PixlBit

   Spec Ops: The Line is a game I don't recall getting much attention when released. I came across a few reviews online that noted how it attempted to tell a grander story than found in most other military shooters, but I didn't pay them much attention, as that genre is well-mired in basic stories about terrorists and the American military that must stop them.
   But when PSPlus had it for free download back in March, I decided to give it a try--because free doesn't hurt, right?
   Wrong. It hurt, but not in the way that would be expected.

The Story

   Six months ago, a series of dust storms ravaged the city of Dubai, known for being a center of excess and extravagance in the Middle-East. Dubai was left buried in massive dunes. The streets and buildings all appear intermittently in this new landscape, having been rendered haggard by sand.
   One man, Lt Col John Konrad volunteered his battalion to help the citizens, but when that became unfeasible, the battalion was ordered out. Konrad didn't follow orders and stayed behind as Dubai became completely engulfed by the storms.
Two weeks ago, a message was broadcast from Dubai by Lt Col Konrad. He appeared to rue his failure in helping the citizens stay safe from harm. This message prompted the military to send Delta Force operatives to save Konrad and the remaining troops.
   But things are never easy.
   As the game progresses, your journey as Cpt Martin Walker turns from a bog-standard military shooter to an examination on the strain placed on those who must make hard choices during a mission. It's watching how these choices play out tht raise Spec Ops: The Line above other games of this genre. You see (or let) horrible things happen to the people you're trying to save--and to the members of your operation.
   As these changes are wrought upon Cpt Walker, he becomes caked in blood (his own and of others) and sand. Almost as if he were a living piece of the city that has been buried under the same things.
   This game is meant to have multiple endings, but I've only played one: the ending that was dramatically appropriate considering the trials I had been put through. It's this choice that hammered the final nail in my opinion of this game's story.
   Spec Ops: The Line is a game that cleverly blended traditional gaming storytelling methods with an interesting, psychological thriller/military drama. The military is not glamorized in this game, as it delves into the mind of one soldier as he wades through horrors.

The Gameplay

   Despite being only passingly familiar with third-person shooters, I can tell there's not much to write home about in Spec Ops. It's a solid cover-based shooter that implements all the options you can expect. You can slide from cover to cover, peek around corners and shoot from cover without the benefit of careful aiming.
   There's no innovation to speak of in the game, but I can't point to any moments where this proves to be a failing. This game isn't about the combat, as noted earlier, so the lack of outstanding gameplay doesn't feel missing.

The Graphics

   Spec Ops: The Line is a beautiful game. For the most part. The characters are well designed and the models look great, especially as the story progresses and they become dirtied and worn out.

   The same goes for the background. There were times when the sometimes narrow areas where most combat takes place open up to wondrous vistas of the destroyed city. You can see out for what seems like miles of abandoned buildings and wreckage, all depicted with care and an amount of color that I had not anticipated. 

   I had expected the game to look dreary and dark, but the colors were vivid and caught the eye, usually drawing you across the screen. I'd experience awe looking at the depth of the scene, but then immediately become revolted as I came across corpses.
   The drawbacks are few, but glaring. There were instances when a cutscene would begin and the textures had not loaded. It would occassionally take several seconds as the layers of texture would appear over the characters and the scenery.
   Still, the beauty of the overall package isn't dramatically diminished by these pop-ins. It can come as a disappointment when you come across them, but you're immediately taken to another gorgeous set piece.

Multiplayer

   As with pretty much every other game that's released nowadays, Spec Ops: The Line was packaged with a multiplayer aspect. The developer came on record stating that the multiplayer was a cancer on the game itself. I can agree with this idea, as the single-player was obviously not geared to cater to a multiplayer.
   However, I've played it for a few hours and found it enjoyable. I picture it as a game that could have been released on the PSN for something like 10 dollars. It's not anything special, but it's different than the shooters that I'm playing currently. Aside from the basic TDM mode, there are a couple of objective modes that require better team coordination to win when compared to most offerings in CoD.
   Added to this is the random element of sandstorms, which knock out radar and make it hard to see and aim more than a few feet a head of you. This is definitely something that gives the MP aspect something to call it's own and can on occasion turn a match in your favor.
   Multiplayer isn't anything truly special or necessary to enjoy the Spec Ops experience, but if you want to try something different, you could do worse.

Grade: A-