Spec Ops: The Line

[SPOILER WARNING: This entry contains spoilers to the plot of the game. You have been warned!]

About

Spec Ops: The Line is a third-person military shooter developed by Yager Development and published by 2K Games. The game is the eighth installment in the Spec Ops line of video games. The game centers around Captain Martin Walker and his two Delta Force companions John Lugo and Alphanso Adams as they are sent on a recon mission to the decimated city of Dubai. The game is well known for its dark themes of warfare as entertainment and a deconstruction of the war shooter genre that was heavily prevalent in the industry at the time and has garnered a cult following over the years.

History

The first Spec Ops: The Line trailer was unveiled at the Spike Video Game Awards. Originally slated for release in 2011, the game was pushed back to June 26th, 2012.

Reception

Spec Ops: The Line released to mostly positive reception from critics. Praise was heavily directed towards the game's narrative, with review outlets like Destructoid, calling it "dense and compelling."^[1] Criticism was directed towards the generic gameplay, although some critics argue that the unfleshed out gameplay was intended purposefully by the developers to make the game's narrative and themes more impactful. Video game critic Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw of Zero Punctuation named Spec Ops: The Line as his best game of 2012. Despite the positive reception, the game was a commercial failure, with developers Take Two saying it sold less than anticipated.^[3]

Impact

Despite its poor sales figures, Spec Ops: The Line has garnered a cult following over the years and has been placed in discussions as high art in the medium of video games. The story of the game has been the subject of video analysis on YouTube. YouTuber Raycevik posted a 43-minute review of the game, gaining over 1 million views (shown below, left). Extra Credits released a lengthy video essay about the game, gaining over 430,000 views (shown below, right).

Fandom

Spec Ops: The Line has a subreddit dedicated to the discussion of the game.^[2] It, alongside the game's content, are the most viewed pages on the Spec Ops wiki. There is multiple pieces of fan art dedicated to the game, especially on websites like DeviantArt. ^[4]

Related Memes

White Phosphorus Scene

One of the most infamous scenes in Spec Ops: The Line involves the use of white phosphorus to kill opposing soldiers. Innocent civilians end up getting caught in the crossfire, causing a scene to take place where Walker and his companions witness the carnage they have caused, including an image of a mother's mangled corpse cradling her child. The scene is often cited by the fandom as the first step into how dark the narrative of the game is (video shown below).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External Links

^[1] Destructoid – Review: Spec Ops: The Line

^[2] Reddit – r/SpecOpsTheLine

^[3] Videogamer – Max Payne 3 and Spec OpsThe Line sales 'lower-than-anticipated' – Take-Two

^[4] DeviantArt – Spec Ops the Line