HonestDragon

SuperContributor
CRank: 7Score: 43650

User Review : Spec Ops: The Line

Ups
  • Strong Story and Characters
  • Good Gameplay Ideas
  • Choices and Moments Stick with You
Downs
  • Two Gun Limit
  • May Get Gunned Down a Lot
  • Minor Texture Loading Moments

A Refreshing Take on Military Shooters

In the current video game market, it's unsurprising to see when games blatantly get favored over others. Some games become very popular, while others become glanced over. Some games become overrated, while others become underrated. One could hope that a game like Spec Ops: The Line could get the attention and recognition it deserves. Believe me when I say that Spec Ops: The Line absolutely deserves to have a chance to be in your collection.

This is no typical military shooter that has come out as of late. Spec Ops: The Line is a third person shooter with a huge emphasis on moral implications in times of strife. The location of the game is different as well.

In particular, the game takes place in Dubai where a massive sandstorm system wiped out the entire city off the map. An American battalion ("The Damned" 33rd) was volunteered by Colonel John Konrad to head in to aid civilians and commence relief efforts. The rich and politicians of Dubai had left long before the storms hit. As the storms intensified, the 33rd were ordered to leave, but Konrad insisted on staying and leading a caravan out of the city. At this time, however, a storm wall had surrounded Dubai which cut off all forms of communications and the caravan never arrived.

This is where your main characters come in. They are Delta Force Operators Captain Martin Walker, 1st Lieutenant Alphoso Adams, and Staff Sergeant John Lugo. They are sent in to Dubai after a looped radio message is picked up. The message is from Konrad who mentions of the failed evacuation and the current death toll. Their mission: Find out the status of Konrad and any survivors, then radio for evacuation. What they find instead is a city that is ravaged by inner turmoil and fighting for control.

I can't tell you how intense this game can get. Everything ranging from the firefights to the moral choices you must make can leave its mark on you after you play. On top of that, there's quite a twist at the end of the game that will make you double take on what you just saw.

Spec Ops: The Line left quite an impression on me. One that is highly different from when I played a Call of Duty or Battlefield game. Actually, Call of Duty and Battlefield can only wish to do what Spec Ops: The Line has accomplished. What is that exactly? A few things that separate it from all other military shooters.

One, the story is incredibly different from anything I have seen before for the military shooter. It's engaging, interesting, and has a great setting. Two, you actually give a damn about your characters. The squad that you're with throughout the entire campaign actually question the events of the game and the choices you make as you progress, and they have unique personalities. Three, the gameplay is different from the normal shooter. Sand is incorporated into combat and can be used either as a weapon for you or against you, your teammates are very effective in telling you what's coming your way, and there are plenty of weapons to be had.

Gameplay is pretty solid. As with all third person shooters, you have a cover system and gives you a variety of things from this advantage. Cover shooting is effective; however, enemies at certain angles can tear you to pieces if you're not careful. Blind cover fire seems best when enemies are closing in, especially with those who run at you with knives. You are also able to sprint and vault simultaneously. This makes for great coverage of an area. See a wall you want to get to, but a few things are in the way? No problem! Sprint forward and vault over those obstacles when prompted to do so. REMEMBER: Only flat, low level obstacles can be vaulted.

Like I stated earlier, sand plays a major role in combat as well. Given the current state of Dubai, sand is literally everywhere. One game mechanic includes seeing sand just outside of glass. So if you're in a shootout with some enemies and you see that they are in front of said type of situation, go ahead and shoot out the glass. Watch as the sand pours in and engulfs them. You save ammunition and time. REMEMBER: Don't stand too close to the sand when it caves in like this because it will hurt or kill you, too!

You are also able to command your two squad members to take out certain enemies. At long distances, Lugo can use his sniper rifle to take out a specific enemy. If there is a special, yet tougher enemy on the field, tell your men to focus on that. If you're pinned down and need some relief, you can call for a stun grenade to be thrown by your teammates.

You can also collect various items for intel on what has happened both before, during, and after the sand storms hit Dubai. These give you more background on who has been involved and what has transpired. These give you more information on who you might be dealing with and what their ultimate motives are.

If you are worried about having to restart an area after getting killed, no worries there. Spec Ops: The Line has a great automatic checkpoint save system. Say you're in an area where there are a lot of turrets (which believe me can get annoying) and you manage to take one nest out, but you get cut down around this time. Well, there are moments within the combat that will be saved. Whether it's activated through a certain accomplishment you make during the combat section or by reaching a certain area in the combat zone, the checkpoint system will be there to help. So no frustrating restarts of entire areas here.

The weapon system is limited to two guns and three grenade types...unfortunately. Yeah, this mechanic kind of annoyed me. To only be limited to two guns felt very restricting. While there is a plethora of weaponry and ammo to be had (hence you can switch it up on the fly), I did not enjoy being limited like this. When you run out of ammunition, but all of the enemies in a given area have been eliminated on the other side of your position, this gives you little more than frustration. Whereas in Call of Duty and Battlefield, where you have a good amount of ammo per gun, in Spec Ops: The Line you have surprisingly sparse ammunition.

This is one of the game's weak points. Although this isn't like the other military shooters, it should also try to diverse itself away from the limited weapon idea as it could be very annoying and restricting on the player. If I may make a suggestion, try the weapon system that the Delta Force games have on the PC. One primary weapon type, one secondary weapon type, a sidearm, possibly an explosive weapon type, and whatever small extra things you want to implement.

Enemy types range from standard gun wielding foes to more dangerous specialists. Heavy gunners are imposing and very tough. Take these guys out quick with grenades and heavy fire. Combat specialists are equally as dangerous and a big priority to deal with. REMEMBER: Combat specialists have knives for close quarters combat, so eliminate them quickly before they cause heavy damage to your health.

The sound of the game is varied. You literally get a soundtrack courtesy of one of the main antagonists, The Radioman. It's reminiscent of what you would hear in a movie. It's really great. Voice acting is top notch. The talent behind the characters includes Nolan North, Jake Busey, Bruce Boxleitner, Christopher Reid, and Omid Abtahi. One thing I noticed was that there will be times when you clear an area of enemies, but you still hear their shouting, but that lasts only for a bit.

The characters have distinct personalities and looks that makes them stand out. The now sand ridden city of Dubai is unique and intense. The whole subject of a once civilized area gone to hell from natural disasters brings up even more harsh visuals. Some of which include war crimes and the breaking of foundation around you. In short, the graphics capture these well. The only hiccup for the graphics covers the texture loading when restarting from a checkpoint manually or loading up a single chapter once you complete the campaign; however, this is only a minor problem.

So, do I think that Spec Ops: The Line is worth it? I say, yes! Spec Ops: The Line is a great relief from the first person shooters we have been having for the passed five years. It is also a welcome addition to the military shooter genre.

From what many people say about this game and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, I hear quite a lot of good things. Among the popular things said include, "They are a refreshing take on shooting games and are nothing like Call of Duty or Battlefield", "You actually get to strategize", "The stories and characters are better", and "You actually feel like you have gameplay skill outside of shooting like crazy and doing cheap melee kills." Okay, that last one was mine, but still you get the point.

Basically, rent this game or borrow it from a friend if you know they have it and try it out. I can guarantee you will enjoy the writing, the acting, the gameplay, and the story. It's addictive, it's fun, and it's enjoyable. Personally, I hope that more shooters will turn to stronger stories and better, fluid gameplay mechanics. So, Spec Ops: The Line gets my recommendation and I hope it will get yours as well.

*NOTE: There is a multiplayer component to the game, but I did not manage to play through it during my rental. Hopefully I will next time I rent it or actually buy it. When I get the money that is.

Score
8.0
Graphics
Solid graphics overall. It really helps compliment the story and setting.
8.5
Sound
Soundtrack, voice acting, and firefights are great.
8.0
Gameplay
I liked vaulting and using sand as another form of strategy. Still a good third person shooter.
9.0
Fun Factor
I could not stop playing this. It was so a lot of fun with the certain gameplay mechanics they added. Kept the game fresh.
Overall
8.0
coolbeans4672d ago (Edited 4672d ago )

I might need to grab this sooner than I initially planned just for the possible fun of reviewing it. :P

The user reviews I've seen on here--this one included--have done a great job of explaining their praises for it (specifically the story).

HonestDragon4672d ago

Thank you very much, kind sir. It's definitely worth a play through at least once. I would very much be interested in seeing what you have to say about it. I'm thinking I will check out Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier next. Perhaps that will be as good as I'm hearing as well. =)

SaffronCurse4672d ago

I loved this game so much! Too bad i only rented it, i really want to replay the sp again.

HonestDragon4672d ago

Agreed totally. It was amazing. I think it's going for 39.99 right now in some stores.

Sketchy_Galore4668d ago

Great review. It got me to download the demo which I'm just about to try out. I'm still a little uncertain about this one despite the great things I'm hearing from many people I respect. As much as I really love games that try to tell a more interesting and deep story I haaaaaate military shooters. I'll probably wind up picking it up during my next major game drought if the demo plays okay. Anyway, good review.

SaffronCurse4665d ago

This is more than just a military shooter, trust me it's really something everyone should try out, i found it to be "refreshing" to the genre.

270°

Amazing Games You Can't Buy Anymore

Whether due to publisher deals gone sour, licenses expiring, feuds between developer and publisher and other reasons entirely, there’s a wide range of games that you just can’t buy digitally anymore.

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PRIMORDUS120d ago

No One Lives Forever 1+2 is on Internet Archive for free.
https://archive.org/details...
https://archive.org/details...

Torrents are there. I actually have the original CD's from NOLF 2, never going to part with them.😁

Cacabunga119d ago

3D Dot Game heroes. Good luck

__y2jb119d ago

I have this. Never even realised it had become rare.

staticall119d ago

@Cacabunga
While i have a disc with the game, i was able to find it on a torrent ru tracker with at least 3 people seeding right now and it was downloaded 450+ times.

I wouldn't send a link (so i wouldn't get banned). But, i think, torrent or P2P are probably the last mostly reliable way to find old games no one cares about. I was able to find «Fable» there. Not the Lionhearts' Fable, but very old point-n-click adventure.

RaidenBlack119d ago

Need NOLF Remaster from Nightdive.

PRIMORDUS119d ago

NOLF 1+2 remaster for me = instant buy

Abnor_Mal120d ago

I still have my PS3 copy of Spec Ops, Battlefield Bad Company 1&2 & Marvel Ultimate Alliance 1/2.

Planning to replay those and a few others, but the controls feel so loose now compared to modern games.

Chocoburger120d ago

Change the title to: Amazing Games That Have Been Abandoned by Stupid Publishers Who Don't Care About their Legacy, so You Should Pirate and Enjoy them.

Okay, maybe that title was a bit too long. 😅

NotoriousWhiz119d ago

Amazing abandoned games that you should ARRRR.

DafunkyRebel120d ago

I missed out on the chance to buy BFBC1 on Xbox and I just want to kick myself silly. One of the best PS3 experience of my life. The feeling, impact, sound design of this game was leagues better than BF games that followed

TorpeAlex120d ago

Pour one out for Transformers Devastation

isarai119d ago

I lost my physical copy in a move, it still bothers me to this day 😅😔

Show all comments (15)
250°

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TheEnigma313494d ago

I just started playing Spec op. I've had it for years on steam and forgot about it. Such a good game.

EvertonFC494d ago (Edited 494d ago )

Fantastic game,.so underated

Cacabunga494d ago

Yes great game spec ops! Since the time we’ve been asking sony to make one:/

Auto Modelista.. a PS2 capcom racer!! A blast to play and great graphics!
Maximo!
Rival Schools!

LordoftheCritics494d ago

Spec Ops: The Line was super dark.

Incredible story.

SheenuTheLegend493d ago

all the games in the above list are bang on. this is the only reason we need backwards compatibility and physical presense of games for the upcoming future, no matter what.

Yi-Long494d ago

Honorable mention to the excellent Driveclub, one of the best racing games of all-time and one of my favourite games ever.

melons494d ago

yes! incredible rain effects; so good to drive along in rain with your Spotify playlist blaring

Skuletor494d ago

I really wanted a MotorStorm using the same engine, Driveclub is easily one of the best looking games on PS4 and I'm surprised they didn't even give it a PS4 Pro patch.

ravens52493d ago

Yes indeed. May just install it on my PS5. You know, physical copy and all.

monkey602493d ago

I adored Driveclub and the Bike expansion. I also loved Motorstorm. Evolution shutting down was a crime

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 493d ago
darthv72494d ago

Outrun Online Arcade, Sega Rally Online Arcade, After Burner Climax... all good stuff. I keep my 360 hooked up to play these as well as the TMNT games that were also delisted.

Skuletor494d ago

I have quite a few of these. Timed licenses suck.

Terry_B493d ago (Edited 493d ago )

wow...I have all of them except the Nintendo ones either in physical or digital version.

Also..Deadpool the Game is missing on that list.

Show all comments (16)
60°

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Tim and Luis talk what they’ve been watching and playing along with the news from the past week, including all the games from Sony’s “State of Play,” Evil West, Silent Hill: The Short Message, Hideo Kojima weirdness, Spec Ops: The Line delisted and more!

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