Spec Ops: The Line

 PC
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1814 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,370 out of 1814
  2. Mixed: 363 out of 1814
  3. Negative: 81 out of 1814
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  1. Gaming_Bear
    Aug 22, 2023
    5
    Very Sticky controls. it took away from the game too much. There are "tough" decisions to make in the game, but you are so railroaded that they are hardly decisions. The story could have been something amazing, but because of the game play issues and railroading, it just was not worth it.
  2. PenetratorGod
    Aug 20, 2023
    7
    Story begins in Dubai, one of the richest places in the world, where we take control of our main hero, Martin Walker. The city was devastated by severe sandstorms 6 months ago. Faced with a natural disaster, a group of American soldiers led by Colonel John Konrad stay in the city to protect the city's residents who cannot escape. However, communication with the team is lost and the armyStory begins in Dubai, one of the richest places in the world, where we take control of our main hero, Martin Walker. The city was devastated by severe sandstorms 6 months ago. Faced with a natural disaster, a group of American soldiers led by Colonel John Konrad stay in the city to protect the city's residents who cannot escape. However, communication with the team is lost and the army sends a rescue team after receiving an alarm signal.

    Accompanied by Martin Walker and the Delta Force crew, the player begins to explore the sandy city of Dubai. It soon becomes clear that this is no ordinary rescue mission, as John Konrad and his loyal soldiers do not want to be rescued. During the mission, the player's sense of morality is tested more than once, and he has to make difficult choices that affect the lives of many.

    The player explores new locations and battles enemies while leading a team of three skilled soldiers. Sand is an important element of the game, created by dynamic weather conditions. The player has multiple allies or enemies. The player can explore both sand-covered streets and interiors of multi-storey buildings.

    Spec Ops: The Line stands out with its gorgeous visuals and distinctive, sandy colors compared to its release period. The player observes strange-looking landscapes, mostly of skyscrapers surrounded by sand dunes. Besides the single player campaign, the game also features a multiplayer mode.

    The game offers an average of 10 hours of gameplay in the single player section with all its side contents. In addition, the game has four different endings that vary according to the choices made by the player.    … Expand
  3. AgentLvi
    Jun 19, 2023
    7
    Decent game. The story is so --so, scoring is great, visual is decent, and the voice is also great
  4. Nick7000
    May 4, 2023
    7
    Вроде как прикольно, но геймплей малость поднадоедает спустя уже пару-тройку часов. Благо, что игра совсем короткая. Будь чуть длиннее - было бы сильно хуже.
  5. Magical_Viktor
    Apr 30, 2023
    7
    Существуют просто Зло и Большое Зло, а за ними обоими в тени прячется Очень Большое Зло. Очень Большое Зло, Геральт, это такое, которого ты и представить себе не можешь, даже если думаешь, будто уже ничто не в состоянии тебя удивить. И знаешь, Геральт, порой бывает так, что Очень Большое Зло схватит тебя за горло и скажет: «Выбирай, братец, либо я, либо то, которое чуточку поменьше»Существуют просто Зло и Большое Зло, а за ними обоими в тени прячется Очень Большое Зло. Очень Большое Зло, Геральт, это такое, которого ты и представить себе не можешь, даже если думаешь, будто уже ничто не в состоянии тебя удивить. И знаешь, Геральт, порой бывает так, что Очень Большое Зло схватит тебя за горло и скажет: «Выбирай, братец, либо я, либо то, которое чуточку поменьше»
  6. ArekSuzme
    Dec 8, 2022
    7
    Best story I've ever seen in a TPS game, but also the gameplay is mid, that's why I've given it an 7, definitely a must play game, though.
  7. Jollyolfun
    Nov 18, 2022
    7
    you literally commit war atrocities and then blame it on nonexistant people
  8. Danvie
    Oct 7, 2022
    6
    Ахуенные хроники войны с дубовейшим геймплеем, стрельба просто ужас, как и управление отрядом.
  9. george_bondo
    Jul 24, 2022
    7
    this game is just perfect with that beautiful music , characters and atmosphere
  10. GabriMH19
    Jul 16, 2022
    7
    - SPEC OPS: THE LINE -

    Ambientación 8 Escenarios 7 Narrativa 7 Personajes 6 Dificultad 8 Jugabilidad 7 Mecánicas 7 Gráficos 7 Innovación 7 Contenido 8 Errores o bugs 8 Plano artístico 7 - TIPS - Tenia muchas ganas de jugar a esta entrega. Aunque lo he jugado mucho tiempo después he de reconocer que lo he disfrutado bastante. Aunque es muchos aspectos es un juego muy    - SPEC OPS: THE LINE -

    Ambientación 8 Escenarios 7
    Narrativa 7 Personajes 6
    Dificultad 8 Jugabilidad 7
    Mecánicas 7 Gráficos 7
    Innovación 7 Contenido 8
    Errores o bugs 8 Plano artístico 7

    - TIPS -
    Tenia muchas ganas de jugar a esta entrega. Aunque lo he jugado mucho tiempo después he de reconocer que lo he disfrutado bastante. Aunque es muchos aspectos es un juego muy mejorable. La historia, ambientación y personajes acompañan adecuadamente al jugador. Si es verdad que en muchos aspectos la variedad de escenarios y la mayor complejidad de los personajes podrían hacer una mejor experiencia. Lo que mas puede pesarle al juego es la poca variedad en las escenas o momentos de acción. Son poco variados y pecan continuamente de ser muy repetitivos. Pero si es verdad que lo que mas me sorprende del juego es el tema que trata la historia. A priori puede ser un tema algo sensible y polémico debido a como lo aborda y como lo cuenta. Existen escenas que impactan y que te hacen sumergirte en la profundidad del la historia que a mi criterio es lo mas destacable. Si es verdad que esa valentía por parte del estudio es de reconocer y creo que la incorporación sutil de toma de decisiones que tiene el juego te permite meterte en la piel de un verdadero soldado. En este caso creo que mucha gente opinara de mala manera sobre el juego por el tema que trata y como lo aborda. Pero creo que la intención de Spec Ops: The Line es de mostrarte que un verdadero soldado no solo tiene que cumplir ordenes sino también tomar decisiones difíciles.    … Expand
  11. Zeneko90
    Jun 2, 2022
    7
    Nettes. Spiel es hat echt viel Spaß gemacht. Mehr davon! Nicht zu lang, nicht zu kurz. Genau richtig.
  12. StarkAgentos
    May 3, 2022
    5
    Игра представляет из себя тупой тир, так ещё и от первого лица. Многие хвалят декорации, хотя в них нет ничего особенного. Сюжета тут по сути почти никакого нет. Очень перехваленная игра.
  13. tk_248
    Mar 20, 2022
    7
    ужасы войны, белый фосфор... полный мрак. очередная рекомендация underrated games of 2010's..............
  14. Kotofon
    Dec 27, 2021
    6
    Spec Ops: The Line — шутер от третьего лица, объединяющий под собой напряженные перестрелки и командную механику ведения боя. Игрок возглавляет отряд из трех персонажей — капитана Мартина Уокера, лейтенанта Адамса и сержанта Люго. Каждый из них имеет уникальный характер, особые умения и роль, которую они играют в этой мрачной реалистичной истории о темной стороне войны, где нет добрыхSpec Ops: The Line — шутер от третьего лица, объединяющий под собой напряженные перестрелки и командную механику ведения боя. Игрок возглавляет отряд из трех персонажей — капитана Мартина Уокера, лейтенанта Адамса и сержанта Люго. Каждый из них имеет уникальный характер, особые умения и роль, которую они играют в этой мрачной реалистичной истории о темной стороне войны, где нет добрых поступков, а есть только тяжелые решения. По мере завершения миссий становятся доступны новые виды оружия и экипировки. В дополнение ко всему, пустынное окружение Дубая привнесено в игру с помощью потрясающего уровня графики, а песчаные бури активно влияют на построение уровней и могут как помогать в прохождении, так и стать непреодолимым препятствием. Вертикали огромных небоскребов Дубая так же обеспечивают тактические преимущества как для игрока, так и для его противников. Многопользовательские кампании содержат в себе новые режимы и необычные ситуации и окружения, расширяющие ощущения после прохождения одиночной игры.… Expand
  15. vova22379
    Dec 18, 2021
    6
    ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
  16. Bushido95
    Oct 2, 2021
    6
    Сам сюжет и основной посыл игры действительно хорош, но всё остальное очень душно и не приносит удовольствия.
  17. RealNova
    Jul 16, 2021
    6
    The plot doesnt make sense, the gameplay, even tho is enjoyable brings absolutly nothing new, just go to point A to point B, shoot all the baddies and to the next stage which works the same. Music is unexisting. Only positive thing is the setting which is very fascinating but that is alsoa bit useless since it's not open world. There is no emotion ever, which pick a rifle and shoot, I wasThe plot doesnt make sense, the gameplay, even tho is enjoyable brings absolutly nothing new, just go to point A to point B, shoot all the baddies and to the next stage which works the same. Music is unexisting. Only positive thing is the setting which is very fascinating but that is alsoa bit useless since it's not open world. There is no emotion ever, which pick a rifle and shoot, I was bored at the final stages.… Expand
  18. ShammiSham
    Jun 17, 2021
    7
    I still recommend this game but it just really bored me. I don't think it is bad but it is definitely not a 9/10.
    I went in thinking I would feel bad but the story did nothing for me. And the gameplay isn't exactly enjoyable. I really wanted to love it but I just didn't.
  19. yertre
    Feb 28, 2021
    7
    I don't think this game is NEARLY as smart and subversive as it thinks it is, but it's still pretty smart and subversive. The game is incredibly ham-fisted about its message and I feel like the game tries to guilt you a bit too much, but it's nice to see bigger games attempt something like this.

    It's decent, nothing more, nothing less. Not some masterpiece, as some would imply, but    I don't think this game is NEARLY as smart and subversive as it thinks it is, but it's still pretty smart and subversive. The game is incredibly ham-fisted about its message and I feel like the game tries to guilt you a bit too much, but it's nice to see bigger games attempt something like this.

    It's decent, nothing more, nothing less. Not some masterpiece, as some would imply, but anyone giving this under a 4 is probably lying.    … Expand
  20. Nerevarinho
    Jan 28, 2021
    7
    - Gameplay: Cheap Gears of War clone (released 6 years after Gears)
    - Level design: Impressive
    - Combat: Chore, dumb AI
    - Story: Solid but not that mind blow that I expected. And very short (took 5,5h).
    - Animations: Very bad
    - Music: Repetitive. Post rocky, there is even a Mogwai Track (10/10 for that).
  21. ErayTellezi
    Nov 17, 2020
    7
    Combatı ortalama. Ancak hikayesi ve savaşın karanlık yönünü göstermesiyle ana akım oyunlardan bir şekilde ayrılmayı başarıyor.
  22. DOLLAR_376
    Aug 6, 2020
    7
    Spec Ops: The Line is a great 3rd person shooter that shines in its story, which is surprisingly deep, and in its gameplay, which is fun to play. The only downside are its lenght and a generic multiplayer, but it is worth on sale.
  23. Bruterake
    Jun 10, 2020
    7
    Gameplay travado, animações faciais horríveis, maaas, história interessante e dilemas morais que me levam a pensar: porque não tem mais cutscenes e diálogos para eu ligar pra morte de algum personagem da história?
  24. muzmuz
    Apr 12, 2020
    7
    This cannot be more of a generic third person shooter (albeit with cranky controls) than it already is, but that's not the main selling point of this game. Spec Ops: The Line is crafted to drop jaws with its plot twists and diverge from the usual pattern of a military story, giving players the opportunity to glance at the bitter realities of a soldier going through war.
  25. Wiebe
    Feb 26, 2020
    6
    Gameplay was alright, but the story sucked. How do people find this to be a good story? There was almost nothing there, just a 'mystery' and a obvious 'plot twist'.
  26. ElCucuy
    Nov 20, 2019
    7
    По геймплею типичный шутан от третьего лица, средней руки, после прохождения которого вы даже про него не вспомните.

    И это было бы именно так, если бы не здешний сюжет. Он может поразить, удивить, и даже шокировать. Это единственное произведение от мира игр, которое можно поставить в один ряд с "Апокалипсис сегодня" Копполы. Это серьёзное и жёсткое высказывание на тему войны. Будьте    По геймплею типичный шутан от третьего лица, средней руки, после прохождения которого вы даже про него не вспомните.

    И это было бы именно так, если бы не здешний сюжет. Он может поразить, удивить, и даже шокировать. Это единственное произведение от мира игр, которое можно поставить в один ряд с "Апокалипсис сегодня" Копполы. Это серьёзное и жёсткое высказывание на тему войны. Будьте уверены, некоторые сцены отсюда запомнятся вам надолго, а некоторым, может быть, вообще будут сниться в кошмарах, это игра точно не для детей.

    Итог - 7.5 из 10. В будущем надеюсь на высокобюджетное продолжение или ремейк.    … Expand
  27. Phased
    Nov 2, 2019
    7
    Hadn't played this game on release, but after recently finishing it I understand its great reception. Great counter to the popular shooters at the time ideologically. Gameplay unfortunately is pretty generic though, being a simple cover shooter essentially.

    7.5/10
  28. PrincessRose
    Apr 29, 2019
    7
    I enjoyed this game a lot, good, gripping story that doesn't sugar coat anything, wont say anything else as don't want to spoil it for others.
    It's very exciting and action packed, I never feel bored playing this game. It's quite a challenging game.

    I'd recommend as it has good game play as well as story.
  29. RazorSamurai
    Jan 10, 2019
    7
    хай кста
    вообщем не буду сильно вытягивать свой обзор и вкратце расскажу что со мной происходило за 5-6 часов геймплея
    прошел игру на самой сложной сложности которая была доступна в начале потому что я не еб.учий казуальщик меня бесило управление потому что видно что она сделана для консолей, топорное управление, вечно персонаж идет не туда, прячется не там, зае.бало честно говоря,    хай кста
    вообщем не буду сильно вытягивать свой обзор и вкратце расскажу что со мной происходило за 5-6 часов геймплея
    прошел игру на самой сложной сложности которая была доступна в начале потому что я не еб.учий казуальщик
    меня бесило управление потому что видно что она сделана для консолей, топорное управление, вечно персонаж идет не туда, прячется не там, зае.бало
    честно говоря, сюжет не плохой но и не гениальный, скорее всего в игре есть еще другие концовки или ньюансы сюжета но я же не фанат файв найтс ат фреди чтобы всех их искать или находить, че я еб.у дал что ли
    стрельба в принципе несложная но иногда заставляет попотеть, радуют разные виды типов врагов но враг с ножом меня дико расмешил. представьте вы на войне и на вас челик на поле боя бежит с ножиком
    а еще баги с сенсой, оно то прибавляется то убавляется
    графика не плохоая но и не хорошая, иногда прям по глазам бьет эти ребристые текстурки
    вообщем 7/10    … Expand
  30. Lionhearted
    Mar 31, 2018
    6
    I wanted this game since release in 2012, since I had heard rave reviews from Extra credits. And honestly it wasn't bad after finally receiving a free version from Humble Bundle. The controls really weren't that bad, the gameplay was fair, if not redundant for the most part. My contention however is the story being a load of contrived garbage. at first I was all in with the sotry and II wanted this game since release in 2012, since I had heard rave reviews from Extra credits. And honestly it wasn't bad after finally receiving a free version from Humble Bundle. The controls really weren't that bad, the gameplay was fair, if not redundant for the most part. My contention however is the story being a load of contrived garbage. at first I was all in with the sotry and I knew there would be a twist having heard a little about the outline/plot. But what was supposed to make this game exceptional was it's self examination, not just about 'war is bad' but also you as a player feeling uncomfortable actually playing the game.

    But I didn't feel that at all, I felt nothing post the unfortunate accident because the choices were entirely forced. that works for movies sure, but not for games which need agency, no matter good the story is it destroys the the interplay to force such contrivances on the player.
    So, guilt free I felt cheated of my time. In fact the only point that game me pause at all wa sa portion the openly asked me if I was having a good time murdering Americans>>
    that in an of itself was an interesting thought to ponder for juxtaposition, but the central theme of the game I feel failed to deliver an adult conversation. It honestly felt like a childish attempt to 'catch' me enjoying murder and then going 'Aha! don't you feel ackwardly ashamed... but I don't and when confront by this idea of murdering for fun, I came to the identical conclusion as the main character except with less autonomy (there were zero options to continue watching the game story unfold than to plod along in a another narrowly focused game design) than the game personality I was pigeonholed into an inescapable narrative, that had nothing to do with me. E for effort I guess. How about a 6 out of 10 for bang up game design other than story.    … Expand
  31. Tomle1202
    Jul 20, 2017
    7
    Spec Ops: The Line questions the morality in the battlefield with haunting moments superbly presented in a skillfully written story. Unfortunately, that is also its only outstanding aspect.
  32. Laer
    Mar 14, 2017
    7
    Un juego que trata la guerra desde un punto de vista más real, crudo, alejándose de aquellas americanadas (tanto películas como juegos), y donde tratan de enseñar de una manera más correcta lo que ocurre en este tipo de sucesos.

    Había escuchado que era sin duda algo único, y en cierto modo es verdad, pero tiene varios problemas que a mi me han chirriado un poco. Aunque quiera contar una    Un juego que trata la guerra desde un punto de vista más real, crudo, alejándose de aquellas americanadas (tanto películas como juegos), y donde tratan de enseñar de una manera más correcta lo que ocurre en este tipo de sucesos.

    Había escuchado que era sin duda algo único, y en cierto modo es verdad, pero tiene varios problemas que a mi me han chirriado un poco. Aunque quiera contar una historia más seria, en ciertos puntos carece de esa fuerza, pues exiten ocasiones en las que creo que deberían haber explorado más ciertas áreas, pero en vez de eso, simplemente ponen una linea recta donde aparecen enemigos por que " ¡HE, somos un shooter, tenemos que poner objetivos para matar!". Ademas de que en ciertas ocasiones creo que la música sobra. Algunas veces para mostrar algo cruel no se necesita una música melancólica, y en otras, esa música creada para motivar la escena quitan sentido a la misma (aunque creo entender por que, ya que intenta "burlarse" de esas americanadas que he dicho al principio).

    Sin embargo, no quiero dejar un mal sabor de boca con este análisis, pues este es el camino correcto a la hora de hacer una campaña en condiciones. Tiene fallos, si, pero creo que han sido más por temor a aburrir como videojuego, que por la historia que querían contar.    … Expand
  33. agurczuk
    Jan 6, 2017
    6
    A fairly standard third person cover based shooter with an interesting story it fails to deliver correctly.

    This game has its moments. Three of them to be exact. First of them being sand falling through the window for the very first time. Second is a single scene that would include spoilers and an epilogue. Outside of that it's pretty forgettable. The graphics are nice although a bit    A fairly standard third person cover based shooter with an interesting story it fails to deliver correctly.

    This game has its moments. Three of them to be exact. First of them being sand falling through the window for the very first time. Second is a single scene that would include spoilers and an epilogue. Outside of that it's pretty forgettable.

    The graphics are nice although a bit dull with all the sand and not much space to roam about. The level design is extremely linear and there's next to no room to maneuver. All you do is follow a set path, cover behind obstacles and shoot the opponents.

    The story is strange. You start in Dubai not really understanding why you're there, what happened and what exactly you're trying to achieve. For whatever reason you need to shoot your fellow Americans, there's CIA involved and you're not exactly sure what's going on. In the larger scheme I think the game tries to do something like Apocalypse Now but I wasn't sold on it. It wasn't bad though. There's a big plot twist near the end but it's nothing you can figure out along the way.

    The gameplay as mentioned is forgettable. It gets a bit better towards the end but feels really boring for the first half of the game. The AI is extremely stupid. You hide behind the cover and enemies come in waves. You kill some, another bunch comes and so on until there's no one left. You progress further and repeat the same thing over again.

    It's a good thing that this game is fairly short and I enjoyed the cinematics for the most part. Good if you're up for some mindless shooting.    … Expand
  34. IrradiatedNun
    Oct 2, 2016
    6
    If you want to feel smart without the effort, and also blab about how underated this vastly overated turd is, then by all means play this game. But I can sum it up for you pretty quickly, killing is bad and will hurt the poor little soldiers feelings.
  35. theirrelephants
    Sep 6, 2016
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is a fun shooter. The story was bordering on excuse plot as far as I'm concerned. That 'deep' moment that all the reviewers like to talk about was absolutely pathetic, and for me - it was absolutely hilarious.

    I should feel bad that I'm forced to use white phosphorous on what later turns out to be civilians? Oh please. It was as dramatic as that moment in medal of honor where a squaddie who's been with you the entire game kicks open a door and gets dramatically shot in slow motion about fifty dozen times. Your character screams out his name while you simultaneously can't stop laughing and desperately try to remember why you're supposed to care about him in the first place, when you probably forgot his name five seconds after you were introduced in the first few levels.

    Cheap drama worth nothing other than cheap laughs. The reveal was also dumb, but that's no surprise since the main character was as well.

    Giving it a six because I got exactly what I expected when I paid for this game - an average shooter, definitely worth a playthrough.    … Expand
  36. Hack
    Jul 16, 2016
    7
    Spec Ops does a lot right, the atmosphere and location are brilliant, the story is interesting, the characters are voiced well and have real character and it's backed by a solid soundtrack, the only real issue is the gameplay, and obviously that's a pretty big issue. Aiming feels weird out of the box, which means you have to edit config files to correct it and even then it's average atSpec Ops does a lot right, the atmosphere and location are brilliant, the story is interesting, the characters are voiced well and have real character and it's backed by a solid soundtrack, the only real issue is the gameplay, and obviously that's a pretty big issue. Aiming feels weird out of the box, which means you have to edit config files to correct it and even then it's average at best, the enemy AI is honestly awful, they run out into fire like lemmings constantly and half of the time just stand around while you kill them and moving in and out of cover feels clunky. The gunplay just isn't satisfying as a result.

    Overall though it's an enjoyable experience and I do recommend it but only when it's on sale as it's also very short at around 4 hours.    … Expand
  37. Vzhik
    May 29, 2016
    7
    Неожиданно всё хорошо. Подача сюжета, боёвка, атмосфера. Очень способствует погружению внутриигровое обсуждение сложных выборов игрока, музыка, постоянная пустыня. Давно в шутеры не играл, а тут такой подарочек. Не ожидал, что в шутере можно так в сюжет и атмосферу погрузиться.Неожиданно всё хорошо. Подача сюжета, боёвка, атмосфера. Очень способствует погружению внутриигровое обсуждение сложных выборов игрока, музыка, постоянная пустыня. Давно в шутеры не играл, а тут такой подарочек. Не ожидал, что в шутере можно так в сюжет и атмосферу погрузиться.
  38. TheWaffle
    Jan 31, 2016
    6
    More than anything, Spec Ops shows the power of a good narrative and good voice acting. But beyond that, and some pretty scenery, there's not much there. The gunplay and mechanics feel like a dumbed down version of Rainbow Six Vegas. And worst of all, the developers seem to have overlooked the most basic, fundamental part of a shooter, the mouse. The mouse control is ridiculously sensitiveMore than anything, Spec Ops shows the power of a good narrative and good voice acting. But beyond that, and some pretty scenery, there's not much there. The gunplay and mechanics feel like a dumbed down version of Rainbow Six Vegas. And worst of all, the developers seem to have overlooked the most basic, fundamental part of a shooter, the mouse. The mouse control is ridiculously sensitive and yet somehow also unresponsive. This wouldn't be a problem except that you need to change the settings before starting your game or they won't take effect, and if you alter anything in game, it goes back to being hypersensitive.

    I just don't get the obsession with this game. Fundamentally broken mechanics will ruin any shooter.    … Expand
  39. WillPlayForFood
    Jul 7, 2015
    7
    Do yourself a favor, play this game on the easiest setting possible. Enjoy the great story, the great dialogues both from your mates and the enemy soldiers. Enjoy the desperate and sorrow desert swallowing soldiers whole like meat. Enjoy the fun moments, when your not concerned about war.
    Because when it comes to gameplay it's depressingly lacking. The run/cover system is really clunky    Do yourself a favor, play this game on the easiest setting possible. Enjoy the great story, the great dialogues both from your mates and the enemy soldiers. Enjoy the desperate and sorrow desert swallowing soldiers whole like meat. Enjoy the fun moments, when your not concerned about war.
    Because when it comes to gameplay it's depressingly lacking. The run/cover system is really clunky and unoptimized. But you can get over everything except the AI, your teammates are constantly in suicide mode. They will go under enemy fire without cover and surrounded by enemies dying like flies for no reason, they won't be able to cover your back, EVER, not even from a single enemy.
    Just play it safe, in the retarded setting, just enjoy it as a movie where you sometimes have to mash buttons to proceed.    … Expand
  40. Turnip67
    Nov 25, 2014
    6
    The story is excellent, however it is let down by the complete crap that is the game mechanics and enemies. The amount of times i was left banging my head against a wall because the run and cover system didn't work properly! Every single mission is the same, you kill wave after endless wave of enemies, before something interesting happens in a cut scene to progress the story. The story isThe story is excellent, however it is let down by the complete crap that is the game mechanics and enemies. The amount of times i was left banging my head against a wall because the run and cover system didn't work properly! Every single mission is the same, you kill wave after endless wave of enemies, before something interesting happens in a cut scene to progress the story. The story is so good too! It gets a 6/10 because of the story, if there was even a shred of better gameplay the score would be much higher.… Expand
  41. chix
    Sep 18, 2014
    6
    The goodness about Spec ops is that its got excellent graphics and visuals, the dialogue is good , there is a good variety of weapons although some are more rare to find and the story for this game is just one of a kind and doesn't need to be changed.
    The bad parts though are that the controls are just clunky and sometimes very frustrating when the game is set at to a higher difficulty    The goodness about Spec ops is that its got excellent graphics and visuals, the dialogue is good , there is a good variety of weapons although some are more rare to find and the story for this game is just one of a kind and doesn't need to be changed.
    The bad parts though are that the controls are just clunky and sometimes very frustrating when the game is set at to a higher difficulty and somehow restrict the feeling of freedom when battling enemies. What this game needs is probably Uncharted's mechanics to make it more free and fluid and because it really needs Uncharted's mechanic for throwing away live enemy grenades. One more disadvantage is explosive items such as gas tanks, most are badly placed around areas and are not properly highlighted thus you can't see them properly from a distance and its a shame because they could have been a huge advantage.
    My verdict is this game has an excellent story but controls need work.    … Expand
  42. busbfran
    Aug 18, 2014
    7
    Spec Ops: The line begins with a breath of fresh air, although its apparent that the boring lackluster game play and technological issue are evident after the first battle cry. Yes it does effect the game. Especially the cover system. Just shocking at times and will lead you to frustration. This does take you away from the interesting story, which is the driving force of the game. AlthoughSpec Ops: The line begins with a breath of fresh air, although its apparent that the boring lackluster game play and technological issue are evident after the first battle cry. Yes it does effect the game. Especially the cover system. Just shocking at times and will lead you to frustration. This does take you away from the interesting story, which is the driving force of the game. Although its you'r average first person shooter at times the atmosphere is on point. Character and dialogue are extremely satisfying and the redeeming conclusion will make the frustrating times some what fade. All in all the game becomes tiresome and more like a chore, however if you find the game on sale go for it!… Expand
  43. PazoeZoe
    Jun 1, 2014
    7
    Awesome game long demo everything great (could play on mac) but then the end. I was very disappointed i thought the end will be better. i would give the game 9.5/10 but the end was very bad.
  44. meediocre
    May 15, 2014
    7
    Apocalypse Now on steroids in the desert. Fairly satisfying gun-combat action, with an above average story loosely based on Heart of Darkness. Not much in the gameplay department other than pushing through linear levels and wiping out waves of enemies. If you like your military shooters, have a shot.
  45. Resplendent
    Jan 5, 2014
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Do not play this expecting anything great. Repetitive, tedious gameplay is a series of tightly enclosed shooting arenas strung together by a story that at least tries to be different from your average COD-BF-War-Campaign. That said, inconsistencies in how it is presented gave me a headache. Do my choices matter? Do I actually even have choices? The answer to both of those questions is unfortunately- No. Giving players the illusion of choice is frankly annoying, especially when the character I play is then berated for going through with what the writers forced him to do anyway. The main character/anti-hero seems to be completely incompetent at his job, and his lack of imagination is constantly demonstrated by his rationalizing at his supposed lack of options, which are rigidly enforced as we, the players, sit through as he bumbles his way through massacring what seems to be the majority of Dubai. I really have a hard time understanding why this is a story one would want to tell. There are plenty of situations where people are forced to make terrible choices, and war is an obvious way to highlight that. Unfortunately, the way that is presented here is both incredibly contrived, and frankly a bit silly. You're also left in the dark as to what exactly is happening here. What's going on with all of the sand? Why did the 33rd go crazy? Why is there no backup? Why is there suddenly tons of water at the end when we were told we'd destroyed the last of it in that long truck escape? Maybe I missed some explanation somewhere, but there's a bit too much mystery left here.

    tl;dr If you like sand, this is your game.    … Expand
  46. birdman3
    Dec 11, 2013
    7
    Spec Ops is simultaneously a breath of fresh air into the 3rd person shooter genre and a exposition of what's wrong with the genre. The heavy, mental story is very appropriate and well delivered. There were a few times in the middle that I wasn't sure about what was going on, but once I got to the end, I felt satisfied by the characters and their performance. The gameplay was fairly solid,Spec Ops is simultaneously a breath of fresh air into the 3rd person shooter genre and a exposition of what's wrong with the genre. The heavy, mental story is very appropriate and well delivered. There were a few times in the middle that I wasn't sure about what was going on, but once I got to the end, I felt satisfied by the characters and their performance. The gameplay was fairly solid, although the AI was sometimes outright stupid and the controls weren't perfect. There are plenty of other reviews that can emphasize these points as well. I never played the multiplayer, so I can't comment on that. I would suggest that this game try to include more customization of characters so that the redundant levels are more fun to navigate. As it is, there's really no reason to replay the game at all, considering that the entire story is available on a Wiki.… Expand
  47. mckw
    Oct 10, 2013
    7
    A brilliant story and a visual treat, only to be hampered by linear not very great gallery shooting riddled with clunky mechanics such as cover system and problematic AI. Could be a greater experience if it was slightly more diverse and flexible and smoother overall features. None the less a decent experience.
  48. Wilf_Tarquin
    Sep 7, 2013
    5
    I played the PC version. Standard third person 100% shooter where you're led by the nose between set pieces. You've seen it a hundred times before: you can take dozens of hits, the world consists of rows of waist-high cover, your health regenerates in seconds, the enemy respawns endlessly, yada yada yada. The graphics are par for the course, controls are awful, the story ridiculous.

    If    I played the PC version. Standard third person 100% shooter where you're led by the nose between set pieces. You've seen it a hundred times before: you can take dozens of hits, the world consists of rows of waist-high cover, your health regenerates in seconds, the enemy respawns endlessly, yada yada yada. The graphics are par for the course, controls are awful, the story ridiculous.

    If you like this type of game... well, shame on you, you're the reason PC games suck so badly nowadays.    … Expand
  49. Orctownorc
    Aug 22, 2013
    5
    Mediocre or worse in every department, INCLUDING the story. A so-called 'PC game' that feels so totally like it was made for a Playstation 2. A straightjacket of incredibly narrow spaces and choices. A 'Man's game with all men character's, unending-until-you-puke mach- monologuing by all the characters. Terrible camera. Terrible level design. Terrible shooting mechanics. Terrible cover.Mediocre or worse in every department, INCLUDING the story. A so-called 'PC game' that feels so totally like it was made for a Playstation 2. A straightjacket of incredibly narrow spaces and choices. A 'Man's game with all men character's, unending-until-you-puke mach- monologuing by all the characters. Terrible camera. Terrible level design. Terrible shooting mechanics. Terrible cover. Terrible controls. Terrible 'moral choices'. The story is pumped full of overbearing male testosterone and its pretensions of moral depth are an exercise in vapid nihilism. Games like this are basically a waste of a time. Go for a walk in the park, read a book, see a concert, climb a mountain, drink with friends. Anything is better than this game. Compared to its genre competitiors, like 'Gears of War', 'Halo', 'Call of Duty', 'Battlefield' or Far Cry this game is complete garbage. An FPS game lives or dies according to its combat controls and these are easily the worst in that department in recent memory. 'Oh but you must play to the end, because the end redeems the horrible game' cry many reviewers. They lie. The journey is the destination. One would have to have a huge separation from the real world to find this story interesting. I'd rather play dating games with my gay squad members-Bioware style than endure another playthrough of this. To kill or not to kill? The answer won't be interesting if the question is not real. And its not real!

    THE GROT REVIEW CRITERIA: After a long time writing reviews like an anus, think its time to set a few bad habits straight: Stop insulting designers. Show some respect for the design process and getting games in circulation. Hence (1) No Red scores. (2) Game scores as follows: Bad Game 5/10. Poor Game 6/10. Mediocre Game: 7/10. Good Game 8/10. Great game 9/10. Stella Game 10/10. To get 10/10 it must be a game that can be (theoretically) play-able for 1000+ hours. Not only great but near endless fun. Games may be bad or poor but making them should earn respect. Thus even the worst POS will still be a 5/10. 0/10 no longer exists in my vocabulary. Yellow is the new red. For the sake of accountability: you can reply if needed: Orctowngrot: Tim Rawlins: timtimjp@yahoo.com    … Expand
  50. Gogoud
    Aug 13, 2013
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It has some unique storytelling elements which I have not yet seen in any game so far. Spec Ops: the line does throw some scenarios which really makes the player feel bad about himself.

    An example of this scenario was when I was looking down at running soldiers, trying to sprint away from the bullets which I and my companions were haling down onto them. They just ran, for their lives. They did not try to stop me, fight me or otherwise hinder me. They just ran. This left me feeling bad about myself, unethical in a way, to shoot people who just are scared.

    The games way of throwing these scenarios at the player is the strongest point in the game. The game does not stop, it just continues like nothing. If you accidentally shoot a running civilian, fine, the game does not pause, does not give you a "game over" status, it just continues, but it left me feeling bad, almost dirty.

    Dialogue is, meh. It gets to many thrown in the soup sometimes. However the conflict between the players two sidekicks are sometimes interesting.

    Controls are broken. It becomes clear that this is a lousy PC-Port. The developers decided to bind several functions to one button. While this is logical on a controller there is no reason to do this on a pc.
    Clunky is the word to describe it. I got me killed a couple of times.

    The graphics are impressive, which is to be expected from an UE3 game. It is not bad looking at all, but it is neither as good as the very top of some other games like Crysis or Metro: last light.
    Most impressive is the sandstorms who occasionally whips up tons of sand around the player, obscuring his/hers vision.

    If the graphics are good, the gameplay itself is not. Combine weak AI (standard rush to death pattern), uninteresting guns, bad controls and one or two to many office-buildings to traverse, it is monotonous and repetitive.

    What really grinds me is how the developers are using scripted-events a little to often.

    On one scenario I am walking through a huge pile of dead people, and the restrict my movement for no good reason. It is like they are trying to say

    "Look how horrible this is"

    Well, I could find that out myself, thanks.

    Spec ops: the line sure has its great moments, but it is never fun to play it.
    It has interesting ideas, and executes those well, but otherwise, it fails.    … Expand
  51. karmasleeper
    Aug 10, 2013
    5
    Why people praise this game as a model of story telling and a critique of modern shooters is beyond me. The story is super linear and full of scripted events which present the illusion of player choice but are painfully transparent. And a critique this is not. Instead, Spec Ops The Line is full of every stereotype of modern shooters. You have a simple cover based mechanic, corridorWhy people praise this game as a model of story telling and a critique of modern shooters is beyond me. The story is super linear and full of scripted events which present the illusion of player choice but are painfully transparent. And a critique this is not. Instead, Spec Ops The Line is full of every stereotype of modern shooters. You have a simple cover based mechanic, corridor level design even when outdoors, and while I admit the story had some surprising twists and memorable moments, it's all super predictable. Despite the short length I found myself wishing for it all to end so I could go play something else.

    You have your standard military assault rifles and SMGs and the occasional grenade launcher or whatever. You have emplaced turrets that no console shooter would be without. You have rail segments where memorizing the pattern of enemies is the only way to survive. This game is shooter cliche central and NOT the masterpiece other user reviews present it to be.

    Of course, no one is playing multiplayer anymore. If I had a dollar for every game this gen that tacked on multiplayer instead of creating a memorable and replayable singleplayer experience, I'd have a lot of dollars. Avoid this game unless you have a compulsion to play every shooter on the market.    … Expand
  52. MustisTheCat
    Jul 29, 2013
    5
    A typical example of a "graphics don`t make a game". This is actually the 3rd game in the last 5 years I uninstalled before beating it. I got few hours into it before I could make final judgement. 3 hours into this and nothing new comes up anymore. Basicly it`s just a game of shootout cutscene shootout line. There is no variety with the shooting, the sceneries are blend and uncreative.A typical example of a "graphics don`t make a game". This is actually the 3rd game in the last 5 years I uninstalled before beating it. I got few hours into it before I could make final judgement. 3 hours into this and nothing new comes up anymore. Basicly it`s just a game of shootout cutscene shootout line. There is no variety with the shooting, the sceneries are blend and uncreative. The weapons are just fine, but there is too few of them to make a difference in game experience. Ammunition is VERY scarce, so the player often runs around with no ammo, even when he preserves it by scoring single shot headshots repeatedly. The player faces the same 3 vs hordes of AI shootouts which are just silly. The AI is stupid, the wingmen AI is even worse. There is a ton of cheap deaths caused by wingmen not covering you, out of ammo, being stuck in a map corner you thought was interactive. The controls are very simple yet often the player character does exactly the opposite you want him to. The two things in this game that stand out are the story and the graphics. Dialogues are nice, all 3 chars have their own personality. The city of Dubai looks epic, what goes on in its ashes is often brutal and sad. Make no mistake war is hell, as always. However, those good sides would make a good movie, but the game-side of this one is just poor and completely ruins the atmosphere. All in all a very frustrating experience for which good movie-like features of Spec Ops The Line simply do not compensate. 5 out of 10.… Expand
  53. MrJagermeister
    Jul 28, 2013
    6
    When you go into the menu screen of spec ops the line you think that you are going to experience a very typical MMS. Patriotic American music, near post apocolipticish, and shooting brown people. But, you soon find that this is not a typical MMS. It is much darker. The game has a very dark story line about rouge 33rd battalion of US soldiers killing civilians in Dubai after a sand storm.When you go into the menu screen of spec ops the line you think that you are going to experience a very typical MMS. Patriotic American music, near post apocolipticish, and shooting brown people. But, you soon find that this is not a typical MMS. It is much darker. The game has a very dark story line about rouge 33rd battalion of US soldiers killing civilians in Dubai after a sand storm. You are a group of three men trying to rescue the civilians but by doing so you need to kill you own men, and the game makes you feel bad for it. Also, in one mission, you have to use napalm on the 33rd's soldiers because you would die if you didn't. But it turns out they were trying to help civilians and in bombing them you bomb innocent civilians. The game then makes you go and look at their mangled up burn corpses. I won't go any further as I don't want to spoil it for anyone.

    Spec Ops: The Line is a game you experience rather than enjoy. If you enjoy this game you are most likely a psychopath and need to go and see a doctor.

    Actual gameplay.

    The gameplay in Spec ops: The Line is typical of any other shooter and lets the game down in many ways. Also the mouse acceleration is infuriating to the extent that I actually had to switch to an Xbox pad.    … Expand
  54. oldcigarette
    Jul 22, 2013
    5
    Don't believe the hype about the story. The gameplay is alright I guess but nothing amazing. I guess if you thought Bioshock was deep you might get into this too...
  55. crazyboy1234
    May 6, 2013
    7
    Incredible game, I had heard awful things before buying on steam for $8, but this game has blown me away. The story locked me in from the very beginning. Stories really cannot be more under rated now-a-days as most gameplay seems to be discarded for graphics and dlc
  56. aznassassin
    May 3, 2013
    7
    Outstanding story, presentation and voice-work that is unfortunately brought down by mediocre, generic third person gunplay with clunky controls all wrapped up with repetitive level design. Spec Ops: The Line could've been so much more but ultimately, it's a decent, satisfactory shooter that'll entertain if you're sick of FPS titles and crave something a little different.
  57. nitai007
    Apr 30, 2013
    7
    spec-ops the line is overall a good game but a lot of the time your really bored from the uninspired story and gameplay. the gameplay in this game is boring. from a gameplay perspective it doesnt do anything new. the controls are a bit weird as well.
    the story isnt particularly bad, but it really generic in the first half of the game. the game starts good, and the dubai concept is cool,    spec-ops the line is overall a good game but a lot of the time your really bored from the uninspired story and gameplay. the gameplay in this game is boring. from a gameplay perspective it doesnt do anything new. the controls are a bit weird as well.
    the story isnt particularly bad, but it really generic in the first half of the game. the game starts good, and the dubai concept is cool, but then it gets bad and boring. after the first half though things start to get better. the story gets really deep, mature and touching. the story turns epic in the second half. so overall the story is good but it takes time untill you get there. the game also has player choice which make it really good. the game shows you the consequinces of your actions,even if they are bad(which makes the game much more mature and good)
    if you want a mature game that takes you seriously and shows you the consequinces of your actions, then you should buy this game. just expect few boring hours along the way.    … Expand
  58. p360assassin
    Feb 19, 2013
    6
    Before you read the following, remember this: the games story IS incredible and mature. Basicly, the games gameplay is awful. It is a worse version of gears of war, but with tons of massive difficulty spikes that cause frustration. It is the frustrating at points, I ended up shoving a gamepad (gamepad controls ARE worse, the people are just retarded) and turning aim assist and easy modeBefore you read the following, remember this: the games story IS incredible and mature. Basicly, the games gameplay is awful. It is a worse version of gears of war, but with tons of massive difficulty spikes that cause frustration. It is the frustrating at points, I ended up shoving a gamepad (gamepad controls ARE worse, the people are just retarded) and turning aim assist and easy mode on (aim assist seems broken with mouse and keyboard) because even tho I am a good gamer, the difficulty is just BS at points. The story however is great, starting off by appearing to be a generic shooter story, it quickly progresses into a very dark story which constantly makes you second guess your actions. And aside from one point, the main character does not seem to just randomly do something evil to give this feeling, it feels very realistic, and gritty. The story is based loosely off heart of darkness, and I have heard from people that you will guess the shock twist if you have read it. But if you havn't, it is VERY shocking but makes sense. Basicly, I recomend either rent the console version, or buy it when you can get it for cheap, since the gameplay sucks. Oh, and the multiplayer is god awful, don't take it into account.… Expand
  59. Siegfriedm
    Feb 9, 2013
    6
    An average game. Not a masterpiece, but actually a good game. This game has a good story (not so great or impressive as someone says), but sometimes seems to be a little confused. The graphic is not bad but also not great, just average and functional. The sound is maybe the worst part of the game. Weapon sounds are too dull and quiet. The soundtrack is anonymous and banal with only the USAn average game. Not a masterpiece, but actually a good game. This game has a good story (not so great or impressive as someone says), but sometimes seems to be a little confused. The graphic is not bad but also not great, just average and functional. The sound is maybe the worst part of the game. Weapon sounds are too dull and quiet. The soundtrack is anonymous and banal with only the US anthem that "stands out". Gameplay works good, but the game as some annoying bugs, like the stupid penetration of some surfaces (sometimes you can be hit also if are beyond a concrete wall), and there is a unresolved bug about sound in cutscenes.
    In the end, is a good game, worth money if you buy it for less than 15€. Sometimes frustrating, but is a good game.    … Expand
  60. Trokur
    Jan 15, 2013
    6
    I'm changing my review because I pulled a rookie move. If you are like me and have an xbox controller plugged into the PC, the game controls & tutorial want to focus on that controller, not keyboard settings. I play only certain types of games with a controller. FPS is not one of them. Even if you tell it to not use a controller in the options, it still does the entire tutorial withI'm changing my review because I pulled a rookie move. If you are like me and have an xbox controller plugged into the PC, the game controls & tutorial want to focus on that controller, not keyboard settings. I play only certain types of games with a controller. FPS is not one of them. Even if you tell it to not use a controller in the options, it still does the entire tutorial with controller bindings. So it stinks that you have to remove the controller in order for the game to talk to you in PC speak (WASD)... so to speak.… Expand
  61. DaedricDave
    Jan 12, 2013
    7
    I shall list some good and bad points about this game. First of all, the gameplay, the cover mechanics are average, however, the game does have some really nice slow motion effects in the gun-play. I wouldn't exactly call it bullet time, because there is not that much of it. For instance, after shooting an enemy in the head the game will go in slow motion for about one or two seconds. TheI shall list some good and bad points about this game. First of all, the gameplay, the cover mechanics are average, however, the game does have some really nice slow motion effects in the gun-play. I wouldn't exactly call it bullet time, because there is not that much of it. For instance, after shooting an enemy in the head the game will go in slow motion for about one or two seconds. The graphics are really nice, but if the game had anti-aliasing they would look a lot better! In the game you can make choices, however they do not have a big effect on the game. The storyline is very good, but some people may find it a little confusing. One of my MAJOR criticism's of this game is the fact that the gameplay time is only FOUR HOURS! (the campaign) Sure, you can replay it to experience the effect of different choices, but it's four hours! The multiplayer certainly isn't this game's strong point, as it is quite bad to be perfectly honest. With all of these points taken into consideration, I believe this game deserves a 7/10.… Expand
  62. MrSniker
    Jan 11, 2013
    5
    Bought the game for the story was pretty disappointed, I called the ending and story half way through and the game only lasts 4-6 hours. Gameplay mechanics are average, there's nothing really to comment on about them as they're really just average, you enter a room then you clear it. Gun variety sucks, and the only useful guns are Assault rifles. AI is stupid, often times your partnersBought the game for the story was pretty disappointed, I called the ending and story half way through and the game only lasts 4-6 hours. Gameplay mechanics are average, there's nothing really to comment on about them as they're really just average, you enter a room then you clear it. Gun variety sucks, and the only useful guns are Assault rifles. AI is stupid, often times your partners will just run in your line of fire or shoot people from out of cover and die. Level design is your typical TPS fare, you see cover you know there's an encounter soon. The game is overall underwhelming the story while different, isn't all that great and the game does nothing to set itself apart from it's peers other than story.… Expand
  63. darkcerb
    Jan 9, 2013
    5
    A game who's sole claim to fame is it's story, As someone who already knows war hero fantasy and or the "realistic shooter" genre is ridiculous and anyone who takes it seriously is equally ridiculous I found the story unnecessarily preachy. It's methods for displaying visuals and sounds as metaphors for the "heroes" mental state was clever but not groundbreaking. The action elements wereA game who's sole claim to fame is it's story, As someone who already knows war hero fantasy and or the "realistic shooter" genre is ridiculous and anyone who takes it seriously is equally ridiculous I found the story unnecessarily preachy. It's methods for displaying visuals and sounds as metaphors for the "heroes" mental state was clever but not groundbreaking. The action elements were much worse, the AI is average at best and so the gun play gets repetitive. All in all this title should be played for it's story, and even then it's preachy and self righteous overtones are going to annoy some people.… Expand
  64. AlexandrRosca
    Jan 8, 2013
    6
    Story is ok, but nothing really special. Graphics and sound mediocre. Gameplay is not entertaining at all. I would recommend to buy on sale, or skip entirely ;)
  65. SeanMartinRevw
    Dec 25, 2012
    7
    Spec Ops The Line is a perfect example of the 'opposite' of what games normally are today. Typically there would be great game play with an average story in the shooter market. Spec Ops boasts an incredible story which is immersive and... well that's all I can say without spoilers. Just know your going to get your moneys worth especially off steam when it comes to singleplayer. MultiplayerSpec Ops The Line is a perfect example of the 'opposite' of what games normally are today. Typically there would be great game play with an average story in the shooter market. Spec Ops boasts an incredible story which is immersive and... well that's all I can say without spoilers. Just know your going to get your moneys worth especially off steam when it comes to singleplayer. Multiplayer at the current date (26/12/2012 AUS) is dead but it is worth noting that Spec Ops has been selling quite well on steam as of late. Unfortunately I haven't gotten a fair go with it so I cant say much. Technically this game looks spectacular and is possible to run on lower end systems. Control wise Spec ops falters a little with clunky sprinting and cover mechanics both being things you will be doing a lot in the game. Shooting however does work well just remember to adjust your sensitivity. Overall I can't say I regret buying spec ops. The singleplayer while very short (4.2 hours for me) was worth the admission. In fact its so good I may play it again! If you can get it for less that $15AU then do it! I'm giving Spec Ops The Line a 7/10… Expand
  66. MayhemMike83
    Dec 22, 2012
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. After having read all those reviews I expected more from the story.
    It has something to it but the choices you get don't really have an impact. Often the game forces you to "accidentally" kill civilians and then plays the morality card on you. For example: -take out the army base with a mortar, last target is close to a civilian camp. Abort the mortar fire and go in on those remaining 2 soldiers? Nope, not allowed.
    -decide if a soldier or a civilian has to die! Go instead for the snipers that force you to make this decision? nope
    ....
    Besides the game is very repetitive. Enter a room, clear all enemy-waves, while being constantly low on ammo, proceed to the next room and do it again....

    Overall it is not a bad game but it does not shine either    … Expand
  67. JudgeHolden
    Sep 20, 2012
    7
    Great atmosphere, incredible immersion (yet with a bit foreseeable final)... and terrible, unbalanced shooting mechanics. This game combines very realistic plot with unrealistic gameplay, where you just have to kill a swarm of enemies and proceed forward. Oh, with a lot of reloads from time to time, as the controls are disastrous. Kill, go forward, reload, kill, go forward, reload. *Sigh*Great atmosphere, incredible immersion (yet with a bit foreseeable final)... and terrible, unbalanced shooting mechanics. This game combines very realistic plot with unrealistic gameplay, where you just have to kill a swarm of enemies and proceed forward. Oh, with a lot of reloads from time to time, as the controls are disastrous. Kill, go forward, reload, kill, go forward, reload. *Sigh* If Battlefield 3 had a similar story, it would be the best game of all times. Unfortunately, Spec Ops: The Line is not Battlefield 3. It's just another shooter, albeit with a GREAT story. Yager! Improve the shooting mechanics and make a sequel!… Expand
  68. nmv06
    Jul 28, 2012
    7
    The game has a really good story to it, and that was the only reason that made me play the entire game from start to finish. And at times left me just sitting in front of the pc and asking myself, "Could i have done things differently ?" On the other hand it's just a mediocre cover hugging shooter game that you just play so you will be able to pass from one part of the story to the otherThe game has a really good story to it, and that was the only reason that made me play the entire game from start to finish. And at times left me just sitting in front of the pc and asking myself, "Could i have done things differently ?" On the other hand it's just a mediocre cover hugging shooter game that you just play so you will be able to pass from one part of the story to the other and see what will happen next.
    The graphics(because they seem to be a big part of a players decision to buy a game) are really good, there are a lot of great scenery that you just stay there a little to look at them +for the graphics designers
    Overall, yes, it would be a good game to play, it really takes you into it, played it from start to finish in one day without stopping.    … Expand
  69. Rogyapa
    Jul 17, 2012
    7
    This game's single player story is quite good. The controls feel clunky, but get the job done. On that note, let me say that overall the controls do not have a nice smooth feel, nor does the slide into cover mechanic feel as fast or have as much "oomph" as it should (a la Gears of War). The attack command did not seem to work at all other than when prompted on screen( i.e. I'd be sittingThis game's single player story is quite good. The controls feel clunky, but get the job done. On that note, let me say that overall the controls do not have a nice smooth feel, nor does the slide into cover mechanic feel as fast or have as much "oomph" as it should (a la Gears of War). The attack command did not seem to work at all other than when prompted on screen( i.e. I'd be sitting their trying to get my teammates to take out certain enemies and the command wouldn't work, I'd get shot, and have to kill the bastards on my own). The guns have no real distinguishing features (at least to me they don't other than perhaps vertical recoil) other than certain attachments (the p90 has a laser sight, the m4 has a suppressor, the scar-h has a grenade launcher, etc). On that note let me say that this is a gory game ( though it could have done it in a slightly more realistic way than headshots always ending in exploding skulls with geysers of blood and grenade kills turning people into giblets). The finishing moves become increasingly more brutal as the game's story progresses, which is a great touch. The AI (at least on normal) is acceptable as they occasionally try to flank you or flush you out with grenades ( on harder difficulties the enemy AI shines while the teammate AI is terrible ). Teammate AI is tolerable on normal and vastly inferior on harder difficulties. The sand mechanic is a nice touch. Overall the game's story is disturbing, well written, but lacks choices that truly matters , the controls are clunky, squad command didn't work (at least for me), the enemy AI on lower difficulties is a worthless, the teammate AI is worthless in general, guns and overall movement lack any visceral punch. Minus the technical flaws, the story alone is worth playing this game for.… Expand
  70. freesta
    Jul 16, 2012
    7
    This game has it's strengths and weaknesses. I wouldn't call it a master piece, but it creates a distinct and interesting world that made me want to learn more about what's going on in the devastated city of dubai.
    It's story is different to what one would expect from a typical military shooter and that makes it worth playing.
  71. gvazdas
    Jul 8, 2012
    7
    The gameplay mechanics are mediocre. HOWEVER, the storyline in this game is fantastic. It is dark, gritty and sad. Don't expect any happy moments in this game. The sound in the game is also decent, however the gun sounds could use some work (in my opinion). Get this game, it's worth your time just for the great and interesting story.
  72. TheGrindeR
    Jul 7, 2012
    5
    Sounds, storyline and graphics are okay. The only and the biggest problem is that this game is a CONSOLE PORT. The cover system is horrible, i dead a lot becouse i can't take cover.
  73. doctormexican
    Jul 6, 2012
    5
    There is only one way to describe this game: An average shooter. There is no innovation in game play. It is the same exact run and shoot anything that moves game. The campaign is forgettable and the characters bland. Multiplayer is mildly entertaining for a while but do not expect to be entertained for more than a couple of days. It is not the game so much as the genre that is at fault.There is only one way to describe this game: An average shooter. There is no innovation in game play. It is the same exact run and shoot anything that moves game. The campaign is forgettable and the characters bland. Multiplayer is mildly entertaining for a while but do not expect to be entertained for more than a couple of days. It is not the game so much as the genre that is at fault. All shooters are the same and this one, being no different, is not worth recommending.… Expand
  74. desicrator
    Jul 5, 2012
    7
    Like many have said, the Shooting and cover mechanics are clunky and NOT the strength of this game. The game shines through in its narrative, the great story was the reason I continued to play. As someone who can quickly tire of a single player campaign this one kept me focused until the very end. However since there is a lack of replayability and multiplayer is nothing exceptional so ILike many have said, the Shooting and cover mechanics are clunky and NOT the strength of this game. The game shines through in its narrative, the great story was the reason I continued to play. As someone who can quickly tire of a single player campaign this one kept me focused until the very end. However since there is a lack of replayability and multiplayer is nothing exceptional so I cannot recommend this at full price. I picked mine up for $25. If you are looking for a single player game that is completely different from most "Rah! Rah! Go America" shooters, check this out. Finally having never seen "Apocalypse Now", I cannot compare the stories, however others have.… Expand
  75. ROMshinobi
    Jul 1, 2012
    5
    This game has a great story based on the "Heart of Darkness." The graphics for the characters and weapons are pretty good but the environments are very bland without too much texture or shadow effects. It was clearly meant to run smoothly on the current generation of consoles. The game is a third person shooter and the cover mechanics work well. But, any shooter is about the guns andThis game has a great story based on the "Heart of Darkness." The graphics for the characters and weapons are pretty good but the environments are very bland without too much texture or shadow effects. It was clearly meant to run smoothly on the current generation of consoles. The game is a third person shooter and the cover mechanics work well. But, any shooter is about the guns and this is where the game really is dissappointing. The guns sound very tinny and not even close to real life weapons. You know how people make fun of shooter games by saying: "Pew pew" and so forth. These guns actually sound like that!! Ha ha. It draws away from any immersive feel you were supposed to get. It may be worth a play through for the story but as a rental only. Check out Ghost Recon Future Soldier if you like this type of game. Ubisoft knows how to make this type of game.… Expand
  76. Grpc
    Jul 1, 2012
    6
    I think the story was quite engageing and I fast felt like I was a part of it. One of the best features in this title is the story because it's quite deep and well writen. The graphics are pretty solid and what you would expect from a multiplatform game. However the things that drag this game down is the shooting part. The controls are quite bad and atleas I don't get any flow in myI think the story was quite engageing and I fast felt like I was a part of it. One of the best features in this title is the story because it's quite deep and well writen. The graphics are pretty solid and what you would expect from a multiplatform game. However the things that drag this game down is the shooting part. The controls are quite bad and atleas I don't get any flow in my movement due to a clunky cover system. But mostly it's the shooting part that doesn't tickle my fancy. To me it feels soulless and there are no feel of the weapons. But the game is atleast according to me a solid action experiance with a good and wellwriten storyline.… Expand
  77. kartana
    Jun 29, 2012
    6
    Another one of 'those' games. You are in third person, you get swarmed by enemies, you take cover, you shoot the enemies and move on. Rinse and repeat. Very mind numbing even though it is not a bad game.
  78. gruia
    Jun 28, 2012
    7
    Weak mechanics. I've played this in parallel to Future soldier. Man this game is broken .. AI sucks, level design is awful.
    The feeling is ok, ending redeems itself somewhat. But the lack of options throughout the game really disconnects you from the main char. So I don't think it will be very memorable. it probably needed half a year of work to be a 8.5. That's where game design limits it.
  79. Rockstorm
    Jun 27, 2012
    6
    This game is yet another entry to the hide-behind-all-those-conveniently-placed-covers-and-shoot-from-there category. Graphically it is alright but suffers from being overly way too bright and the game play isn't anything that we haven't already seen before. At least the story tries to explore the horrors of war but unfortunately fails to deliver due to poor execution.

    Overall a very    This game is yet another entry to the hide-behind-all-those-conveniently-placed-covers-and-shoot-from-there category. Graphically it is alright but suffers from being overly way too bright and the game play isn't anything that we haven't already seen before. At least the story tries to explore the horrors of war but unfortunately fails to deliver due to poor execution.

    Overall a very mediocre shooter.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

81
#81 Best PC Game of 2012
22
#22 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012
14
#14 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Oct 13, 2012
    80
    Spec Ops: The Line tries new and interesting ground on storytelling, but falls short on the action department. Still, it's worth playing through for the atmosphere and few different endings alone. [Aug 2012]
  2. PC Master (Greece)
    Aug 31, 2012
    89
    Were it not for some technical issues and console-related shortcomings (gamepad controls and no anti-aliasing), Spec Ops: The Line would be one of the best games for 2012. But, things being as they are, it remains merely a diamond in the rough, destined for wicked crazy status within the following years. Definitely superior to the related series of Kane & Lynch, it proves that, with a steady vision and soul, a genre so clichéd like military shooters, can not only surprise us pleasantly, but totally overwhelm us. [August 2012]
  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Aug 10, 2012
    70
    Expectations were greater than game could have achieved. Yet the new Spec Ops game is a good excuse to stay home and play. [Issue#220]
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