Spec Ops: The Line
For some, Spec Ops: The Line is destined to become one of the most fondly remembered games of this generation. We’re going to look back on it as a key example of video games actively trying to grow up. It flips the typical power-fantasy war game on its head, while bathing in the genre’s clichés. Spec Ops offers a unique perspective that’s not exactly fun, but it’s a deeply involving experience that will stick with you long after you’ve put down the controller.
On the surface, Spec Ops is yet another mediocre cover-based shooter about American super-soldiers slaughtering “bad guys” in the Middle East. What makes Spec Ops: The Line special is watching these seemingly cookie-cutter heroes gradually become unraveled. Nothing is black and white, and the noblest intentions can have horrifying results.
You’ll gun down thousands of nameless goons before the credits roll, but Spec Ops takes great pains to make this experience as unpleasant as possible. Your foes don’t simply die. They writhe and scream in agony. More than once, I quickly executed wounded enemies out of some bizarre mercy. Enemy dialogue is often specifically designed to humanize your targets, forcing you to think twice about pulling the trigger. It’s an interesting approach.
Spec Ops: The Line shows a narrative maturity that’s far beyond most shooters. Usually, game writing plays to the lowest common denominator. Creators are terrified that the universal player will fail to grasp every narrative plot point, so they explain every detail through ham-fisted dialogue.
Spec Ops is more restrained. Outside of a few choice events, it very rarely spells it out for you. The game isn’t afraid to let you sit in your own head for a while, pondering the choices you’ve just made. It aims—and largely succeeds—at making the player feel accountable for the characters’ actions.
The game clearly wants to be compared to Heart of Darkness or Apocalypse Now, but it actually feels closer to Micheal Haneke’s satirical Funny Games. It forces players to take a long hard look at what they actually expect from their entertainment, and it doesn’t mind blasting through the fourth wall to get its point across.
Please understand, I don’t think Spec Ops: The Line is the deepest thing ever written. There are plenty of narrative missteps here, and some eye-rolling clichés. But I truly feel that Spec Ops deserves bonus points just for being a video game. Not because games are incapable of being “deep,” but just because it’s so rare to see a mainstream game with a major publisher’s backing try this hard. Spec Ops is advertised on television to the general public, not just high-level core gamers. It represents the start of video games offering something beyond mere action-porn entertainment.
Spec Ops: The Line isn’t for everyone. If you’re squeamish or have zero desire to be judged by your entertainment, you’re not going to be into this. But for those of us who can get in the right state of mind, this is definitely an experience worth having. With any luck, this will be one of those watershed moments for game storytelling that influences everything that comes after it.
Finally, after you’ve completed the game, I highly recommend listening to this GameSpot podcast. Spec Ops’ lead writer, Walt Williams, shares some very informative points about his story.
About the Author
Scott Meaney Scott is a massive film nerd, yet spends half his time arguing the artistic merits of Robocop 2 and Crank. Follow him on twitter: http://twitter.com/scottmeaney
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