Spec Ops: The Line

 PC
Spec Ops: The Line Image
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1745 Ratings

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  • Summary: Spec Ops: The Line is a provocative third-person modern military shooter that challenges players' morality by putting them in the middle of unspeakable situations where unimaginable choices affecting human life must be made. Spec Ops: The Line unfolds within the destroyed opulence of Dubai.Spec Ops: The Line is a provocative third-person modern military shooter that challenges players' morality by putting them in the middle of unspeakable situations where unimaginable choices affecting human life must be made. Spec Ops: The Line unfolds within the destroyed opulence of Dubai. Once the playground for the world's wealthiest elite, Dubai has fallen victim to a series of cataclysmic sandstorms. The city's ultramodern architecture lies half-buried under millions of tons of sand. The very sand that blankets the city plays a marquee role in altering combat situations and serves as a powerful but unpredictable force that will both help and hinder players throughout the course of the game. While most people have fled the now-barren wasteland before the sandstorms swept through, U.S. Army Colonel John Konrad and his loyal squad remained behind to protect those incapable of escape. Unable to reach anyone in Dubai after the storm hit, the U.S. Army feared Konrad and his team dead until they picked up a weak distress signal and launched a rescue operation. As U.S. Army Captain Martin Walker, you and your elite Delta Force team are sent to infiltrate the treacherous region to bring Konrad home. Players experience “"The Line," that razor's edge known only to men who deal in war. It is the line they cross when death and duty become one and the same. It is the end -- of self and sanity -- when their duty is done and only they remain. [2K Games]… Expand
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. 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]
    All this publication's reviews
  2. GameStar
    Jun 26, 2012
    85
    It does not forget the madness of war.
  3. PC Games
    Jun 27, 2012
    81
    A solid third-person shooter that delivers intense action and a compelling setting, but relies too much on established mechanics, rather than delivering something new. The story however really stands out - a grim and challenging reflection on violence is something you won't find in any typical shooter. Fortunately it's also missing that dull patriotism you've come to expect from today's military action games.
  4. Games.cz
    Jul 3, 2012
    80
    A big surprise among military shooters. Spec Ops will present you a dark story that's opposing the well-known clichés of the other military games. It's a pity, however, that the action part doesn't go along with the game's storytelling.
  5. 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]
    All this publication's reviews
  6. Thunderbolt
    Jul 6, 2012
    70
    As it is, the story must be commended for tackling the horrors of war and the effect it has on the human mind, and the techniques it deploys to accomplish this. It tries things no other modern military shooter has even come close to, boldly stating that shooters don't always have to be wrapped in mundane and convoluted storytelling, and that's quite the accomplishment considering the oversaturation of the genre.
  7. GameSpot
    Jun 27, 2012
    65
    The disconnect between the gameplay and the narrative elements of Spec Ops: The Line is numbing, which makes it more difficult to contemplate the murky morality of war in the way the game wants you to.

See all 16 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 274 out of 365
  2. Mixed: 72 out of 365
  3. Negative: 19 out of 365
  1. trikitronix
    Dec 6, 2017
    10
    Great game. I liked it a lot when i played some years ago, and re-discovering it now in 4K.

    This game in 4K as absolutely amazing, is like    Great game. I liked it a lot when i played some years ago, and re-discovering it now in 4K.

    This game in 4K as absolutely amazing, is like having a new game for sure.    … Expand
  2. DeathAngel9987
    Dec 17, 2014
    10
    I am truly speechless, Amazing Game... Great Story, good gameplay and Mind-blowing ending...
    I don't know why some people voted 0/10, unless    I am truly speechless, Amazing Game... Great Story, good gameplay and Mind-blowing ending...
    I don't know why some people voted 0/10, unless they come from Call Of Duty there is no reason for such a thing I think this is one of the best games that come out in the last 10 years    … Expand
  4. 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 isWhere 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
  5. charrudeboy
    Oct 9, 2014
    9
    A game every gamer should play. Average gameplay with amazing story and characters.

    After it was over I sat in front of my PC and just    A game every gamer should play. Average gameplay with amazing story and characters.

    After it was over I sat in front of my PC and just repeated "the horror"    … Expand
  6. Harumpel
    Dec 30, 2012
    8
    The most remarkable thing about this game is its truly dark story and its high level of unnecessary violence. I thought it would be a straightThe most remarkable thing about this game is its truly dark story and its high level of unnecessary violence. I thought it would be a straight shooter game, but the "Apocalypse Now" - like story added greatly to the gaming experience, although I don't like things that brutal. The setting of post-apocalyptic Dubai is rather unique and interesting. The opponent A.I. is rather bad and predictable, controls are also bad. Overall I give it an 8 because it was an enjoyable experience and well worth the money.… Expand
  7. telerabies
    Jul 10, 2014
    8
    Finally I get to play this controversial game (because I want to read the book "killing is harmless" solely written on this game).

    It is a    Finally I get to play this controversial game (because I want to read the book "killing is harmless" solely written on this game).

    It is a short game, I finished it (at least the majority of the narrative) in 5 hours. But the gameplay, to be honest, is mediocre if not horrible. Plus Multiplayer is dead. Graphics, let's say, mediocre again because it is really not impressive. The whole weight of the game goes to the narrative. It is really a anti-FPS shooter game. I even doubt if they actually made the other aspects of the game deliberately awful so as the player can focus on the "shock" of the narrative. Thus it is most fun to play this game with the expectation that this is just another shooter like GoW etc.

    The choices (and how impotent they are) the player are asked to make reminded me of Mass Effect series particularly 3 and its ending. The psychological manipulation and guilt-driven portrayal of war all aims at making the player uncomfortable (possibly contemplating). The hero is the villain. It is not the usual "there is no clear cut between hero and villain" rehtorics, but the entire dichotomy is destroyed. There is no justice in a war and it does not matter which side you choose. When the soldier is bodily on the battlefield, the gore and brutality does permanent damage to him. It affects the protagonist to its core while the he strives to maintain his legitimacy through construction of himself as the hero regardless of what he had done to many lives.

    Now I am going to read that whole book, if I ever got the time.    … Expand
  8. RigbyTheMad
    Oct 11, 2020
    0
    I bought it in 2020 for real money and after 3 hours of play time the game crashes due to a critical error. The story doesn't go on. It canI bought it in 2020 for real money and after 3 hours of play time the game crashes due to a critical error. The story doesn't go on. It can never work. I don't get my money back! It's worth nothing! Disgusting!

    Ryzen 2600x
    Gtx 1070ti
    16 gb ddr4
    512 gb kingston ssd    … Expand

See all 365 User Reviews

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Awards & Rankings

81
#81 Best PC Game of 2012
23
#23 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012

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