Phantom Reviews "Spec-Ops: The Line"

I borrowed this game from a buddy, and I am glad that I did. I will start by saying that if you are looking for a MP experience, look elsewhere, this game does NOT have it. If you are looking for a SP military Campaign like none you have played before, this is the game for you.

Spec-Ops: The Line is a 3rd person shooter by Yager and 2K games using the UE3 engine. You play as Captain Martin Walker, voiced by Nolan North (Nathan Drake), leader of a Delta Force team sent into a post-catastrophe Dubai to look for decorated officer Colonel Konrad, voiced by Bruce Boxleitner (Tron, Babylon 5) and to rescue any survivors of a sand storm that wiped the city from the Earth.

The game starts like most 3rd person tactical shooters, with cover and having to issue orders to your squad-mates, and you having to shoot and kill faceless enemies in a linear "hallway" while you make it to the city. Once there, things change. Shit gets dark. Lead writer for Spec-Ops: the Line, Walt Williams, has said that his inspiration for the game came from Joseph Conrad's novella Heart of Darkness. As I played through the game, I could see the similarities to Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now. The game's Colonel Konrad is very much Brando's Colonel Walter E. Kurtz.

There are some pretty annoying gameplay issues. The cover system is a bit wonky, and you will die at it's hands more than once. On the PS3, frame-rate, pop-in, and clipping are sometimes an issue. Don't let this discourage you! This is a GREAT game. The character development is phenomenal. You will be asked to do things in this game, that other shooters take with a grain of salt, that have will dire consequence to your characters psyche and teams moral. There are no winners or patriotism in this story. Campaign should run you about six hours, but once you finish, you'll want a second play-through.

Bottom Line: For SP alone, PLAY THIS GAME.