Spec Ops: The Line PC
User Score
8.0 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 568 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 472 out of 568
  2. Mixed: 58 out of 568
  3. Negative: 38 out of 568

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  1. gruia
    Jun 28, 2012
    7
    Weak mechanics. I've played this in parallel to Future soldier. Man this game is broken .. AI sucks, level design is awful.
    The feeling is ok, ending redeems itself somewhat. But the lack of options throughout the game really disconnects you from the main char. So I don't think it will be very memorable. it probably needed half a year of work to be a 8.5. That's where game design limits it.
  2. topgear93
    Jun 26, 2012
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I love the game. Its very different from what I've ever played on the computer. If your into graphics and want a full HD experience then you might have a bad time with this game.The game is naturally bright and will cause some pixelation problems during cut scenes. Make sure to turn the brightness down just a bit. The gamma setting is tricky to use though. Game might end up too dark or too bright. The controls take awhile to get used to. I recommend playing with a controller. The cover system is interesting. It's similar to Ghost Recon but more defined and stable. The multiplayer is OK. It's extremely rare that you will find a match. If you do find one there's a guarantee that there will be cheating. Only play it if you have nothing better to do after you finish the main story. The main story is raw. There are a few scenes that show a lot of death. As a warning, The "White Phosphorus" mission will make you sick to your stomach and probably make you feel depressed. I made the mistake of getting too attached to the story. It felt is if i was feeling the character's pain and suffering during that gruesome segment.
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Pros:
    Amazing story. Many twists and turns.
    The setting is new. not the same old locations

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Cons:
    AI is frustrating at times. AI tends to push you into fire fights.
    No revive system for your character in the main story. Controls are clunky. Might accidentally get stuck on the wrong wall for cover
    Multiplayer is almost dead already and its only day one.
    Way too many exploits on MP maps. Lighting is way too heavy. Reflections and major light sources will cause lag on occasion.    … Expand
  3. Brumbek
    Aug 10, 2012
    4
    **** GAMEPLAY **** As far as gameplay, the cover-based shooting is below average. The aiming is imprecise and you often get stuck sticking to cover or flailing about out of cover. The squad commands are nice, but more often than not you have to sit behind cover waiting to heal due to stupid AI and faulty cover. It just isn
  4. seanj1514
    Jul 16, 2012
    9
    This game has an outstanding story! Yes, some of it could be a little quirky....but it is still one of the best fps stories I've ever encountered. Also, the game has excellent character progression. The gun gameplay, is simple cover and shoot... Nothing special. The level design, visuals, and AI are mediocre to downright awful. Conclusion: get it for the story, but don't buy it for full price. There are a ton of places to get it for $25… Expand
  5. chilinomore
    Jul 7, 2012
    9
    one of the best games i've played this year, and certainly the best shooter i've played so far..
    why? not by its gameplay mechanics, which are basicaly the same as most 3rd person shooters you see.. but by the story, which might be the best i've seen in a videogame.
    the soundtrack is also amazing and only brings more depth to the game.
    one of the few shooting games i actually enjoyed f    rom the start to the end and the first of its kind i've ended in this year..
    truly a masterpiece based on the "heart of darkness" book with a very competent multiplayer, that proves that any shooter can have a solid singleplayer even better than the multiplayer (which is also great) and still be engaging and worth buying.

    a punch in the guts of major publishers like activision, ea and ubisoft.    … Expand
  6. Xeroday
    Jun 28, 2012
    9
    This game is a great tribute to Heart of Darkness. The storyline and plot is riveting. Voice acting is superb and enhances the game greatly. My only gripe is the clunkliness of the controls, even for a 3rd person shooter. Overall, you won't get any better of a plot from a shooter.
  7. thejinn
    Jul 30, 2012
    10
    Where is the love? I don't want to give a good story away, so I'll talk about what I liked. Graphics are good, but the story as mentioned is great! It definitely sucked me in and this was definitely a game for me to replay at least the end to get all the endings. I also think this game is a work of art. I also can't remember another game that has told me, 'If you were a better person, you would not be here' or said something like, What is necessary and what is good are the same.… Expand
  8. jst68
    Jun 29, 2012
    9
    I just completed it and it was one of the most intense shooters I ever played. The story is kind of in the line with Apocalypse Now and the ending is a disturbing surprise...
    The gameplay is fun and I really enjoyed that we finally get to play a new environment for a change. The game really gives you a good feeling about the destructive force of sand. The shooting is mostly fun, but, as a    lways, third person shooters can be frustrating from a camera perspective at times.
    What else is there? This is kind of the thinking man of shooters. You have to flank enemy positions a lot and sometimes use different weapons to meet your goals. It is really a lot of fun to play.
    The downside? Well, we are normally used to "fun shooters" that hide the tragedy and violence on civilians. Spec Ops is not doing that. You are always aware that civilians are getting killed because of your actions... Furthermore, it shows how senseless war really is. I mean we players typically just enjoy the clean combat aspect and even if entire street blocks go down (e.g. CoD) we never get to see the consequences...
    Anyhow, this shooter is well worth your time. If you haven't picked it up yet, you probably should. Enjoy!    … Collapse
  9. Grpc
    Jul 1, 2012
    6
    I think the story was quite engageing and I fast felt like I was a part of it. One of the best features in this title is the story because it's quite deep and well writen. The graphics are pretty solid and what you would expect from a multiplatform game. However the things that drag this game down is the shooting part. The controls are quite bad and atleas I don't get any flow in my movement due to a clunky cover system. But mostly it's the shooting part that doesn't tickle my fancy. To me it feels soulless and there are no feel of the weapons. But the game is atleast according to me a solid action experiance with a good and wellwriten storyline.… Expand
  10. noxteryn
    Dec 9, 2012
    10
    This game is mind-blowingly brilliant. Just buy it. The people who say they didn't like this game are the very people whom this game criticises. It is perfect. It's one of the extremely few games that deserve a 10 out of 10.
  11. DenzNoble
    Jun 26, 2012
    10
    A shooter with a proposal completely new, excellent graphics, customizable keyboard mappings remarkable multiplayer, a campaign full of surprises and sudden changes, with some bit of tactics, a game well done
  12. BMF
    Jun 29, 2012
    10
    This game completel took me by surprise the story is a brutally accurate depiction of just how **** up combat situations can get and what that can do to a soldiers mind. The combat suffers from some consolitys but is still very fun and visceral.
  13. kartana
    Jun 29, 2012
    6
    Another one of 'those' games. You are in third person, you get swarmed by enemies, you take cover, you shoot the enemies and move on. Rinse and repeat. Very mind numbing even though it is not a bad game.
  14. megakoresh
    Jun 28, 2012
    9
    Game of the Year so far and the best story I have ever seen in a shooter game since Half Life 2. With the best voice acting and a solid, but not great PC port. Not recommended for easily shocked people, but if you are incapable of taking games seriously, you are also not recommended to play it. It is very... mental.
  15. ROMshinobi
    Jul 1, 2012
    5
    This game has a great story based on the "Heart of Darkness." The graphics for the characters and weapons are pretty good but the environments are very bland without too much texture or shadow effects. It was clearly meant to run smoothly on the current generation of consoles. The game is a third person shooter and the cover mechanics work well. But, any shooter is about the guns and this is where the game really is dissappointing. The guns sound very tinny and not even close to real life weapons. You know how people make fun of shooter games by saying: "Pew pew" and so forth. These guns actually sound like that!! Ha ha. It draws away from any immersive feel you were supposed to get. It may be worth a play through for the story but as a rental only. Check out Ghost Recon Future Soldier if you like this type of game. Ubisoft knows how to make this type of game.… Expand
  16. wolverine67
    Aug 12, 2012
    1
    I've played the demo from steam and, rage quit because how bad the controls and console port it felt. Well after waiting after release to see if things would get better and people raved about how great story the game was decided to buy the game at lower price on Amazon. Well my first impressions of demo still stands bad controls and bad port to pc, and the MP is one of the worst i've ever played heavy lag disconnects and finding a game good luck. I have a high speed cable connection 50mb a sec. I hate to be the one to be so harsh but that's how i feel. I usually try and be fair to alot of games but this game just is overhyped. Dont waist your money there are better games out there.… Expand
  17. El_Barto
    Jan 5, 2013
    3
    This game is a console based game and although keys are functioning the entire game is made for game-pad.
    This game has a refreshing storyline and environment, what went wrong?

    - 1 : because third person view (f.ex the game Hitman let you switch between first to third-person which is a missed opportunity in this game)
    - 2 : bad aiming, this is just terrible and let not even talk about     the sniper rifle
    - 2 : save points, I am an adult, I decide where I want to save, some pieces of fights take up to 8 min, you die you can start all over again and let's not even talk about the 'skip movie', enter is not working so when you die you can watch over and over the 2 min movie before you can start playing instead of doing savepoints after the movie.
    -1 : cover/vault seems to have a mind of it's own, sometimes you are stuck to a wall in cover mode which you can not get out of.
    - 1 : Squad has a mind of it's own, move forward and decides to get shot, you have limited time to heal them or they just stand do nothing while you fight and die.    … Expand
  18. hcookie
    Jun 30, 2012
    8
    Incredible storyline, the Apocalypse Now for the next generation. However, I feel that I've already spoken too much.

    Gameplay is fantastic and a great story. Do not miss this game.

    However, one major gripe I had for the whole game was the controls. A game should be fun, the difficulty from the challenge on completing the game and each chapter. A game's challenge should not come from     the cumbersome Console controls which Spec Ops The Line is from. Instead of life and death struggles, you'll have controlitis struggles, because your very life depends on whether you double clicked the same key for various commands. I understand Consoles have limited buttons, but PCs do not. Once again, Developers fail to polish what is probably one of the better games released in 2012. And for that, what would have been a perfect 10 is now an 8.… Expand
  19. Rockstorm
    Jun 27, 2012
    6
    This game is yet another entry to the hide-behind-all-those-conveniently-placed-covers-and-shoot-from-there category. Graphically it is alright but suffers from being overly way too bright and the game play isn't anything that we haven't already seen before. At least the story tries to explore the horrors of war but unfortunately fails to deliver due to poor execution.

    Overall a very me    diocre shooter.… Expand
  20. kane148
    Jan 16, 2013
    8
    Spec Ops combines mediocre gameplay with impressive visuals and a compelling story to create a must-play experience. The 3rd-person shooter gameplay is pretty unimpressive: the cover system is temperamental, the aiming sucks, the weapons are boring, and stealth is rarely possible. Moreover, the two squad mates which you are obliged to work with are rarely more than a liability. Thankfully the game makes up for these major shortcomings by placing you in a truly impressive setting: the sand-covered city of Dubai. Not only does this uniquely-opulent city serve as eye-candy (the attention to detail is as impressive as the models themselves), but it creates a truly memorable geography: the sand-dune you're fighting on might turn out to be on top of a skyscraper, or you might take refuge from a sand storm inside a hotel with a giant aquarium beneath your feet. Finally, the narrative told through the game and the emotional impact of the events as they unfold are very good. Spec Ops does a surprisingly good job of not only telling a compelling story, but of making you empathize with the characters and internalize your actions. It's a game that will make you question your own actions within the game and by extension, your attitude toward such military/shooter games. Despite its flaws, this is a game which I wholeheartedly recommend.… Expand
  21. Shasow
    Nov 21, 2012
    10
    This game is AMAZING. The story is very captivating and very exciting. I can say without a doubt that Spec Ops: The Line is the best video game I've ever played, and I've played many games. The graphics are amazing, and the best I've ever seen. I strongly recommend this game to everyone.
  22. Isaac
    Aug 8, 2012
    8
    Spec ops: The Line's gameplay is nothing but average, consisting of one killzone after another, and the action is repetitive and generic. But that's the point. Spec ops doesn't try to be a good "shooter", but rather tries to make a statement, and forces you to face the atrocities of war head on. The main character is Walker, a veteran american soldier, which is sent to Dubai with two other soldiers under his command , to find survivors from the 33rd division of the american fleet. The story shows what happened to the soldiers and citiznes during the war. Walker understands that there is more then meets the eye in the city and that the 33rd division has become corrupted as the enemies they were trying do defeat. During the entire game you wil have to perform morally wrong actions and kill thousands of soldiers, and worse. Many people will not last untill the end, for more then one reason. Some will be sick of the terrible choices that the game forces them to make and just quit. Others will find the gunplay repetitive and decide it's not worth playing till the end. Oh but it is. The ending is showing everything you would never think of while playing and makes everything seems logical. It explains everything you questioned and will stay in your head long after you see it. This game exists purely to make you see why war should never be taken lightly, and why the addiction to military shooters such as Call of duty brings out the inner beast in us all. Never before have I played a game that made me feel so bad, and yet made me appreciate it. Only those that will play untill the end will understand the game's true meaning. You won't find a triple A shooter here, nor will you find exceptional production values, but you will find something deeper then you might expect. Don't let the generic shooting fool you, because you won't find anything else like it, once you finished it. So, how far would you go to complete your mission? When will you feel like you are crossing the line? Play and find out.… Expand
  23. 410MaXiMuS
    Jun 27, 2012
    10
    The story and voice acting in this game are phenomenal. Couple with solid gameplay and controls, plus the "sand mechanics" and you've got a winner. I haven't tried multipler but the single player is great.
  24. wizegamer
    Jul 9, 2012
    1
    could have been a great game but the lack of strategy , story ideas , and my ability to play it in 7 hours. leaves me wishing i had waited for it to drop in cost.
  25. bartreligion
    Aug 17, 2012
    10
    Great singleplayer experience. A breath of fresh air in a stale genre. Way better than popular games like Call of Duty. Not the multiplayer though. This is a pure singleplayer game with a great story.
  26. Isaac_adhd
    Aug 8, 2012
    10
    This game reallyq sells itself by blowing you away immediately. The gameplay is exciting and the visuals are astonishing.I must say I love the beginning levels way more than for example BF3's and MW3's. I play the game at resolution 3240x1920 which makes it all way more high res off course. Buy pc systems, so technical progress like made in this game will continue. X360 or PS3 aside is ok but build up your real game monster aka PC with care first.… Expand
  27. adammcbomb
    Jun 30, 2012
    10
    Surprised me. I did not expect this game to be anything but average. And yet it has a dope story, and the finest backdrop scenario I've seen in modern gaming. I mean, come on...abandoned Dubai, where half the buildings are under sand the other half blaze high into the sky. It's fantastic, and the set pieces are top notch. I'd say I'm halfway through playing the singleplayer. The action so far is varied and interesting, despite what some reviewers are saying. I find it rewarding to pop heads, because when you do time slows down for a second allowing you to line up that next shot. Beautiful idea. And when large explosives go off RIGHT NEXT to a guy his body disappears into a mist. Haha, Awesome. Story is interesting so far. Maybe not a perfect 10 game, but there are reviews putting down 0 as the review score.... Saying this game is worth nothing is basically lying and makes you look like a dick.… Expand
  28. lefiath
    Oct 16, 2012
    1
    Horrible, from beginning to the end. Awful controls, abysmal story (whoever things this is a good storyline should go check a doctor, because this is hardly D movie material), mess from beginning to the end, worthless and pathetic characters (I believe main hero is a terminator), ridiculous on every moment (many situations were written by 6 years old) and it looks like **** as well. Oh and it's a very limited corridor shooter. There is nothing redeemable on this one - not even worth 10 dollars.… Expand
  29. freesta
    Jul 16, 2012
    7
    This game has it's strengths and weaknesses. I wouldn't call it a master piece, but it creates a distinct and interesting world that made me want to learn more about what's going on in the devastated city of dubai.
    It's story is different to what one would expect from a typical military shooter and that makes it worth playing.
  30. xDTrammell
    Jun 29, 2012
    9
    The campaign for this game was amazing. The cover system is the only thing that really needs work. (I need some more characters)
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Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
76 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Oct 13, 2012
    80
    Spec Ops: The Line tries new and interesting ground on storytelling, but falls short on the action department. Still, it's worth playing through for the atmosphere and few different endings alone. [Aug 2012]
  2. PC Master (Greece)
    Aug 31, 2012
    89
    Were it not for some technical issues and console-related shortcomings (gamepad controls and no anti-aliasing), Spec Ops: The Line would be one of the best games for 2012. But, things being as they are, it remains merely a diamond in the rough, destined for wicked crazy status within the following years. Definitely superior to the related series of Kane & Lynch, it proves that, with a steady vision and soul, a genre so clichéd like military shooters, can not only surprise us pleasantly, but totally overwhelm us. [August 2012]
  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Aug 10, 2012
    70
    Expectations were greater than game could have achieved. Yet the new Spec Ops game is a good excuse to stay home and play. [Issue#220]
See all critic reviews »