Spec Ops: The Line

[Keven]

Wow, what a ••••ed up game.

Unfortunately, the actual gameplay of this game is pretty middling, but the story, character development and mindgames this game plays with you are pretty incredible. Plus, I liked some of the level design and character models. The voice acting from the main cast is incredible too. (Nolan North, Bruce Boxleitner, even Kid from Kid & Play too, lol).

Great scenery like this too:

[Keven]

Wow wow wow wow.

Just listened to this spoilercast interview with the lead writer of Spec Ops: The Line (located here for those interested). He revealed some crazy stuff about the game's story! (You could say it's a "sandstorm" of spoilers, so beware):

Spoiler!

-The hosts asked him what was the deal with the helicopter scene at the beginning, then when you get to that part in the story, Captain Walker says "Wait, haven't we done this before?" The writer says that one interpretation of that event is that Walker's helicopter crashed at that moment, killing him, and he then relives everything that happened up to that point. Everything that happens after the helicopter crash, including the final battles and the revelation with Konrad is Walker's interpretation of "hell".

-Also regarding the idea that Walker was in hell or just nuts for the entire game, Colonel Konrad's face is hidden throughout the advertising billboards and posters throughout the early game.

-The writer says that a normal transition in the game is a fade to black. For sequences when Walker is hallucinating, the game fades to white. If you do the "good ending" (you shoot Konrad on the roof), the game fades to white. If you do the "bad ending" (you let Konrad shoot you), the game fades to black.

-The game was pretty much meant to be a satire of your average military shooter where you just mow down "bad guys" without any thought to it. It has a generic title (Spec Ops: The Line) and starts out with a pretty typical story. And the GameSpot guys even said the average gameplay / shooting mechanics even play into it. The fact that the game is pretty average plays into this point.

-The part when you control the mortar and drop the white phosphorus shells is supposed to be a parody of the AC-130 / A-10 moments in Modern Warfare. In Modern Warfare, you control an airborne turret and are untouchable for 5 minutes and mow down guys. In Spec Ops, you get that detached rush of getting kills, but then you see the destruction you caused, and then see the horrible truth that you killed civilians.

-The writer also downplayed the possibility of a sequel. He made a great point, games like Call of Duty are exploiting the American media's idea of the glorification of war. If 2K kept releasing Spec Ops games that were all moody and depressive like this one, wouldn't they just be exploiting the emotions of the horrors of war?

Overall, Spec Ops: The Line is a really unique game that really tells a crazy story and makes some interesting points about war and military video games.