Spec Ops: The Line - PlayStation 3

A Powerful But Uneven Descent Into Madness

Matt Bertz — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 15:35:35 GMT

Over the course of the last 20-plus years, I’ve blasted though countless waves of gun-toting virtual humans with nary a thought of the Geneva Conventions. Nine times out of ten these encounters begin with the enemies shooting at me, so I have no philosophical qualms about shooting back. Sometimes an innocent civilian catches a stray bullet, but most shooters don’t make you think about the ramifications of your actions. Spec Ops: The Line does.

Spec Ops begins with the opulent city of Dubai in shambles. After a series of deadly sandstorms hit the luxurious desert oasis, the 33rd U.S. battalion was sent in to help with the evacuation. They never came back. Roughly six months after they were ordered to lead a caravan of survivors out of the city, the military receives a strange audio transmission from the acting commander, Colonel John Konrad. To find out what went wrong, the military sends in a cocky three-person Delta team led by Captain Walker, a Konrad protégé.

Allusions to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and its spiritual cousin Apocalypse Now are evident throughout the narrative. Some work at creating the chilling mood, like Konrad’s warped philosophical ramblings. Others fall flat, like the out-of-place Vietnam War-era music blasting from radio towers in a time where most soldiers would probably be listening to hip-hop and metal. Like the two works of art it pays homage to, Spec Ops chronicles the protagonist’s struggle with psychosis as he tries to understand why Konrad has ceased communication with the military, declared a permanent state of martial law, and kept his battalion in an unsustainable, hostile environment.

The mission quickly goes from recon to rescue when your Delta squad finds some butchered American troops on an abandoned road. But when you first encounter your fellow Joes, it’s not the reunion you expect. As you navigate the derelict hotels, malls, and high-rise apartments, you’re forced to take arms against groups whom armies normally protect, like the stranded refugee population and the U.S. soldiers you were sent in to find. As you explore the decimated city, audio recordings fill you in on how this city spiraled into hysteria.

This compelling set-up fuels the single-player campaign and ultimately forces you to make tough decisions about the excessive use of violence, who to trust, and how you remain sane in an insane situation. Some of the scenarios offer the hollow, binary “morality choice” posed by many games, but other actions you take have stunning unforeseen consequences that impart a real sense of guilt. Eventually the gauntlet of disturbing situations the squad encounters erodes their valorous determination and their camaraderie begins to shatter.

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While the story remains riveting up to its questionable conclusion, the minute-to-minute gameplay is uneven. The basic third-person shooter mechanics are loose but adequate, the only distinguishing factor being you get one second of slow-motion bullet time if you land a headshot. Guns lack the visceral pop of top-tier shooters, the touchy cover mechanic can fail you at inopportune times, and your AI-controlled squad is anything but battle savvy. You can designate priority targets at the tap of a bumper, but often they aren’t smart enough to carry out orders. I once sat for five minutes watching my dynamic duo try to take out a lone gunman positioned behind a turret. I also saw them chuck grenades through walls and take cover on the wrong side of an object, leaving them completely exposed to incoming fire.

Players spend the majority of the game moving through straightforward corridors that offer the occasional flanking position. At times you will come across a window holding up a wall of sand. Shooting out the panes creates an avalanche that can take out multiple enemies at once. This environmental hazard is fun at first, but by the seventh time you use it, its luster wears off.

Sand plays an integral role in multiplayer as well. Each map is susceptible to sandstorms during the middle of a match, during which your character moves slowly and your map bugs out, and there are several environmental hazards you can activate to bury your enemies. Outside of this unique mechanic, the offerings are rather boilerplate. Spec Ops features a healthy selection of conventional modes, and includes a decent collection of perks, weapons, armor, and kits to unlock as you rank up to level 45. Unfortunately, the large maps, small team sizes, and the mediocre gunplay prevent this from becoming a destination experience.

Spec Ops makes an admirable attempt to inject morality into a standard shooter experience. The narrative unravels at the end and the controls are subpar compared to the top-tier competitors, but the journey into madness is unlike anything I’ve played before.

Multiplayer Trailer Pits Damned Against Exiles

Jeff Cork — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:16:46 GMT

Up until now, 2k Games and Yager Entertainment have done their best to show us how they're showing the horrors of war in Spec Ops: The Line. Since the game also has a multiplayer component, now they're in the somewhat awkward position of having to convince everyone that it's also kind of fun. A new trailer highlights the game's two multiplayer factions, the Damned and the Exiled, and how they can use sand to their advantage.

The Line is set in a sandstorm-ravaged Dubai. The so-called Damned are soldiers who are standing behind Col. John Konrad, who was ordered to evacuate the city. The Exiles are former soldiers who have rebelled against his orders. As you can see in the trailer below, both factions can upgrade their abilities and use sand to overwhelm their enemies. Players will be able to unleash avalanches and waves of the gritty stuff to dominate multiplayer matches.

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Spec Ops: The Line is set to release on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC on June 26.

Latest Trailer Shows A Gritty Take On War

Jeff Cork — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:38:00 GMT

From the outset, Spec Ops: The Line has been emphasizing its take on the horrors of war through frank depictions of torture and other carnage. Its latest trailer doesn't shy away from that sort of grim spectacle, either.

The game is set in a sandstorm-ravaged Dubai and focuses on the aftermath from those natural disasters. If the trailer below is any indication, you can abandon any hopes of seeing a lot of flag-waving, jingoistic patriotism.

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Keep an eye open for the game on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC on June 26. To learn more about Spec Ops: The Line's narrative setup, check out its story trailer.

Spec Ops: The Line Shoots Out New Screens

Joe Juba — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:40:17 GMT

When Spec Ops got delayed, it seemed like its new release window was far in the distant future. However, we're approaching the targeted timeframe for 2K's military shooter, and these screens showcase how development is progressing.

The concept art and screens below highlight the action along with the setting of Dubai, and there are also a lot of shots clearly meant to convey the horror of war. Not exactly something I like looking at in my free time, but you go right ahead.

For more on Spec Ops' setting, watch this trailer. If you want extended gameplay footage, this video does the job.

Spec Ops: The Line Extended Gameplay Footage

Kyle Hilliard — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:00:00 GMT

This collection of scenes from Spec Ops: The Line shows off the beginning of the game and some of the more interesting mechanics.

You’ll see Walker using sand to take out enemies, commanding his troops to attack, and even get a glimpse at the sandstorms and how much they affect combat. There's a full seven and a half minutes of gameplay in total, which does include some minor spoilers, so avoid this if you want to play The Line free of pre-conceptions.

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Check Out Spec Ops: The Line's Unsettling New Trailer And Screens

Jeff Cork — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:01:00 GMT

2K Games has released a new trailer for its upcoming military shooter Spec Ops: The Line, and what it lacks in gameplay footage it more than makes up for with disturbing visuals. The clip takes images of American pop culture and juxtaposes them with scenes of violence and horror.

Spec Ops: The Line is set in a ruined Dubai, with the player character U.S. Delta Force soldier Captain Walker tasked with rescuing a squad of U.S. Infantry. Why Dubai? Funny you should ask.

“With all of its grandeur and opulence, Dubai provides the perfect backdrop to play out Spec Ops: The Line’s deep and complex narrative," says said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. "This bold endeavor harnesses 2K’s pedigree of creating fascinating stories, settings, and worlds to create an aggressive narrative and environment that you won’t find in other games on the market. Wartime narratives evoke emotion like few things else in our culture. Players will fight through this hostile environment in Spec Ops: The Line, creating a raw and unique video game experience.”

2K promises more than a typical military shooter, with a story that blurs the lines between the typical "good guys" versus "bad guys" that we've grown accustomed to seeing. We'll learn more in the coming year. In the meantime, check out the trailer below.

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Spec Ops: The Line - PlayStation 3

A Powerful But Uneven Descent Into Madness﻿

Multiplayer Trailer Pits Damned Against Exiles

Latest Trailer Shows A Gritty Take On War

Spec Ops: The Line Shoots Out New Screens

Spec Ops: The Line Extended Gameplay Footage

Check Out Spec Ops: The Line's Unsettling New Trailer And Screens

A Powerful But Uneven Descent Into Madness