[10.13.12] Review: ‘Spec Ops: The Line’

2K Games, Yager Development

Spec Ops: The Line

Rating:

5 Stars

Between 1998 and 2002, eight games in the “Spec Ops” series launched across the PlayStation, Dreamcast, and Windows PCs, almost all to relatively abysmal reviews. So why would anyone want to revive a dead series, a full decade later? Who knows, but 2K Games apparently had a good reason to. Together with Yager Development, they take you on a journey to Dubai with an elite Delta Force team, headed up by Captain John Walker. They’re doing reconnaissance after a wave of horrible sandstorms left the city in ruins and the 33rd Battalion of the United States Army stranded within. The 33rd, led by Colonel John Konrad, were running an evac operation when things went south. After invoking martial law, the 33rd was publicly disavowed for treason and the city was declared a “no-man’s land” by the United Arab Emirates. Captain Walker finds evidence that the 33rd staged a coup d’état against Konrad, and suddenly the reconnaissance mission turns into a rescue mission.

The Fun Stuff:

“Spec Ops: The Line” is absolutely gorgeous, in a beat-up and run-down kind of way. It all starts with the start menu which is a panorama of Dubai. As it turns out, it’s also the launching pad for the game in more ways than one. As soon as you start the campaign, you’re immediately in the action. Without even cutting, the camera pans and suddenly you’re in a helicopter firing a mini gun. Even under such dire consequences, the city of Dubai is breathtaking. Throughout the game you’ll weave in and out of, walk up to the edge of, fall through, and zip-line between many of the towering buildings around you. You’ll be traversing the buildings and interacting with them in some incredibly unique ways.

This is all thanks to the star of the game. No, I don’t mean Captain Walker – I’m talking about the sand. In an article for Official Xbox Magazine, the developers stated that they intended to “do for sand what ‘Bioshock’ did for water.” Because of this, you’ll find yourself interacting with sand constantly throughout the game. Unfortunately, the majority of it is scripted, but it’s still a thrill to use. Often, you’ll be able to shoot out a wall or window, causing a towering bank of sand to come pouring in, smothering enemies or entire areas, allowing you to now access places you previously could not. Although the game throws it in your face a few times, there are still plenty of opportunities where the ability to do so is left for your discovery. Explosions will also cause clouds of sand to puff into the air, temporarily blinding nearby enemies, which is another nice touch.

It’s a darn good thing that happens too, because you’ll need to stretch every grenade as far as you possibly can. The same can be said about ammo. If you thought ammunition was scarce in “Dead Space”, wait until you play “Spec Ops: The Line”. On the hardest difficulties, headshots are a must, and you’ll often have to rely on giving your squad mates attack commands to help conserve ammo. The greatest thing about “Spec Ops: The Line” is that it almost feels more like a survival horror game than a third person military shooter.

Despite the incredibly drab and generic title, “Spec Ops: The Line” has a phenomenal story. As Colonel Konrad’s name alludes to, it draws heavily from Joseph Conrad’s novel “Heart of Darkness”, or for you movie fans, “Apocalypse Now”, a Vietnam War era adaptation of the book. Without giving away too much of the story, it’s safe to say the game presents you with multiple difficult moral decisions and will pull you deep into the universe of “Spec Ops: The Line”. The story is so spectacular; you’ll want to play through it immediately again afterwards.

The game demands a second play through, both because of the story and the achievements. Thankfully, there are no multiplayer achievements, and none of the achievements are too ridiculous or difficult to get. In fact, it’s possible to 100% the game with just two play throughs.

The Frustrating Stuff:

There’s more to the game than just the single-player story, though, much to Yager’s dismay. 2K Games required a multiplayer component to the game, which its developers weren’t too happy about. According to Cody Davis, lead designer at Yager,

"It sheds a negative light on all of the meaningful things we did in the single-player experience. The multiplayer game's tone is entirely different, the game mechanics were raped to make it happen, and it was a waste of money. No-one is playing it, and I don't even feel like it’s part of the overall package - it's another game rammed onto the disk like a cancerous growth, threatening to destroy the best things about the experience that the team at Yager put their heart and souls into creating."

Truth be told, the multiplayer isn’t horrible, but it’s nothing exhilarating or ground breaking either. There’s not much reward for playing through it, and those who have already spent a lot of time in it have a significant advantage over those just starting out, thanks to the XP-based unlock system. It’s also nearly vacant of players and a victim to proximity mine spamming.

Its sad time had to be wasted on the development of multiplayer, because it likely prevented what could have otherwise been a nearly flawless game. Despite the gorgeous presentation and awesome soundtrack, the enemies do suffer from repetitive character models. The voice acting in the game is stellar, with the exception that the script manages to drop more f-bombs than the movie “Inside Man”. There was also the occasional glitch, although they were typically just amusing and certainly never game-breaking.

Bottom Line:

“Spec Ops: The Line” is probably one of the most underrated games of 2012. Despite the generic title, it sports an outstanding story and a very refined game. There’s one thing that’s for sure, Yager knew exactly what they wanted and they did a fantastic job of crafting it. If you appreciate a story-driven single player experience, this is the game for you. Don’t expect much replay value out of the multiplayer, though. If you’re looking for rinse and repeat military shooting, go elsewhere, because “Spec Ops: The Line” made sure it stood out from the bunch.

Spec Ops: The Line was developed by Yager Developement and was published by 2K Games. It was released in North America on June 26, 2012 with an ‘M’ rating from the ESRB and an MSRP of $59.99. This review was based on a copy of the game purchased after the release date.

Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you

[08.24.11] Review: 'Duke Nukem Forever'

2K Games

Duke Nukem Forever

Rating:

4 Stars

Duke Nukem. Many people know the name, and many people also know at least a little bit of the story behind the making of Duke Nukem Forever, regardless of whether or not they even play video games. Stuck in developmental hell for 15 years, the impossible happened when Duke Nukem Forever was finally released to the public in June 2011. Suddenly the cool thing to do seemed to be bashing the game. Critic after critic gave it horrendous reviews, often in the range of 2-3 points out of a possible 10! Metacritic’s score for DNF sits right around 49% for any console. Despite all of this, it still had notably strong sales on release week, although they dwindled out later on that month to a mere 376,300 units. Despite the fact that Take-Two Interactive ultimately did state the game was profitable for them, the big question is, though, was the bashing justified? Or is Duke just another victim of the media?

The Fun Stuff:

Hail to the King, Baby!

What could be more fun than finally getting to play as the larger-than-life Duke Nukem? One of the most ridiculous, over-the-top action stars of all time is brought back in Duke Nukem Forever, and you get the chance to run and gun as The King. Duke has got himself an arsenal of fantasy weapons, goofy one-liners, and some awesome pop-culture references to play through the campaign with.

Freeze Ray! Freeze Ray! Freeze Ray!

Yup, that’s right, the freeze ray is back, albeit a little differently from the original, but it’s still a freaking freeze ray! The fun doesn’t stop there though. There’s the Devastator, which is a dual-chamber rapid fire rocket launcher – every man’s dream weapon! You can also get your hands on the Railgun, which is like a sniper rifle combined with the Spartan Laser from the Halo series. There are many more to list including the basics like the M1911 pistol, a shotgun, shrink ray, RPG, pipe bombs, and trip mines. No matter which weapon you pick up, you simply can’t go wrong. Just make sure you try them all out!

That’s one dead space marine…

If you love pop culture references, you’ve got a lot in store from you. Games, companies, movies… nothing’s safe from Duke Nukem. If it’s been big in the last 10 years, it’s going to get a reference in one form or another throughout the game. Without spoiling anything you’re going to see or hear, expect to catch references to Halo, Valve, and the movie Old School among many other things. The majority of the humor throughout the game comes off as groaners, however quite a few of the pop-culture references are enough to get you to laugh out loud.

We need more crates!

The longest running joke in the first-person shooter genre is the presence of crates anywhere and everywhere in every single game. Think of many mainstream shooters. Take World War III, the setting of some random faceless town already blown to bits, grab a bunch of troops, and run them through a warehouse filled with crates. They’re always there to for some cover. Now I’m not trying to say DNF doesn’t have crates… there certainly are some there, but the best thing about DNF’s setting is that it’s not rinse and repeat. One minute you’re swimming underneath a dam and the next you’re out in the desert driving a monster truck or riding in a mine-cart Donkey Kong style!

The parts that really shine through are when Duke gets shrunken down by the aliens. Now the environments have the charm of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids! but with the flavor of Duke, of course. When you were a kid, didn’t you always want to just hop into your RC car and drive it around? Well, you get that chance in DNF. You’ll also be spending time running around inside ‘Duke Burger’ while micro sized. It’s actually a surprisingly nice change of pace getting to see the world from another perspective. Make sure you look around carefully while you’re tiny Duke! At first it may seem like you’re just running past a bunch of generic condiments; but upon closer inspection, you’ll notice each one has its own little humorous description written up on the labels. There’s a lot to be found outside of the main objective when you’re shrunk.

Why So Serious?

All these war games are intense, really intense. Can’t we just lighten it up a little? Sure we can! If you’re looking to branch out from the seriousness of war, Duke Nukem Forever is the way to go. Technically you’re still a one-man army blasting your way through a war… but the tone of the entire game is a complete 180. Duke Nukem Forever knows better than to take itself seriously. If you’re looking for some foul mouth, immature, potty humor, you’ve picked up the right game. If you’ve got a sense of humor, you’re guaranteed to find something in this game that will make you laugh… just don’t expect all of it to appeal to you.

The Frustrating Stuff:

Loading… lOading… loAding… loaDing… loadIng… loadiNg… loadinG…

If you like to take frequent bathroom breaks during your video games, fear not, for you will have plenty of time to do so. The most frustrating thing about Duke Nukem Forever might just be its loading times. On average, they sit around 45 seconds for each loading screen… and you’re going to be facing multiple throughout each level. Don’t even think about dying either, because each time you’re going to have to wait the full 45 seconds again to reload everything. If you plan on playing through the harder difficulties, you might want to consider having something to do on standby to get you through the loading times.

Hey! Let’s just make them play through every difficulty at the same time!

That’s how it feels sometimes anyway. Some bosses are defeated by the simple strafe-around-in-a-circle-while-blasting-the-crap-out-of-them-with-explosives technique while at yet another point on the same difficulty you literally have to abuse the aim-assist system to pass it, and that’s just barely making it. The inconsistency of difficulties can make you really dislike this game. Most of it is a breeze and you’re just enjoying yourself as you fly through this game… and then you hit a choke point. Maybe somebody was having a bad day when they designed that part of the game, or maybe they just let their dog jump around on the keyboard for a while… whatever the reason, there’s no excuse for the Grand Canyon that sits between the easiest parts and the hardest parts in any given difficulty.

She said what?

There is such thing as too over-the-top, and DNF certainly manages to hit that point at least once in the campaign. It’s guaranteed that someone was going to take offense to this game; however, there are a few things that just seem to cross the line and can hardly be justified in the game. Luckily, these parts are easy to get through so you just have to hold your tongue and move on.

Bottom Line:

Duke Nukem Forever was surprisingly some of the most fun I’ve had with video games in a while. Although some parts almost made me want to throw the game out the window, the majority of the game was incredibly enjoyable. Deep down inside, we were all rooting for The King to make another appearance, and with 15 years of development, it’s obvious it would never meet everyone’s expectations. If you go in with an overly critical attitude, you’re going to hate it, but come in with good humor and you’ll be laughing while overlooking the slightly outdated graphics and game mechanics. Seriously, though, how could you not love a game when the loading screen says, “Remember, if you get stuck, you can always cheat by looking up FAQ’s online!”

Duke Nukem Forever was developed by 3D Realms and published by 2K Games. It was released in North America on June 14th, 2011 with an M rating from the ESRB and an MSRP of $59.99; it now sells for $39.99

[06.28.11] Review: 'Mafia II'

2K Czech

Mafia II

Rating:

5 Stars

Welcome to the beautiful city of Empire Bay. It’s the 1940’s and you’re just returning from World War II. Your name: Vito Scaletta. You’re the son of Sicilian Immigrants and you’re trying to make a name for yourself. After reuniting with your friend Joe Barbaro, you immediately head off into the world of crime and try to rise to the top, but you’d better be ready for some bumps along the way, as a life in the mob is never an easy one!

Mafia II had a rather modest release in late 2010 with just mediocre reviews, however, the fact that it was later released as a Platinum Hits title on the Xbox 360 and a Greatest Hits title on the PlayStation 3 is evidence that this game shouldn’t have been passed over. There’s also a Collector’s Edition available with a gorgeous steelbook case, full orchestral score, an impressive 100-page hardcover art book, map of Empire Bay, and the Made Man DLC pack. If there was ever a Collector’s Edition worth shelling out the extra for, this would be one of them. Sorry kids, this one’s rated M for mature audiences only, and it’s well deserving of that rating. Parents be warned, this is not the game for them.

The Good:

Empire Bay may be the most life-like, detailed city ever present in a video game. Every person you walk by will have something unique and relevant to say, and a large amount of them will allow you to engage in a full conversation with them. If you’re racing down the streets and veer off the road, the pedestrians aren’t going to stand there like bowling pins waiting to be mowed down; they’ll drop their umbrellas or toss their suitcases and dive out of the way. Hit one, and you’re in a world of trouble. Empire Bay’s police force is just as life-like as the city. Speed excessively, commit a hit-and-run, or rob a store and you can bet the boys in blue will be there ASAP. Don’t expect to rob a store, make a quick turn around, and grab some more cash from the drawers either. If you head back to the scene of the crime, you’ll be greeted by bright yellow tape and a couple of officers interviewing the witnesses.

Everything about the game is detailed and immersive. If you let yourself get into the story, it will bring emotions out of you that you never thought a video game could. If you overanalyze the story, you can figure out the barebones of the script, but if you allow yourself to become fully enveloped in the story, you’ll find yourself hit just as hard by every twist and turn presented to you as if you were actually Vito Scaletta. Be ready to deal with some hefty plot twists too, because Mafia II doesn’t go light on the storytelling!

In order to really help you dive into the experience head first, no detail was overturned. This game screams authenticity from every perfectly picked, era-specific, licensed song on the radio stations to the collection of real Playboy Magazine issues left for you to find around the city. Don’t forget to eat to replenish your health, and if you have a favorite car to cruise around in, you’d better go fill up on gas so your tank isn’t sitting on empty next time you need to make a quick getaway!

Even cut scenes are rendered from game’s engine so every shattered headlight or busted bumper will be captured and carried over. You’ll even see things like light snowfall gathering on your car while you’re out driving around or bits of wall chipping away as you blast it with your shotgun trying to take out some enemies. They’re not dumb either. Unlike most games, you can’t just start blasting away hoping to hit them. Once bullets go blazing past their heads, they’re not going to stick it right back out so you can pick them off. They’ll wait it out, peek around the other side, or move to new cover if available forcing you to change your tactics, or at least your weapon.

It’s going to be very hard, but try your best not to pick a favorite vehicle or gun from the get-go. Each weapon fires differently and every car handles uniquely. You’ll feel the kickback of the Thompson Model 1921 and the raw power of the M1 Garand. Get behind the wheel of the Dezilia 410 Grand American, and with the pedal to the metal, you’ll soon realized it’s a cleverly disguised 1954 Ferrari 250 Europa GT. Hop in the 1950 Divco Model UM Milk Truck and it’ll instantly be obvious that you’re in for a much slower ride in a significantly heavier, thus harder to handle, vehicle. They may not be officially licensed or listed under their real life brand names, but look closely and you’ll realize that everything from Ford’s and Chevrolet’s to Cadillac’s and Buicks have made their way into the game further legitimizing the authentic aura of the 1940’s and 1950’s.

The Bad:

With the obsessive attention to detail, it may seem odd that there are a few bugs in this game, but after realizing just how much is going on, it’s evident that these were not only imminent, but nowhere near game-breaking. Small things like your tie occasionally getting stuck in your chest once or twice is all you’re likely to see. Never will you be forced to restart your game. On the contrary, that might almost be a good thing if you find yourself really enjoying this game, because the largest flaw of this game that will stand out to you is just how short it is. Each ounce of heartbreak will fly by, and before you know it, you find yourself sitting on the couch, controller in hand, wondering how this game you ‘just started’ could possibly be over already!

Another lost opportunity is the city itself. Despite the fact that a tremendous amount of work went into crafting such a true to life city, there really is no incentive to explore. You can always go to an auto shop or clothing store, but there are no hidden missions or items spread around the city. All the collectibles are found during missions. The only real reason to explore is to gaze upon each beautiful building and taking in the feeling of the 40’s and 50’s

The Ugly:

The biggest problem around Mafia II isn’t anything the game itself can be considered at fault for. Most people go in to this thinking “oh, an open world game where I run around shooting people, this must be just like Grand Theft Auto.” Well, it’s not. This is a much more story-driven linear experience that takes place in an open world environment. Although Grand Theft Auto has pulled into a more realistic feeling with its latest iteration it’s still much more over-the-top than Mafia II is, which can be seen best by the differences in police forces. Grand Theft Auto gives you the opportunity to get away with a lot more before they come after you; however, Mafia II’s police force treats you with real life expectations.

Bottom Line:

Due to a lack of promotion and some unfavorable reviews, it’s more than likely you’ve yet to experience the 1950’s through Vito Scaletta’s eyes. This is rather unfortunate because Mafia II is likely the most underrated and underappreciated game of 2010. Make sure that this is the next game you run out and pick up, unless the content isn’t suitable for you or you’re just not a shooter person. Once again, be advised, this game embraces it’s M rating with intense violence, strong language, and nudity among other things, so keep this away from anyone under the age of 17. If you're of appropriate age though, this is one exceptional experience you don't want to miss.

Mafia II was developed by 2K Czech and published by 2K Games. It was released in North America on October 24th, 2010 with an M [Mature] rating from the ESRB and an MSRP of $59.99; At the time of the review, it now sells with an MSRP of $29.99. This review was based on the Collector’s Edition for Xbox 360 which now sells with an MSRP of $79.99.