Lines Were Meant To Be Crossed

Gameplay - 8/10

Storyline - 10/10

Graphics - 9/10

Game Score : 27/30

Ok peoples so slight change in plans; turns out I gotta go back home to help my parents out at the family store so got to write up this review from Thursday and upload the game-play videos to YouTube so y'all can still have a blog to enjoy and game to check out on Friday. Yes I know i'm so thoughtful but that's besides the point. Had initially wanted to review Lollipop Chainsaw but my copy reached a bit later than expected so that will have to be for next weeks review I guess. Works out ok as I have some time to figure out what special treat I may have in store for y'all, so stay tuned to the Facebook Page and Twitter to find out about that. Now that we have that settled lets get into today's review of Spec Ops: The Line.

Spec Ops: The Line is a third-person shooter video game developed by Yager Development and published by 2K Games. The game was released in North America on the Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms on June 26, 2012, and will be released in Europe on June 29, 2012. It was officially announced at Spike Video Game Awards on December 12, 2009. The game is inspired by Joseph Conrad's novella Heart of Darkness. The Line is primarily a third-person shooter with emphasis on squad-based tactics. As the player progresses, better weapons and equipment will become available to accomplish goals more easily. Squad commands will also be available, allowing the player to direct their teammates to perform certain actions or move to certain areas.

The player controls Captain Martin Walker who is accompanied by a Delta Force bravo team to rescue a U.S. Army Colonel who remained behind in Dubai. Previously, Dubai was a wealthy area with many high profile citizens until catastrophic sandstorms left a majority of the city buried. This caused many to evacuate, leaving only a few behind. One of the people left behind was U.S. Army Colonel John Konrad , a founding member of Delta Force, who refused to evacuate from a training facility in the city and instead remained behind with the men under his command to help protect the citizens that could not evacuate. After several weeks of no contact, the Army fears that Col. Konrad and his men are lost to the destruction of the city until a weak distress signal is picked up. This gives the Army reason to deploy the player and their squad, who must infiltrate the city, neutralize outlaws and survive sandstorms as they attempt to determine what happened to Konrad and his men.

The game focuses on the natural sandstorms of Dubai to provide dynamic terrain changing during gameplay, similar to Fracture and the Red Faction series. This is supported by an unpredictable engine that randomizes when and where sandstorms will arise, as well as how harsh they will be. Sandstorms may open or close paths to the players as well as turn advantages in a firefight. Graphically I must say this game is visually stunning and coupling this with the gripping story-line you get a truly dynamic and rewarding game-play experience. The interactive and destructible environment really helps add to the realism of being in a constant state of action and awareness. The characters are distinct and noteworthy in their persona's and traits which helps you to connect with each on varying levels to which appeals to you more; personally I liked listening to Lugo a lot.

As per usual there are some little snags here and there but nothing game breaking to rob you of the experience. My two main areas of fault would be the run and cover system in the game as well as some of the squad based commands. At times I found maneuverability an issue while running and trying to change direction or stop which i found a bit annoying at time. As far as the squad based commands go at times the team members had issues carrying out the commands due to placement of the target or such and I would have to end up doing it myself anyways. Aside from these slight nuances overall it is a solid game and you would do well to give it a go if you are a fan of military shooters or just a good story-line in general. So give it a look...