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. 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.
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. Potitoman
    Aug 3, 2014
    9
    This game hit me like a ton of bricks. It should be called the anti-Call of Duty. You question the morality of what you're doing and the consequences of your actions. This isn't some laughable morality system like in Bio-Shock, this is a game that shocks and forces you to contemplate what you're doing.
    The gameplay is ok in a Gears of War kind of way and graphics are very console, but the    This game hit me like a ton of bricks. It should be called the anti-Call of Duty. You question the morality of what you're doing and the consequences of your actions. This isn't some laughable morality system like in Bio-Shock, this is a game that shocks and forces you to contemplate what you're doing.
    The gameplay is ok in a Gears of War kind of way and graphics are very console, but the story, Jesus, the story. I'm still thinking about it. Christ, the ending has got to be one of the best I've seen.

    I can't give the story away but you can see touches of Apocalypse Now every now and then. There is no ham-fisted message about war being bad. There is no sentimental manipulation. It's all presented as matter of fact and you'll feel it in your stomach.

    Recomended as a rare experience in gaming. There's no jingoism of flag waving here.
    No other game shaken me like this and the ending, man, the ending... I need a hug.    … Expand
  5. 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
  6. 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.
  7. 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
  8. Ukropgreen
    Jun 4, 2020
    9
    Настоящая классика. Один из лучших образчиков жанра. Качественный пример того, как надо подавать сложную тему "серой морали" и ужасов войны. Spec Ops: The Line – это поистине гремучая смесь из хорошего геймплея, отличной музыки, великолепного арт-дирекшена и по-настоящему захватывающей истории, которая приведёт вас в самое сердце тьмы города Дубай.Настоящая классика. Один из лучших образчиков жанра. Качественный пример того, как надо подавать сложную тему "серой морали" и ужасов войны. Spec Ops: The Line – это поистине гремучая смесь из хорошего геймплея, отличной музыки, великолепного арт-дирекшена и по-настоящему захватывающей истории, которая приведёт вас в самое сердце тьмы города Дубай.
  9. Malefic
    Aug 28, 2013
    4
    What can I say about this game. The gameplay was ok, though nothing we haven't seen in countless other shooters. What is super annoying however is the "America vs. the world" garbage found in so many games and movies nowadays. Right down to the guitar solo playing during the main menu I mean seriously, how cliché is that.

    What a joke. Even for a free game, I'm still left feeling    What can I say about this game. The gameplay was ok, though nothing we haven't seen in countless other shooters. What is super annoying however is the "America vs. the world" garbage found in so many games and movies nowadays. Right down to the guitar solo playing during the main menu I mean seriously, how cliché is that.

    What a joke. Even for a free game, I'm still left feeling somehow ripped off.    … Expand
  10. nima1990
    Aug 25, 2014
    9
    Positive:
    1. Great story
    2. Stunning visuals
    3. Competent character design and characterization
    4. Solid voice acting
    5. Perfect endings
    6. Finishes right where it should without becoming a drag

    Negative:
    1. Very buggy and lots of technical issues
    2. The combat is mediocre at best
  11. 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
  12. kharnevil
    Nov 18, 2013
    3
    While it's mediocre third person action fest albeit with some gorgeous set pieces with a soundtrack of Alice in Chains. Björk The Black Angels, Black Mountain, Deep Purple, Inner Circle's, Jimi Hendrix, Martha and the Vandellas Mogwai, Nine Inch Nails and Giuseppe Verdi helps a lot to compensate
  13. 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
  14. prozium83
    May 13, 2014
    8
    Game is awesome. Playing the game, soon or later you are asking yourself: Is it all necessary? IMO One of the best shooter I've ever played. Very good game
  15. cristiadu
    Sep 26, 2014
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I don't see the reason why this game didn't get a rate higher than 80, for me at least is one of the most enjoyable games that I ever played. There's a lot of enemies, the control (over the PC, not console) is pretty good, and the graphics are not the top of the line, but are really good. The choices within the game are fun, and sometimes you don't even realize that you did a choice before your teammates say something like "wow, why did you kill him?".

    It's really worthy playing.    … Expand
  16. telerabies
    Jul 10, 2014
    8
    Finally I get to play this controversial game (because I want to read the book "killing is harmless" solely written on this game).

    It is a short game, I finished it (at least the majority of the narrative) in 5 hours. But the gameplay, to be honest, is mediocre if not horrible. Plus Multiplayer is dead. Graphics, let's say, mediocre again because it is really not impressive. The whole    Finally I get to play this controversial game (because I want to read the book "killing is harmless" solely written on this game).

    It is a short game, I finished it (at least the majority of the narrative) in 5 hours. But the gameplay, to be honest, is mediocre if not horrible. Plus Multiplayer is dead. Graphics, let's say, mediocre again because it is really not impressive. The whole weight of the game goes to the narrative. It is really a anti-FPS shooter game. I even doubt if they actually made the other aspects of the game deliberately awful so as the player can focus on the "shock" of the narrative. Thus it is most fun to play this game with the expectation that this is just another shooter like GoW etc.

    The choices (and how impotent they are) the player are asked to make reminded me of Mass Effect series particularly 3 and its ending. The psychological manipulation and guilt-driven portrayal of war all aims at making the player uncomfortable (possibly contemplating). The hero is the villain. It is not the usual "there is no clear cut between hero and villain" rehtorics, but the entire dichotomy is destroyed. There is no justice in a war and it does not matter which side you choose. When the soldier is bodily on the battlefield, the gore and brutality does permanent damage to him. It affects the protagonist to its core while the he strives to maintain his legitimacy through construction of himself as the hero regardless of what he had done to many lives.

    Now I am going to read that whole book, if I ever got the time.    … Expand
  17. Longshots
    Aug 7, 2014
    9
    Story:
    almost as amazing as The Last Of Us

    Gameplay:
    Gunfire: takes a long while getting used to
    Covor: averadge at best

    Graphics: fine

    overall it is one of the best games ive ever played. it proudly stands at the top of the War games along side Modern Warfare 2
  18. epicfuzz45
    Jul 13, 2014
    4
    I played this game for a few hours and I have no motivation to continue. I have heard that the story is fantastic and really brings up the horrid nature of war and survival, but so far all it did was wimp out of a chance of really making the player feel uncomfortable about what there doing by having all the enemies be terrible evil people rather than just folks trying to survive. When youI played this game for a few hours and I have no motivation to continue. I have heard that the story is fantastic and really brings up the horrid nature of war and survival, but so far all it did was wimp out of a chance of really making the player feel uncomfortable about what there doing by having all the enemies be terrible evil people rather than just folks trying to survive. When you take that away all you have is the gameplay, and this is the most painfully generic third person shooter I have ever played, I mean it, It brings absolutely nothing to the table. I was disappointed. The good parts of it are that the visuals are really cool and there are some amazingly creative and awe striking levels that really show the power of nature and really try and convey the desperation of the dead city, voice acting and characters are enjoyable too. But the GAME part of the game is so painfully generic that Its no fun to play. I quit when the main character fell of a **** building for no reason and survived, I normally would not focus on this s much if the game was not trying to be realistic and gritty.… Expand
  19. Binarygeek
    Sep 1, 2014
    4
    First off the early story of the game is quite interesting, though they never explain what exactly happened with Dubai. Then it goes preachy. This isn't the subtle "war is bad" moral quandary one might expect with a few moral choices, every chance it gets, it beats over the head with the message. Even during loading screens where it asks "do you feel like a hero yet?" or "how manyFirst off the early story of the game is quite interesting, though they never explain what exactly happened with Dubai. Then it goes preachy. This isn't the subtle "war is bad" moral quandary one might expect with a few moral choices, every chance it gets, it beats over the head with the message. Even during loading screens where it asks "do you feel like a hero yet?" or "how many Americans have you killed today?" There are some upsides to the game, plenty of weapons to choose from to kill enemies with (hint: those would be Americans), a great soundtrack featuring some cool classic rock songs. One firefight that was cool was in a tower in Dubai (most of them are actually) and they had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide by Martha And The Vandellas, all while hunting down enemy forces. Now to the truly awful. The mechanics. It seems the designers were sick during that section of development and just phoned it in. I honestly want to know what genius decided to map the sprint, cover and action to the same button. The AI is basic, and that goes for both sides. The collision detection is a joke, I managed to get shot through cover almost constantly. The game had potential, I've played bad games simply for the story. If a story drags me in then I can suffer through mechanics that were designed by a team of four year olds. What I can't suffer is when I pay for a game and the dev team gets preachy and bashes me over the head with the same message for every level for 8+ levels. Eventually I stopped playing because of that simple fact. I would recommend avoiding the game and finding a game worth your money. I cannot fathom who the target market is for this game, unless there's a demographic that likes being told that they're evil and disturbed individuals every time they load the game. Honestly, avoid this one folks, even if you see it in the bargain bin. It's just not worth it.… Expand
  20. 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.
  21. TonyKontana
    May 17, 2015
    10
    Один из лучших сюжетов в игровой индустрии. Подражание "Апокалипсис Сегодня" и "Сердце Тьмы", отличная концовка, отличный сеттинг (Дубаи после катастрофы), музыкальная составляющая без лишних слов прекрасна.
  22. Jodle
    Dec 1, 2015
    8
    awesome gameplay and story but to short . .
  23. Wachin
    Oct 29, 2017
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Review salvaje en español ha aparecido *Emoji riendo* *Emoji Riendo*, bueno su historia es exelente con personajes bien llevados con un desarrollo bueno y no forzado. con las muertes de Lugo y Adams se nota esto por que duelen encerio. Quisas se vuelva un poco repetitiva esa secuencia de matar y ver la destruccion sin sentido causada, Los antagonistas (Kornad y Walker) cumplen muy bien su rol (Tanto Kornad segun la "ilusion") y Walker en la realidad… Expand
  24. CenkAlp
    Jan 3, 2018
    8
    Hikaye = 9
    Oynanış = 8
    Grafikler = 8
    Sesler = 7
    Keyif = 7
    Atmosfer = 8
    Süre = 7
  25. EptaEpt
    Sep 13, 2022
    1
    Sorry, but positive feedback is not available in your region. At least until your leadership changes the two-faced policy in their actions and statements.
    Sorry, but positive feedback is not available in your region. At least until your leadership changes the two-faced policy in their actions and statements.
  26. 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
  27. RigbyTheMad
    Oct 11, 2020
    0
    I bought it in 2020 for real money and after 3 hours of play time the game crashes due to a critical error. The story doesn't go on. It can never work. I don't get my money back! It's worth nothing! Disgusting!

    Ryzen 2600x
    Gtx 1070ti
    16 gb ddr4
    512 gb kingston ssd
  28. ErhanCeylan123
    Jul 17, 2020
    9
    Do you feel like a hero yet? A game that shows the real face of the war.It is worth to experience.
  29. ave
    Feb 3, 2018
    9
    "You brought this on yourself" - Truth is, I wouldn't have played Spec Ops: The Line if I hadn't heard about what makes it unique in the shooter realm.

    In a nutshell, it's a third-person shooter set in Dubaï that starts as your everday-shooter... and ends up being a political, social and cultural commentary on war, heroism and videogames - and this last one is the strongest achievement    "You brought this on yourself" - Truth is, I wouldn't have played Spec Ops: The Line if I hadn't heard about what makes it unique in the shooter realm.

    In a nutshell, it's a third-person shooter set in Dubaï that starts as your everday-shooter... and ends up being a political, social and cultural commentary on war, heroism and videogames - and this last one is the strongest achievement of Spec Ops: The Line.

    Both the gameplay and the story are in service of the theme of the game, obviously borrowed from Hearts of Darkness.

    Aside of the super-obvious sequences that puts the theme "in your face", I invite you to appreciate the more subtle work on the verticality of level design, the writing of the lines, and also the evolution of certains ingame mechanics.

    Can't really say more without spoiling too much of it.    … Expand
  30. 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
Page:

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]
See all critic reviews »