Heart of Darkness meets Call of Duty.
In high school, I read
Joseph Conrad's long trek up the river and hated every second of it. I thought to myself "Why do they make us read this? What's the point?"
It's odd that I echoed those same sentiments in the first two-thirds of
Spec Ops: The Line, a game by Jager and published by
2K that draws heavily from Conrad's novel and the film it inspired,
Apocalypse Now. Why did I have to play this game? Why does it keep going on and on? What's the point?
The Line deals with the realities (
and un-realities) of war and conflict heavy-handedly, appropriately, seeking to impart some knowledge on the gamer that you are
not a hero. No, you are a violent, murderous individual with a penchant for death and destruction. Somewhere in there, you're a soldier.
Too often, military first-person shooters glorify the actions that only seem "
good" because of their label. The loading screens in
Spec Ops make direct reference to this. Late in the game, after you've lost all sense of your humanity and seen the atrocities of war first-hand, the game asks you point-blank: "
Do you feel like a hero?"
Another loading screen asked me something to the effect of "
The US Military does not condone the killing of unarmed combatants, but this isn't real so does it even matter?" I may have never noticed these subtle prods if it weren't for the impossible difficulty spikes towards the end of the game.

One section required myself and another squadmate to fight off three separate waves of difficult enemies on a sand dune. In addition to five high-level opponents, an armored car dropped a knife-wielding psychopath and a heavily armored AA-12-toting bullet sponge. Needless to say, I got a little frustrated at a challenge I wasn't really prepared for.
The best games give you a set of tools and slowly teach you how to use them.
The Line gives you cover mechanics, a selection of firearms, and a pair of commandable squadmates. In the beginning, you'll need none of these. It felt as if my bare hands would suffice.
By the end I was banging my head against a wall in frustration. At first I refused to lower the difficulty despite the fact that the game offered. I walked away, but when I came back the next day and ran into the same wall, I dropped it down a notch and waltzed through to the end.

Difficulty spikes aren't the only problem. In eight hours of gameplay, six of it is spent almost entirely in sand. The oppresive nature of the desert probably affected me as much as the fog did Charles Marlow. There were times I'd enter a building and sigh in relief at the blues and greens and nuanced lighting, only to be directed to shoot out the roof so a bucket of sand could be dumped on the enemies within.
Despite this,
The Line is certainly competent enough, and set pieces make for entertaining fodder between narrative sequences that inspired a critical eye, of which my junior year english class required of me.
On more than one occasion, Jager presents the player with "choices" but leaves only one option available. In one such sequence, players have to use White Phosphorous to wipe out an army of soldiers in their way. This also results in the killing of hundreds of civilians.

Not only is the player character's mind being ripped apart, but the squadmates argue and fight under the duress too. "He made us into killers," one screams. In another section, the other squadmate shoots an unarmed opponent and argues against protests with "What did you think was going to happen? He sent every armed man in Dubai at us!"
I wasn't prepared for what
Spec Ops: The Line was selling, and hated every second of the experience at first. Slowly, I started to "get" the narrative. I started to understand why I was playing the game at all.
US Soldiers don't
shit and
fight and
DIE in the desert to be heroes. They do it because their country and commanding officers ask it of them. And when they come home? What happens then? They're forced to swallow the disillusions and insults
Call of Duty lobs at them. They're belittled in nearly all forms of media that make light of their dark struggle. [
And they don't get the healthcare they need... ~Ed. Nick]
The gamer in me hated much of
Spec Ops: The Line. The critic in me loves it. Like anyone else of two minds, I'm forced to decide which side of the line I stand on.
Lethean
Joined: Jan 2001
danielrbischoff
Joined: Nov 2009
danielrbischoff
Joined: Nov 2009
I can recall a specific instance around the middle of the game where it seemed like I had no choice, but replaying it I found that I could actually carve my own path and it was planned for too. It wasn't like I broke the game, it was a choice that wasn't apparent or even presented to the player, but I made the decision and was rewarded with something many players might not see.
I hope that helps to explain the "+Choice? In war?" report card mark.
WILLS_COOL_MODE
Joined: Oct 2010
Excellent review Daniel, I'll probably pick this game up.
danielrbischoff
Joined: Nov 2009
sliverstorm
Joined: Jun 2007
Bonus kudos to Nick Tan, who runs a tight editorial ship.
danielrbischoff
Joined: Nov 2009
TheJx4
Joined: Jun 2011
Guess you don't know how popular shooters are in the military.
danielrbischoff
Joined: Nov 2009
I'll just take solace in WILL's comment in this regard.
TheJx4
Joined: Jun 2011
Because, as a potential buyer, I'd like to know those things...
danielrbischoff
Joined: Nov 2009
LawnGnome
Joined: Apr 2007
danielrbischoff
Joined: Nov 2009
It's as if... the game WANTS you to hate it in the beginning. That's almost part of the messaging.
Truly that's a dangerous game to play. Jäger very nearly crossed a line (sorry) that made me want to put the game down and leave it at 2.5.
Lien
Joined: Feb 2008
You changed my mind regarding this game from "Meh" to "I'll get this game and finish it just for the heck of it!"
Now how about you sit down and drink tea?
danielrbischoff
Joined: Nov 2009
tinymhg
Joined: Jun 2011
danielrbischoff
Joined: Nov 2009
NecroWolf
Joined: Oct 2005
danielrbischoff
Joined: Nov 2009
NickKmet
Joined: Jan 2007
danielrbischoff
Joined: Nov 2009
oblivion437
Joined: Nov 2006
Spoilers follow:
Spec Ops does this (as in the White Phosphorous scene) by presenting Hobson's choices. If you avoid using the mortar, you'll inevitably fail - if you use the mortar, even after exhausting all your ammunition, you kill a bunch of civilians. It cannot be avoided - you have no choice and yet somehow you (the player) are to be indicted for a choice you didn't really make. I wonder if the designers/writers don't understand that being fictional, the universe is theirs, they're the authors/God of it and are therefore responsible for everything that can and does happen in it. It's as though they said, 'here, do this thing, you can't not do it, do it!' *player does it* 'You evil bastard! Why did you do that?!? The only way you can stop this is by not playing!' *turns it off* *developers still have player's money*
Yossarian29
Joined: Jul 2008
"Mistah Kurtz? He dead."