and no, still didn't see it)

[Kasey Chang]

The game's depressing enough that I'm not sure I want to play it again.

Spoiler:

It seems I killed hundreds of people, too many Americans, for nothing. All driven by voices in my head.

[Mr Bismarck]

Oryx is an antelope... (and no, still didn't see it)

Yes, but the achievement is called "The Deerhunter."

Oryx? As far as Steam's concerned... CLOSE ENOUGH.

[Jag]

Just started playing this yesterday. It is well done, but already somewhat bored. Very much on rails and suffers a bit of consolitis, but the production value makes up for it I guess.

[Daehawk]

I had fun with it for a while but by the time the final 1/3 came up I was sick of it. I finished it last night. I just had to push my way through and bitch the entire time. It turned into a mental breakdown story. Im glad I finished it but Im more glad its over.

[Smoove_B]

Just played it again, knowing the whole story before hand...definitely much more interesting, particularly in picking up all the clues.

I also managed to get a different ending this time, one that I thought was a better fit than the first time I played.

Spoiler:

The first time, I had the main character shoot himself at the end - game over. This time I shot Konrad instead and there was an epilogue after the credits. Soldiers arrived and ordered me to stand down, seeing I was clearly not right and still holding my weapons. I did so and they took me into custody. During the ride, one asked about all the stuff he saw on his way in. He wondered how I survived.

"Who said I did?"

Much better, IMHO.

Apparently I could have declined the order had yet another fight. When I played it the first time I really had no idea there were 3 (?) different endings. Still a great game.

EDIT: Damn, I just read this in the spoiler articles I shared above:

Spoiler:

That said, Williams notes one last, vital visual trick. "Any time the game is doing a normal transition, it'll fade to black. Any time Walker is hallucinating, or lying to himself, in a kind of delusional fashion, the game will fade to white," he says. "The entire epilogue sequence where Walker goes home, it fades to white. Even if you are not reading that Walker died in the chopper crash, it is meant to be understood that Walker is hallucinating going home."

Crazy.

[Smoove_B]

Since it was one of the few games I played through twice, figured it was worth the bump to note it's been de-listed from Steam.

UPDATE 31/1/24: 2K has confirmed Spec Ops: The Line is being delisted from all online stores due to expiring licenses.

In a statement shared with Eurogamer, a 2K spokesperson said: "Spec Ops: The Line will no longer be available on online storefronts, as several partnership licenses related to the game are expiring.

That is really unfortunate.

NOTE:

GOG is selling Spec Ops: The Line for so if you don't own it on PC and you'd like to, GOG is your best bet right now. The discount is running until 6th February, according to the store page.