Poll: Is Spec Ops: the Line overrated?

[ShinyCharizard]

Why is it so ludicrous? The whole point of Spec Ops is that we shouldn't be playing these types of games. If you don't want to be a party to Walker's actions...don't play. That's their answer. Turn the game off. You can do it at any time.

Can't you?

No because I am opposed to the idea that we should play games that make us want to turn off and walk away from out of shock/horror/disgust and so on. That goes against the very reason I play games and would be a terrible design to have in any game.

Video games should be about adventure, escapism, competition what have you. I don't want a game that tries to tell me this is bad and I shouldn't enjoy myself.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Is it overrated? Erm... maybe, certainly in part.

Does it get to be overrated because it's one of the all too few examples in gaming of something that actually has a higher point to prove and is trying to make a difference to the medium, and until we can start seeing stuff like this, and better, on a more regular basis then it needs to be played and promoted? Yes.

 

[DrunkenMonkey]

For fuck's sake. What the f. is wrong with you people. Another overrated thread? Do you get a hard on by looking down on other people's preferences or something? You are sick.

hrrr, are you a troll... Are you (-),(-), nope moving on....

 

[getoffmycloud]

I do think some people don't think in the right mindset when it comes to this game. The main criticism it gets from people who don't like it is the gameplay is mediocre, which if it was left to stand on its own merits I would agree with. However when it is coupled with the story it changes because one of the stories messages is war isn't fun. The game needed sub par shooting in order to tell its message.

I think of it in the same way I think of survival horror games and their controls. Amnesia and Silent Hill are both games with clunky awkward controls but they add to the experience the designers were trying to create and both games would be worse off without them.

 

[IronMit]

Why is it so ludicrous? The whole point of Spec Ops is that we shouldn't be playing these types of games. If you don't want to be a party to Walker's actions...don't play. That's their answer. Turn the game off. You can do it at any time.

Can't you?

No because I am opposed to the idea that we should play games that make us want to turn off and walk away from out of shock/horror/disgust and so on. That goes against the very reason I play games and would be a terrible design to have in any game.

Video games should be about adventure, escapism, competition what have you. I don't want a game that tries to tell me this is bad and I shouldn't enjoy myself.

Some people like rom-coms, some don't, some like horror, some don't. Some like drama's etc etc Looks like this type of story/game isn't your cup to tea.

 

[VladG]

I'd say criminally underrated.

The guys at Extra Credits explain it better than I could:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJZIhcCA2lk

 

[ShinyCharizard]

Some people like rom-coms, some don't, some like horror, some don't. Some like drama's etc etc Looks like this type of story/game isn't your cup to tea.

No don't you see this goes beyond genres. This is a game telling you to hate it and what it represents and walk away. Who would want that?

 

[RubyT]

Yes. Overrated.

Boring, repetitive gameplay.

Boring, convoluted story.

And a twist ending that channels BioShock's "Would you kindly...", a twist that I didn't find really genius either, but at least it had some meta irony. The Line's ending didn't even make 100% sense to me and the general writing of the game was sub-par.

Also: lame, copycat writing in video games makes me assume ANY mission giving NPC is a twist waiting to happen - especially if they only communicate via radio.

 

[someonehairy-ish]

I think it deserves the praise just because somebody had the balls to pitch it in the first place.

(2) The characters are generic, but it didn't take too much away from the overall story for me. They could've used some more character development, particularly on Walker (flashbacks to their lives before Dubai perhaps?)

That would work against immersion though. You're Walker, so if other characters were saying things to you like 'remember that one time at x' you'd be like 'nope. I don't.' He works better as a blank slate.

The other characters could do with it though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJZIhcCA2lk

Glad someone linked this. Too hungover to bother defending it myself atm.

 

[IronMit]

snip

I understand what they were going for with that scene among others. However personally I found it just didn't have any impact. Had the mortar been presented as an option that you could use to make the fight easier rather than being forced to use it would have made the events that occur after its use more personal and impactful.

That was the turning point for Walker so if you could get through that scene without using white phosphorous his subsequent guilt and hallucination would never happen and the game would be pointless.

On the issue of choice;

You are not playing as yourself you are playing as Walker. The white phosphorous aftermath is where you figure it out because you see Walker's reaction as you also react to the consequence. You don't choose Walker's reaction. This is where the disconnect happens when Walker goes more and more random. He deflects the blame and insists on moving forward while most players are thinking 'what?'. While his squad mate says 'He turned us into murderers!!!'. That's what the player is thinking of the game right now because we feel it wasn't our choice.

At the final scene the Konrad hallucination tells walker and us the player you could of just stopped. You wanted to be the hero so you continued. That goes for Walker and the player. The player didn't have to carry on playing the game at the white phosphorous choice, but we did because we wanted to be a god damn hero! Just like Walker.

Oh wait...but you can reject this completely by just shooting Konrad and reject all responsibility if you want to. That's the only real choice in the game. Do you accept responsibility for the 47 deaths? or do you blame the game/devs/ impossible situation.


To disconnect you from Walker and then to break the 4th wall anyway was pretty cool.

A game,story, film, song are made to evoke different emotions and responses, why can't it make you feel sick or shameful and sad!? Many stories are made about the downfall of a character where he has good intentions but completely messes everything up, I don't see the issue here. Apart from it being done more in the movies and being very rare for video games

 

[MorganL4]

Well if you cut out the two pivotal scenes out of any great piece of work you could argue that it'd just be a generic "blank".

This game has been clipped by the same issue that clip a lot of great things: Everyone calls it the best thing ever and your expectations become so high that the game, no matter how great, can't possibly meet them.

I loved the story, the characters, and the voice actors (especially the VA's; Nolan North deserves whatever the gaming equivalent of an Oscar for his voicing talents). You didn't love it; does that make Spec-Ops a bad game?

The problem with the term over-rated is that it's 100% based on personal opinion. I thought that this was one of the best games of 2012 so no, I don't think it's over-rated. I also thought that Far Cry 3 (right up there in GoTY contention according to most gamers and game sites) was not a very good game so I think that's over-rated. Does that make Far Cry 3 a bad game?

Okay, yeah amongst the gaming community it does get quite a bit of press, however have you met someone who is not an avid gamer ( Joe Blow) who actually knows that it exists? Because I have not.... Anyone off the street if you were to say Call of Duty or Halo would know that you are talking about a video game, if you were to say "Spec Opps the line" or "Spec Opps" would they think you were talking about a video game, I doubt it, they would probably think of Seal Team 6 and the Osama raid.

 

[ShinyCharizard]

A game,story, film, song are made to evoke different emotions and responses, why can't it make you feel sick or shameful and sad!? Many stories are made about the downfall of a character where he has good intentions but completely messes everything up, I don't see the issue here. Apart from it being done more in the movies and being very rare for video games

Again no Spec Ops goes beyond this. From what you guys are arguing about me with. The message of this game is that you should not enjoy this and you are wrong to enjoy the genre. Again a terrible message and one that should have no place in a video game.

 

[IronMit]

A game,story, film, song are made to evoke different emotions and responses, why can't it make you feel sick or shameful and sad!? Many stories are made about the downfall of a character where he has good intentions but completely messes everything up, I don't see the issue here. Apart from it being done more in the movies and being very rare for video games

Again no Spec Ops goes beyond this. From what you guys are arguing about me with. The message of this game is that you should not enjoy this and you are wrong to enjoy the genre. Again a terrible message and one that should have no place in a video game.

That's fine. You're not going to like everything. But your insistence that because you don't agree with the message it shouldn't be in a video game is random. Even if it was critising the genre, it's allowed to say it.


The message I got from the game (in regards to other games) was when you try to play as hero it might not be that cut and dry. &also Possibly Pointing out how lame it is to keep playing as a hero to feel like a hero. would you continue if the character stopped being a hero?

If your annoyed that it's questioning your other FPS campaign missions then even if you didn't like it. It achieved it's purpose

 

[Cyrus Hanley]

A game,story, film, song are made to evoke different emotions and responses, why can't it make you feel sick or shameful and sad!? Many stories are made about the downfall of a character where he has good intentions but completely messes everything up, I don't see the issue here. Apart from it being done more in the movies and being very rare for video games

Again no Spec Ops goes beyond this. From what you guys are arguing about me with. The message of this game is that you should not enjoy this and you are wrong to enjoy the genre. Again a terrible message and one that should have no place in a video game.

Then don't play the game, lol.

 

[Bertylicious]

I bought it based on all the hype on here. I'm not too far in

Spoiler

just finished the hotel level where you kill the CIA agent and then set off to find the other one

but I'm fiding the gameplay very lacklustre which in turn is making rather apathetic about the story.

 

[IronMit]

I bought it based on all the hype on here. I'm not too far in

Spoiler

just finished the hotel level where you kill the CIA agent and then set off to find the other one

but I'm fiding the gameplay very lacklustre which in turn is making rather apathetic about the story.

Don't go on forums then!
It's a short game...restrain yourself!

yeah combat is mediocre, but as it's a short game the story should start to kick in. you might actually notice small things about how the combat atmosphere evolves that actually draws you further into the game. That's all I'm going to say

Play till the end. it's a nice little ride.

 

[ShinyCharizard]

Then don't play the game, lol.

Yes that is what I am arguing.

 

[Arfonious]

If it was a film the horrible things would have a lot less impact as it would be just some guy doing horrible things and not you doing horrible things.

Also as a side note one of the loading screen texts brings unfortunate implications of how the gaming market is seen as only beeing Americans.

 

[IronMit]

Video games are a medium of storytelling an a way that movies and books can't convey due to interactivity as well as length.

Tell me, why should this message not be conveyed in video games?

Because he doesn't like the way it feels...lol

and he doesn't like his genre being criticised or turned on it's head

It's a subjective view (well within his rights) but he tries to turn it into an absolute by the blanket statement 'this message should not be in video games'.

I think it shows how mature half of the gaming community is when a genre can be ripped apart by another game (making us question ourselves) and we celebrate it