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. BulgarianCritic
    Mar 20, 2021
    9
    This was a really incredible game which sadly shows the ''meat''on the bone in the last chapters but still allowing you to piece the entire story from the very beginning of the game( if you pay attention to the small details). The game play is your basic run and shoot ''COD'' style, the AI of your enemies is decent and the shooting is very fluid and solid. Voice acting was great and ofThis was a really incredible game which sadly shows the ''meat''on the bone in the last chapters but still allowing you to piece the entire story from the very beginning of the game( if you pay attention to the small details). The game play is your basic run and shoot ''COD'' style, the AI of your enemies is decent and the shooting is very fluid and solid. Voice acting was great and of course the story was amazing especially the twist that they provided you with. This is one of the rare few examples on how to make an amazing and beautiful game environment, everything looked amazing and I never knew that a destroyed full with sand Dubai can look so beautiful , every scenery just looks amazing and get's you hooked + it's masterfully crafted like **** should totally buy this game in full price since it's worth every buck , the only annoying parts were the rail way shooting segments and the non stop wave of enemies that get pretty boring after the first hour. 9/10… Expand
  2. SilverOrlov
    Sep 26, 2019
    10
    I did not expect much from such a corridor shooter as this one, but surprisingly the game turned out to be very enjoyable in game-play, very interesting in it's history/plot, very beautiful in its surroundings of a sandy abandoned city... and very exciting and "deep" in that the few decisions made by the hero in the game, had very important sense, especially in the ending.
  3. fake_nikpap
    Jul 14, 2022
    8
    With its pretty basic cover shooter mechanics this game would probably not have been as well received if it weren't for its amazing narrative. I don't want to say much on it cause of spoilers but the twists are really well thought out and the levels are really gorgeous even for today's standards. Something about the vast desert in the background brings feelings of awe
  4. dek33-jericho
    Jun 14, 2019
    10
    Лучший шутер ! От третьего лица в который я играл !
  5. sitebender
    Apr 21, 2019
    9
    Barring intense moments of terrible gameplay like sticking to the wrong cover in a parking lot, Spec Ops was a great third person shooter with a memorable story.
  6. 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
  7. RogueV
    Dec 5, 2019
    10
    When Roger Ebert said video games can never be art, if I could, this would have been the first game I showed him as a counterpoint.

    This game is absolutely spectacular. I am playing this in 2019 and I can't stress enough just how fun it is, how worthy an experience it remains to date. Sure the mechanics are a tad clunky, the lowest mouse sensitivity setting is still too high for any fps    When Roger Ebert said video games can never be art, if I could, this would have been the first game I showed him as a counterpoint.

    This game is absolutely spectacular. I am playing this in 2019 and I can't stress enough just how fun it is, how worthy an experience it remains to date. Sure the mechanics are a tad clunky, the lowest mouse sensitivity setting is still too high for any fps player, and if you're a real stickler, the graphics are one gen behind. But these ways in which the game have aged are nothing, made irrelevant by the timeless power of a good narrative and superb storytelling.

    Spec Ops suffers from one of the most generic, boring game titles I have ever seen. When a friend first showed it to me, I thought it was a CoD knockoff, a typical US army shooting foreigners shebang (with added sand) and I dismissed it immediately. It was only years later after I started playing fps games and saw reviews praising the dark and complex narrative of Spec Ops that I returned to this game.

    I'm just consistently shocked by how much this game gets right. Everyone always talks about the amazing story and how the story is presented to the player (the perfect way: through gameplay and not through expositionary dialogue), but it's not just the story, the gameplay is hella fun too. The sand mechanics are a treat whenever they come up, and little touches, like when throwing a grenade onto sand creates a smoke screen with the sand, make all the difference. The squad management system is barebones at best but it adds a little bit of freshness to traditional fps gameplay, like when you are being heavily suppressed by a turret you can command your squad to take out the turret while remaining in safety.

    Playing this game now I'm saddened by how little it seems the game industry has learned from this game in the past 5+ years. It's a challenge to the industry, a challenge to Call of Duty and other mindless, borderline racist fps games, and clearly this challenge has gone unanswered, basically ignored. This game is a Call of Duty killer. It poses a question about the "shoot first, ask questions later" mentality that Call of Duty promotes.    … Expand
  8. ROBERT-
    Jul 24, 2019
    10
    one of the best game I've played all my life with the best story . I'd definitely recommend you to experience this game
  9. Legitplayer
    Aug 2, 2019
    9
    First minutes I started playing this game I thought It was an obvious american propoganda game typical 2 humans and an african going to an impossible suicide mission.
    but I was wrong game is more complicated than that I feel like devs wanted to admit the crimes,holocaust made by USA in afghanistan but they were afraid so they created the classic idea that one Villain [who is the commander    First minutes I started playing this game I thought It was an obvious american propoganda game typical 2 humans and an african going to an impossible suicide mission.
    but I was wrong game is more complicated than that I feel like devs wanted to admit the crimes,holocaust made by USA in afghanistan but they were afraid so they created the classic idea that one Villain [who is the commander of 33rd regiment in afghanistan] went insane in dubai probably because of the amount of blood shed my him and his regiment so he became a terrorist leader with all army weapons helicopters,tanks,armors,army uniforms etc.
    Storyline goes even more complicated later..    … Expand
  10. 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).
  11. TenderMonteg
    Oct 1, 2019
    9
    Cool game. A well-constructed plot allows us to reveal the main point that there are no good ones in the war, and the war is something terrible and the developers have shown it very well. High-quality and multifaceted game in terms of storytelling.
  12. 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
  13. Crimert
    Aug 21, 2020
    8
    This could be one of the most underrated games! But this Third Person Shooter game has an amazing war story! I liked this game very much! I definitely recommend it! Nonetheless, keep in my mind that Spec Ops: The Line ends too quickly. 4hrs on record.
  14. blobthegob
    Apr 7, 2020
    8
    Spec ops the line is not a game you play to have a good time. instead of showing you the epicness of war it instead decides to go inward in what war does to the human mind and how it can **** it up.
  15. mbate25
    Sep 2, 2020
    10
    Using the market of the time in order to create a story that seems generic, it is anything but. The fact that this came from a franchise that was already dead but is its own game fuels the cognitive dissonance present throughout. Using the technological limitations of the time to fuel its story, plot, characters, environments, and foreshadowing, it proves one thing; being the protagonistUsing the market of the time in order to create a story that seems generic, it is anything but. The fact that this came from a franchise that was already dead but is its own game fuels the cognitive dissonance present throughout. Using the technological limitations of the time to fuel its story, plot, characters, environments, and foreshadowing, it proves one thing; being the protagonist doesn't make you the hero.… Expand
  16. Solaris123
    Jan 22, 2020
    10
    Silent hill 2 in the war, the best storyline in the fps game, you're really the bad one
    Bioshock 1 < Spec Ops storyline Roger Ebert is 100% idiots
  17. r03vg
    Apr 17, 2020
    9
    Весьма двоякое мнение об этой игре. Устаревшая графика, геймплей простой как две копейки, но зато какая цельная история.
  18. 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?
  19. Bogdasoryn
    Feb 4, 2020
    10
    Very interesting, simple and buty game. i dont have no more words, about this game.
  20. AMBO
    Feb 17, 2020
    8
    08/10......................................................................
  21. Goiti_2002
    Nov 3, 2022
    10
    La historia es un Juegazo.
    A pesar de que el gameplay no es nada del otro mundo.
    En la dificultad en la que yo intente jugar, en una parte concreta de la historia. Me resultaba imposible seguir avanzando debido a que mis aliados se morían y tenia que ir a reanimarlos. Y cuando los reanimabas, te mataban, Los pesados parece que tragan balas y cuando juegas con sniper, la mirilla se queda    La historia es un Juegazo.
    A pesar de que el gameplay no es nada del otro mundo.
    En la dificultad en la que yo intente jugar, en una parte concreta de la historia. Me resultaba imposible seguir avanzando debido a que mis aliados se morían y tenia que ir a reanimarlos. Y cuando los reanimabas, te mataban,
    Los pesados parece que tragan balas y cuando juegas con sniper, la mirilla se queda anclada a la altura del cuello y no puedes hacer flicks para tapear en la cabeza. Y para que la mirilla suba a la altura de la cabeza cuando se bloquea a la altura del cuello, tienes que hacer un gesto exagerado hacia arriba.
    Pero la historia y los giros de guion son increíbles.
    10 de 10 recomendadísimo.    … Expand
  22. PnuTTT
    Oct 17, 2020
    8
    One of the only military shooters that explore the morality of killing this deep and its simply amazing. The story is terrific but the shooting isnt as good but still acceptable.
  23. crowstastegood
    Dec 25, 2021
    10
    this game is often criticized for its gameplay but a lot of them somehow fail to realize that, well, that's kind of the point. the gameplay in this game is overall in a very strange spot. if you really look at the mechanics of this game, you can realize that the gameplay isn't bad but just very surreally empty. the mechanics are actually pretty interesting, and it's surprising how much ofthis game is often criticized for its gameplay but a lot of them somehow fail to realize that, well, that's kind of the point. the gameplay in this game is overall in a very strange spot. if you really look at the mechanics of this game, you can realize that the gameplay isn't bad but just very surreally empty. the mechanics are actually pretty interesting, and it's surprising how much of a difference a single well-placed frag can make a difference in a fire fight. but i think there's one thing that really makes this game feel so empty. specifically, imagine killing a guy in doom and then imagine killing a guy in spec ops. enemies in doom explode in the most gruesome way possible but enemies in this game just fall to the ground. there's no impact in shooting a gun nor is there impact in killing an enemy. just a loud scream and a fall to the ground. there's really no moment that makes you feel cool or like a hero, and for me honestly, that's the best part.… Expand
  24. Wrathzo
    Mar 27, 2022
    8
    Spec Ops: The Line is a 2012 third-person shooter video game developed by the German studio Yager Development and published by 2K Games. In the game, players can hide behind cover, vault over obstacles, and shoot enemies while utilizing a variety of gadgets. The player controls Captain Martin Walker, who is sent into a post-catastrophe Dubai with an elite Delta Force team on a reconSpec Ops: The Line is a 2012 third-person shooter video game developed by the German studio Yager Development and published by 2K Games. In the game, players can hide behind cover, vault over obstacles, and shoot enemies while utilizing a variety of gadgets. The player controls Captain Martin Walker, who is sent into a post-catastrophe Dubai with an elite Delta Force team on a recon mission. As the story progresses, Walker's sanity begins to deteriorate as he begins to experience hallucinations and slowly realize the horror of war.… Expand
  25. Coreyinacoconut
    Apr 6, 2020
    10
    The gameplay is pretty average but the story is where this game shines. this is how war game stories should be, none of this cliche captain America crap. this game is real, gritty, horrifying. and downright dreadful at times. there are moments where you have to make critical choices, the game doesn't walk you through them or help you make the choice, whether the choice is moral or not youThe gameplay is pretty average but the story is where this game shines. this is how war game stories should be, none of this cliche captain America crap. this game is real, gritty, horrifying. and downright dreadful at times. there are moments where you have to make critical choices, the game doesn't walk you through them or help you make the choice, whether the choice is moral or not you trudge on through feeling the aftermath of your decision. 1000/10… Expand
  26. MinorT1769
    May 5, 2020
    8
    This was a pretty good experience. The story is the most unique I've played in the military shooter genre. The actual combat however was just too basic. It wasn't bad, but it was just a little basic and generic. This game is still worth checking out.
  27. tk_248
    Mar 20, 2022
    7
    ужасы войны, белый фосфор... полный мрак. очередная рекомендация underrated games of 2010's..............
  28. SurujSingha
    May 8, 2020
    8
    It wouldve been a perfect Gears of War competitor in the war genre. Sadly, this game is so underrated that nobody expects a sequel. Wouldve easily been 9 out of 10 but i want to be honest in reveiwing it. The graphics were very good back in the time when it was released. The controls and camera is very poor! During the campaign, the maps does gets repetitive at times but the story moreIt wouldve been a perfect Gears of War competitor in the war genre. Sadly, this game is so underrated that nobody expects a sequel. Wouldve easily been 9 out of 10 but i want to be honest in reveiwing it. The graphics were very good back in the time when it was released. The controls and camera is very poor! During the campaign, the maps does gets repetitive at times but the story more than compensates for it. Dont expect it to be an over the top shooter with explosions everywhere because the story has bits of horror elements. The soundtrack is goddamn awesome and amazing fits in the rustic environments in the game.… Expand
  29. Chubac
    Jul 12, 2020
    8
    I wasn't a huge fan of the gameplay, in fact I think it was pretty boring and lazy but the story was insanely good. Great anti-war game!
  30. Arbores
    Jan 28, 2021
    8
    Oynanış: 25/40
    Hikaye: 30/30
    Grafikler: 15/20
    Sesler ve Müzikler: 8/10
    Sonuç: 78/100
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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 »