User Review : Spec Ops: The Line

spec ops the line a game that came out in 2012, how did it age ?

Oh man I remember when I was going crazy that a game is going to be around a city in my country. So I had this game always in the back of my mind and always was thinking about playing it. Until I did and I wish I didn’t. Spec ops the line is a game that takes place in Dubai in UAE.

Somewhat somehow with no reason the city is hit with this ultra-super sand storm, the one which can submerge skyscraper in dust. And somewhat somehow the U.S. army has to evacuate the city. Even though the UAE have a very capable military force but the developers didn’t think that would be cool enough I guess. So to make things worse the Americans start fighting among each other just to add to the confusion. So you and your team “Delta force” have to go evacuate the city. Just after you learn there is a big group of U.S. troops already in the city which I guess they failed so why send a group of 3 when a whole Battalion failed the same mission is beyond me. So you get in the city you see the CIA for some reason fighting with the 33rd then your main character is all fucked up and he starts picking sides every five minutes. So you get into the game play all confused and asking lots of questions. The setting is Ok but it’s not something that you won’t forget.

However the developers did keep a good color pallet on the screen for the most time. speaking about the setting, apart from the sand and the tall buildings the overall design is nothing like Dubai, and does not have any remarkable sites that makes you say: “yes this is Dubai” the “locals” don’t dress like locals and to add insult to enjoy they speak Farsi the language of another different country and ethnicity. Dubai is in the United ARAB Emirates. Things like this made me 100% sure that the developers did zero to non-research on the city which made the game to me not true to nature and very weird. The levels are very liner and feels like corridors most of the time. However the game play is ok once you get used to the goddamned awful controls. For example I play on PC and what do you think the button to run? any sane PC player would say the left shift button, but no some smart ass was thinking it’s a good idea to have the SPACE BAR as a good running button…….. Fucking space bar, and what do you think the button to jump over cover and other obstacles? Well you would say space bar but since it’s already used it can’t be the same. Well Ofc it has to be the LEFT SHIFT BUTTON!!! This alongside other points which remembering them makes me boil form the inside. But you can feel the pain when you get into a game with a control scheme so fucked up. Now the first thing I was thinking was I’ll change the key binding but I like to play the game as the developer see it. Besides one button does more than one action so while it’s bad on one thing it could be ok with the other but not the other way.

Then you get the gunplay with the enemies which is nothing but shot cover run cover shoot. Yes you get some nice dust/sand mechanics but they feel boring support fast. For 7 hours this is what I had to do there is almost no verity in game play you can start the game silent yes but you’ll get seen after the first kill or 2 as the game is not setup that way. The only and only good thing that you may find fun in this game is the few choices that you are given here or there, they do have effect on what you do and kind of makes you wonder what will happen if a do this or that and the ending which was good to the buildup to this point in the game. The graphics are BAD even for a 2012 game, games like dishonored, Assassin's Creed 3 and ME3 came out the same year and they look leaps better. So in the end I give this game a poor 4/10.