Spec Ops: The Line Review

What is Spec Ops: The Line all about?

Spec Ops: The Line is a third-person shooter console game developed especially for Xbox 360. It is a military shooter game which is set in the future when the city of Dubai was totally destroyed by a series of catastrophic sandstorms.

The once wealthy and opulent Dubai now sits in ruins and US Army Captain Martin Walker and his team has to save people who are still trapped within the city. Along with these people who are still lost and incapable of escape are US Army Colonel John Konrad and his team.

The player has to rescue Konrad and his team plus all other civilians who are trapped within the city and bring everyone home.

Walker and his elite Delta Force will cross treacherous paths and experience what soldiers only know as “The Line”. It is the boundary between death and duty, of sacrificing oneself for your duty while maintaining what you only have left: your sanity.

This game has received several awards for its unique and immersing storyline, its fantastic design and even for its realistic violence scenes.

It has been named as the game for the year 2012 by Ben “Yahtzee” Croshaw saying that it has been one of the most exciting things to happen in video games while IGN, Game Informer and the Official Xbox Magazine has positive reviews for this console game.

This Spec Ops: The Line review will look into the features and the pros and cons of this game to make recommendations at the end for gamers especially Xbox 360 gamers to take note of.

What are the features of Spec Ops: The Line?

  • Third person shooting game that makes use of rifles, handguns, machine guns and weapons that may be attached to basic weapons like suppressors, grenade launchers, scopes and hand grenades.
  • Additional commands are available for single –player modes like ability to focus fire on a particular subject and even seek medical assistance to the wounded.
  • True to life effects like visual and auditory hallucinations and voice changes as characters become affected with stress and hardships on the line. • More multiplayer features like team-based modes, ability to personalize and to customize characters.
  • Not suitable for very young audiences and is rated M for Mature. Caution for blood and gore, intense violence and strong language.
  • Have four possible endings. Walker can shoot himself or allow Konrad to shoot him, Walker can kill the entire team, Walker may die in combat and Walker may also abandon the mission and evacuates with his team.
  • Spec Ops: The Line features impressive soundtrack composed by Elia Cmiral with mostly guitar tracks along with several licensed tracks from famous artists like Bjork, The Black Angels, Deep Purple, Jimi Hendrix and Nine Inch Nails to name a few.

What are the pros and cons in playing Spec Ops: The Line?

Pros:

  • What makes Spec Ops: The Line the most highly rated console game of the year is that it has no confusing themes and there are no issues that will only leave players wondering what happened to the game. The plot unfolds in the beginning and the “saving” mission is immediately understood. Players automatically gear up for all out mission mode as they try to save Konrad and his team from their demise.
  • Basically its gun battle to the max as a deeper mission is opened. You see it’s not just a typical snatch-and-grab mission; the player needs to defend himself and his team from gun totting refugees, civilians who just can’t help firing at anyone and basically all kinds of ugly horror expected in a city that has fallen into pieces.
  • The visual effects and sound effects are stunning especially when it comes to recreating the vast opulence of Dubai, in ruins however. From extravagant hotel lobbies, large designer aquariums and so many recognizable scenes. Sound effects of every possible murderous audio, loud gunfire and blasting grenade are so realistic it’s like you are actually there.
  • The controls are very straightforward just like what you need to play shooter games. LT and RT for aiming and shooting while Y allows you to switch from one type of weapon to another. Press A for cover, X to reload your weapon, B to press for a melee attach and so on.

Cons:

  • The game overall has a perfect rating when it comes to video and audio plus controls are never a challenge to use however there are instances when the game sequence is unrealistic. The unrealistic movement of soldiers in combat are all over the game making some of the actions or cause and effect sequences rather funny instead of sympathizing.
  • The four kinds of ending are usual in a console game but this is kind of frustrating especially when you are looking for a heroic ending for Walker and his crew. Instead he either commits suicide, kill his team mates, dies in a fight scene or surrenders which are not the choices that you want in the game.
  • Choices of scenes would be a relief instead of boring sands and post-opulent Dubai. It could be fun realizing that you are in a famous Dubai landmark or store but it could get tiring when you have played it several times already. Changing from another terrible scene could be a great feature like Paris, New York or Beijing maybe.

Recommendations:

If you are looking for a military combat shooting game that has all the works, you can be sure that you will get all the gore and action that you are looking for in Spec Ops: The Line.

There may be a lull in the luxurious backdrop however the action is still jam-packed.

The game is easy to understand with straightforward missions and themes making it easier for all generations to play.

It is a mature shooter game that has many talking and rating it as good. This reason alone is enough to try it out this year!