Playing A Game Spec Ops: The Line PC

Years and years ago - or at least what feels like it - Spec Ops: The Line came out trailers blazing, with the claim that it could invigorate the art of storytelling in third-person shooters. With a premise inspired by Heart of Darkness (and a central character named John Konrad), plus the fresh and exciting setting of a sandswept Dubai, it seemed well on its way.

Several delays later, with a release date finally looming later this month, the demo makes it clear that this uniqueness wasn't enough for 2K -- they wanted what everyone else had, too. The demo content lays out a beat-by-beat set-piece based shooter campaign that any modern gamer will feel right at home in. But what the demo doesn't make clear is if that spirit of strong narrative was sacrificed, or is still lurking around. Certainly these guys aren't breaking any genre barriers with their ambient voice-overs and non-interactive cutscenes; but there are hints of a potentially compelling story in here, too.

To be fair, the gameplay isn't bad or overly trite, either. Actually I quite liked the headshot mechanic, which temporarily slows down time when you surprise an enemy with a bullet in the face -- especially useful when rushing into a hot zone. So even if the story does blow, it looks like there'll be a solid game on top of it.

Progress: Gave Up -- Finished the demo