So, I wanted to make this as a good opinion, spoiler-free primer for those who might be on the fence about Spec Ops: The Line.

Please, avoid spoilers! Use the spoiler tag if you must talk about spoilers.

The Kickoff

Spec Ops: The Line is incredible. There is no happiness or good morality to be found anywhere in the story, and it's constantly dragging you deeper into the psychological abyss that is war when you stop knowing who are your friends and who are your enemies. The game never paints a line in the sand saying, "here is the line, and here's when you cross it." You've already crossed the line, and you didn't even know it. The story plays with you psychologically, twists the reality, and the truth isn't black and white. But what happens when the morality blacks become your only decision, and crossing the line feels like the only justice you can have? Spec Ops: The LIne presents this emotional struggle in a way that I haven't seen in a game yet, and it will absolutely fucking rip you apart.

Feel free to ask questions, or pick the brains of those who have finished, but as I mentioned, please, avoid spoiler discussion!

I think you just said it all. Nobody should be on the fence after that. The game was very emotional and effecting for me, it might not be that way for you, but I think it's still worth experiencing. It's kind of an anti-game. It really questions things in games, mainly the heroic mass murdering of people.

It's actually kind of funny that Nolan North is voicing the main character in another third person shooter that is so far removed from the whimsical murder spree that is the Uncharted series. Love it or hate it The Line offers something that isn't seen much in the video game industry. There are probably hundreds of movies that tap into what this game is, but it's pretty unusual to see it in a game and I think that really gives it a unique feel.

Spec Ops is also very unapologetic. It goes all the way and doesn't really give a fuck. There is no happiness; there is no winning, no "out" for the player. There are no right choices to get to the happy ending. Some say that this is a fault. I think it’s genius. They give you the feeling that you are in control of the situation when actually you are just diving inevitably through the rabbit hole that is Walker's crumbling psyche.

The game also show amazing amount of restrain. It's not binary. There aren't really any braking points, it's just a downward slope and you might suddenly realize how far you have gone without even noticing. This happened to me multiple times. The game and especially the characters change and when you look back it's hard to believe where you have ended up.

If you are going to play this game I'd suggest you try to do it in one sitting. It's 4-5h long and you will need some endurance and time obviously, but it's worth it. This way you can see the whole arc as a single piece and also your own exhaustion really feeds into the story. I wanted to stop at some point, but I told myself that I couldn’t take a break, that would be unfair to the characters that don't have the same luxury. The gameplay doesn't offer that much variety, you just shoot enemies. I think even that feeds into the experience. You just don't want to do it anymore, but they are in your way, so you have to.

I didn't really expect that much from this game, I just wanted something to play. I think the slow realization of what I was experiencing really uplifted it even more. If you read this you won't have the same element of surprise, but if you are able to just throw yourself into it I promise it will be worth it and then some.

tl;dr: You should play this game.

I think us three are the biggest proponents of this game, but I cant really add much. We're just kind of gushing at this point, really. 
Ya, it's a fantastic game. I wont get anymore into it, I'm sure anybody reading this has already gotten the point =P

@CornBREDX: Yeah, I'm pretty happy with what I wrote there, so I think I'm done too. I start to sound like some kind of a marketing guy...

I'm all in for a psychological story. But hearing that it's to THIS extent has greatly increased my interest in the game. Definitely will be picking this up at some point, thanks guys!

@xyzygy said:

I'm all in for a psychological story. But hearing that it's to THIS extent has greatly increased my interest in the game. Definitely will be picking this up at some point, thanks guys!

Yeah, it pretty much goes from a bro-fist pound shooter to absolutely fucking miserable.

I will say this, crossing The Line felt so goddamn good.

And yet absolutely terrible, afterward.

@Demoskinos said:

@xyzygy said:

I'm all in for a psychological story. But hearing that it's to THIS extent has greatly increased my interest in the game. Definitely will be picking this up at some point, thanks guys!

Yeah, it pretty much goes from a bro-fist pound shooter to absolutely fucking miserable.

I would say that it doesn't really start as bro-fist, though. You quickly discover in the opening hour that things are not as they seem.

I love the whole aspect of "the game doesn't paint the line for you" because the game plays with your moral in the psychological sense. You aren't awarded points if you are the good guy, there aren't bars popping showing how devilish you are: You play the game, you test your morals, and that's it. It's amazing trying to see games abandoning it's own systems to become more human.

At first, I was tempted to play this game, because the Quick Look was pretty cool. My interest however, has really gone up thanks to that great spoiler-free synopsis.

The Kickoff

Spec Ops: The Line is incredible. There is no happiness or good morality to be found anywhere in the story, and it's constantly dragging you deeper into the psychological abyss that is war when you stop knowing who are your friends and who are your enemies. The game never paints a line in the sand saying, "here is the line, and here's when you cross it." You've already crossed the line, and you didn't even know it. The story plays with you psychologically, twists the reality, and the truth isn't black and white. But what happens when the morality blacks become your only decision, and crossing the line feels like the only justice you can have? Spec Ops: The LIne presents this emotional struggle in a way that I haven't seen in a game yet, and it will absolutely fucking rip you apart.

Feel free to ask questions, or pick the brains of those who have finished, but as I mentioned, please, avoid spoiler discussion!

@AhmadMetallic said:

@Napalm said:

The Kickoff

Spec Ops: The Line is incredible. There is no happiness or good morality to be found anywhere in the story, and it's constantly dragging you deeper into the psychological abyss that is war when you stop knowing who are your friends and who are your enemies. The game never paints a line in the sand saying, "here is the line, and here's when you cross it." You've already crossed the line, and you didn't even know it. The story plays with you psychologically, twists the reality, and the truth isn't black and white. But what happens when the morality blacks become your only decision, and crossing the line feels like the only justice you can have? Spec Ops: The LIne presents this emotional struggle in a way that I haven't seen in a game yet, and it will absolutely fucking rip you apart.

Feel free to ask questions, or pick the brains of those who have finished, but as I mentioned, please, avoid spoiler discussion!

Don't mean to sound negative, but that sounds hella pretentious. I'm also not a fan of movies and games that glorify the US army (or any army), so does the game do that?

Fuck no. Fuck no fuck fuck fuck no.

No.

This game in no goddamn way glorifies soldiers, war, or killing. At all.

Ahmad, did you like Max Payne 3's narrative? I know you did. I read a lengthy blog about it. You'll definitely appreciate Spec Ops: the Line.

I don't know if I'll say I'm on the fence, I'm interested in seeing what it's about! I'm just not interested in spending any money on it. Sounds like it's worth checking out when my library gets it, though.

@AhmadMetallic said:

@Napalm said:

Spec Ops: The Line is incredible. There is no happiness or good morality to be found anywhere in the story, and it's constantly dragging you deeper into the psychological abyss that is war when you stop knowing who are your friends and who are your enemies. The game never paints a line in the sand saying, "here is the line, and here's when you cross it." You've already crossed the line, and you didn't even know it. The story plays with you psychologically, twists the reality, and the truth isn't black and white. But what happens when the morality blacks become your only decision, and crossing the line feels like the only justice you can have? Spec Ops: The LIne presents this emotional struggle in a way that I haven't seen in a game yet, and it will absolutely fucking rip you apart.

Don't mean to sound negative, but that sounds hella pretentious. I'm also not a fan of movies and games that glorify the US army (or any army), so does the game do that?

Well, what you are reading is my creative writing style, so I guess that's why you think it sounds pretentious. In that creative writing snippet, I am reflecting on the game, my thoughts and what the game made me feel.

And before I answer your question, I'd like to where you got (from my writing, I assume) that this game might glorify the United States Army?

@CornBREDX: What I'm basically meaning is they start out as kinda cheesy military cliches like most other military games and then it just goes off the rails from there.

Yep op is bang on. It conveys emotion and mental anguish like no other game. I tend to find the 'shock' or the 'heart string pulling' stuff in games tacky as fuck, but this game does it oh so right.
 
I was thinking about the 'war porn' claim that alot of shooters get and how this is so different to that. I would go into that thought further but it would ruin both war and porn and goddamnit I just can't do that!

I can't justify paying 60 bucks for it but once it goes down i'll pick it up.

I think I will buy this, tomorrow.

Can I kill everyone including squad mates and play golf with their heads on the top of the burg al arab, or whatever that fucking tall tower in dubai is called.

This post is fucking edgy.

I guess it was partly due to my expectations, but I was disappointed since I kind of expected that there were going to be big, significant choices in this game. The part where you first feel like you just crossed the line (you guys know which part I am talking about), there was no actual choice there. I knew it was a terrible idea and refused to do it, but as far as I could tell that was the only way to move on. I tried to move on and avoid doing it, but the game just wouldn't let me continue without doing it, even if the exit was right in front of my face (the game doesn't allow you to use the exit until said event). Sorry for being ambiguous here, but this is a spoiler free thread. I also replayed the section before that and no matter which way you do it the outcome is the same. Just know that before going in. The choices you make, which there are very little of TBH, don't have any significance. The game has a set story and you are just along for the ride.

Oh it just came to me that the story has a lot of similarities to Generation Kill. Where a group of soldiers go into Iraq in the front lines and they believe that they are going to help the civilians, but it becomes clear that it's not really why they are there for. A lot of civilian death and inaction. A very depressing book and a great miniseries. There isn't really the insanity angle, but a lot of stupidity instead.

Question: Is game mechanically any good? I know I'm all cold and dead inside but I have certain expectations for the quality of a product. Are there interactive elements to the story and themes that ensure I can't have a decent experience watching a walkthrough?

I'm glad that this game turned out okay and you lot certainly make good points, but games need to be viewed as a whole. If the gameplay is as unremarkable as a lot of critics are saying, then that makes the experience as a whole less remarkable. Why "should" I play this game if the defining aspect of the medium, namely interactivity, isn't what makes the game worth playing? Not saying it seems like a bad game by any means, but even with this glowing praise it seems hard for me to justify spending $60 for an experience that isn't enhanced by me playing through all that much.

And before I answer your question, I'd like to where you got (from my writing, I assume) that this game might glorify the United States Army?

 There are no right choices to get to the happy ending. Some say that this is a fault. I think it’s genius. They give you the feeling that you are in control of the situation when actually you are just diving inevitably through the rabbit hole that is Walker's crumbling psyche.

The gameplay doesn't offer that much variety, you just shoot enemies. I think even that feeds into the experience. You just don't want to do it anymore, but they are in your way, so you have to.

@AhmadMetallic: Thanks. I'll wait for the inevitable steam sale if I ever have a burning desire to see the story play out

@AhmadMetallic said:

Again, not being negative, just scrutinizing: It sounds like you're making excuses for poor game design.

Not really making excuses. It's just that some of the poor game design choices just fed into my experience. It's pretty fucking weird and I doubt it was intended that way. There are 15 chapters in all and you haven't really gotten to the meat of the game. It's a fairly slow arc, it doesn't explode in your face like many other shooters do. I think you should push through, it isn't a long game. I'm sure you will get something out of the experience, although I doubt it's going to be that positive for you.

@adam1808: I think you could just watch a walkthrough and get a lot out of it, the constant babbling of the guy playing might get in the way a bit. This game maybe isn't for you if you really value game mechanics. It is pretty unremarkable in that aspect. At 60$ it's a pretty expensive experience. I bet it won't be that long before you can get it for 30$ so maybe you can just wait or better yet rent it if that's an option.

I wanted this before, and I want it even more now, I'll pick it up at some sale on PC as soon as possible.

I'm definitely interested in this game. Rental level interested but still very interested.

@AhmadMetallic said:

@Napalm said:

And before I answer your question, I'd like to where you got (from my writing, I assume) that this game might glorify the United States Army?

No it wasn't from your post, it was my initial impression of the game is all. Felt like a Hurt Locker kinda game.

No, there is no glorification.

Guys, I'm 3 chapters into the game and all I've been doing is tapping heads with my pistol from cover until the enemies stopped spawning. I'm enjoying the vibe of "What are we doing? I thought we were saving people," and I'm interested in finding out who the American guy is, but that's really all there is to it so far.

The levels are the definition of linear (straight lines with 'stuff' lying around to form an environment), the weapons feel like pea shooters yet, thanks to my mouse, kill dudes instantly to the head, the aesthetics and graphics and UI and sound effects/voice recordings and enemy death animations feel like second grade tech, and I just quit it because I'm tired of hiding behind chest-high concrete walls (with really bad textures) and popping heads with my pea pistol til the music cues.

If you've been reading what I've been specifically writing about this game, it's all been about the story because a lot of the game is unremarkable in terms of mechanics. It is a very, very standard third-person shooter, but it is serviceable and it didn't give me any severe issues.

@AhmadMetallic said:

Guys, I'm 3 chapters into the game and all I've been doing is tapping heads with my pistol from cover until the enemies stopped spawning. I'm enjoying the vibe of "What are we doing? I thought we were saving people," and I'm interested in finding out who the American guy is, but that's really all there is to it so far.

The levels are the definition of linear (straight lines with 'stuff' lying around to form an environment), the weapons feel like pea shooters yet, thanks to my mouse, kill dudes instantly to the head, the aesthetics and graphics and UI and sound effects/voice recordings and enemy death animations feel like second grade tech, and I just quit it because I'm tired of hiding behind chest-high concrete walls (with really bad textures) and popping heads with my pea pistol til the music cues.

If you've been reading what I've been specifically writing about this game, it's all been about the story because a lot of the game is unremarkable in terms of mechanics. It is a very, very standard third-person shooter, but it is serviceable and it didn't give me any severe issues.

I've been playing the game its pretty fun so far.

Is the PC build any good? If not then I'll probably just fetch it for the PS3.

@falserelic said:

I've been playing the game its pretty fun so far.

Haha.... Sorry, that's just not quite the sort of response I'm expecting this game to get out of people from all I've been reading, considering the story is meant to be an all new level of grim (in a positive sense) and the shooting is painfully mediocre.

Anyway I'm definitely going to get this down... the line (ugh), but the gameplay just looks so generic that I can't justify getting it for full price, or anywhere near. If this was maybe a £15-£20 downloadable, then I'm sure I'd currently be in deep talking about the story with the rest of you. But as of now, I'm going to wait till it hits, well, around £20 or less.

Personally I couldn't buy into the feel torn between morality and immorality theme with all the arcade ways of this game. Instead of a true branching story line with moral decisions, you are thrust into scenario after scenario where you're not only forced to fight vs flee or talk, the game encourages you to do so with conceit.

You're given marksman props onscreen and told you have to kill wounded enemies to get their weapons/ammo. It's full of action movie cinematics too. So cool to go into slow mo for headshots, as long as you feel bad about it later. It's seems to somewhat go against the theme, making it fail to be palpable for me.

So I don't so much have a problem with the intended theme and story as the way they convey it. Stories like this would normally be used in an apocalyptic setting like that of I Am Alive or The Last of Us. To give due justice to a theme of moral dissonance it almost needs to be an RPG or survival type game. Making it an action movie-like shooter doesn't really do it justice.

There's an over abundance of weapons, ammo, explosives, and props with which to mass kill hordes of people, so it doesn't really matter as much when they play up the morality theme in some scenes because that is the way they want you to play the game. You can't really be forced into using gratuitous violence then feel guilty for it.

Like the protagonist, the players can easily claim they were coerced. This is not the way it should play out IMO. You should have clear cut choices on whom to align with or fight, whom to defend or kill, vs being thrust into a situation then expecting you to feel guilt or remorse. It's kinda funny that I got more a feeling of morality in playing the fairly simplistic The Walking Dead, and I've only done 1 episode so far.

@Yummylee said:

@falserelic said:

I've been playing the game its pretty fun so far.

Haha.... Sorry, that's just not quite the sort of response I'm expecting this game to get out of people from all I've been reading, considering the story is meant to be an all new level of grim (in a positive sense) and the shooting is painfully mediocre.

I didn't find the shooting to be an issue for me. But overall my experience with the game so far is decent. The story is interesting and I like the setting of Dubai. Gameplay wise its pretty much what you expect it to be from a cover based shooter. Its not bad but its nothing you haven't seen before. The sand mechanics are really just set pieces. As for the Moral choices they do make you question if you've done the right thing or not. I recommend buying this game when its cheaper. The game doe's has its share of technical issues and texture pop-in, and I'm getting close to the end of the game even though I just bought it.

@Yummylee said:

...and the shooting is painfully mediocre.

Define what you consider to be mediocre about it? It's really not that bad. It does take fairly adept and quick surveying of the battlefield in pointing out whom to have your squad attack, as well as deft use of cover changes to avoid grenades and rushes, particularly on higher difficulty levels.

You really can't get a sense of how the gameplay feels by watching YouTube vids, many of which I've seen are kids playing on lower difficulty levels that aren't very good at it. It can make the firefights seem rather bland and slow. I actually find the firefights to be more palpable than the story though.

At times I want to cuss at Adams for getting himself killed, but I always end up finding a better way of playing where he comes through like a champ. This is a game where the enemy and squad AI are quite capable, yet each has their vulnerabilities too. If the player plays every bit as human as the AI are inhuman, it comes off feeling fairly balanced.

@Frag_Maniac: I've only played the demo, but the gameplay appeared to be aggressively average--I mean the demo began with a turret sequence. Plus a lot of reviewers I've read all tend to focus their criticisms unto the super generic and straightforward shooting gameplay. And while you're right, judging from what I've played, it isn't 'that bad', but it doesn't look particular good, either. It's something to bear with so as you can get to the story.

Well I just finished it on Fubar, it was quite a thrill ride. The shooting while not really a departure from that seen in other games does take strategy and timing to pull off. It's similar yet not quite the same as "generic" shooters. There's just enough weapons and at times limited enough ammo to make you really think about how you're going to go into the next battle. Despite being rather scripted in some ways, I like how one chapter transitions into the next, same as weapons and ammo.

I've made my peace with Adams. He's not the pain in the ass I thought he would be in a few chapters. Once you get a good strategy going the shooting has a certain Zen-like feel to it. Still though, it keeps me on my toes at times wondering if I'll be able to direct my squad's attention well enough and give them support fire efficiently enough to keep them from dying before a battle ends or myself from getting killed by a heavy.

Well I've just beaten the game and a wtf ending that was. I'm still kinda confuse about some things but the story was good.

I was going to skip it but Patrick's talk about it on Twitter convinced me to give it a shot.

I can't. I played the demo and was so bored that I almost fell asleep. The shooting is just so bland and boring. Pair that with the $50/60 price tag and I'm not willing to pick it up. Not even for half-off on Amazon today. I'll wait for it to be $15 or less in the (probably near) future.

Huh. Never had this anywhere near my radar. It's probably going to drop like a stone so I might pick it up on a couple of months. Thx guys.

Guys, it is fucking 24.99$ for a PC download on Amazon right now. I am buying this immediately.

I can't bring myself to get the game at full price, especially since its 70 bucks on steam but as soon as its discounted heck yeah.

How long is the single player?

I am wholly uninterested in multiplayer.

The game is post-apocalipstick.

Loving it so far (finished chapter one). Looks absolutely gorgeous (PC) and the tone fits well so far.