Spec Ops: The Line | Why It Makes Me Question Reality

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This is a video that I made a while back, but I held off on releasing it as more important things kept coming up. So please enjoy my short analysis on Spec Ops: The Line, and really examine how it makes me question reality. Because it's something that is not for the feint of heart, but something that can only be described as art. Oh yeah, spoilers.
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[@Manjawline]

Weird how Spec Ops The Line has very generic gameplay but has one of the best storytelling in the gaming industry

[@AlriikRidesAgain]

I think.... I think the gameplay being generic is the point. "This is just another shooter game", you would think, going in. Then it.... Isn't.

[@WSendam]

To kill for yourself is murder to kill for your government is heroic to kill for entertainment is harmless Jesus even the loading screens are so deep and such a gut punch ❤ your still a good person is walker trying to justify his actions but the final confrontation involves the player

[@AlriikRidesAgain]

@GODZILLAZFRICTION yeah, but those details do not actually effect gameplay, save for losing your team. And in losing your team, the gameplay actually becomes more basic. But it's what it is for a reason. It has a point. It's the delivery and the plot that make things different from any other game.

[@morbidtoaster8615]

@@AlriikRidesAgain something of note that went against yager’s vision was the inclusion of multiplayer which 2k insisted the game have.

[@ihaveaplan.ijustneedmoney.9777]

@@godzillazfriction "when at the start of the game the main character acts like a true American hero" You mean like a generic army FPS game? 😂 Alriick's point still stands. Your main method of interaction in a generic FPS game is to "Point and Shoot" and nothing else, but Spec Ops: The Line makes use of that to tell their story. Every crucial decision in the game involves you just pointing your crosshair and shooting your chosen path. At first it seems noble and heroic, until you realize you're shooting civilians eventhough the game didn't tell you to. The gameplay is generic. But that's the point. The industry has conditioned us to just point and shoot at anything that moves in an army game and we don't think about it. Because we're playing as "the American hero"

[@-Mushroom_Kid-]

This game is the embodiment of “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”

[@TBP]

I was considering that being the text on the thumbnail, but it's a little bit too wordy

[@crack4184]

@@TBP Going with "...With good intentions." would have been cool as well

[@UnchainedEruption]

Yes, but that's an oversimplification. There's a lot more depth to the writing than just that pithy cliche.

[@riiddisbuk2496]

That quote is often concieved with someone who believes that they are always in the right, no matter what they do. While Walker wasn't that *at first* he most certainly became the monster he sought to destroy.

[@austinmeghu]

Walker justifies his horrible actions by blaming them on Conrad. The player justifies thier horrible actions by blaming them on walker. And by the end of the game it's revealed that all three are the same person.

[@riiddisbuk2496]

UNDERRATED, LMAO 😂😂🤣🤣👍👍

[@farahahmedkarim377]

FUCK…

[@azzrhei]

My best friend uncle was in army. He said, of all fps shooter he played since he was college, spec ops the line somehow made him depressed for a month, he said the game aspects and perspectives on some things and situation in the battlefield felt realistic. it reminded him of one specific tour that had a miscommunication and cause a friendly fire.

[@TBP]

Damn, I can't imagine how hard it hit for someone who was actually in the army

[@DinnerForkTongue]

Oh fuck.

[@hybrid5860]

I hope your uncle is feeling better. No one deserves to go through something like that

[@bud389]

"Situation on the battlefield felt realistic" LOL, you're either completely making that up, or your uncle would also think call of duty has a super realistic battlefield feeling. Generally, people on the battlefield don't have regenerating health, kid.

[@PlsHelpMeImDumb]

​@@bud389he was more talking about the story itself, not the gameplay, dumbass

[@NebLleb]

Early game loading screen: Cpt. Walker served with Konrad in Kabul. Mid game loading screen: Cognitive dissonance is an uncomfortable feeling caused by holding two conflicting ideas simultaneously. Late game loading screen: *Can you even remember **_why_** you came here?*

[@Gamet150]

Another: This was all your fault

[@bud389]

"Can you even remember why you came here?" - Yes, I bought this game for 60$ and expected something at least half enjoyable. Not a pretentious hipster romp through shooter land pretending to be deeper than it actually is.

[@lazaroskarmaniolas7410]

@@bud389 Media literacy is not your strong suit, is it? I am surprised you know how to write your comments with how anti-intellectual you are. Be a good slave and just mindlessly consume products to feel better about how empty your life is. You cannot understand, nor do you don't want to.

[@theoneslayer8560]

@@bud389 Hater alert, lmao

[@SCOOBYGD]

​@@bud389clown

[@AzureRoxe]

Gotta love all the changes the game does as you move forward. Walker is VISIBLY hurt and ragged as the game moves on, his CQC moves go from precise and methodical to aggressive and violent, his lines go from professional to borderline unhinged, etc.

[@austinmeghu]

Another crazy change is that walkers eyes have a design in them that resembles cracked glass. The glass becoming more damaged as the story goes on.

[@WSendam]

“I didn’t mean to hurt anybody” *“No one ever does”*

[@warehousedave7937]

_woahhhhhhhh_

[@NebLleb]

"But on you marched..."

[@logandean8040]

​@@NebLleb and for what?

[@Karlos1234ify]

“We tried to save you…”

[@logandean8040]

@@Karlos1234ify your no savior, your talents lie elsewhere

[@gwarriorfromhell]

This is a master class example of how to do storytelling in a game. When they did the whole "remember this from the opening" moment with the chopper minigun section, only to have Walker break the rules by saying "we've done this already" I shat my pants. The writers and devs broke all the set rules for games and changed storytelling forever.

[@UnchainedEruption]

Fans debate whether that "Wait, we've already done this before," line was a throwaway line just to indicate the obvious, or whether there's a deeper significance in Walker's recognition of the deja vu. There's a fan theory that Walker et. al. die in the helicopter crash, and Walker re-living his sins (i.e. the events of the game) is his own personal hell. It's an interesting interpretation, although not one I personally subscribe to. It does make you wonder though, how much of the sequences portrayed in the game are products of Walker's delusional mind vs accurate depictions of reality.

[@technicallypsycho5370]

​@@UnchainedEruption I believe that theory is actually from a dev, more specifically that Walker and his team died in the crash and the rest of the game is their purgatory. The dev might have been a writer for the game, I don't remember right now though.

[@vruxdrossgaming]

​@Jump with the Devil The writer said Walker and squad died from the crash.

[@vruxdrossgaming]

​@@technicallypsycho5370 It was the story writer who confirmed it.

[@MiJi_29]

You're playing Walker in the 4th Wall (Pandora), because you were already dead since the Prologue. This Storyline is just redirecting the whole story about Walker's Afterlife, and that's the darkest theory for me. Just like Little Misfortune Game, she doesn't know her death until Morgo has Defeated

[@jakemagulick7006]

I played this game for the first time in early 2013 and it has stuck with me ever since. For me, what hit me the hardest was after Lugo died and you get control of Walker and all the civilians were around you. I waited for a moment and one threw a rock at me. Since I was playing on the hardest difficulty the screen turned grey and I was about to die, so in a knee jerk reaction I started shooting everyone in sight. I remember telling my friend about this and he was like "dude, if you shoot in the air, they all run away." That simple solution blew my mind because I had never thought of that in the moment. Instead, I just panicked and opened fire. That stuck with me harder than any other decision a video game has thrown at me.

[@XenithAxe]

And here's me knowing that i can shoot the air but still chose to massacre in pure anger of Lugo's Death.

[@DasNordlicht91]

Of the pointed loading screen messages, "To kill for yourself is murder. To kill for your government is heroic. To kill for entertainment is harmless," is one that sticks with me the most.

[@UnchainedEruption]

Feel like a hero, yet?

[@chickencurry420]

Mine was "How many Americans have you killed today?"

[@logandean8040]

​@Chicken Curry "you are still a good person"

[@giygas_9577]

"White phosphorus is a common allotrope used in your slaughter at The Gate. It can set fire to soldiers and the innocent civilians they are trying to help."

[@Ocoro_]

"You can't give squad commands when Lugo and Adams are gone, No one can help you now."

[@moisesfreire6408]

The fact this game keep getting remembered by new content creators is amazing. An absolute storytelling masterpiece. "To kill for yourself is murder. To kill for your government is heroic. To kill for entertainment is harmless."

[@yeez13]

“You are still a good person.”

[@logandean8040]

There is no difference between what is right and what is necessary

[@halfgecko3202]

Do you even remember why you came here?

[@riiddisbuk2496]

"You cannot understand, nor do you want to."

[@adlibbed2138]

"Kill a man, and you're a murderer. Kill everyone, and you're a god."

[@TheFacelessStoryMaker]

One cool thing to note is Walker going through the 5 stages of grief when confronting "Konrad" "You're not real. This is all in my head" [Denial] "No. Everything....all of this was your fault!" [Anger] "I didn't mean to hurt anyone..." [Bargaining] Then when he raises the gun it signifies [Depression] and when you pull the trigger on yourself represents the final stage. [Acceptance]....

[@thekodawolfgaming]

2012 was a tough year for me high school was terrible, I had no want to go to college, and to an extent I wanted this feeling of "freedom" I couldn't explain. My thoughts were to join the military or do PMC work, then I played this game, it moved me to look at my little hobby of gaming differently I stopped buying the games that were cash grabs or at least the ones my friends weren't into. I still remember my cousin with the USMC was visiting while I was playing the game for what was probably the 4th time and it struck a nerve with him that a game was hitting this level of emotion for a theme like this and it was the moment where Lugo died that he was stunned that a game would push you as a player to such levels of hate, anger, and violence. He stuck with me until the ending and said "I was here to tell you not to join the military, but I don't think I need to do that now." It was haunting to hear and at 26 I still remember it vividly. Game was a 5/10 but the story is still etched in my mind meanwhile you can't pay me enough to sit through another Destiny campaign and try to remember all the useless bits the game fails to tell me or fail at making me care. Spec Ops: the line the game that makes you stop caring but start seeing.

[@Mankey619]

Spec Ops is the most unique third person shooter game I’ve played back when it came out. It really makes you questioned the life choices you’ve made,and if you did the right thing. Non of them is either the good guy in this game. I can never forget the murder of innocent people they’ve killed and showing their corpses. It still haunts me today.

[@winterbourne2343]

I remember playing the demo on 360 and was like “man this is so mid but fuck it I got nothing else to play this summer”. I brought the game at launch and from then onward I realize how fucking good it was in luring in folks into military shooters and completely messed with you. Writer on spec ops the line is gonna be on the Wolverine game so I have insanely high hopes for it.

[@koliheroyash6776]

fun fact: in the credits the special guest is named as the player

[@Demospammer9987]

I remember the first time I noticed Walker's orders becoming more unhinged was when I told Lugo to pick off an enemy sniper. Instead of the usual "take him out" or "over there" it was a flat, aggressive "I. Want. Him. Dead."

[@Karlos1234ify]

Remember how when most gamers play warfare video games? Some of them feel like they’re on a power trip / quest to beat the bad guys. This game calls you out on your actions.

[@vruxdrossgaming]

Actually TBP the reason why the Helicopter segment was in the prologue is because Walker, Lugo, and Adams all died in the helicopter crash. The original story writer even confirmed it. Chapters 13, 14, and 15 are all supposed to be Walker's personal hell. Why you encounter Conrad as a hallucination and you have the choices to shoot Conrad, let him shoot you, or yourself. Which the three endings imply the players choice and admittance, if you shoot Conrad you agree with Walker with none of it being your fault, if you let Conrad shoot you or yourself you admit that as you controlled Walker you feel the guilt for the actions you committed throughout the game and accept that. Because if you listen to Conrad's line he says. "None of this would've happened if you just stopped, but on you marched and for what?" The developers wanted players to stop playing the game and take into account that they were becoming desensitized to violence in modern action video games.

[@jjtninja]

It's also implied at the ending that this is the first time Walker is actually separated from the player for once. Konrad looks over to Walker during the final confrontation and away from the mirror when Walker says, "I didn't mean to hurt anyone," with Konrad replying, "No one ever does." In other words while he's looking into the mirror, he's addressing us, the player, implying that it's our fault, and not Walker's fault since we made him do all of this.

[@fallout921]

I heard that the team didn't originally want to do the section at the beginning but were compelled to by a higher up

[@dorellusthagod]

Interesting point of view. It's refreshing to hear someone who is not familiar with Heart of Darkness talk about this game. For as legendary as that book and the other media it inspired are, it's way too easy to get caught up in academic circle jerk type discussions when it comes to this.

[@UnchainedEruption]

I've never read the book or seen the movie Apocalpse Now either. I hadn't heard of them till others discussed the inspiration. So the story certainly was very fresh to me.

[@ShatteredGlass916]

Yep, it's so easy for any analysis video about this game to tangle themself with that book.

[@yeez13]

“Do you feel like a hero yet?”

[@watchALLthethings]

If you pay close attention, it forces you to become just as frustrated and more aggressive with Walker the further you play it, and the cover becomes more and more inconvenient to the point where it's almost comically useless, forcing you to charge and get closer and closer to the enemy. When he devolves into shouting murderous orders, you're just as eager to just fucking kill them all. It's the level design that impresses me most, how it affects how you play and how perfectly it fits the narrative.

[@imdefinitelynotjesus]

8:02 that message broke me as a 24 year old. Never did I even consider that I could be immoral as I've never thought me capable of killing let alone doing it for shier "closure". As I replayed the game over and over for the different endings this tip finally showed up. I knew then it was right and I've learned some things are better left unknown, that said I'm glad I've learn it as I've been self reflecting ever since. My hands shake even now after seeing it all these years later, if anything its a effective teacher for its message as I nor my body and soul have forgot it since.

[@woooyeah8321]

Spec ops the line needs more love honestly.

[@WSendam]

Nolan north apparently said in a panel that he thinks this is one of his best performances and is sad that it didn’t sell well because he genuinely thinks the story of this game is very rich and interesting ❤

[@DioBrandoWRYYYYYY]

The problem with Spec Ops : The Line is that they do mention Heart of Darkness on the back of the cover, and if you already knew Heart of Darkness, you almost definitely also knew Apocalypse Now. And while that doesn't necessarily spoil the specifics of the plot or the extent of how far Spec Ops goes in certain aspects, it does very much spoil the themes we're going to encounter even before you start playing.. Also it is a fantastically executed game, but I also feel like it did end up inspire a lot of lackluster games that try to distract from their shortcomings by trying to be "bold" and "daring" in a similar way, only to turn this meta stuff in to a cliche and sometimes making it even seem like these people probably are uncapable of telling a traditional narrative and are trying to hide it behind meta and irony, AKA the Rian Johnson way.

[@ridhosamudro2199]

Also the extra irony is that Spec Ops isn't really as meta as everyone thinks. You can divorce the generic military shooter and player agency meta narrative and it works just fine as a personal tragedy

[@DioBrandoWRYYYYYY]

@@ridhosamudro2199 Yeah a lot of the meta stuff is just a serendipitous thing that comes out of it having the functions of a video game, and I think that even this video reads in to deep in to things that may not even be intentional. It's kinda like how there's people who will magnet in on some random detail in a Kubrick movie and then make up something in their head how it's a galaxy brained creative choice and assign more importance to it than it actually has.

[@mikhaelgribkov4117]

To be fair, it is no way as influential as you describe, if anything it's commentary is even more fitting considering Modern Warfare Reboot. And do we really blame Watchmen comic for every 90's shlock and death of nuanced dark themes for edgelord stuff?

[@DioBrandoWRYYYYYY]

@@mikhaelgribkov4117 I didn't say it was influential on AAA military shooters, those have always been DoD-funded recruitment ads. I'm talking more about pretentious art games that bill themselves as an "experience" and try to paint their lackluster gameplay as some sort of "meta critique" when in reality they're just made by hackfrauds who can't make something that actually feels good to pkay.

[@SelenVtuberFoxgirl]

Okay, as someone who only just bought the game last year to play it and not being familiar with heart of darkness or apocalypse now, spec ops: the line mentally broke me after the white phosphorus opening in (correct me if I'm wrong here) chapter 6, and then it broke me more when I saw lugo hung from a rope which hit a very deep dark nerve with me as I've tried dying that way myself. Spec ops: the line is a beautiful game that breaks all the rules it set out for its self! And I love it!

[@aweeeeh5255]

15:15 That's also my favorite line and favorite part of the game. It shows you he lost his marbles and he knows it cause you can see at his mouth he mumbles that line.

[@UnchainedEruption]

I think this is my favorite modern military shooter ever, and I say that as a fan of the genre (I've played all the Medal of Honor's on PC and Call of Duty's from 2, i.e. CoD 2, not MW2, through Advanced Warfare). The gameplay was very solid and satisfying, the graphics are gorgeous, the rock music and ost are welcome (blasting Deep Purple's Hush from the 2nd level!), but the story is mind-blowing. Gripping, compelling, intellectually provocative, and bathed in a twisted irony, it's not just a fantastic movie; it's an inversion of the basic tenets players take for granted in just about every video game ever. You are the hero. You go in and kill the bad guys. Bad guys dead, hooray, you win! Nope. Not in this game. This game puts you in the same framework of that formula, but makes the world so much more realistic. Acting the same way you would in any other video game doesn't make you the hero here. It makes you a PTSD-ridden, borderline psychotic villain. Perverse morality. Sacrificed your comrades. All for a cause you neither understood nor cared to consider before going in guns blazing. If you're even left alive by the end of it all, your character is completely dead inside, by his own admission. What's more, it plays like a good book. There's subtle visual cues hinting as to what's real vs. what's a fiction of your slipping mind. There's so much literary symbolism and things worth dissecting and analyzing for metaphor. You could even look at the story as a political metaphor. While military shooters typically champion patriotism and service above all else, this game depicts the U.S. soldiers as blindly going in Rambo-style into a tense situation in the middle east we were not equipped for. Once we arrived, rather than admitting it was a mistake and changing course, we doubled down on our choices and kept inventing excuses we told ourselves to justify the ever-increasing body count. Sound familiar? At some point I even stopped using the pronoun "they" (as in the characters) and transitioned to "we" (as in the U.S. military) because the story sounds identical to the fiascos in Vietnam and more recently, Iraq and Afghanistan. What really takes the experience over the edge is that it's not just an incredible movie--the shots, directing, and acting are all top notch--but also it makes use of its medium as a game. There are moments where the game allows you to make the choice in a dilemma, and those actions will influence what you see in later levels. When you yourself are the one calling the shots, it further ties you to Walker's character. You feel his pain and his guilt because you were with him actively making the same decisions he was, as opposed to being a passive passenger watching events unfold.

[@werewolfclaws]

i like the idea that the clunky, repetitive, and in some times buggy gameplay is purposeful to ask the player why exactly they enjoy these types of games. you can't exactly 'get in the flow of things' because really, why should you find joy in this? it's a question i can't answer still.

[@Sorrelhas]

Even if you go in knowing the twist, and play it in an age games have more nuance when treating war and violence, Spec Ops is still a great game It has great story and atmosphere, and great commentary on the morality of conflict While the White Phosphorus scene doesn't hit as hard when you know it is coming, walking through a room filled with dying soldiers, groaning in pain and begging for help, certainly f*cks you up

[@UnchainedEruption]

I'm very lucky I went in knowing nothing.

[@mravg79]

@@UnchainedEruptionI would say this is the best first experience. But I agree with @Sorrelhas I revisited the game in like 2020 I think for a second play through and knowing what I was getting into also watching reading a few analysis gave me a different perspective.

[@Noperare]

10:29 "I can go for a midnight run without feeling scared" this line has hits different depending where you live. The difference between "spooky empty streets" and "getting mugged"

[@andrewelofskey3442]

I just finished this game and was absolutely blown away by its gripping and scary meta storytelling. I had heavy apocalypse now vibes but didn’t actually know it was inspired by it.

[@gellax111]

Book nerd here: The basic premise of Heart of Darkness is about a man working for an ivory company who travels the Congo river upstream in order to meet with Mr Kurtz, one of the most praised ivory gatherers of the company. However, the deeper he goes into the jungle, the more shit hits the fan, the more the protagonist starts to question human morality and such a thing has barely any meaning in a place removed from civilisation. You could almost say some characters in SOTL are directly copy-pasted from the book, like the harlequin becoming the radioman, or Kurtz becoming Conrad.

[@djheroxt]

You really didn't have to do sonic like that my dude

[@mikhaelgribkov4117]

I think the one thing people miss is how confrontational Spec Ops from first levels, way before White Death scene. If you walk around and pick up collectibles there is a lot of references of how rich assholes of Dubai played everyone and left while killing the helpers, a reason for why DJ is so broken and why Conrad decides to do his operation. There's also CIA conspiracy send to clean out the mess which kills the rest of the city due to water shortage and when you go to the hiding place in the second level, the bunny plush and how conflict resolves there shows how Walker already pushes himself to do things that would normally would be considered right, only to game display actual consequence of his apathy. The fact that Conrad and Walker are Afganistan vets with PTSD already infuses events with commentary on that conflict.

[@maskedhobo]

I need to play it again. Such a good story.

[@WSendam]

Do you feel like a hero yet?

[@maskedhobo]

@@WSendam absolutely.

[@riiddisbuk2496]

"You cannot understand, nor do you want to."

[@christopherwall2121]

I wonder what it says about Walker's mental state at the start that you start seeing hallucinations of Konrad from as far back as the team first heading down that sandy highway.

[@petermj1098]

The woman and child he sees after the white phosphorus is a hallucination as well. Notice how Adam’s and Lugo never even acknowledge the mother and child like Walker does. Walker killed a woman and child with white phosphorus in his time in Kabul. Walker fully went insane when he realized he killed civilians again in Dubai and the memory of the mother and child he killed came back to him.

[@UnchainedEruption]

Oh yeah, I nearly forgot about how it says "STARRING [Insert your gamertag name here]" Only other game I've seen do that is Valve's Left 4 Dead series. Really nice touch, again helps feel like you are in the movie.

[@GaragebandArcade]

COD went out of its way to white wash a war crime for the sake of not hurting our militaries feelings. These guys at least tried to point out the flaws in our system and what the results can be.

[@austinmeghu]

Thank you! Not enough people realize why getting your kicks by roleplaying real world atrocities are in fact *gasp* A BAD THING???

[@Eirik36]

What crime are you speaking of

[@GaragebandArcade]

@@Eirik36 the highway of death. Back in the gulf War a large group of civilians from a city were fleeing to get away from a war zone and the US military killed mosr if not all of them on they're way out. In the COD modern warfare remake they made a level based on that incident but you played as the Russians. While they are absolutely capable of the same level of carnage just see all the stuff in the Ukraine, its still in pretty bad taste to exploit an event like that if that makes any sense.

[@huuuuuumpy]

I think you and your audience would enjoy the video Why Games Are Still Not Considered Art from core a gaming if they're interested in that take from the end of your video. That was pretty interesting. This game missed me in those days...probably because I was waging war in cod lobbies lol.

[@LabMatt]

Spec Ops: The Line is what I recommend to people who say videogames aren't an effective way to tell a story

[@goddessahri2838]

This game was ahead of it's time and the attention to detail is amazing! Have you also noticed as you go through the game his animations become more aggressive? I wish games did that more to show the character changing throughout the game.

[@Yuki_Inoue]

Small thing 6:30 Lugo is the sniper. Other than that, good breakdown of the game and themes! :)

[@creepycasta9430]

Unpopular opinion: I never thought it was THAT mindblowing or anything like that and if you know it's coming (spoiler or after completion playthrough) it just makes the gameplay stand out as true generic territory - I know that's kinda the point and it, to me at least, ruins my desire for a second playthrough and it's been years since I completed it and it still doesn't pull me in in the slightest. Then again, I AM a cynical asshole that's been jaded by years of gaming (specifically trophy hunting when it became available) and that made me play games for that purpose only, which made every game more of a chore than entertainment, which subsequently ruining my ability to like a game as a whole and for what it is: A game. Thanks for tolerating my opinion and feel free to give examples of why my view is 'wrong' contrary to yours (constructive comments prefered) - Sincerely. All the best and take care o/

[@captaintre44]

Spec ops the line really hits different when you think about as Walker’s personal hell. A content creator made a video on this years ago which really made me play the game. Spoilers. If you look at the second helicopter mission in the game as Walker dying(you can argue he died before that because if you pause the camera lugo and adams aren’t in the chopper) this is all his own hell. I think small details he didn’t mention in the video where the cut scene transitions. Sometimes they would be white or black. Another thing the ending of the game when talking to Conrad. If your shoot Conrad glass breaks symbolizes Walker finally breaking but the other ending is to kill yourself. Spec ops the line is such a great game

[@DioBrandoWRYYYYYY]

I actually think that the theory of Walker dying in the chopper and the rest of the game being a more literal hell is actually a really lame idea that defangs the narrative a little bit.

[@captaintre44]

@@DioBrandoWRYYYYYY I feel like it’s just him reliving the events. I can see how it seems lame especially if you pick the ending where you kill Conrad. That “welcome to Dubai gentleman” hits different.

[@DioBrandoWRYYYYYY]

@@captaintre44 it's not really that, it's more that if you make the thing in to a more literal hell then it does kinda remove the need to ask how much of what you're seeing is real, bent reality or full on mental fabrications

[@AzureRoxe]

Another thing about the ending is that Conrad isn't aiming at Walker, he's aiming behind him. At THE PLAYER. Because it's the player who kept driving Walker forward. It's just a game after all, right?

[@nielsmandemakers720]

I know it will never happen, but this game needs a remake. One of the great games.

[@sodapop1311]

Man that white phosphorus scene hurt bro

[@nasiriqbal8727]

You always have such a unique take on games...i love it 👍

[@imp4ktth]

15:15 his mouth was moving. DETAILS MAN, DETAILS!!

[@onemoreminute0543]

..."Do you feel like a hero yet?"

[@riiddisbuk2496]

"You cannot understand, nor do you want to."

[@MiJi_29]

This game tells you of how people are fantasized the War Game and Killing is Fun just to participate the Military. They think they're Hero in Service, but nowdays we only Fight for Nothing

[@seansquiers6506]

If only this video were out when I was writing a paper advocating for video games being considered art in my freshman year of college. For sure would've mentioned this game as an example and probably cited this video for some things

[@KayRellz]

If silent hill had a war version, it would definitely be this game. It tossed me for a loop at the end but I was questioning things throught the game. 10/10.

[@jojonr619]

I just and I mean just went back to try and platinum this game yesterday and get this video the day before. That’s awesome

[@imp4ktth]

it's been years since i last played SOTL but after watching a lot of videos about it it hits me that you never go up until the last chapter (at least thats what i remember).

[@badasstasticusbadass4908]

Spec Ops The Line is basically a horror game wearing the skin of a military shooter game.

[@ArjunTheRageGuy]

at least it has no jumpscares

[@wvngamer1516]

This is the kind of content I am subscribed for!

[@JuanPablo-su6vw]

Great timing after I have replayed the game some weeks ago after years of not touching it

[@byronjefferson1697]

As someone who just beat it . . . I just feel numb. This is the only time a video game has made me cry several times Choosing to use the phosphorus . . .

[@Daknafien]

I first played this game while on deployment on an aircraft carrier in the peraian gulf. We had just visited Dubai. Both of those things added such a deeper weirdness to the game that makes it one of my all time favorite narratives.

[@gamervet4760]

Thank you for your commendation. I didn't join because of COD and I always felt bad for people that did. I signed up as a 13B which is artillery and still ended up shooting people. You can't say "I didn't sign up for this" cause that doesn't fly. You signed a contract and if you do not fulfill that contract then you will be slapped with several charges including a breach of contract. That's the brutality of it cause once you sign it you have to follow your orders as they are given to you. No matter what. I signed up because I wasn't given many options that time in my life. Depression makes you do crazy things.

[@alexrazim4467]

Roses are red Violets are blue Welcome to Hell, Walker WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU

[@FunvoltGunvolt]

Now I'm not completely sure about this, but the censorship for the more brutal executions wasn't edited by Bacon, the GAME ITSELF, is censoring those kills. Though it could also mean Martin is quite literally censoring himself to the aftermath of his kills, not seeing what kind of brutal monster he has become.

[@andreasbreu4727]

this comment is incorrect

[@SelenVtuberFoxgirl]

Okay, after he starts to become mentally broken after the white phosphorus being used to kill innocent civilians, if you are holding a pistol and you execute an enemy, walker will shoot their knee out and then shoot their head off. In general the game doesn't have any censorship to it due to the facts that it's "cartoony violence" even though it's adult violence

[@Ner0mancer]

I love the Guernica Theory connected to this game.

[@vazak11]

Great stuff!

[@liamselle1990]

This is the only game to make me feel sick to my stomach

[@Hace123456789]

When ps plus still threw free PS3 games. It's the first time I played this. What an actual good game.

[@shadowcompanyoparative253]

I love this kind of story

[@dontsubcribedontlike673]

Spec Ops the line video essays in 2023? Subbed for that alone. Here's a like and comment for the algo.

[@solemnsilence3650]

Favorite shooter of mine but the first time I played it a long time ago I was young and thought it would be similar to cod or battlefield but third person and mother of god this game made me question everything I had done not only in that game but others and after I beat it, I wasn’t able to play any video games for months. Didn’t stop me from becoming evil later on but I do remember this game and beat it later again many years later and appreciated it even more

[@TakeJanner]

I think it’s a bit of a stretch to call Spec Ops: The Line “The most important video game ever made” as you did in the thumbnail. In my mind, a lot of it’s successes in storytelling is owed to Apocalypse Now. It literally has the same themes and same story (only Spec Ops is set in a modern day context). I think without the above-average storytelling, it’s a generic shooter with barebones mechanics and gameplay. TLDR: Please watch Apocalypse Now

[@TBP]

Hence the question mark

[@TheNobodyNamedDubyaBee]

On the other hand, it should **still** be considered as such, by virtue of the simple fact that its far-reaching themes and messages spoke about not just a specific genre of video gaming in a specific era... but also the very fundamental, core principles of video gaming *as a whole* that we all take for granted for so much and for so long. Whether the game's developers intended it, or otherwise.

[@Ireee702]

So by this logic.... TLoTR are worthless cause they're basically a shorter copy of the books? Heck, the books are a copy of an old tale

[@TagardMC]

It's been 11 years and I still think about this game.

[@TheIrishCrusader]

Even though I couldn't run it well i 100% it and looked up everything about it, it honestly should get a remaster i think that it would be really well received and liked for its story and message

[@thedredayshow9246]

Tactical bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich is back with a new video!

[@ryanrose9786]

Ah. Yes... This game. It was ok. Janky but I like jank. As for depictions of war and combat? No. Hollywood war and combat. The PTSD side of things is also horribly handled but again, if it was going for realism you'd find most not as interested without the food additive equivalent used in productions. Which to be fair I'll acknowledge my own bias when I tried the game years ago. I heard praise it handled PTSD, war and so on amazingly well. So I guess to reiterate ya, in a Saving Private Ryan kinda way. War (tip of the spear, 2 combat deplotments),PTSD (combat and otherwise). Heck. When I got out ,before this game was released, I even backpacked Dubai. I get what they were trying to do and I can't say they weren't on the right track. But to make the more accurate portrayl of war and how trauma develops. It has to be half brain numbingly boring and half brain rattled chaos. It's like being in a traffic jam. Imagine your body having to flip like a switch from normal or relaxed to, "here's a huge bump in drugs your body produces, good luck!". Followed by the worse you will ever feel when things stop. Heart thumping so hard your ears make you look like Dumbo. Look. I'm old. I got stories for days. Spent near 2 years of my over in the sandbox. Stories that'll bore ya. Stories that'll downright shock you. Make ya laugh, cry, do that Dwayne Johnson eyebrow thing. I'd go more on depth on the angle of PTSD but...that one is a bit harder to talk about. As it tends to be more personal. Based on specific experiences. So it's harder to generalize. I will say this though. If you know of someone who has it. Don't be afraid to ask. Especially if they aren't talking. Talk with them. Listen and ask questions. Do them a lot more good than anything else.

[@Wetcamerainc]

Fag

[@braden2150]

Try not to make a new paragraph every 3 words challenge (impossible)

[@lueyR]

I remember events of this game years later they had that much impact.

[@RetroFan2.0]

Really wanted to play this game sometime

[@kadimusbaratheon7352]

One of the best games I've ever played in my life.

[@josemesa2934]

“Whatcha sayyyyy, mmm that you only meant well, well of course you did.”

[@TevyaSmolka]

I loved spec opts the line it was really awesome

[@Tenebris_Sint]

This is one of only 3 games I’ve ever had to replay immediately upon completion… the other 2 are RE4 and HL2.

[@xcrysizz8781]

Still to this day there's no game like it

[@Retrosparks]

0:56 yikes 😬 that frontiers footage tho…

[@tristancastro2137]

@TacticalBaconProductions hey I think you should check out Black Ops 1 and only 1, don't worry about the 2 and 4. The first has its mind screw ups, and 3 by itself is how I'd call it a Quentin Tarantino style of missions and not connected to black ops 1 or 2 but mainly Black Ops 1 I'd highly recommend.

[@zachnolan1639]

The game we weren’t ready for till long after we finished it.

[@gamervet4760]

I am an Afghanistan war vet and this is the only piece of anti war media that captures the use and abuse of people in service. We are meant to shut up and follow orders. Film can be disturbing but this game is the only game that made it not feel good to kill. Everything they do and your input escalates and dare I say even breaks the 4th wall a bit to touch that carnage of war. You never think about when you fire your weapon but you'll remember what happened after. Something I tried to convey to Last of Us fan. The violence in those games are polished with a movie like shine that it really becomes hard for me to be invested in its world or characters. This game starts that way but quickly drags that image through mud, blood and violence. True senseless violence that has no goal or objective other than to wreak havoc.

[@Hilversumborn]

Nolan North being the voice of Walker also helps because North is most famous is Nathan Drake, the lovable rogue adventurer, at first his voice is comfortable but later on it’s so unhinged you barely recognize him.

[@Jacket.]

I havent watched the video but i just want to say thanks in advance cuz no one ever talks about this game and i rly wish more ppl did

[@DioBrandoWRYYYYYY]

People talked about it quite a bit, just maybe not recently considering it's a single game with a finite amount of content and interpretations to be had. And also because I think a lot of players want to preserve the mystery when possible in case they can get someone to play it with as little spoilers as possible.

[@loki2259]

Really hope this game is Remade or at least a Remaster on PS5. I think it's the best game I've never played.

[@vruxdrossgaming]

Shouldn't be remade. It'd ruin the story.

[@DrewFr33m4nn]

“Welcome to Hell Bacon, we’ve been waiting for you…”

[@jordanboyd5587]

Why Sonic Frontiers out of all the games did you have to choose as an example of a game being "white noise?" Apart from that, great video overall.

[@jacobcraft123]

The VERY decription of a complete & total Mind Fuck , love this game & wish i had a copy of my own

[@bobdmz6437]

They could have never made this game today… Everyone knows Dubai is filled with influencers, so the civilian war crimes wouldn’t hit as hard.

[@jimiperlas3215]

Currently playing this game on our PS3. Spec Ops The Line is one of the best video game I have played. Very underrated tbh. This is not a typical COD, Battlefield game. This is how one man wanted to be a hero but ending up being a villain. Another thing I like about this game is that there are no heroes, just people with their own motivations & it definitely expose the evil side of the CIA. Man, 2K is also underrated when it comes to story telling. The same company that gives us, Mafia, Borderlands & Bioshock series.

[@picklechips6192]

The gameplay and player movement is like a weird combination of Army of Two and Gears of War. Thats what it reminded me of anyway 😂

[@Reacher_2215]

I still own my first copy from release day. If you knew me, you'd agree on how almost impossible that has to be. This game is that good.

[@Dimitri9511]

*Your orders killed forty-seven innocent people.* *Someone has to pay for your crimes Walker....* *Who is it going to be?...*

[@warehousedave7937]

Oh my god

[@kenrenthecarry2569]

welcome to dubai gentlemen

[@v.m.9198]

Should've called this Call of Duty: Eternal Darkness

[@riiddisbuk2496]

More like; "Heart of Darkness" :P Edit: The more I think about, the more I realize that this REALLY would've made the characters more popular.

[@TagardMC]

I want to know what Tactical Bacon did after Lugo was hung? Did he fire into the crowd or did he try to fire a warning shot first.

[@zhonglikun2924]

I def want more people to play this game and show love to the people who made it It must suck for them to see how Lil people recognised it when it first came out ,it's a game which can change the way we play military games for the better