Spec Ops: The Line - I: How to Restart a Franchise - Extra Credits
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- čas přidán 5. 09. 2012
- Spec Ops: The Line questions the very nature of modern military shooters. It completely exceeded our expectations, so let's take a spoiler free look at how - and why.
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(Original air date: August 22, 2012)
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I started playing this game my senior year of high school, as my AP class was reading heart of darkness. I ultimately was the only person to read through the book, mostly because I wanted to see the parallels between it, the game, and the movie Apocalypse now. This game, and everything related to the game, was the topic of my college essay and ultimately lead me to a get into college. For that, I thank the developers.
Baraon Gallegos
Wow, I had a similar thing with it :3
I used the game and the Book for my essay in graphic and web design. At first my teacher didn't get why I would choose a Shooter game for the topic I took. The topic was "Overlay Worlds" and I made a presentation with drawn graphics and a Web-Video overlaying Art Style Scenarios of the Book compared to the Video Game :3
A++ for the project and my Teacher took it as example for the Next Generation Classes :D
+Baraon “BaraonCat” Gallegos
Thanks for sharing that! I wish I could put big flashing neon lights around your posts for critics who constantly drum on the theme of "the non-value of Video Games"
Here's looking at you, too, LordBloodySoul.
Heart of Darkness is a short book...
Lol I wrote my thesis on a similar topic, comparing it to those 2 and with the old breed at peleliu and okinawa
"We will rain down spoilers like, well, you will see..." DAMN.
ZanderDogz oh,OH OHHHHHH
Too soon. :(
Unfortunately, there hasn't been a Spec Ops game since this one, which is kinda sad. However, thanks to this game, we may get more shooters like this one.
Unfortunately this game didn't do too well commercially, so other studios may not be inspired to create a similar game.
+Nvhl34 In today's environment, the game would have done so well. Reviewers have changed what they look for in the past few years, and this game would definitely get awards.
I've heard it did sold well later on through word of mouth and eventually became a cult classic
+Justin Cage56 Then a sequel is still possible!
The General I rather that not make a second one. There is no real reason to, and it will undermine the game's endings
That white phosphorus thing put a black mark on my soul. I do not exaggerate when I say I almost cried.
This game, this fucking game...
Made me feel so many emotions - I don't even have words to describe it.
"Like Shit"?
Zelousmarineinspace No...just no.
Justin Stone Why? *I* felt like shit playing it.
Zelousmarineinspace Oh i'm sorry. I thought you met that the games was shit.
A masterpiece. I literally gifted GTA V because I felt terrible when killin a cop.
Spec Ops was more horror than shooter. Its sloppier combat and cover system added terror to combat and made you feel like a human, not a bullet sponge. Its main character started as a cliche but ended with every level of humanity peeled away by his surroundings until only a monster remained. The problems add to the atmosphere, giving this sense of wrongness (yes, that's a word) that reminded me of Apocalypse Now. Unlike that movie, however, it was far worse in Spec Ops because you controlled the bombed out wreck of a human being as he fought for survival against the human heart at its darkest, making impossible choices that only hurt you and everyone around you in the long run only to find madness waiting at the end. That is far more terrifying than any slobbering monster Resident Evil or Silent Hill can churn out in their myriad sequels, and far more realistic than any Modern Warfare set piece.
Except Red orchestra 2: heros of stalingrad.
Try it before you reply.
It is multiplayer focused though (just a warning)
Zelousmarineinspace Ohhh yeah...RO2 literally is one of the most immersive multiplayer games. It freaks me out when a bullet lands right next to me; I immediately dive down when that happens fearing for my characters life.
Pretty much it. It's already after Willie Pete scene where any sensible player should realise 33rd are the closest to beign the good guys here. But Walker refuses to admit it, and rationalize to push further, creates himself imaginary friend to guide him, even goes along with Riggs plan, despite knowing what he's up to, just to prove he's not the villian here. It's clear he's losing it, note how in late game he no longer mantains trigger discipline, during combat he curses, screams and even cheers killed enemies ("Heavy is fuckin' down!").
Not to mention devs clearly mess with player. Most notably one is when you get killed in late-game, there's chance instead of loading screen you see Walker where he was before combat started, just shaking his head and saying "what the fuck..." as it was all just hallucination.
It’s psychological horror
This game made me think about what I was doing, every time I killed an enemy it made me fell bad. This game changed the way I look a modern shooters forever. Its one the best games ever
I hadn't heard of this game before, so this video grabbed my interest (I haven't any spoilers). I just played it and HOLY FUCK, THAT GAME IS INCREDIBLE!!! I'm not the type of person who gets too emotional with the characters and story of a game (particularly with shooters), but after I finished it, I couldn't rest the whole night. I think that speaks quite enough.
Thank you, ExtraCredits, for highlighting such a great game and giving me this experience.
"Do you feel like a hero yet?"
+Nomang I will never look at a video game the same way because of this line...
+Jake Long I just bought it myself. I knew about the game and had read some reviews when it came out, but guess what... I thought it was just CoD clone and didn't bother. Oh well. at least I saved some money.
+Jake Long I feel like renting it (I have 2 family videos in my city so i should be able to get it) but I really don't want to wait until the weekend to go get it before watching the next video.Damn it I think i might have to get it spoiled.
so basically it's a cabin in the wood of the modern military fps
Yeah, basically had to exist.
You know what? Never thought about that. Good job pointing that out, man.
You're here because you wanted to feel like something you're not
I wish Roger Ebert could play this, and watch this video so he can understand what video games can really be, and what kind of stories they can tell
CaitSeith Except he admitted himself he realized he wasn't actually sure what he was talking about and apologized.
Randy Williams He died of health complications at least a year ago.
+Joe Jacques
For what it's worth, Roger Ebert was doing his thing when video games had all the emotive capacity of a wrist-watch, so that's probably how he continued to see them. Add to that, being the 'thumbs-down' guy was kindof his shtick, anyway, so we may never know if that's how he really felt, or not.
I know this was a year ago but a lot of this game's excellence is only apparent if you have an understanding of common modern military tropes in video games.
"So here's Thought for the Day for you: is a shooter game about the horrors of war an inherently hypocritical thing? Can a game's plot really take the stance that the hideous things man does to his fellow man is beyond hollow guilt-filled rationalization when with its very next breath it goes "bing!" and gives us the Emotionally Dead achievement? Does it inherently cheapen the message to coincide it with exciting shooty action? Could a video game reasonably make us feel guilty for things it told us to do? Can a video game use shooty gameplay to induce emotions other than visceral joy, or will the intended message inevitably be overlooked by an audience who will probably just be tryin' to have fun shooting things?
Sorry, is this getting too contemplative early on? Here are some farting noises: *pffffffffffft* *pffffffffffft* "
- Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw Zero Punctuation
This game man. Still on my top 5. I loved it
This game is the DEFINITION of a deconstruction of it's genre. It takes all the tropes of it's genre and applies it to a real world and everything just flips. It's like Madoka Magicka (for you anime fans) in that it takes matches all your expectations and then when certain things happen you realize what this isn't, everything you expect.
When you walk up and hear just regular American soldiers talking about their families back home before you have to go shoot them just...... wow. God damn.
I loved Madoka Magica, and I really liked this game's story.
I've just decided I'm not going to watch the next video until I can get my hands on this game. I've heard way too many good things to pass this up.
Out of curiosity how has your adventure gone?
did u like the game?
xXSwaglordXx Sadly, I haven't found a copy of it yet, nor have I found time to look.
+Lepidolite Mica I just finished the game . Man it was hell of an experience the story was soo good never expected this kind of story from this game if find some time play this game u will not regret it
Lepidolite Mica Since you say you haven't found a copy I am going to assume you are a console gamer. Why not buy it from the console's online marketplace?
It's not "based" on Heart of Darkness. It was influenced by Heart of Darkness. Major difference. The stories share some themes and ideas, but The Line takes off in a completely different direction by the end.
Interestingly enough, I actually enjoyed the gameplay. Then again, I play very few third person shooters.
That's kind of my view, I thought it was fun but then again, I can't really compare it to anything since the only game even close to a 3rd person shooter I've played is Kid Icarus Uprising. LOL.
Playing Dark Souls, I sometimes had to take a break because I was feeling frustrated. - But no compare to Spec Ops - The Line.... I literally had to go out for a walk and take a breath to digest what that game did with me. No fun at all but an awesome and lasting experience.
I tested at 2K when Spec Ops was in the final stages of dev, and the marketing dept. literally demanded the multiplayer mode be added at the 11th hour. It was insane. Dev hardly had any time to fully flesh it out.
It'd be nice if telltale would make a modern war game, but with real interactions. Such as talking to your fellow soldiers, and making friends with civilians. A war game with choice, Telltales TWD mixed with battlefield would be so nice, you wouldn't just effect the war with "Shoot that guy" You could be d*cks to your fellow soldiers and they would reflect that in the heat of battle, such as not healing you when you asked for it, or not listening to your commands.
That sounds cool and all....but it would be complete hell for a developer.
That could be good.... If the guys who were the heart behind the game hadn't
left Telltale.
Lol Telltale fucking died.
Oof this didnt age well
I'm really glad you guys are still around. I wasn't sure what happened to you guys after you left the Escapist, and I'm extremely happy that you guys are still doing this.
"Spec Ops: The Line" is a giant middle finger to conventional AAA wisdom in all the right ways.
thank you so much 4 not spoiling a game and still talking about it! I find that to be an ever constant pain in my side when I watch reviews on good narratives!
As a vet with some actual PTSD going on, I knew I probably wasn't up to buying and playing the whole thing, so I watched a walk-through (well, about half a walk-through). The guy doing the walk-through was clearly enjoying the game, and in a good mood, but his jokes, and off-hand commentary along-side the game-play became more unsettling, in a way, than the game it's self.
It probably doesn't exist, but does anyone know of a let's player with a more-or-less un-jaded, and less cavalier demeanor on this sort of thing?
Why people are so dumb with this multiplayer situation? I can understand why a fighting game would feel incomplete without multiplayer, but most of other genres are not, and FPS are one of those. Heck, we probably would not have FPS nowdays if multiplayer was such a big deal considering that at the time they started doing MP(Doom) not a lot of people could play it in MP.
TheBrazilRules money.
de·con·struc·tion (N) a method of critical analysis of philosophical and literary language that emphasizes the internal workings of language and conceptual systems, the relational quality of meaning, and the assumptions implicit in forms of expression.
What's so brilliant about this game is that it's story could also be used as a metaphor for the United State's current military situation.
A mission that started with noble intentions to overthrow a dictator and stop the WMD's. but has since devolved into a terrible situation.
Watching this video after finishing the game and wow, all the references in the video are striking.
This was such a great episode
Man I can't wait for next week!
I'm so happy you guys saw how amazing, interesting and intriguing this game was. I tried to convinced people that it was not your normal FPS game. And yes the game did catch me by surprise. I have played many violent games over the passed years. But i never played one that leaved me disgusted and depressed at the same time. And it's one of thous games that when you end it, it leaves you thinking a lot. Overall i love this game. And i'm so happy you guys from ExtraCreditz think that as well.
I'm pretty sure that multiplayer was part of the trick.
Developers wanted to make only single player mode, but publishers demanded multiplayer, so they had to put it.
*****
Sounds about right of Modern Day Media
WolfiePro1
Yeah. Thats how it goes.
really worth a play through and trying every ending.
i watched an entire Let's play on it and... we need MORE of this kind of story telling ^_^
one of my favorite episodes.
Rain spoilers like white phosphorus? Oh come on, you said it in your video...
They didn't say anything about white phosphorus, other than it is brought up in game.
Yes, but they still mentioned it, and if anyone was curious they would look it up, and if they already did, they'd know how it works.
its so rare to find games that can do that. i remember the first time i shed tears over a video game. and no, it wasn't final fantasy 7. i was an orphan growing up, then joined the military. so for me, it was final fantasy 8. seeing an orphanage... brought back bad memories. so i can totally relate man :)
grats for moving up a level. grind it out bro :)
I bought this game a while back on steam, and have started playing it after a binge of Dark Psychological and horror content, this game is still amazing and horrifying, even to my currently blood spattered perception of media
Had a feeling you guys might do an episode of this. Picked the game up a week or so ago and ran through it in 3 and a half - 4 hours. Even though the gameplay was from the deepest darkest most average pits of 3rd person shooter hell, the story, characters and dialogue were so good that it kept me playing till the end. I even ran through the last chapter a few times to get all the endings. That game genuinely made me feel like a bad person.
It was preorder purchase for me. I was looking forward to it ever since it was announced. I heard a lot of bad comments on its predecessors but I knew what I was looking forward to.
great episode and i liked that game
I bought this game back at the summer sales and havent played it because of other games. But now i need to play this!
I think the box art is communicating the right frame of mind. as you suggested, the game obviously wants you to wander into it expecting a simple shooter, since it will emphasize its goals. so kudos there, too. and thanks for this. I played it two weeks ago - I think I never felt so appalled killing the 'enemy' in a game before.
I loved this game. I beat it earlier this year for the first time and man. The narrative made it worth my while alone.
I enjoyed this thoroughly.
Never even heard of this game before, but this episode has me very interested.
Finished the game 2 days ago. Good gameplay and one awesome story. Voice acting in this game is great(Nolan North, Bruce Boxleitner).
Loved it.
Cool. That I like to see in these episodes.
"Next week we rain down spoilers like. Well you'll see."
Dear god. Was that a joke about the white phosphorus? Damn.
I just finished Spec ops for these episodes I just realized that it's what I spent my 4th of July doing.
You would not be alone. Alot of people bought this game for a 4th of July special for their Let's Play channel, thinking it was an America-hoo rah kind of game. You can imagine that the game completely blind sided them.
That sounds very funny
six years later and still this game stands
Great success!
I just beat it this weekend. Awesome story and i founs the gameplay better than what other reciewers are saying
i think because of people like you we got hundreds of superb games. games like super mario, the legend of zelda, portal, metroid, the list goes on and on ... thanks : )
Best Guest Artist Yet!!
Playtrough in 2 Days. Rly nice Game i have to say, cant wait for Part 2 of this Extra Credits Episode :o
I have not played the game so take everything I say with a grain of salt, but on the surface it seems to me that making the first hour or so of the game a poor call of duty rip off shooter type thing as you described here might actually have turned some players off during that time before they got to see what kind of a game it really is. Particularly short attention span steam players that have dozens of games they could play instead.
You nailed it. It was the only way to get the point across. If the gameplay was as exciting as bioshock or something then it just wouldnt have worked. It seriously gets to the point where you dread combat. You dont want to fight anymore and thats the point
0:40 steve from mc? greatvid btw
Is there a way for Arvydas to release the Woody and Buzz image in a vector or 2560*1600 wallpaper version?
Questions...
Questions everywhere...
oh wow, this is literally on sale today on Steam as I write this just when I found this video for the first time....must be a sign
Toy Story 2 I believe, when Buzz screws up the smores bit.
Still, had a nice nostalgic feeling in the construction/style.
0:52 - Was that pic inspired by Buzz Lightyear? I swear I keep seeing Buzz's face every time I look at that shot.
Hey Extra Credits! I'm working on an ethics paper (working on a masters in philosophy) and was looking to cite this look at Spec Ops (especially your description of it as "not fun") in my essay! Is there any specific way I can do this to best cite you? The style guide seems to suggest I just credit "Extra Credits" but I'd rather site James and Dan and all of you! If you don't have a set way to do this I will just do my best, but I thought I would ask. Thanks!
This is and I think will remain my favorite game of all times
This game is an overlooked masterpiece. I was completely blown away after finishing it, yet saddened at the thought that not enough developers are trying something so daring and clever. Everyone should play Spec Ops: The Line, it will change the way you think about games, and even the world we live in.
2:41
The best picture anyone has ever drawn, ever.
Dear folks of Extra Credits,
Please, make a book! I live in Peru, but I will personally go over to the states and buy it! Also, please make it with thwle awesome artstyle you guys have.
Thank you!
this great thought-provoking game should be adapted into a movie @ a tv show!!
Obviously a bit late, but I would highly recommend Raycevick's video on SO:TL. He not only goes into the game's story, but also the circumstances the devs had behind the scenes and the ridiculously-broken multiplayer mode that was tacked on.
Here's to that. Let's hope for an interesting future.
I was really interested about the game on release (because of storytelling and art desing) but decided to wait for it, after this I'm buying it this weekend.
Somebody please tell me what is the music at the end??
I would love to, but from where? Both Blockbuster and Rogers Video have been out for a while now.
Bought this about a week ago, I must say, it is not disappointing in engagement.
I played this game from start to finish in one sitting because the story just drew me in and the ending was amazing
It’s actually just as good the second time around. You notice so many weird things that really make the narrative so much more clear. And a lot of the choices become more tragic because you know they’re choices and you know that the choices end up out of your favor. You know that you’re going to fail to make the right choice because there is so right choice. It’s amazing.
i just finish playing it, and wow...., that was an interesting experience...
THIS made me buy it! And iam sure i wont be disappointed :)
According to the dictionary, deconstruction is "the analytic examination of something (as a theory) often in order to reveal its inadequacy". Pretty close to what TVtropes uses.
So yeah, The Line and Evangelion both follow this. The Line in specific delves into the questions dealing with violence in video games as well as war and heroism, among other things.
I JUST bought this game and I cannot wait for it to come in. Everything else is going to the wayside once I get this one.
I can't get a copy or a download of this game anywhere. Any advice anyone?
Totally agree. I spoiled that shocking moment for myself when I first heard about the game and when I played it, it still cockslapped me when I played through it for myself.
Thanks. That's honestly one of the most important things you can tell a gamer wanting to go into this game, imo.
The bit where Lugo shoots the guy on the sign and he explodes for no obvious reason was pretty hilarious.
0:52 I spent like 10 minutes wondering why that was so familiar before realizing "Oh, it's the pose from Toy Story"
I thought that the ending tune was a remix of Cannon Fodder's hill theme for a moment, another great anti-war game.
I probably won't ever play it, but it does sound interesting. I do love a good deconstruction, and it sounds like this is a great one.
I wish we had more games we could have the Serious Rock return to demonstrate.
Just coz of reviewing the game like that.. saying all i wanted to hear... i subscribe to this channel... ENLIGHTEN ME MORE!!
I played this game since I was in high school. I wasn't a good English speaker, but OMG the ending of this game shocked me for days! I would say it is one of the best shooting games I ever played.
0:43 Was Guybrush Threepwood one of the designers O_o?
(In fact in a large part Evangelion is about making Evangelion, with Shinji getting the job of being Anno most of the time and Gendo acting as the critic / audience substitute who he resents but ultimately lives for the approval and acceptance of)
I know the game was short but I'm glad I payed full price for it. It was a brilliant game and to me short is good cause it means I can get the game finished in my limited amount of spare time. So glad I got the chance to play this. Thanks for the suggestion Extra Credits.
This has to be amount one of my favorite games of all times. It's uncomfortable as hell covered in gas spline, but they delivered hard on that.
3:17 Extra Credits: We didn't mark down GTA 4 for its multiplayer mode
GTA 5 in 2021: hold my beer
I Got this game off steam some years back for like 5-10 bucks. I played it, and when I finished, I wanted to go back and pay more for it. I just Thought it was so bloody good.
I would like more games like this that explicitly tell you that war is NOT to be over-glorified. This game has a strong, STRONG message about how much trauma can result from battle and just how dangerous the implementations of over-glorification are, often deluding judgments about the real thing. If Call of Duty got you to join the military, you're in it for the wrong reasons, and should get out post-haste. That's a very powerful message, and I hope more games do this. Hats off to you, Yager!
just finished playing spec ops very interesting and damn good game
"We'll rain down spoilers like... well, you'll see."
... You *mother*...
I would kill for an updated rerelease of this game.