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. BMF
    Jun 29, 2012
    10
    This game completel took me by surprise the story is a brutally accurate depiction of just how **** up combat situations can get and what that can do to a soldiers mind. The combat suffers from some consolitys but is still very fun and visceral.
  2. The-Crow
    Oct 3, 2012
    10
    I am just going to put this out there right up front: Spec Ops: The Line is going to be 2012's most underrated & overlooked game of the year.

    Which is a shame because IMHO it is a must play, that and it is a game that is firmly made for adults. Single Player: Im not really going to recap what the game is about but in brief: You are the leader of a 3 man Delta Force team    I am just going to put this out there right up front: Spec Ops: The Line is going to be 2012's most underrated & overlooked game of the year.

    Which is a shame because IMHO it is a must play, that and it is a game that is firmly made for adults.

    Single Player:

    Im not really going to recap what the game is about but in brief: You are the leader of a 3 man Delta Force team dropped into Dubai to find out what happened to the US 33 Regiment who were sent in to evacuate the city after it was swamped by hellish sandstorms. The game is a third person cover based shooter and you can give orders to your 2 squad mates of various types but you must keep them alive, thought in this when they get incapacitated you can revive them or order the other squadie to revive them. If you need to know more you can probably check other reviews.

    Ok right up front, the single player portion of the game should be held up as a prime example of how companies should approach single player. Spend some money, bring in great writers from day 1 and use great voice actors. Then rely on your story as the primary focus and build all your mechanics around the story & setting to compliment it.

    It has probably not been since Halflife 2 or possibly halflife 1 that I got so deeply immersed and invested in a games story. I cannot talk about the story too much without spoiling it but needless to say there are at least 3 endings & the game forces you to make complex moral decisions that not only affect the ending but also the ongoing story & dialogue within your squad (A sign of good character writing). I also cannot recall ever feeling genuine remorse for accidentally killing a civilian in a game until now and the kicker there is this game doesn't even punish you in any way for doing so. There are moments in the story where you do an action or pick a course of action, then the game seems yo make you question what you have done and in some cases the game does an excellent job of leading you along a sense of foreboding like **** WTF have I just done" and then revealing perhaps what I can only reveal as the ugliness of war. There have been some moments where my blood has turned to ice or ive had a cold shiver down my spine and some truly gut wrenching moments where I have felt physically ill.

    Other publishers truly should look at the single player portion of this game & really consider where they go with future titles.

    The Cover based shooter mechanic is solid, its basically the tried and true mechanic thats been around since gears of war with a few tweaks here & there. The Sand: Dubai is in a desert & has been smashed by sandstorms & so Yager have seen fit to use this in the game. This comes in the form of firstly sandstorms that kick up during games where you have to hold one hand over your face which makes firing a 2 handed weapon more innacurate, cuts visibility distance to varying degrees (some storms are worse than others) makes it impossible to hear much and can be generally quite disorienting. Secondly what I call sand traps, there are places acrross the game where you can see sand running out like you might see from an hourglass, shooting these usually unleashes a torrent of sand of various sizes that can entomb or stun enemies and block pathways.

    All the game play I found solid and the story is excellent while the firefights are intense but not constant and the scenery is stunning.

    Multi Player:

    Not the most important part of this game & certainly not the focus but its a solid effort limited only by a small community.

    The Good:
    - Solid cover based shooter.
    - Unforgiving (Realistic ?) weapon damage, 2-3 shots to the body = death. headshots of any sort = death.
    - Good map design, theres realy only 1 map that can be a sniper fest and even then it genrally doesnt happen
    - Great spawn system. Not sure how this actually works but I have never seen or experienced spawning too near or infront of enemy players.
    - Lots of Weapons, Perks, armour etc to unlock and a lot of possible loadouts to experiment with
    - 5 classes to play as
    - Five Interesting game modes, one of which I have not seen in a shooter before.
    - Latency I have found to be good even when playing Americans & Russians.
    - Gameplay remind me oh so much of the early days of Counterstrike but WITHOUT the having to sit out the rest of th round after you die since SO:TL lets you respawn.
    - Custom games can be setup.

    The Bad:

    - Peer to Peer only. I usually really hate this but my experience has been not to bad. I hosted some weekend games for Americans & Russians and the US Players thought I was in the US in the end. When I said I was Aussie they said they were surprised the latency is so good. - Games are limited to 4 Vs 4, though I dont know if this is really that bad as the maps, gameplay modes and more tactical gameplay are kinda made complimentary to 4 vs 4.    … Expand
  3. DeathSpankIL
    May 9, 2013
    10
    Seriously, who cares about the mediocre gameplay. It's only there to tell a horrific story of violence and madness. Play it as the modern classic it is.
  4. Shtiggy
    Jan 24, 2013
    10
    Very detailed environment. So far the story is very entertaining and it has grabbed my attention. I like it as a single player game. And for $5 on sale, it's a tremendous value. Looking forward to the next installment. Great job by the developers.
  5. Esett
    May 2, 2014
    10
    People said The Last of Us was THE game of its generation. People also said Bioshock Infinite was THE game of the generation. But the truth is Spec Ops the line is THE game you have to play. It is not perfect, the mechanics serve their purpose and thats it. However when i drop the controller because of what i had done in game, and tears of deep sadness appeared in my eyes i realized justPeople said The Last of Us was THE game of its generation. People also said Bioshock Infinite was THE game of the generation. But the truth is Spec Ops the line is THE game you have to play. It is not perfect, the mechanics serve their purpose and thats it. However when i drop the controller because of what i had done in game, and tears of deep sadness appeared in my eyes i realized just how special this game is. Spec Ops the Line is a game every single gamer should play. 10/10.… Expand
  6. HazeSpire
    Nov 2, 2013
    10
    Great graphics with attention to detail (debris, dust, particles, fire, dirt, light), changing appearance of the PCs. Great voice over all voices are spot on, dialogs are very good, soldier chatter and yelling fits the action on the screen. Shooting is very satisfactory. Very interesting plot, grim mood. Awesome music (shooting to the disco music FTW) the music itself makes me want toGreat graphics with attention to detail (debris, dust, particles, fire, dirt, light), changing appearance of the PCs. Great voice over all voices are spot on, dialogs are very good, soldier chatter and yelling fits the action on the screen. Shooting is very satisfactory. Very interesting plot, grim mood. Awesome music (shooting to the disco music FTW) the music itself makes me want to play it again. I don't know where the opinion of a mediocre game comes from Spec Ops should have a place among the best games of this generation, not be pushed aside. I strongly recommend you to play this game if you like TPP shooters and/or games with good plot.… Expand
  7. adammcbomb
    Jun 30, 2012
    10
    Surprised me. I did not expect this game to be anything but average. And yet it has a dope story, and the finest backdrop scenario I've seen in modern gaming. I mean, come on...abandoned Dubai, where half the buildings are under sand the other half blaze high into the sky. It's fantastic, and the set pieces are top notch. I'd say I'm halfway through playing the singleplayer. TheSurprised me. I did not expect this game to be anything but average. And yet it has a dope story, and the finest backdrop scenario I've seen in modern gaming. I mean, come on...abandoned Dubai, where half the buildings are under sand the other half blaze high into the sky. It's fantastic, and the set pieces are top notch. I'd say I'm halfway through playing the singleplayer. The action so far is varied and interesting, despite what some reviewers are saying. I find it rewarding to pop heads, because when you do time slows down for a second allowing you to line up that next shot. Beautiful idea. And when large explosives go off RIGHT NEXT to a guy his body disappears into a mist. Haha, Awesome. Story is interesting so far. Maybe not a perfect 10 game, but there are reviews putting down 0 as the review score.... Saying this game is worth nothing is basically lying and makes you look like a dick.… Expand
  8. noxteryn
    Dec 9, 2012
    10
    This game is mind-blowingly brilliant. Just buy it. The people who say they didn't like this game are the very people whom this game criticises. It is perfect. It's one of the extremely few games that deserve a 10 out of 10.
  9. 410MaXiMuS
    Jun 27, 2012
    10
    The story and voice acting in this game are phenomenal. Couple with solid gameplay and controls, plus the "sand mechanics" and you've got a winner. I haven't tried multipler but the single player is great.
  10. GPReS
    Apr 2, 2013
    10
    One of the best games I've played: breathtaking plot (4 alternative endings and the story itself are so deep), top-notch graphic, superb control (idk about others i play the game on 32" screen with XBOX joypad), mesmerizing ost all this makes the game one of my favorite!
    I stumbled on the game while looking for smth similar to another brilliant game "Binary Domain", first I watched a    One of the best games I've played: breathtaking plot (4 alternative endings and the story itself are so deep), top-notch graphic, superb control (idk about others i play the game on 32" screen with XBOX joypad), mesmerizing ost all this makes the game one of my favorite!
    I stumbled on the game while looking for smth similar to another brilliant game "Binary Domain", first I watched a good review, than I was glad to see there's a demo tried it and after that I was totally in love with the game and decided to buy it.
    Now I am on my second round of completing the game it's so cool and interesting that I can't stop playing it. Thx Yager for such a brilliant game! I'd wish nowadays game were more like this one.    … Expand
  11. Ezekial
    Jan 8, 2013
    10
    The story in this game is Oscar worthy, and overcomes any flaws with gameplay.

    It's unfortunate I need to expand this sentence to 150 characters.....
  12. ShadowofZexa
    Sep 27, 2014
    10
    after completing spec ops the line i have to say this is the best of games i've ever played easily one the grayest story's in video game history you play martin walker a rescue team man with 3 others you start by killing people and more people however then you play this game i can't talk about this game but its a third person shooter the story is amazing without spoilers its not easy toafter completing spec ops the line i have to say this is the best of games i've ever played easily one the grayest story's in video game history you play martin walker a rescue team man with 3 others you start by killing people and more people however then you play this game i can't talk about this game but its a third person shooter the story is amazing without spoilers its not easy to explain much this game is just amazing… Expand
  13. bartreligion
    Aug 17, 2012
    10
    Great singleplayer experience. A breath of fresh air in a stale genre. Way better than popular games like Call of Duty. Not the multiplayer though. This is a pure singleplayer game with a great story.
  14. RealMuthaF
    Dec 7, 2012
    10
    First of all, I must say that it's a great shame that this game is overlooked by many because it looks like a generic military shooter, while it's not. From the gameplay side, everything is quite familiar, yes - cover, weapons, health regeneration, grenades. But from the story side, it's a whole different thing. When regular shooters make you a hero, this game makes you not just a villain,First of all, I must say that it's a great shame that this game is overlooked by many because it looks like a generic military shooter, while it's not. From the gameplay side, everything is quite familiar, yes - cover, weapons, health regeneration, grenades. But from the story side, it's a whole different thing. When regular shooters make you a hero, this game makes you not just a villain, it makes you feel doing good things ultimately revealing the main character - and you, with him - to be a madman, a criminal who tries to justify his horrible actions. And it succeeds in that, the plot is gripping, the characters are believable, the violence you witness is just horrific and the ending (4 of them, actually) is straight-out shocking. Trust me, you'll be left thinking of what just happened during the course of the 6-or-so hour campaign and you will want to play through it again just to see things clearly this time. The Line is a definite must-play for any action game and mature, dark storytelling fan. Are you ready to cross it?… Expand
  15. DenzNoble
    Jun 26, 2012
    10
    A shooter with a proposal completely new, excellent graphics, customizable keyboard mappings remarkable multiplayer, a campaign full of surprises and sudden changes, with some bit of tactics, a game well done
  16. xXVASSXx96
    Jul 12, 2012
    10
    I have played a lot of third-person shooters across a wide variety of platforms, and i can honestly say with the up most accuracy that Spec Ops: The Line is one of the best I have ever played. A good story line is hard to find these days in shooter games of all types, however Yager have put a great amount of time and effort into to creating this story masterpiece. From start to finishI have played a lot of third-person shooters across a wide variety of platforms, and i can honestly say with the up most accuracy that Spec Ops: The Line is one of the best I have ever played. A good story line is hard to find these days in shooter games of all types, however Yager have put a great amount of time and effort into to creating this story masterpiece. From start to finish the story kept me hooked and did something that no other shooter has ever done for me, and that is make me feel what the soldiers are feeling. This is the first shooter which really reveals the true horror of war and what it can do to a human being. Graphics are amazing, the post-apocalyptic Dubai is astonishing. Gameplay is enjoyable and flows beautifully. People in the PC community often complain about controls when it comes the third person shooters. Frankly, the mouse and keyboard is not suited for these kinds of games, that is why I bought a controller to use for my computer specifically for these games. In these other reviews people recognize the game as a console port and bring down their scores as a result. I think the PC community should stop complaining and realize that the mouse and keyboard is not the best thing to control great third person shooters. despite this I would recommend this game to anyone who wants to have a great shooter experience that people have never seen in a war game before.… Expand
  17. SimonErik
    Jul 16, 2012
    10
    Best game i have played so far this year.The story is very interesting. Never played a third person cover shooter with so deep story before. The characters are easy to relate to and you acually start caring for them.
  18. Isaac_adhd
    Aug 8, 2012
    10
    This game reallyq sells itself by blowing you away immediately. The gameplay is exciting and the visuals are astonishing.I must say I love the beginning levels way more than for example BF3's and MW3's. I play the game at resolution 3240x1920 which makes it all way more high res off course. Buy pc systems, so technical progress like made in this game will continue. X360 or PS3 aside is okThis game reallyq sells itself by blowing you away immediately. The gameplay is exciting and the visuals are astonishing.I must say I love the beginning levels way more than for example BF3's and MW3's. I play the game at resolution 3240x1920 which makes it all way more high res off course. Buy pc systems, so technical progress like made in this game will continue. X360 or PS3 aside is ok but build up your real game monster aka PC with care first.… Expand
  19. Plutarco
    Dec 6, 2013
    10
    This game shows perfectly all the brutality of war. The action is well designed and the combat parts are excellent. maybe there are too many cinematic but the game is so well developed that the player enjoys every minute of it. Nice game, I personally don't recommended for kids under 16, but for the rest it worth the purchase
  20. thejinn
    Jul 30, 2012
    10
    Where is the love? I don't want to give a good story away, so I'll talk about what I liked. Graphics are good, but the story as mentioned is great! It definitely sucked me in and this was definitely a game for me to replay at least the end to get all the endings. I also think this game is a work of art. I also can't remember another game that has told me, 'If you were a better person,Where is the love? I don't want to give a good story away, so I'll talk about what I liked. Graphics are good, but the story as mentioned is great! It definitely sucked me in and this was definitely a game for me to replay at least the end to get all the endings. I also think this game is a work of art. I also can't remember another game that has told me, 'If you were a better person, you would not be here' or said something like, What is necessary and what is good are the same.… Expand
  21. Pegula
    Jul 14, 2014
    10
    Masterpiece.

    You don't believe me?

    Try it.

    ...and then come back here to talk...

    The story is something you find once in a hundred of today games.

    The gameplay feels nice and it maybe take some time to settle in but when it does you'll be poppin heads.

    Visually - great. Graphics can stay shoulder to shoulder with the games from 2014 and style and colors are just swesome.
  22. SnQQpy
    Aug 23, 2012
    10
    No Spoilers - First off this is a stunning looking game. Some have commented on it being bland visually but they're missing the point IMHO. You get a real sense of being in a sand decimated environment so much so you feel like you've got sand in every orifice. I know I felt the need to drink iced Cola all the time. Its beautifully done. It feels more like you're in a movie than a game (inNo Spoilers - First off this is a stunning looking game. Some have commented on it being bland visually but they're missing the point IMHO. You get a real sense of being in a sand decimated environment so much so you feel like you've got sand in every orifice. I know I felt the need to drink iced Cola all the time. Its beautifully done. It feels more like you're in a movie than a game (in a good way) you move constantly from action to cut-scenes that blend so seamlessly that you think its you holding conversations. Its gritty and you feel like you're in a dirty war & worldly ones of us will empathise with that feeling. There's nothing glamorous in that sense! You're making tough calls throughout and it wrenches sometimes. The end game is one of the best endings of a game I have ever played of all time. Some might not get it I did and it made so much more sense and gave meaning to my gameplay as a result. Control system (like most games) took some adjusting to and thats the only reason I didn't give it 10. edit couldnt give half scores so gave it 10 otherwise it would be 9.5… Expand
  23. Aeryx
    Jun 2, 2014
    10
    The biggest positive mindphuck I have experienced in all of my years gaming. This game early on does an excellent job of pretending to be just another shooter with the mediocre story then later, immediately grabs you and jumps into hyperspace to give you the darkest, most evil gripping story ever. War is hell--- and no amount of trying to do the right thing will redeem your burned soul.
  24. Petras
    Aug 25, 2012
    10
    First off, the game play itself is good, not great. Combat can be a bit of a slog, and I always found myself wanting to just turn the game off.
    But here's the beautiful thing: this works perfectly towards the narrative. By far, this is the most effective and engaging story I have experienced in any medium. Its unabashed deconstruction of the modern shooter genre is near perfect, and it    First off, the game play itself is good, not great. Combat can be a bit of a slog, and I always found myself wanting to just turn the game off.
    But here's the beautiful thing: this works perfectly towards the narrative. By far, this is the most effective and engaging story I have experienced in any medium. Its unabashed deconstruction of the modern shooter genre is near perfect, and it always feels like the game is yelling to you: "Is this really what you want? Is this your idea of fun?" There were so many moments where I just had to stop- it was that moving.
    If you're looking for something fun, this is not your game, but if you want to see what a mature game can do, play on.    … Expand
  25. JayK212
    Aug 27, 2012
    10
    fantastic, thought provoking game. Narrative is king in this game, no other game I've played was as well thought out or intelligently presented. It makes "would you kindly" look like a quote from dora the explorer. finally a game that deals with some challenging issues, finally a game has a set of balls, a well constructed idea, and a dev team that can put it all together.
  26. crazywaffle124
    Aug 9, 2013
    10
    So good. Best FPS I have played in awhile. Generic combat, but a great, tragic story. If you google the ending, you will want to replay the game and pick up on the subtle clues you missed. Deserves a better critic and review score
  27. Xarxan
    Mar 5, 2013
    10
    Anyone who reads this and has yet to play this game needs to correct that ASAP. This kind of experience comes extremely rare in video games and quite frankly that needs to be fixed. I will admit that the gameplay itself could probably have been better. Either though giving your squad mates more options for u to take advantage off or making them more useful overall by improving their AI soAnyone who reads this and has yet to play this game needs to correct that ASAP. This kind of experience comes extremely rare in video games and quite frankly that needs to be fixed. I will admit that the gameplay itself could probably have been better. Either though giving your squad mates more options for u to take advantage off or making them more useful overall by improving their AI so as to make them more than distractions.

    In conclusion if u want a excellent or at least different story that would make up for the average gameplay then go for it. Also that aspect alone makes it a 10 for me personally.    … Expand
  28. Reinhaert
    May 18, 2013
    10
    Grossly underestimated masterpiece with solid fighting mechanics and a gripping story that ties you along. One of the testaments of the video gaming industry coming to a maturity regarding war games. It might need some tweaking with the mouse acceleration bug, but it's easily fixable in a few minutes.
  29. mobious125
    Nov 1, 2012
    10
    If you love your shooters then this game gives you everything, great action, game play and a great story. I am a FPS person myself but this kept me gripped until the end. An underrated Gem if I ever did see one.
  30. sid12
    Nov 17, 2012
    10
    I must say this is one of the best games of 2012 and it have one of the best stories of all time, Hard to forget the ending and the ruined Dubai
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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 »