Spec Ops: The Line would like to welcome you to Hell but just what type of hell are you in for? Read on to see.
This third person action game is set in the ruins of the emirate Dubai. Constant sand storms plague your way as you maneuver through crumbling buildings, deserts, and sand torn streets.
This is not your late-90s-early-2000s Spec Ops. Though connected by name to the earlier Spec Ops games, it takes on its own storyline. The game takes place 6 months after a catastrophic sandstorm has destroyed Dubai. While some residents were evacuated, others were buried forever under dunes of sand. You play as Captain Martin Walker, accompanied by your delta force bravo team as you enter the city to answer a distress call that has just been received. The distress call is coming from US Army Colonel John Konrad; he is hollow at the core (Heart of Darkness reference anyone?). Konrad and his battalion, the Damned 33rd, were thought to be dead. The battalion had refused to evacuate the city in order to help the citizens who had been left behind. Your mission is to find survivors and radio back to base for an evac. Very quickly you realize that it is going to be much more complicated than that.
The first few minutes of the game resembles a scene from AMC's zombie survival drama The Walking Dead (if it took place in a desert that is). Walking through the silent desert as you weave between abandoned cars you cant help but be on high alert. Once you stumble upon several recently-dead bodies all hell breaks loose. From this point on though, unfortunately you maneuver through various scenarios of shoot em up mediocrity. But more on that later.
The lighting of the bright desert sun is visually awesome and with Dubai as a backdrop it is quite stunning. This shouldnt come as a surprise as it uses the newest Unreal Engine (UE3). The problem is that the novelty of the graphics wears off quickly. The same three scenarios you play in throughout are "hot desert," "storm-ravaged buildings," and "war torn streets." No matter how appealing these scenarios are they eventually become routine. Between repetitious landscapes and indistinguishable enemies the visuals are found lacking.
I say we build a city in the Grand Canyon. Whos with me?!?
From a gameplay perspective, it is a stereotypical third person shooter. Crouch and hide next to barriers, vault over them to surprise an enemy, blind fire your gun over them, or sidestep around a wall. You've played this game before. Think Gears of War without the flow (or big feet). To sum up the game in one word I would go with clunky. I was constantly catching myself yelling WHY!?! in frustration, aggravated with it taking me several button pushes to crouch next to a wall. Or for no reason my character would just step away from the cover ending in my speedy demise. Frustrating.