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I Feel This is an Extremely Important Game (Spoilers)


ChongDOTcom

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For the industry in general, and to us as gamers. As a shooter, this is a good game with solid shooting mechanics marred by some iffy AI and cover mechanics. The story, on the other hand, is intertwined with the gameplay extremely well and is brilliant. It's a simple story that takes various twists and turns and leaves you thinking. Everything can be summed up in a few short sentences. At the same time, it's enthralling and emotionally evocative.

 

I felt uncomfortable, shocked, and even stressed at times. Nothing is done for shock-value like 99.5% of games today and is all implemented very well. If this was a book or a movie, it'd be just good. The fact that you have to carry out each action, willingly or unwillingly, is the difference that makes it.

 

All the endings are done very well and each one is good enough to leave you satisfied. Even in the ending where you go home it's heavily implied, if not outright presented, as a hallucination.

 

If you're going to ask me to show you a game that is cinematic, I'd point to Heavy Rain or Uncharted (Both exclusives. Yay!). For sheer story presentation and exposition, I can't think of a better example than Spec Ops: The Line. To me, this is one of the most important games to date and it's unfortunate how underrated and underplayed it is.

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Here here! Times like this make me wish this site had a "like" button. I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said. It's a disservice to the gaming industry that this game is flying under the radar. I'd also like to show my appreciation for your impressive vocabulary.

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Here here! Times like this make me wish this site had a "like" button. I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said. It's a disservice to the gaming industry that this game is flying under the radar. I'd also like to show my appreciation for your impressive vocabulary.

 

same here.

 

it became really difficult to find such a mature and shocking story in games nowadays.

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YES!

I bought this game thinking it was a quick plat and I was going to trade it in right after. But as I have platted this on my secondary account. I can say I am going to hold onto this game forever.

 

Probably one of the best shooters (Controls were tight) and honestly one of my favourite games of all time (Now thats a big list but still) This game is just.... Amazing.

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  • 4 months later...

Wow, still no official story discussion thread ... anyways, I'll just use this one as it's as close as it gets.

 

[spoiler=001]Am I missing something or is there some sort of plothole regarding Walker having imagined things and reality? I'm talking about the situation when he thinks he is supposed to choose who to kill of the both tied up men. Those were dead bodies in reality and nobody wanted him to choose anything. The problem I have is this:

 

There are snipers. You can choose to attack those instead, yes, you can even command your team to shoot them and they will. The snipers will reply the fire and it can kill you, all of which is indicating these snipers were really there. But it doesn't make much sense.

 

Why would these snipers just stand there and wait, then go away without fighting when you open fire? They cannot know what Walker is imagining. They would most likely only realize Walker and his team are starting to shoot and consider it an attack on them.

 

Even if in that tense moment, they did understand he was only shooting the corpse for whatever reason, would they really just go away? Right after that, you're being attacked by the 33rd, so they are not the kind to just let you go.

 

When you shoot the corpse and the snipers go away, the dialogue of your team seems to indicate they have no idea what is going on. The writing is clever there as you will, if you don't know the ending, assume they're just questioning your decision not why you start shooting at dead civilians/soldiers. However, the fact they're totally oblivious to what was going on seems to indicate they saw nothing at all. Not even the snipers?

 

So were thoser snipers there or were they not? If they were, I think it would've made much more sense to let them open fire on you either way, because with both decisions, you'd have been the one to fire first. In case you decided to "play along" and "obey" it would seem like a betrayal or a trap to you when in reality, they would've just replied your supposed attack on them.

 

 

Another thing I'm not sure about is what had actually happened before the game had begun and what the 33rd was really doing.

 

[spoiler=002]They decided to stay in Dubai despite their orders and help with the evacation. Things went bad ... but how did they end up doing all the crazy stuff, including killing commerades and then Walker and his team. And then you find them "helping" the civilians - were they really helping them? The CIA made the civilians rebel and fight against the 33rd, but I don't understand why. Were the 33rd already "bad", then, and the CIA didn't know what else to do to stop them?

 

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I have to agree. Just finished the game and it is brilliant, I don't remember being so engaged with the plot on any other game. And sometimes you make choices that you don't even notice. I'm still trying to figure out i there was any way to not release the "White Phosphorus" on that group of guards, it really messed me up.

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I'm starting to think [spoiler=imagine01]the whole story was just imagined, at least the part we played. Originally, I thought Walker had just twisted the reality after the white phosphorus incident in order to blame someone else for everything and gone nuts, but there are indications to the whole thing being a re-experiencing of memories mixed with what Walker adds and deletes in his mind.

 

When you play the helicopter flight for the second time, Walker will shout: "This isn't right. We already did this before" or something like that. So he somehow realizes he's having a déjà vu or something.

 

seems to me he's unconscious after the helicopter crashes in he intro and re-lives the events hat led up to it in his mind.

 

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I'm actually just about to leave my house to go buy this game. I really enjoyed the demo, now it's time to get the full game. I've heard the story is awesome, but I've managed to avoid spoilers. However I do have to disagree with the original post "(if it were a) movie, it'd be just good." No it wouldn't because the only relation a movie would bear to the game would be the title and maybe the names of two characters. For example resident evil- great game, great story, awful film. In fact if in the film they had changed the name of the company from umbrella and didn't call the film resident evil, I wouldn't have had the faintest idea that it was supposed to be based on the game. So please don't mention a movie they will only ruin your memories of the game, by making a film for the lowest common denominator. - Rant over

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I'm actually just about to leave my house to go buy this game. I really enjoyed the demo, now it's time to get the full game. I've heard the story is awesome, but I've managed to avoid spoilers. However I do have to disagree with the original post "(if it were a) movie, it'd be just good." No it wouldn't because the only relation a movie would bear to the game would be the title and maybe the names of two characters. For example resident evil- great game, great story, awful film. In fact if in the film they had changed the name of the company from umbrella and didn't call the film resident evil, I wouldn't have had the faintest idea that it was supposed to be based on the game. So please don't mention a movie they will only ruin your memories of the game, by making a film for the lowest common denominator. - Rant over

 

I think you misunderstood, the OP didn't mean that the game should become a movie she meant that had this been made as a movie instead of a game it would've just been a good movie, but because it's a game and it's interactive it becomes great, a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with. This game is what we've been asking for, a mature game with a good story that uses the fact that games are interactive to its benefit and treats the player as an adult and not a drooling twelve year old.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

The story in this game is aweaome, my game list may not be too diverse and what not but, this has been by far one of the best stories in a game(that i've played) in awhile. Game play has been good, personally haven't had complaints with AI or cover system so far (still have Fubar to start/do).

I went into this game thinking it would just be a newer/improved Socom but, after a few chapters my thoughts of Socom left me and games like Uncharted popped into my head. All around a really fun and enjoyable game that I wish I'd known more about at it's release rather than playing it for the first time because of PS+. Won't complain with getting it for free though :)

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Have to agree with SoPoF posts regarding some plotholes. The game is really good and for free it's even better but there's just some things in the game that sorta ruined my enjoyment. And i'm not talking about suicide or fubar difficulty the poor team AI is ridiculous, that one section I believe chapter 11 where you're supposed to help your team with a mounted Gunner and you're in a room constantly flickering on and off against a heavy is freaking ridiculously bad game design. Not enough checkpoints at the end of the game. There's just some sections you feel "cool a checkpoint should be coming soon" and boom you die and have to redo all of it.

 

So while story and writing is pretty clever and different, it's a solid game but definitely plotholes that makes no sense really

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For a very good analysis of why this game is important, check out Penny Arcade's two part review of the game:

 

The first part gives a general overview of the game and is spoiler free: Penny Arcade - Extra Credits – Spec Ops: The Line (Part 1)

 

The second part offers a much deeper analysis of the story elements and presumes the viewer has played the game already and is full of spoilers: Penny Arcade - Extra Credits – Spec Ops: The Line (Part 2)

 

While the person who wrote these has a very high appreciation of the game, he also isn't averse to making pointed criticisms, especially of some of the plot holes mentioned in the discussion above.

Edited by Satnamji
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I ended up reading Wikipedia's synopsis and it helped with the plot holes. On the whole, it all made sense, its just a case of them not taking a lot of time to explain the events before the game, and those unimportant details end up seeming like holes by the time you reach the end.

 

I don't want to come off as bashing mass effect, as I am a fan, but this game's decision making puts that, and most others I've played like this to shame. If Shepard is the "hero" who makes tough decisions, then walker is the "leader" who has to make A decision, even if there isn't a right one. I don't think I've ever cared so much about the outcome of my choices in any game this much. I will say, I didn't play walking dead. I didn't like the game itself, even if I hear nothing but praise for It's story.

 

I really feel thatyears from now, ill remember this game like I do SoTC or half life, and can only hope we get more like It

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...
  • 6 months later...
fully agree. the way your team degenerates from stereotype macho soldiers to broken, messed up men is not only entertaining as hell from a gamer's POV but i suspect quite realistic as well.

 

Yeah, I agree. There are little touches I am noticing on my second playthrough that are truly poetic and full of irony. For example, if you look at Lugo's hat, the logo on the front says "Life is a beach." After completing the game once and returning to the very beginning of the story, I am struck by the irony of that carefree statement, especially when Lugo interacts with the Radioman.

 

Symbolically, Adams seems to be the moral compass of the squad. It is he who wants to save civilians when Lugo is pressing to move ahead with the mission. This is important because [spoiler=tt] in chapter 11 or 12, Walker goes down a zipline and knocks an enemy over. He begins to hallucinate, seeing the downed enemy as Adams. Adams is telling Walker, "You can't do this, Walker. You have to stop." Walker then proceeds to bash the enemy/Adam's head in. This act is symbolic of the internal conflict Walker is experiencing, and he deals with it by killing his own conscience; he has to do this in order to proceed with his self-appointed mission.]

 

Edited by poetic_justice_
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