Spec Ops returns in Spec Ops: The Line

[CeeKay]

remember Spec Ops, the FPS shooter from the late 90's?  2K is apparently planning a new version, it looks like they're trying to get their own version of the Modern War series.  here's a longer version of the teaser, it doesn't explain by Dubai is abandoned though.

[Turtle]

At this rate, Dubai will be abandoned within a decade, or filled with desperate people that this could become true. 

It's an interesting setting, the art style is pretty generic though, with a horrifically last gen brown color palette.  They should just call the game Sand Ops or something.

[Blackjack]

I liked the original Spec-Ops: Rangers Lead the Way (in Rainbow Six I just tended to get everyone killed -- having just one AI partner to drag around worked better for me). But I seem to remember it gradually declining, like a rolling turd down a hill.

The PlayStation versions were hideous, but because they got bargain-bin priced (and for a time the PSX was short on shooters, I guess), it sold like crazy as a PlayStation title for a time.

Monster sales success (as MW2 is experiencing) tends to begat 2 things: 1) Endless sequels and spin-offs, often not done by the original developers and lacking the source material's "magic" and 2) Endless clones and wannabes. Prepare for the deluge!!!  

[Turtle]

Anyone remember the Conflict: (Something) Ops series?  Mediocre game with poor controls (used some pre-halo/gears of war controls), not sure why it got any sequels, but it was one of last gen's few games that would always come with 4 player split screen co-op, and also one of the major reasons I rented and bought it.

I'm more hoping for a sequel, or spiritual sequel to that than a new spec ops game.

Then again, even though the graphics look like crap on this spec ops, the gameplay movement looks interestingly enough like Uncharted.

[kronovan]

Yeah I remember Spec Op Rangers; it was the game where the AI could poke their weapons through a supposedly solid wall and shoot at you. As well, your 1 teammate was as dumb as a doorknob. I also remember the Spec Op Ranger Elite PS game, which stooped to even lower levels of crappery.
Tactical shooters are my favorite type, so I'm definitely interested, but a bit skeptical due to it's very dubious past. I do hope it ends up being a tactical shooter as opposed to a R&G'er like CoD.

[CeeKay]

behold:  Spec Ops: The Line.

[Blackjack]

Well, they sure picked a politically correct opponent...

Sand!    

The very sand that blankets the city [Dubai] 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.

This gives me an excuse to dig up the late Sam Kinison's famous "sand story"...

You want to send them something, you want to help? Send them U-Hauls. Send them U-Hauls, some luggage, send them a guy out there who says, 'Hey, we been driving out here every day with your food, for, like, the last thirty or forty years, and we were driving out here today across the desert, and it occurred to us that there wouldn't BE world hunger, if you people would LIVE WHERE THE FOOD IS! YOU LIVE IN A DESERT! YOU LIVE IN A F***ING DESERT! NOTHING GROWS OUT HERE! NOTHING'S GONNA GROW OUT HERE! YOU SEE THIS? HUH? THIS IS SAND. KNOW WHAT IT'S GONNA BE A HUNDRED YEARS FROM NOW? IT'S GONNA BE SAND! YOU LIVE IN A F***ING DESERT! GET YOUR STUFF, GET YOUR S***, WE'LL MAKE ONE TRIP, WE'LL TAKE YOU TO WHERE THE FOOD IS! WE HAVE DESERTS IN AMERICA -- WE JUST DON'T LIVE IN THEM, A**HOLES!"

I guess Vegas would disagree on the last one though. 

[Teggy]

I just thought of a great perk for MW3. Anti-Jam! If you play on a sand map, your gun will periodically jam from all the sand. If you have Anti-Jam on, it will only happen 50% of the time, and Anti-Jam pro lowers it to 25%. When your gun jams your character breaks out a cloth and oil and cleans your gun. Fun!

[Isgrimnur]

Well, they sure picked a politically correct opponent...

Sand!   

The very sand that blankets the city [Dubai] 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.

DEEP HURTING!

[Blackjack]

* I think it's worth noting original dev Zombie Studios is no longer involved with Spec Ops (although to some, that will be a good thing). I was fond of the original in its day, but I can't really say it got better as they went along.
==============================
Here's the official Flash-bloated site:
http://www.specopstheline.com/home.html

It's in the link CeeKay mentioned, but to highlight, with sophomoric commentary...

# Deep, Mature Narrative: [Commentary: Boobies? ] The story of Captain Walker’s rescue mission will challenge players to make tough choices between what’s moral and what’s necessary, as Walker’s journey pushes him to his very limits.

# Blasted Opulence: [Commentary: Oh boy, THIS will go over great with our buds in Dubai ] The events unfold in a stunning, haunting setting – the remains of Dubai, once one of the wealthiest cities on Earth, now stripped bare. Dubai’s bold and luxurious architecture still shines through, in spite of the sandstorms threatening all that’s left. Opulent interiors contrast sharply with the vertigo inducing heights and mass destruction outside of the extravagant structures.

# Dynamic Sand: [Commentary: This is as opposed to, say, a golf course bunker?] Turn the tables on foes by crushing them under a cascade of sand cast down by a strategically placed shot – but beware of oncoming sandstorms and their gale-force winds. The sweeping sands of Dubai feel almost alive, serving as a powerful but unpredictable force that will both help and hinder the mission, while opening up a variety of new interactions and tactics.

# Brutal, In-Your-Face Action: Join forces with intelligent, resourceful [Commentary: I'll believe this when I see it. Programming competent squad AI in tactical shooters seems like a myth!] squad mates in fever-pitched gun battles. Accessible combat and squad controls will get you in the fight quickly, where you’ll experience the raw destructive force of your authentic weapons as well as engage in extremely physical close-quarters battles.

# Endless Multiplayer: [Commentary: I hope it doesn't feel "endless"! I'll be disappointed if there'sno co-op as 2 player co-op was one of Spec Ops' charms.]] In addition to the single-player story mode, Spec Ops: The Line packs a full range of multiplayer features, including a never-before-seen mode with unique connections to the main story, a breadth of competitive and team-based modes, as well as the ability to rank up, personalize, and customize characters from two distinctly different factions.

[CeeKay]

some new screenies with lots of sand.

[CeeKay]

here's a not so hot preview.

[Blackjack]

Zombie's no longer involved, which might mean something to old farts like me who liked their first couple Spec Ops iterations. The dreadful PSX versions that inexplicably sold a zillion copies because of their bargain price? Not so much. 

[Blackjack]

Lead Designer interview at E3 blah blah blah
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/e3-2010-spec-ops/700826
Cover-fire (a la, say, Kill.Switch) seems to be a big part of the game.

[kronovan]

So this is being produced by Greg Kasavin - ex Gamespot Editor-In-Chief - and this is the 1st game that he's been at the helm of. He co-produced C&C3:TW and C&C:RE3 at EA LA, which were decent so maybe there's some hope. My problem with him doing a shooter is that IIRC his time writing/reviewing mostly involved RPGs and RTS's. It'll be interesting to see the final result, but I'm still remaining cautiously optimistic at best.

[Giles Habibula]

I just can't get over that somebody paid money for this IP?!?
Yeah sure, a few of us remember Rangers Lead The Way (and the sequels), but man, in all those intervening years, I don't think I've seen this series mentioned once in all the forums I visit. They were critically trashed when they came out, and then quickly forgotten. So it's just hard for me to imagine that the name still has value. Would it not have been better to just start a new IP?

I played the first mission in Rangers Lead the Way when it first came out (still have the box right here), but either the game engine was clunky, or my computer just wasn't fast enough at the time. I really don't remember. Maybe I need to give it another try.

[CeeKay]

I just can't get over that somebody paid money for this IP?!?

It's PC gaming gold! 

[EngineNo9]

Maybe I need to give it another try.

No.  You really don't.

[kronovan]

Maybe I need to give it another try.

No.  You really don't.

Agreed.

[El-Producto]

I heard Giantbomb's take on this from E3, and it sounds really interesting.  There are some neat Sand mechanics, and it sounds pretty edgy.

[CeeKay]

yowch, this just got pushed to the first half of fiscal 2013, which means April 2012 at the earliest.

[Blackjack]

I just can't get over that somebody paid money for this IP?!?

It's PC gaming gold!  

Actually, for a year or two, the miserable PSX versions of Spec-Ops sold like crazy. I remember seeing that on the sales charts in Playstation magazine. Pundits theorized there just weren't enough military shooters on the platform at the time (can you think of anybody saying that about ANY console platform today?  )

I remain fond of the original game but I share skepticism this'll ever become a Big Franchise at this point.

[Blackjack]

Good grief, this took a long time. PC version releases Tuesday, June 26.

A playable PC demo is now available (see, Download Demo button):
http://store.steampowered.com/app/50300/

Gameplay
Spec Ops: The Line is an action-packed Third-Person Shooter that delivers heart pounding physically close combat through a squad-based play mechanic.

Players lead a team of three characters, Captain Martin Walker, Lieutenant Adams and Sergeant Lugo. Each character has his own distinct personality and specialized skills, and the mature story they each play a role in explores the dark side of war in a realistic way, in which there are no good outcomes, only hard choices.

As missions are completed more advanced weapons and equipment are made available. In addition, the desert environment of Dubai is brought into the game in a unique way with stunning visuals, and dynamic sandstorms that actively effect level designs, and which can be used to help and hinder progress. The vertical interiors of Dubai high rise buildings also provide tactical advantages and risks that can used be by players. Multiplayer campaigns bring new modes and unusual situations and environments to expand the single player experience.

Key Features
    A new portrayal of the military shooter experience with twisting narrative uncertainties.
    Action packed 3rd Person Shooter gameplay provides an up-close and personal view into the brutality and emotion within the combat.
    Command an intelligent and powerful squad of Delta-Force soldiers in a dangerous and unpredictable combat zone.
    Cross “The Line” in a mature story that explores the dark side of war, where there are no bright outcomes, only bad or worse choices.
    Unique Dubai setting strikes the imagination and transports players to a larger-than-life playground for vertical gameplay and stunning visuals.
    Sand-filled Dubai provides new gameplay experiences including sand avalanches, and powerful, disorienting sandstorm combat.
    Customisable, Class-Based, Blazing Multiplayer

This is 3rd person, so by law, I must check it out.   From reading the Steam PC version forum impressions, it's basically a military-shooter variant on Gears of War (or as I like to instead say "Kill.Switch," since it came first), which sounds OK to me.

Alas, doesn't appear to have co-op (I seem to remember that as an appeal of the oooold original) in the multiplayer, at least on PC. Well, at least I don't ever see the phrase "co-op" mentioned. But I don't know what else this "multiplayer campaign" could be.  

[Blackjack]

I'll post some screenshots later. Brief thoughts:
-Looks pretty good without being a complete system hawg.
-Cover fire mechanism works fine.
-Thankfully, when moving around, the third person is zoomed back, somewhat like an mmorpg I'd say. When you aim, the view zooms in and off to the side a bit, ala Gears of War et al.
-You can vault over stuff.
-Spacebar is used for going into cover (a la ME3).

-The demo portion seems pretty heavily scripted, so it's kinda tough to gauge the AI. I mean, I could tell you from ME3's co-op mode just how good and reactive the AI is. When it's this heavily scripted, I can't really tell if it reacts to your own actions at all.

-It seems like you can either ignore your two squaddies and they'll do OK, or  you do things like hold the middle mouse button or tap it, to get this red triangular crosshair, click it on a target, and that gives a special order to a squaddie to snipe it, toss a grenade, etc. The tutorial sequence walks you through that kind of stuff.

-Per usual, you can pick up ammo off enemies or swap weapons with them. My impression is you'll eventually be battling "rogue" U.S. forces, so you may be able to grab some ammo off of them, but not usually off the "native" forces (who so far don't use the typical AK-47s; instead they're using some machine pistols and stuff).

From what I can tell about the story, it's basically riffing on Apocalypse Now/Heart of Darkness. i.e., some officer and his military forces are sent into Dubai to help with some sort of evacuation, something happens, and those supposed "good guys" turn bad or perhaps just go "mad." So you and your couple squaddies are sent in. Initially to help, eventually I suppose to try to clean up the mess, so to speak.

[Caine]

played the demo, saw that this was half off on Amazon and decided to give it a shot, partially on the review on kotaku.  seems like a decent enough 3ps and one with a decent story too.  I'll let you know how it turns out, but the demo was fun enough to get me started. 

[shon]

Played about 3/4 the way through and it's just ok.  I got it for $38 when it came out and now since it's half price it maybe worth it to purchase.   

The combat is nothing special, but some of the backdrops you fight in are cool.  The enemy AI can be awful at times, I've had them run right past me in the open, and then other times they can hit you just as soon as you begin to pop out.  I played half of the game on the hardest mode and the enemies weren't smarter they just hit harder and your health was lower.  The cover system works pretty well but there will be times when you hit the button/key and don't go into cover or you pop out when not wanting to that can lead to some frustrating deaths.  The ammo is pretty limited so you will be switching guns regularly.  The story is above average for a shooter, but it hasn't gripped me.  There is a lot of cursing, that may not be a bother to some, but I could do without it.     
   

[CeeKay]

Spec Ops: The Line dev brands game's multiplayer a 'waste of money'

Spec Ops: The Line lead designer Cory Davis slammed his game's multiplayer in a recent interview, describing it as a "low-quality Call of Duty clone in third-person" and a "waste of money." Davis told The Verge the outsourced mode was just a financially motivated "checkbox" for publisher 2K Games, and that the low number of multiplayer users, coupled with the mode's distinct tone and feel, casts "cancerous" aspersions on the whole game.

Davis revealed 2K insisted on the shooter having multiplayer, but the mode was far from a priority for developer Yager, and went against Davis' vision for the game. Nonetheless, the mode was greenlighted and then outsourced to Darkside Studios. Darkside is a small developer most notable for designing Borderlands' fourth add-on, "Claptrap's New Robot Revolution." Davis is clearly furious with the results.

[EngineNo9]

The multiplayer game's tone is entirely different, the game mechanics were raped to make it happen, and it was a waste of money. No one is playing it, and I don't even feel like it's part of the overall package. It's another game rammed onto the disk like a cancerous growth, threatening to destroy the best things about the experience that the team at Yager put their heart and souls into creating.

No, please, tell us what you really think.  

[CeeKay]

I picked this up for a fiver over the holidays and finally got around to installing it.  not too shabby once you get past the questionable squadmate AI, but it's the story that really has me hooked.  hell, I'm thinking of dropping down to easy just to enjoy the narrative without getting pissed off when a squadmate stands in the way of me making it to cover.

[ATB]

Lots of places have this in their top 10 for the year because of the story.

How did you come by it so cheap? I've seen it for 15.00 on steam...I'm probably going to get it.

[Blackjack]

I don't usually get motion sick in 3rd person games but for some reason the PC demo of this caused me a lot of queasiness (Just Cause 2 also caused me problems). I'd love to know whether there's some way (maybe an .ini file?) to adjust the Field of View in this game, as adjusting the built-in FOV setting seemed to help me greatly in Borderlands 2 (and that's an FPS where I expected problems).

I hope The Line gets a sequel where maybe some of the squad AI problems could get worked out.

[Teggy]

Lots of places have this in their top 10 for the year because of the story.

How did you come by it so cheap? I've seen it for 15.00 on steam...I'm probably going to get it.

http://www.amazon.com/Spec-Ops-The-Line-Download/dp/B0085NTITS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1357144242&sr=8-2&keywords=desert+to+sea+bundle

$9.99 if you want Bioshock 1 and 2 with it.

[ATB]

Thanks, Teg!

[CeeKay]

Lots of places have this in their top 10 for the year because of the story.

How did you come by it so cheap? I've seen it for 15.00 on steam...I'm probably going to get it.

Amazon had a flash sale for it at the end of November where it was $4.99 for a few hours.  I just caught it in the last few minutes of the sale.

[Teggy]

If you bought anything from the Amazon sale this year it winds up being $2.49. At that price, everyone should buy it.

[ATB]

Should I play on easy?

[CeeKay]

Should I play on easy?

normal wasn't bad except for the questionable squadmate AI.  there's nothing like running for cover only to have a squadmate step in your path.  at one point they completely disappeared only for me to find them stuck in an alcove.

personally I bought the game for the story, so I'm not too concerned about waltzing through it.

[Teggy]

I played it on normal and then replayed on hard. Since you like Gears you might enjoy the combat. I found the weapons pretty fun.

[Lordnine]

I played on easy because I found the combat annoying (I don’t like modern warfare games and I hate cover based shooting).  Be aware that on easy you can finish the game in about 5 hours.

[Canuck]

I got it from Amazon for $5 as well. $9.99 minus the $5 credit for buying another game. It's pretty good but I can't help but feel as if I'm playing Uncharted with only the shooting parts.