Spec Ops The Line

[DANGERMAN]

I picked this up on the pc the other day for a fiver, supposedly the story is great, clever even, but the game itself is a bit so so. Which so far is about where I am with it, it's a less fun MW. I'm also struggling to sit and play it for an extended duration, as soon as a checkpoint ends I feel the urge to turn it off for a while.

The story is fairly interesting so far, it's not hit the twist yet, but knowing that something terrible and fucked has happened is enough to keep you interested in what's going on

It looks fairly good, the AA isn't really doing enough considering how many hanging wires there are. It's pretty well acted too, it's been Northified so you'd expect that, but he seems to be the worst of the 3 main ones so far

[DANGERMAN]

Just finished this, it's not a long game, maybe 6 hours (less if you are better at it than me or play on easy). It's not a great fps, certain bits are, and some of the guns are really good, but then you get bits that are massively stacked against you, where by the time you've lined up your shot you're dead. There's some really good sections though, the bit in the mall for example I really enjoyed, and when you get to use the environment to your advantage, that should have been flagged up more.

The story is good, it's a bit unfortunate that it's been hyped so much (relatively) because it's not exactly life changing, nor is it without a few issues. However it's a very well done story, told with the kind of maturity you rarely get, they did a great job on it. I'll save the detail for a spoiler, but basically your small team has gone in to find out what's happened in Dubai and evacuate the American soldiers. You find that the CIA and the 33rd battalion are at war (I never quite pieced together why), and you end up embroiled in it trying to find the truth. It gives you choices at various points, shows repercussions of your actions among the civilians, grounding everything in the world beyond just shooting dudes in the face.

At the point I stopped playing last night was a great scene. You use white phosphorus, which is a bit like napalm, on a group of soldiers. You've not long since seen the effects yourself and are appalled, but feel there's no choice but to use them to clear the area. Unfortunately some hostages that were taken from a hotel earlier in the game are being kept in this camp, and as you can't distinguish who's who you incinerate them too. This is the point where Walker (you) start to fall apart.

What it does well for that scene is that while you're dropping the morters you see the outline of yourself (Walker) reflected slightly in the computer screen, it leaves you in no doubt that you are doing this, especially as one of your party objects to the action. I think it's also the first time in the game that the camera starts acting like a 4th person during the cutscenes, it moves around, walks about a bit

The problem I have with the story, and this is an end game spoiler so if you're reading having not finished then maybe stop, is that it's revealed that you have been imagining conversations with Conrad, the leader of the 33rd. Your team know you're hallucinating, it even shows them arguing about it, but they don't stop you. I guess you could make the argument that there's no way out for them, but I still think they'd stop following your orders (Although one of them did bitch when I gave him orders during a fight now I come to think about it)

And like with Bioshock I also take issue with a game being about how you could have stopped at any point. I get what they're trying to do, Walker could have stopped and left on a few occasions, it was only his wanting revenge for the civilians that kept him going forward and he imagined Conrad's role in that. He also helped the CIA destroy the water even though he was warned (although as Walker says the CIA were the only people not trying to kill his squad). So I get what they were trying to do, but dumping it on the player as "You could have stopped at any time!", me stopping meant me not playing the game, that's a stupid way of putting across your message

I also didn't like the messages when you hit a loading screen, they ruined the impact of the ending because they start berating you

so yeah, long post, and it is an interesting game, I hope the studio get to make something else and take the same approach, just hopefully the gameplay is better. I will say though that the soundtrack is awesome, there's a couple of Mogwai tracks, some NIN, Hendrix, Deep Purple, Bjork, Alice in Chains

[hinn888]

My friend praised this quite highly and he doesnt do thay often, he said the best bit was how deteriorated and how more and more fucked off he gets further into the game.

[DANGERMAN]

I'm surprised how many people seem to have really enjoyed it as a game, because I really didn't think the core gameplay was up to much, but I agree with him that the way it deals with the characters deterioration is brilliant.

It's well worth playing, certainly interesting enough to be worth the struggle (same with Bioshock), and despite it being a few days since I completed it I'm still thinking about it

on that note

have a couple of episodes dedicated to it. And there's a Gamespot Spoilercast with the lead writer that's really interesting

[Hendo]

Bought this today, is is worth just sprinting through it on the easiest setting just to see what all the fuss is about with the story?

[DANGERMAN]

I've restarted it on easy and it's way more enjoyable. Apparently that it's a bit shit and frustrating is some sort of commentary on shooters, so you'll be missing out on that flawless idea

[Hendo]

Up to chapter 7 out of 15 so I'd guess I'm about halfway, unless later chapters get much longer.

As a game, it's held its own so far, enjoyable but nothing amazing. Very linear, much like a CoD or Gears game.

The story is a bit confusing at the moment, I'm not entirely sure why the two factions are at war or who I should have sympathy for, but I'm just running through and shooting anyone the game tells me is an enemy, which is basically everyone bar my two team mates.

EDIT: just stopped for the night at the beginning of chapter 10. Had the first real choice the game gave me, I picked the guy on the left for reasons I felt were fair.

[Hendo]

Have finished, I was a bit confused by the end so took to Wikipedia to clarify some things.

Apparently one of the writers hopes it's left open-ended and he sees the helicopter crash as the death of Walker and the rest of the game is his purgatory which I guess makes sense.

I'm gonna have to dig out that Gamespot special about it to go deeper.

It's a good solid game, worth playing.

[DANGERMAN]

There's an e-book out by Brendan Keogh (game critic), apparently it's pretty interesting. Today is the last day to get it at $2.99 after that it goes up to $5 (I think). It's a pdf or an epub, not ideal but I think most tablets will read them

http://stolenprojects.com/

[Hendo]

This ended up on a lot of best of the year lists. I'm offering my copy up to float around the country (unlikely to send to America, sorry) so if anyone wants to borrow my 360 copy just holler.

[DANGERMAN]

I've just finished this for a 2nd time and enjoyed it more on an easier setting. I meant to look out for some of the subtle stuff they did, sort of forgot after a couple of fights

[Hendo]

Ok send me your address and I'll get it to you.

[spatular]

Finished this last night, it was ok, it's good that it was trying something different, and at times it was good, but mostly it didn't really work for me.

And like with Bioshock I also take issue with a game being about how you could have stopped at any point. I get what they're trying to do, Walker could have stopped and left on a few occasions, it was only his wanting revenge for the civilians that kept him going forward and he imagined Conrad's role in that. He also helped the CIA destroy the water even though he was warned (although as Walker says the CIA were the only people not trying to kill his squad). So I get what they were trying to do, but dumping it on the player as "You could have stopped at any time!", me stopping meant me not playing the game, that's a stupid way of putting across your message

that spoilered bit is pretty much the same problem I had with it

once or twice I did try and stop and it just doesn't let you - apart from ending the game.

I also didn't like how it first sets up you fighting against people who should be on your side, I just didn't believe in that bit which made the rest harder to believe in so the story had less effect.

a bit about half way where you have to make a decicion between two guys:

i didn't shoot either, not sure why but wondered what happened there if you do shoot one? im guessing you just fight everyone anyway?

[Sly Reflex]

I started this last night. I think it's a pretty solid game. I'll have more to say on it later.

[Sly Reflex]

In the off chance you are reading this Nag, I'm recommending you play this game. Don't read the rest of the thread or the spoilers until you've played it.

Like Deadly Premonition, it's not the best game you're ever likely to play, but it's one that you need to experience. Try picking it up for cheapo or cadging someone elses copy. I've got a feeling it's right up your alley.

[Sly Reflex]

Well. I don't really know what to say without spoiling it for others. It's a super clever game. It works on several different levels that all make you think. I think the social commentary stuff is brilliant. Social commentary on what you ask? Play the frigging game and see. If you don't see any then you're probably shouldn't reproduce, your offspring will only make the genepool weaker on an intelligence basis.

Does anyone know if the moral decisions in the game affect outcomes? I might play it again and see what happens. Also, I'm sure I can pick up on more clues to how things pan out. A bit like watching something like The Six Sense.

[Bob]

I'm going to spoiler this since it is all end game stuff.

The idea that Walker died in the helicopter crash and it is all some sort of eternal purgatory is my favourite part. When you are playing that scene for the second time and Walker says something like, "we have done this before" I got genuinely excited, that sort of excitement you feel as a child where you struggle to contain yourself. From that point on every time I died I wanted to turn it down to easy just to power through it to see the story out but stuck with it.

I only played it through the once so I think there are things I missed out on but as soon as I finished it I took it up to my bothers and forced him to play it. He played it several times and still has my copy the bounder but he noticed all sorts of stuff on his second and third playthroughs. All the dying trees and people with their eyes blacked out, the signs with Konrad on, that sort of shizz.

I love the fact that it is so open to interpretation though, and for the creator to say he sees it one way but it is up to the viewer to decide is admirable. Writers can be a bit anal about how their work should be viewed so it is definitely refreshing to be able to look at just the political, psychological or spiritual side of the game and it still be so rewarding.

People should play it. I think it is an important game.

[Sly Reflex]

I'd maybe even go as far as 10/10 this game. Not for it being a game. But for being a lesson and a benchmark for how to do mature stories.

If you are a gamer thats jaded by games and liked Bioshock for it's narrative, then I think this will tickle your balls even past the end. So good.

[retroed]

£9.85 at ShopTo. I'm tempted. It's one I've always intended to play, but for some reason never got around to.

[Bob]

Yeah man, I would happily give this a ten. Not that my opinion really carries enough weight to get a quote and number on the box but you never know.

Also, you will love it Ed, you can finish it in about four hours. So then you could brag about it next time someone jokes about you never finishing games.