At the start of this year a friend of mine recommended this game to me.
I had heard a little bit about it, how it was supposed to focus on how terrible war was. I watched a friend play for a few minutes and saw a bland generic shooter... I was not impressed.
However, the friend in question urged me to give it a play myself, promising me it would leave an impression on me, and I would love it, though he didn't go into why. So I took a chance and gave it a shot.
At first, it was just how I remembered it, a generic shooter (though a very pretty one)... Your character is a stereotypical soldier on a rescue mission in Dubai, after a distress signal emerges from the city. As the game continues on though.. Holy shit!
There is so much to go into here, never have I questioned myself while playing a game, but Spec Ops accomplished it. This is not a fun game, this is a game that lures you in, and then when it has you, it throws the consequences of pulling the trigger in your face. In this game you will be responsible for actions far worse then what was seen at the start of Modern Warfare 2.
The main enemy is a renegade squad of American soldiers, the 33rd. Through this game you will hear them talking to each other about some pretty deep shit that makes each one of them human, before you pull the trigger. Spec Ops does a brilliant job of keeping you confused, through the chaos that unfolds you're never quite certain what is actually going on here. Are the 33rd bad? Are you killing soldiers who are trying to save others? Who is the bad guy here?
Towards the end, the game is almost a horror. Not because things are jumping out, but because you begin questioning every action you perform. As the consequences become more and more severe (to insane proportions), I found myself reflecting on what we take for granted in gaming. In every other shooter you don't think about how fucked up the situation is, despite murdering hundreds.. Thousands... In Spec Ops, you HAVE to face it. Even in the loading screens towards the end the game stops giving you hints and starts saying things like 'Don't worry.. You're still a good person'
In a year that provided some wonderful narratives in gaming, none have impacted me like Spec Ops: The Line... In fact I have only ever been hit this hard by a game once, and that was Silent Hill 2. If you haven't played the game I ask you to take a few hours aside and play this game from start to finish. It may look like every other generic shooter on the market, but I insist, this is a game you will never forget... And I have only touched the tip of the ice berg.
For anyone who has played this, what do you think? I'd also like to advertise a little bit and recommend the eBook: 'Killing Is Harmless' a 50,000+ word analysis on the game. Excellent read.
I had heard a little bit about it, how it was supposed to focus on how terrible war was. I watched a friend play for a few minutes and saw a bland generic shooter... I was not impressed.
However, the friend in question urged me to give it a play myself, promising me it would leave an impression on me, and I would love it, though he didn't go into why. So I took a chance and gave it a shot.
At first, it was just how I remembered it, a generic shooter (though a very pretty one)... Your character is a stereotypical soldier on a rescue mission in Dubai, after a distress signal emerges from the city. As the game continues on though.. Holy shit!
There is so much to go into here, never have I questioned myself while playing a game, but Spec Ops accomplished it. This is not a fun game, this is a game that lures you in, and then when it has you, it throws the consequences of pulling the trigger in your face. In this game you will be responsible for actions far worse then what was seen at the start of Modern Warfare 2.
The main enemy is a renegade squad of American soldiers, the 33rd. Through this game you will hear them talking to each other about some pretty deep shit that makes each one of them human, before you pull the trigger. Spec Ops does a brilliant job of keeping you confused, through the chaos that unfolds you're never quite certain what is actually going on here. Are the 33rd bad? Are you killing soldiers who are trying to save others? Who is the bad guy here?
Towards the end, the game is almost a horror. Not because things are jumping out, but because you begin questioning every action you perform. As the consequences become more and more severe (to insane proportions), I found myself reflecting on what we take for granted in gaming. In every other shooter you don't think about how fucked up the situation is, despite murdering hundreds.. Thousands... In Spec Ops, you HAVE to face it. Even in the loading screens towards the end the game stops giving you hints and starts saying things like 'Don't worry.. You're still a good person'
In a year that provided some wonderful narratives in gaming, none have impacted me like Spec Ops: The Line... In fact I have only ever been hit this hard by a game once, and that was Silent Hill 2. If you haven't played the game I ask you to take a few hours aside and play this game from start to finish. It may look like every other generic shooter on the market, but I insist, this is a game you will never forget... And I have only touched the tip of the ice berg.
For anyone who has played this, what do you think? I'd also like to advertise a little bit and recommend the eBook: 'Killing Is Harmless' a 50,000+ word analysis on the game. Excellent read.
