The upcoming Spec Ops: The Line places gamers on the battlefront of Dubai, where war changes everything. As Captain Martin Walker, you lead a Delta Force squad into the now desolate, sand swallowed city in order to track down lost Colonel John Konrad. There are a great number of mysteries that will unfold, and the effects of war will be felt by all.
The demos offered a decent look at what gamers can expect; visually stunning, open terrain marred by natural and human made disasters. The cover based shooter offers intense gun battles where the vicious sandstorms can become your worst enemies. Spec Ops: The Line provides a dark sense of more realistic, more visceral violence. Enemies won’t simply collapse to the ground after a gunfight; the injured will bleed out slowly, all the while screaming in pain and/or begging for mercy.
In my interview with Cory Davis, lead designer on the project, I asked him what set this game apart from other shooters on the market. “Spec Ops offers a darker, more mature setting.” He went on to explain that in the game, “There’s no happy endings. We wanted a realistic view of what soldiers have to endure. Situations will be horrific, borderline surreal given the state of mind over the guilt of their actions or in some cases inaction.” Davis explained to me that while the game is no choose your own adventure, the player will have choices to make, some of which the effects will be felt later on. He went on to explain one such scenario. Two men are dangling from a sign: one a thief who stole water (a precious resource in such desolate desert), and the other man the killer of the thief’s family in revenge for the theft. The player has been given the order to execute one and has several choices: he can shoot one or both men, he can shoot the ropes and free them, or he can simply walk away. Because of the choices players can make, there will be multiple endings within the game.
Davis also went on to explain some more of the technical aspects involved with the game. In order to create a stronger bond to the characters, the game was created for third-person view. Drastic character evolution is vital to the story telling, and will help to draw the players into the action. As mentioned earlier, fallen foes don’t die quickly, and it is up the player to decide if they wish to finish them off or allow them to bleed out. A group of designers made up of many nationalities worked on the project, each with their own views on war and humanity. “I don’t think this would have worked from a single point of view. We want that connection,” Davis told me. I was informed that even the voice actors worked together, similar to the Uncharted series.
Hearing more about the game after indulging in the demos certainly drew me in, and makes me eager for the game’s release. I’d also like to once more thank Mr. Davis for his time in answering my queries and for all the information provided. Look for Spec Ops: The Line on the 26th of June for PC, Xbox 360, and Playstation 3.
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