8
Spec Ops: The Line

Spec Ops: The Line

Updated Oct 01, 2019 at 07:40PM EDT by C_Mill24.

Added Sep 28, 2019 at 10:28PM EDT by C_Mill24.

PROTIP: Press 'i' to view the image gallery, 'v' to view the video gallery, or 'r' to view a random entry.

This submission is currently being researched & evaluated!

You can help confirm this entry by contributing facts, media, and other evidence of notability and mutation.

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


|SPER OAS THE LINE

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]

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


Um... Who are you? White Phosphorus Noises] americans when the trees start speaking vietnamese russians when the snow starts speaking finnish Spec Ops: The Line veterans when the sand starts speaking white phosphorus

Search Interest

Recent Videos 10 total

Recent Images 58 total


Top Comments

C_Mill24
Delete
Sensitive
C_Mill24 Moderator

in reply to DiStort

It's one of those things that has been discussed since its release. I started playing it myself a few days ago. I had to put my controller down after the White Phosphorus section. And it's only going to get darker from here on out.

+23
Reply
Mistress Fortune
Delete
Sensitive
Mistress Fortune

in reply to LightDragonman1

I've heard the reboot's campaign is going to be aiming for a more Spec Ops: The Line sort of story by being more serious than it already was. There has been controversy over the fact the multiplayer is actually including white phosphorous as a killstreak reward, with people saying it feels like a case of the multiplayer devs probably not being fully in tune with what the people doing the single player are trying to achieve. A retired marine even commented on the inclusion of white phosphorous as a gameplay mechanic in multiplayer, saying it feels rather tone deaf, but apparently a bunch of people ignored the part where this person is former military and resorted to calling the person a "sensitive snowflake" in comment sections…

+23
Reply

+ Add a Comment

Comments (50)


Display Comments

Add a Comment


Word Up! You must login or signup first!