Caught this on sale a little while back and finally got around to playing it. Old news but damned if it didn't live up to the hype. Trippy, dark storytelling that uses "FPS" genre conventions to good effect. Didn't hurt that I loved Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Highly recommended if you're looking for a good single player experience, keep an eye out for it during the inevitable holiday Steam sale! Anybody else try this one out?
One part I really didn't like about this game was that it forces you into perceived choices without really having any choice at all, specifically the use of white phosphorous. Spoiler: small spoiler - tried to be vague Without giving too much away, just before the part where you reach the white phosphorous mortar I was beginning to question in my mind the motivations of my character and the nature of the whole mission. I'm not saying I didn't enjoy the story (which is still quite good), but I did disconnect with the character quite a bit after the mortar incident. If I had been him, I would not have used it. I would have avoided that confrontation or at least been more conservative in its use. I even tried to finish the mission without using it, but the game forces you to commit to "a certain something". This removed the emotional investment for me. I had lost control over what was happening. I was now just playing a game about this guy and what happened to him. Like I said, not a bad story at all, but it was very hard for me to have much attachment to the main character after that. I think that is why I only played it through once. Once all the surprises were revealed, there wasn't much left to enjoy for me. Still a good game and a good example of storytelling done right (for the most part) in an FPS. I just hate it when a game tricks you into thinking you have a choice when you really never did.
the white phosphorus mortar part was the only bit where I really felt like there should have been a choice that mattered there. The rest of it (as I recall) was very well done.
*Cough* Heavy Rain *Cough* And every magazine spoke so highly of how much choice there was. It's a linear story without any choices. Typically you had 2 choices but they always lead to exactly the same result. Things like "shall I exit through window or door" - but you still get caught, all the same.
yep. that was exactly the impression i got on multiple occasions. the story of SpecOps: The Line was a compelling one, but i almost feel like the story would have been better told as a movie or book rather than a video game. still not a bad achievement for a video game genre infamous for lacking good storytelling, though. i think that is why it got such positive reviews overall. it's a funny subtlety, really. it's not like i NEED to have choices presented to me in a video game. Mario Kart never presented me with moral choices or dramatic storyline. I just hate it when i'm presented supposed "important choices" only to learn it didn't really matter what i did anyway. it is annoying and pushes me towards apathy. One of my favorite RPGs that offered real and long term consequences: Ogre Battle 64. Oh man... it had an in-game encyclopedia just to help you keep track of it all.
TBH I never expect any decision making towards a game's story. It is so apparent to me that no one is going to make multiple alternate storylines that I just shrug when I see the marketing team claim such things. All I need is a nice story and a nice setting. Already that seems to be asking a lot even from AAA games.
SpecOps's greatest achievements were in subverting expectations from its trailers and hype, and in subverting genre tropes by doing the whole "heart of Darkness" thing. It was a great game and a great story, and I don't think the lack of real choice mattered, outside the context that they said there would be choices that mattered. Games can be linear and still be compelling. Not everything has to be a multi-ending sandbox.
When I played through it, I took the obvious lack of choices as another satirical jab at the FPS genre. I agree with Magnus though, I think it hurt the experience more than helped, especially during the spoiler he mentions; I felt a disconnect too.
I enjoyed the game for a few hours until I realized that no matter what I do it will go down the drain any way. So i just couldnt be asked to care anymore and from then on it simply got an average fps to me. The phosphorus scene was one exception where It did leave an impression, but the rest after that? Didnt care.
