Our #7 game is a title that took a lot of people by surprise. In a year of massively developed military shooters, one game snuck under the radar to tell a different story.
#7- Spec Ops: The line
Spec Ops: The line was a unique title this year. Every element of the game’s design, from the basic controls to the enemy AI, was designed in such a way to tell a specific story about the horrors of war.
It’s very rare to see a game aimed at the retail market that did not try to play it safe, but subvert the expectations of their audience. All wrapped up with impressive graphics and some amazing backgrounds.
Truthfully there isn’t a lot that I can talk about in Spec Ops: The line to explain why it’s on the list without outright spoiling the game. If you want more detail on the general content of the game, you can check out my analysis on it.
The main reason why the game doesn’t rank higher on my list is that the gameplay takes a backseat to the story and situation the designers wanted to tell. While the gameplay was explicitly designed in such a manner, that doesn’t exactly make it great. I had cases where the controls were fighting me, and the game’s story is what’s going to push you forward, not playing the game.
This makes Spec Ops: The Line an unusual game to include on this list as of all the games mentioned in this blog series; it has the least impact in terms of game design. However, the story that the designers wanted to tell both from a personal level, and from a Meta level at the state of military shooters was an important one.
Chances are most people aren’t going to play this multiple times much less play multiplayer, but that’s alright. Spec Ops: The line is one of those games that you just have to check out to see what happens when designers go against the norm.
