Re: Games Discussion Thread
Spec Ops: The Line
I just rented this title the other day and beat it in nearly one sitting. Granted that sitting was somewhere between 6-8 hours (Shamefully lengthy for a shooter, but I only rented it, so no biggy), but the single sitting was due to not the fact that I was running through another desert shooting more baddies with more typical weapons, but rather the story, writing, and presentation.
The game starts as the next generic shooter of the week, but within a few levels slips far away from that as it becomes what is essentially Apocalypse Now: The Game.
You play as Captain Walker, the next cliche cookie cutter American bad ass to grace the world of video games. As the game progresses though and Walker takes a physical beating (armour is torn and pocked with dents from bullets, clothing is torn and ripped and bloody, cuts, bruises etc.), his soul is ripped apart, trampled on, and pissed all over. This man witnesses some atrocious acts and even commits some in order to stay alive. The game however is relentless, and points its finger at you... "Do you feel like a hero yet?" "This is all your fault!" lines start replacing the typical loading screen tips as you trudge deeper into Dubai.
I can't really say much more about the story and where it goes without spoiling anything, but this is one of the few shooters around that masterfully wields its story. Indeed the story is much much better than the gameplay. While passable and fun, and firefights are indeed intense, there are some buggy moments that can cause a cheap death and your AI team mates have some problems with shooting walls (unless you use the command button to order them to kill someone, in which case that enemy's head will pop open soon enough).
I really recommend this game to anyone who enjoys shooters but thinks the genre is getting overly stale. Spec Ops: The Line really shows what a shooter can do with some good writers behind them. Hell, the story in this game, while not entirely original (pretty much the next adaptation of Heart of Darkness. The book was Congo, the movie Vietnam, the game Dubai), it is presented excellently.
Be aware some of the scenes are rather graphic. While combat gore is just some blood sprays and a head vanishing in a red cloud, the cut scenes and set pieces are... disturbing. I honestly almost felt like puking after the "gate scene"
PS. Having played the multiplayer at a friend's place, it's shit. Generic, slow paced, and small groups, and frankly just boring. Check this game out for the single player alone. Well worth at the very least a rental.