Last week was a bit hectic, among all of the previews we had going up and that, couple with the fact I was moving across the country, meant WeView got put on the back burner for a week. But now we’re here, and you voted for Spec Ops: The Line so let’s go!
Spec Ops is a fantastic third-person shooter that might seem quite generic due to the title, but turns out to be quite a lot of fun, with some very unique features and a good narrative throughout. While I’ve not completed the game, I have played quite a bit so it gets my seal of approval! It also remains quite special to me, as it was the first game I played on my PC on “very high” settings, so it’s probably one of the best I’ve ever seen, visually.
If you’re wanting a better overview of the game, then Dan’s review will have you sorted. He scored the game an impressive 9/10, highlighting the compelling story, stunning visuals, great voice acting and good gameplay elements.
If you’re into shooters then Spec Ops: The Line should be at the top of your list. It blends a brilliant story with strong characters and gameplay mechanics that rival much more established franchises. Yes the difficulty spikes can be a grind, but push on through and you’ll find one of 2012’s best games.
I feel as though I should go and complete the game now, though I’ve been pressed to find time recently and with GTA V releasing today, and then PS4 in a couple of months, I don’t even know if I can spare a few hours!
We also took a look at the multiplayer when we got the chance, which remained quite fun but entirely generic, not being brave enough to do something new with the narrative in multiplayer. I felt the same with co-op, as I found the gunplay fun but soon got quite bored with the lack of plot.
So, did you enjoy the game as much as we did? Let us know in the comments below. It was recently available on PlayStation Plus, so I expect plenty of replies.
You should simply leave a comment describing your experience with the game, which you can then compliment with a Buy It, Bargain Bin It, Rent It or Avoid It rating on the end. We’ll dissect all of your comments for a Verdict round-up on Monday, so get your replies in by Sunday for a chance to be included!
Mithrandir
“get it for free with PS Plus”, but since that’s not an option, I’d say “Bargain bin it”, where it currently already is.
It’s a good shooter, with a bit of Uncharted in it, but without the climbing sections. Dubai looks gorgeous, lots and lots of sand around. But, Blair, you obviously haven’t played the entire game, or you wouldn’t so easily call it ‘fun’. The story is actually quite disturbing at points, and haunts me still, over a month after finishing it.
Blair Inglis
“While I’ve not completed the game.”
You’re right, I haven’t, but I thought the gunplay and sandstorm stuff was fun, at least – not the story.
Mithrandir
Yeah, I read that… It really had it’s moments, and I quite enjoyed the game.
Maybe I was a bit harsh on you, sorry.
Blair Inglis
Don’t be silly :)
Taylor Made
I don’t get the uncharted comparison, only the shooting is similar to UC but better.
Mithrandir
It’s basically a series of Uncharted shooter scenes. Plus, I think it is just as good-looking. (Even though many will not agree to that, probably).
yd
It gets bonus points for trying to do something interesting with the story. Some quite unpleasant and disturbing bits at times.
But then loses points for the actual gameplay being “mostly fairly standard shooty stuff”.
And then I shall award it more points for looking rather good.
One of those “wouldn’t have bought it, but it’s worth a PS+ download, and you can easily get through the whole game and then delete it to make room for the next bunch of PS+ games”.
Like a film you wouldn’t rush out to see at the cinema, but you’d watch it on TV if it was on and you didn’t have anything better to do. Probably forget all about it afterwards, but it’s worth it while it’s got your attention.
Does that count as “bargain bin it”? Or “PS+ it”, which isn’t an option.
pdannysan13
I played it with this month’s PS+ games.
I was a PC gamer at first who switched 2 years ago to PS3. This is an important factor for me, because every shooter I tried so far have felt out-of-touch (read out-of-control). But Spec Ops brought me back and back again to the story, so after playing it on and off for a week, it grew on me. And the controls grew on me as well. So what do you know, a PC gamer who might just start playing shooters on a console. And this game did this to me.
That’s why everyone should play Spec Ops: The Line. I can’t even talk about gameplay and mechanics and such cause my console shooter history is limited to…well…a few games. But the story, the story, the story. It is a very dramatical description of soldiers fighting in wars far away from home, and the emotional and psychological cost it takes on them. It makes you wonder what is the difference between a hero and a mass murderer ?
A big plus, you have some choice during the game’s story and those possibilities will make me replay the game one day. This is big news for me, because I usually dig into a game and then just put it on my shelves forever.
There are other more glorious shooters out there, so I am hanging on the edge here….Bargain Bin It.
Taylor Made
Just platinum this right now, the game shows no mercy on fubar hard.
Anyway one of most underrated games of this gen, this game from start to end is beautiful, the settings of Dubai. The story is engaging, having played it twice I still don’t get the ending what so ever, was it or was it not, wont say much without spoilers. The controls ain’t the best, at times they let you down, the sprint & wall cover especially when playing on hardest they punish you!
Buy it!
Takyu
To be honest, I was pretty disappointed with Spec Ops: The Line. I can appreciate what it was trying to do, providing a commentary on modern war games and the general gung-ho attitude associated with the military in a lot of media, but for me it failed for two reasons.
Firstly, the gameplay just wasn’t that good. Shooting and the cover system was clunky and awkward, and the destructible environments that let you make use of the sand that were shown during early trailers were few and far between, and often just used as part of a scripted event. The graphics weren’t bad, but I still felt they were very lacking in places, with some poor facial animations in particular spoiling what I thought was very impressive voice acting, particularly from Nolan North.
Secondly, the narrative, for all it’s ambition, was far to obvious at times. The worst part for me was during the ‘White Phosphorous’ scene. I will try to write this carefully to avoid spoilers for those who have yet to play it, but the result of this scene was blindingly obvious to me while I was playing it, and the fact the game forced me to go ahead with it essentially ruined the rest of the experience, considering how important it is to the rest of the story. For a game that teases ‘choices’ throughout, I felt wronged that I’d been denied the option to alter the outcome. I also felt that the cutscene following this part was rather exploitive, and could have been presented with more tact without missing out on the emotional component.
That being said, the characterisation of Captain Walker and the rest of Delta Squad was very good, and the ending did impress me. But it wasn’t enough to make up for a game that I felt had forced my hand at parts, and then proceeded to try and guilt trip me over my actions. A shame, as more games like this should be being made, and I would recommend it for its uniqueness in the shooter market and what the narrative does manage to achieve, but wouldn’t recommend parting with much money for it. Rent It.
Taylor Made
Are you talking about the bit with the mother & child? If so I hated that part, that you had to do it
Takyu
Yes. Mostly because that was presented as a shock to the characters in game as they apparently didn’t know they were there, but for me it was so obvious on screen of what I was about to do, but couldn’t back out or advance the game in any other way. And as the rest of game essentially plays out as a result of that scene, I felt very much cheated the whole way through.
wonkey-willy
another surprise sleeper hit.
really enjoyed this,so much so that i played both on 360 and ps3.
played out all the different choices,which wasn’t hard as most of them were on save spots.
i was fortunate enough to have love film at the time so rented.
renting or grabbing it for a tenna would be just about right for a non premium title.
cam_manutd
My first impression of this game was a militaristic clone of Uncharted 3- deserts, sand and standard third person cover shooting fare. In all honesty, that is how it begins. You have your team of generic soldiers freeing up Dubai after a tirade of sandstorms savaged the city.
And it stays that way for the first couple of missions. Sure, something is up but all is well-for the player. Then comes a swift changing point in the game where you are made to see, and live the consequences of your actions albeit forced on the player under the guise of good.
From that point on, Spec Ops despite its trudging and unforgiving gameplay is unforgettable in every conceivable sense. Critics have cited The Last Of Us as the ‘Citizen Kane’ of gaming. Spec Ops:The Line is the ‘Apocalypse Now’ of gaming and no other shooter has matched the ferocious impact of this game.
There is however a significant flaw and that is with Spec Ops, Heavy Rain and other heavy narrative centric games-the gameplay is seconded and sub-standard compared to the rest of the product. Its good, functional, but nothing innovative or thoughtful.
There are plenty of opinions on this highly underrated game and all of those opinions point towards the fact I believe that every gamer should play this game. From Nolan North’s twisted turn for voice acting to the sweeping sounds of the desert dust and haunting solemn tunes of the soundtrack-buy/plus/rent-whatever: get this game and play it.
cam_manutd
Just in case it isn’t clear and as Samuel L Jackson would say; “buy this m********** game!”
Tuffcub
Love it, but you really cannot comment on the game until you have finished it. Buy buy buy.
three_leg_jake
I really enjoyed it. Buy it I say.
Would go back and Plat it but some parts were too hard on normal difficulty and had me stuck for quite a while. They tend to break up the story too much and make you lose the pacing which can be very important to story-led games.
tactical20
Hated the boring demo, but as everyone seems to have such good things to say, will give it another go.