User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1814 Ratings

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  1. Dec 17, 2022
    9
    Потрясающее произведение с антивоенным посылом.
    На моей памяти - это один из лучших сюжетов в видеоиграх, в шутерах так точно.
    Повторюсь. Это не просто тупая пострелушка, а настоящее качественное художественное произведение со своей моралью. Похожее: х/ф "Апокалипсис сегодня". Я вам запрещаю играть ниже высокой сложности ! Так как сам геймплей ничего особо революционного не
    Потрясающее произведение с антивоенным посылом.
    На моей памяти - это один из лучших сюжетов в видеоиграх, в шутерах так точно.
    Повторюсь. Это не просто тупая пострелушка, а настоящее качественное художественное произведение со своей моралью.
    Похожее: х/ф "Апокалипсис сегодня".

    Я вам запрещаю играть ниже высокой сложности !
    Так как сам геймплей ничего особо революционного не предлагает, играя на более низких уровнях, вы возможно заскучаете. Сам не знаю, так как играл только на высоком. А вот, что я могу гарантировать - это то, что вы куда лучше вольётесь в роль профессионального солдата и будете сидеть как на иголках во время напряжённых сражений, играя на соответсвующей.
    В своё время игра очень плохо окупилась и вы можете это исправить.
    9/10
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  2. Feb 5, 2023
    9
    Это одна из первых игр моего детства. И, несмотря на возраст и недостатки, о которых я сейчас узнаю от других, она не кажется мне плохой
  3. Jun 9, 2023
    9
    A 2010s FPS with something to say! Gunplay is average and there are some outdated design decisions, but overall its a game that has intention. Its direction is very strong, and it offers you a deceptive amount of freedom in how you approach situations. The descent into madness feels believable and unstoppable and its a strong commentary on war **** That said, i wonder how it's story hasA 2010s FPS with something to say! Gunplay is average and there are some outdated design decisions, but overall its a game that has intention. Its direction is very strong, and it offers you a deceptive amount of freedom in how you approach situations. The descent into madness feels believable and unstoppable and its a strong commentary on war **** That said, i wonder how it's story has held up today when those themes are less relevant in the zeitgeist. Expand
  4. Jul 18, 2012
    8
    Spec Ops for me was a harrowing experience. You do not play this game for the purposes of 'fun', you play it to experience what amounts to a character study of the main characters slow trip into madness. The combat is not 'fun'; it can be repetitive, frustrating, and depressing. There is no satisfaction gained by killing waves of enemies. The story is brutal and depressing (catching aSpec Ops for me was a harrowing experience. You do not play this game for the purposes of 'fun', you play it to experience what amounts to a character study of the main characters slow trip into madness. The combat is not 'fun'; it can be repetitive, frustrating, and depressing. There is no satisfaction gained by killing waves of enemies. The story is brutal and depressing (catching a theme?). It creates false choices, a sense of distance from your 'character', a general feeling of detachment from your actions and a nagging sense of hopelessness. So why on earth would you want to play a game that actively tries to prevent you from gathering any amount of enjoyment from it? Because this game is a work of art and a compelling experience. It was conceived as the Heart of Darkness/Apocalypse Now of video games and it uses every tool available inside the medium to create the mood achieved in those works. To put it bluntly, nothing about this game will make you feel accomplished and in the rare points that you do, it takes that away from you, through both gameplay, cinematics, and even the loading screens. Late in the game when you die the loading screens will mock you telling you things like "Do you even know why you are here" and "He would have most likely suffered from PTSD, dying made him the lucky one". This game is not for everyone, especially those who just want to turn off or want to only have 'fun'. This game is for those of us who want to see video games tackle major topics maturely (in this case; war crimes) and do so with respect. If you are sketchy, I would wait until the price drops. With only a 7 hour campaign and almost laughable multiplayer, this game is not going to give you 50 hours of game play. Over all I am very glad I now own this game and really encourage all of you to play it in some way. Expand
  5. Aug 8, 2012
    8
    Spec ops: The Line's gameplay is nothing but average, consisting of one killzone after another, and the action is repetitive and generic. But that's the point. Spec ops doesn't try to be a good "shooter", but rather tries to make a statement, and forces you to face the atrocities of war head on. The main character is Walker, a veteran american soldier, which is sent to Dubai with two otherSpec ops: The Line's gameplay is nothing but average, consisting of one killzone after another, and the action is repetitive and generic. But that's the point. Spec ops doesn't try to be a good "shooter", but rather tries to make a statement, and forces you to face the atrocities of war head on. The main character is Walker, a veteran american soldier, which is sent to Dubai with two other soldiers under his command , to find survivors from the 33rd division of the american fleet. The story shows what happened to the soldiers and citiznes during the war. Walker understands that there is more then meets the eye in the city and that the 33rd division has become corrupted as the enemies they were trying do defeat. During the entire game you wil have to perform morally wrong actions and kill thousands of soldiers, and worse. Many people will not last untill the end, for more then one reason. Some will be sick of the terrible choices that the game forces them to make and just quit. Others will find the gunplay repetitive and decide it's not worth playing till the end. Oh but it is. The ending is showing everything you would never think of while playing and makes everything seems logical. It explains everything you questioned and will stay in your head long after you see it. This game exists purely to make you see why war should never be taken lightly, and why the addiction to military shooters such as Call of duty brings out the inner beast in us all. Never before have I played a game that made me feel so bad, and yet made me appreciate it. Only those that will play untill the end will understand the game's true meaning. You won't find a triple A shooter here, nor will you find exceptional production values, but you will find something deeper then you might expect. Don't let the generic shooting fool you, because you won't find anything else like it, once you finished it. So, how far would you go to complete your mission? When will you feel like you are crossing the line? Play and find out. Expand
  6. Sep 17, 2012
    8
    Im going to against my gut feeling so I can produce a reliable review. why this score. Well to rebalance the morons who gave it a red score.
    Some are right. If you bug this game for multiplayer or groundbreaking gameplay mechanics. Or cutting edge graphics, this game isnt for you, but if you love a story. Its unbetable. first, im a PC gamer therefore a graphics whore. The graphics arent
    Im going to against my gut feeling so I can produce a reliable review. why this score. Well to rebalance the morons who gave it a red score.
    Some are right. If you bug this game for multiplayer or groundbreaking gameplay mechanics. Or cutting edge graphics, this game isnt for you, but if you love a story. Its unbetable. first, im a PC gamer therefore a graphics whore. The graphics arent fabulous, but every scene has detail, good lighting, and there is a huge variety (of unfortunately mediocre quality) textures. Many are used only once, very uncomon for a game. gameplay. For a cover based third person shooter, there is nothing new, but it certainly does alot better than most game. Sometimes a bit clunky, but only a few times making me angry. The shooting is nice. Head shots are deadly, and body shots do the damage they should. story. The key feature. People says it is copying heart of darkness and apocalyps now would be correct. It certainly is. But thats a good thing. For a game to be able to capture such a magnificent storytelling feat is monumentous. Never has a developer gone so brave in a video game, yet pulled it off so well. My hats of to all who worked on the game. Thankyou investors for going brave (even if you did fore a generic tac on multiplayer as a contiingency) overall this is yet another game tha makes me want to go and rate every other game I have said has a good story down a point, and yet another to add to my hillariously big list if "games you must play" with this one sitting very near the top with such beasts as red dead redemption and assassins creed.
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  7. Jun 30, 2012
    8
    Incredible storyline, the Apocalypse Now for the next generation. However, I feel that I've already spoken too much.

    Gameplay is fantastic and a great story. Do not miss this game. However, one major gripe I had for the whole game was the controls. A game should be fun, the difficulty from the challenge on completing the game and each chapter. A game's challenge should not come from
    Incredible storyline, the Apocalypse Now for the next generation. However, I feel that I've already spoken too much.

    Gameplay is fantastic and a great story. Do not miss this game.

    However, one major gripe I had for the whole game was the controls. A game should be fun, the difficulty from the challenge on completing the game and each chapter. A game's challenge should not come from the cumbersome Console controls which Spec Ops The Line is from. Instead of life and death struggles, you'll have controlitis struggles, because your very life depends on whether you double clicked the same key for various commands. I understand Consoles have limited buttons, but PCs do not. Once again, Developers fail to polish what is probably one of the better games released in 2012. And for that, what would have been a perfect 10 is now an 8.
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  8. May 5, 2013
    8
    Spec Ops: The Line is a psychological deconstruction of the shooter genre masquerading as a third person shooter with mediocre mechanics. I don't want to go into too much depth talking about the story, but it's very, very dark, and very, very good. Level design and atmosphere are top notch, but the shooting, controls and weapons are awkward leave a lot to be desired. The shootingSpec Ops: The Line is a psychological deconstruction of the shooter genre masquerading as a third person shooter with mediocre mechanics. I don't want to go into too much depth talking about the story, but it's very, very dark, and very, very good. Level design and atmosphere are top notch, but the shooting, controls and weapons are awkward leave a lot to be desired. The shooting portions seem to drag on even though you can complete it in about 5-6 hours, and I guess there's an obligatory multiplayer mode too. Don't get this game to shoot stuff, get it because of the story. Expand
  9. Apr 12, 2013
    8
    A high quality title in every sense. Controls are excellent even on the PC version, gameplay is solid, has a good story and on highest settings it's one of the most graphically vibrant games. The lighting is better than Battlefield 3 (and certainly the best lighting of any third-person game), textures are crisp, facial detail is excellent and it's not too demanding. Not only does the gameA high quality title in every sense. Controls are excellent even on the PC version, gameplay is solid, has a good story and on highest settings it's one of the most graphically vibrant games. The lighting is better than Battlefield 3 (and certainly the best lighting of any third-person game), textures are crisp, facial detail is excellent and it's not too demanding. Not only does the game look great, it plays well too. Think of it as a military Gears of War with more realistic story, characters & context. This is undoubtedly amongst the greatest third-person shooters on PC. It lacks in innovation and doesn't do anything particularly interesting or new, but it's a great game. One thing to be wary of is that although it's a story-heavy game, it isn't well-explained and can be hard to follow. Even if you don't understand what's going on though, it's still a good story regardless because of the way it's presented and paced. Multiplayer is not even worth considering, since there's nobody playing it online. It's a good job all achievements for the game are offline! Expand
  10. Jan 3, 2013
    8
    Pretty good short Single Player experience. I had one or two laughs but this game is mostly very dark, people die and cry, and mostly it's because of your actions. That's also why I liked this game, you are no hero just a soldier in war.
  11. Oct 6, 2012
    8
    It is rare that the game sucked so plot, atmosphere. It is rare that a choice in the game a long time and then we wonder so regret your choice. Really great atmosphere and feelings that accompany the game. It is true that the gameplay itself is not a medal, and the game could be made ​​better, then it is a good fun game that is worth playing. My Rating - 7.5 / 10
  12. Nov 6, 2012
    8
    The Line isn't for the most fanatic arcade shooters, but it is not meant to be. It has little bit better tha average 3rd person cover shooter mechanics and makes up it weaknesses with superb story telling (even though loading screen "motivation" texts little bit kills the mood. Game looks nice and isn't too shiny which supports the story. Enemy AI works well enough but your own companionsThe Line isn't for the most fanatic arcade shooters, but it is not meant to be. It has little bit better tha average 3rd person cover shooter mechanics and makes up it weaknesses with superb story telling (even though loading screen "motivation" texts little bit kills the mood. Game looks nice and isn't too shiny which supports the story. Enemy AI works well enough but your own companions are suicidal if ordered to do anything else than snipe or take out enemy's strongpoint. Expand
  13. Nov 20, 2012
    8
    Mature single player game with fantastic smooth graphics and unique shooter gameplay. We need more shooters like this and less of the same old formula other companies are churning out. For a shooter with a story, albeit a dark one, look no further than Spec Ops:The Line.
  14. Aug 25, 2012
    8
    This game was quite a bit different than I was first expecting. First, the good: This game has the most original storyline in a shooter in a long time. It's super engaging and the voice actors really do a terrific job selling it to the player, especially Nolan North, who plays the main character of the game, as he delivers one of his most impressive performances in a long time. It's reallyThis game was quite a bit different than I was first expecting. First, the good: This game has the most original storyline in a shooter in a long time. It's super engaging and the voice actors really do a terrific job selling it to the player, especially Nolan North, who plays the main character of the game, as he delivers one of his most impressive performances in a long time. It's really engaging and will have you guessing till the end. Now the bad: The gameplay is average at best. It's a cover based style shooter, much like Gears of War, but the cover system is nowhere near as sound as that game was and the controls in this game are pretty bad. The controls themselves will cause a few deaths in the later stages of the campaign mode so just prepare yourself for some cheap, unavoidable deaths toward the end. The multiplayer is not very good, mostly because of the same problems as above. I had problems staying in the few games I tried playing, and only finished one of the matches I went into cause of connection issues. But this game is single-player focused and you should buy it for the single-player.....but not right now. Spec Ops is not worth the full price most places are asking for it right now. This game would easily be worth 20-30 bucks, and I wouldn't hesitate to jump on it if I were to see it at that price. However, the flaws and the fact that there's plenty of better shooters to play if all you is multiplayer, keep this from being a game that is worthy of your average person's hard earned cash. I can personally see this game being in that price range toward the end of the year so wait till then unless you see some sort of special deal. But wait on this game and go buy Gears 3 and the DLC for the 360 if you REALLY have to fill a need for a 3rd Person Shooter right now. Expand
  15. Jul 7, 2014
    8
    This is a game that once you've finished it the first time, you will not want to play again because you won't feel good about the killing anymore. So zero replay value due to the emotional effect it has on you. But, that first time through, damn what an experience. It's like a really good, horrifying war movie. If it was a movie you could watch it over and over because you are not the oneThis is a game that once you've finished it the first time, you will not want to play again because you won't feel good about the killing anymore. So zero replay value due to the emotional effect it has on you. But, that first time through, damn what an experience. It's like a really good, horrifying war movie. If it was a movie you could watch it over and over because you are not the one pulling the trigger. However in the game it is you and the game forces you to make your character do things you don't want him to do. You want to tell your character, "don't do this". Expand
  16. Aug 30, 2012
    8
    I found this game to be very good. The story was incredible and the gunplay was decent. The game is pretty short though which is pretty unfortunate. I believe that the game should've been released for like 40 or 30 dollars with no multiplayer and it would be much better.
  17. Jul 15, 2012
    8
    Nice atmosphere adn plot. Shootouts are somewhat fresh and fun. Characters are good. Graphically is more than decent with some great spots. It made me think about heart of darkness in modern times... Overall a solid quality game. 8.
  18. Jan 16, 2013
    8
    Game which is not so fun to play, you probably could find better 3rd person shooter, but the message it has to bring is so powerful that can blow away CoD/Battlefield ideology in a snap. If you liked Apocalypse Now, you'll probably like this game.
  19. Aug 27, 2016
    8
    Interesting story, but the insanity part seems a bit far stretched. Anyway, makes you think a lot. Very emerging presentation. Gameplay is good enough for a military shooter and feels very plausible, as far as that can go in a game. It's a bit short, < 10 hours on normal / hard. A few nice visuals, but a lot of sand.
  20. May 6, 2013
    8
    Very fun game, great history, keeps you entertained, you want to keep playing to find what's coming next.

    I have no issues with gameplay, its pretty fun to me.

    Only reason I don't give a 9 or 10 is because of the miserable console port....
  21. Dec 28, 2012
    8
    Spec ops: The Line is a really great game if you are looking for a deep and well-told story. As a shooter it is mostly average: the controls work in most situations, there is a reasonable amount of different locations the graphics are nice although sound is a bit lacking.

    So if you are looking for a shooter and don't care about the story you will get a few hours of decent entertainment
    Spec ops: The Line is a really great game if you are looking for a deep and well-told story. As a shooter it is mostly average: the controls work in most situations, there is a reasonable amount of different locations the graphics are nice although sound is a bit lacking.

    So if you are looking for a shooter and don't care about the story you will get a few hours of decent entertainment with the campaign but for you it will probably be something 5-ish.
    If you are looking for a good multiplayer experience you might just rage-quit the game and look for a way to rate it below 0.
    But if you play games mostly for their story, like I do, you will love it and for you it may very well be a 9 or 10.
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  22. Oct 12, 2012
    8
    Spec Ops is an interesting game. Its cover-based shoot and duck gameplay works pretty well and the developers have put some interesting ideas involving sand into the game that i really enjoyed. The gameplay do have some of the issues that duck and cover games often have. Regenerated health can get really annoying, a ridiculous amount of enemies at every shoot-out room, the shooting gets aSpec Ops is an interesting game. Its cover-based shoot and duck gameplay works pretty well and the developers have put some interesting ideas involving sand into the game that i really enjoyed. The gameplay do have some of the issues that duck and cover games often have. Regenerated health can get really annoying, a ridiculous amount of enemies at every shoot-out room, the shooting gets a little bit repetitive after a while. Despite this i would say that the gameplay is pretty good, but that is not where the game shines. What makes this game shine is its story and atmosphere and how the game presents them. Spec ops has a very unique story and a very unique way of presenting it. The games story and presentation is just amazing and something that i have never seen in a military shooter before and i wholeheartedly recommend this game for every shooter enthusiast out there simple for the games narrative. Expand
  23. Jul 14, 2012
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Incredible story, CIA vs US Army vs Delta very dramatic story that bring me a total different felling of TPS game. This game is not a good game, (suck control, bad AI of teammate, worst point that enemy swap), but every scene, step-by-step bring you stress on it. It makes you feel you are really in Dubai, and deal with those problem.
    At last, "There's always a choice!" but in the game "There is really not"
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  24. Jan 16, 2013
    8
    Spec Ops combines mediocre gameplay with impressive visuals and a compelling story to create a must-play experience. The 3rd-person shooter gameplay is pretty unimpressive: the cover system is temperamental, the aiming sucks, the weapons are boring, and stealth is rarely possible. Moreover, the two squad mates which you are obliged to work with are rarely more than a liability. ThankfullySpec Ops combines mediocre gameplay with impressive visuals and a compelling story to create a must-play experience. The 3rd-person shooter gameplay is pretty unimpressive: the cover system is temperamental, the aiming sucks, the weapons are boring, and stealth is rarely possible. Moreover, the two squad mates which you are obliged to work with are rarely more than a liability. Thankfully the game makes up for these major shortcomings by placing you in a truly impressive setting: the sand-covered city of Dubai. Not only does this uniquely-opulent city serve as eye-candy (the attention to detail is as impressive as the models themselves), but it creates a truly memorable geography: the sand-dune you're fighting on might turn out to be on top of a skyscraper, or you might take refuge from a sand storm inside a hotel with a giant aquarium beneath your feet. Finally, the narrative told through the game and the emotional impact of the events as they unfold are very good. Spec Ops does a surprisingly good job of not only telling a compelling story, but of making you empathize with the characters and internalize your actions. It's a game that will make you question your own actions within the game and by extension, your attitude toward such military/shooter games. Despite its flaws, this is a game which I wholeheartedly recommend. Expand
  25. Apr 29, 2020
    8
    'Spec ops: the line' is an effective psychological third-person shooter that perfectly asks 'you' the player if your actions of carnage truly justify the means.

    The game looks deeply at 'madness', 'violence' and really captures that feeling of disgust as you move through the crumbling city of Dubi, killing all that stands in your way to saving the civlilians, and evacuate the city? Your
    'Spec ops: the line' is an effective psychological third-person shooter that perfectly asks 'you' the player if your actions of carnage truly justify the means.

    The game looks deeply at 'madness', 'violence' and really captures that feeling of disgust as you move through the crumbling city of Dubi, killing all that stands in your way to saving the civlilians, and evacuate the city? Your many objective isnt clear clear until the games final moments, where it the TWIST really saves what, very much on the surface, seemed like a very mediocre shooter.

    The saving grace of this game is it's Story and characters. The question it asks 'you' the player, how it makes you really question the importance of war and violence.

    Otherwise, the actual gameplay is like any Third-Person tactical shooter. It's not very unique or intresting honestly. You really are ONLY hear for the narritive.

    For it's price, and it's rather short length. Spec ops the line is defintely worth buying and playing. It's really nice and contained...its replay value is weak...but the story really sticks with you, and the visual display is also quite impressive. The setting is quite gorgeous.

    Yeah, pick it up on sale.
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  26. Jan 10, 2013
    8
    Bought the game after reviews talked about its involving storyline and controversial nature.
    The gameplay is so, so not as slick as COD or BF titles but adequately playable.
    The strength of this game is in the story and the transition of the mental state of the characters and how involved you feel in the decisions you have to make, It is refreshing for someone to take a more
    Bought the game after reviews talked about its involving storyline and controversial nature.
    The gameplay is so, so not as slick as COD or BF titles but adequately playable.

    The strength of this game is in the story and the transition of the mental state of the characters and how involved you feel in the decisions you have to make,

    It is refreshing for someone to take a more realistic look at war and its impact.
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  27. Aug 4, 2012
    8
    Superb story that develops overtime, characters that you grow to love, one of the rare games I will remember for a long time. You get really committed to the story that on several occasions I was really disturbed and upset. Thing that I didn't like are controls, a bit clunky, and when push comes to shove, they will probably bail on you and you will die, a lot. No worries, story will pushSuperb story that develops overtime, characters that you grow to love, one of the rare games I will remember for a long time. You get really committed to the story that on several occasions I was really disturbed and upset. Thing that I didn't like are controls, a bit clunky, and when push comes to shove, they will probably bail on you and you will die, a lot. No worries, story will push you to keep going. About lack of choices, there are some, not that major, but this isn't rpg, you know what you are getting, and probably will get more. Expand
  28. Dec 30, 2012
    8
    The most remarkable thing about this game is its truly dark story and its high level of unnecessary violence. I thought it would be a straight shooter game, but the "Apocalypse Now" - like story added greatly to the gaming experience, although I don't like things that brutal. The setting of post-apocalyptic Dubai is rather unique and interesting. The opponent A.I. is rather bad andThe most remarkable thing about this game is its truly dark story and its high level of unnecessary violence. I thought it would be a straight shooter game, but the "Apocalypse Now" - like story added greatly to the gaming experience, although I don't like things that brutal. The setting of post-apocalyptic Dubai is rather unique and interesting. The opponent A.I. is rather bad and predictable, controls are also bad. Overall I give it an 8 because it was an enjoyable experience and well worth the money. Expand
  29. Jan 14, 2013
    8
    Perhaps the only moder military shooter about war, you know actual war and not heroism fairy tails, props to the guys at yager for try to do something different in a genre as stale as this one
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 16
  2. 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]