Look, I kinda liked it. I very nearly turned it off and uninstalled at the start, but I got into it, and ended up feeling a very resounding... "meh?" All aspects of this game feel budget. Dialogue construction and flow is poor, characters are underdeveloped and often feel like they are having their own conversations while speaking to each other, and there are weirdly adult bits which don't need to be in the game - perhaps they were part of larger ideas that never saw fruition in development. The occasional racist slur sticks out because despite being period appropriate, doesn't gel with the language/writing in the rest of the game. But, it's desinged with modern sensibilities. Object highlighting at the press of the button rocks - you don't need to feel you're missing things on each screen. Item/puzzle use is also very controlled and safe - I found only one instance where doing things in the wrong order caused an issue (probably a bug tbh) and even then I had another solution for the puzzle on hand I could have used. Puzzles are also pretty straightforward - I did fall back on a walkthrough a couple of times, but honestly this isn't a game I'd agonise over feeling like I have to "beat" it myself, and I'm not losing sleep over avoiding playing "rub everything on everything else" type approaches. Overall it's a mildly interesting story, presented in an inoffensive and supportive adventure game structure, to an okay soundtrack, with some questionable writing and dialogue composition. As I said, budget. Not terrible, not good. I got it on 90% off sale and that feels appropriate. One for if you've played every other adventure game and just need to stratch that itch, or perhaps if you love the era and want to play everything set there.
I know I was late to this one but it holds up. Some of the scenes probably don't have the same impact as they initially did since the graphical fidelity of games now has gone through the roof, but it was super impressive. Spec Ops is one of the few games I've played in which I think the gameplay matches emotional narrative. Walker becoming more unhinged through his actions, his voice getting more strained, his barks more aggressive, the actual gunfights getting more desperate. As a player, if you keep pushing through as I did, you feel more overwhelmed, struggling against the onslaught that never seems to end. Always needing to do just one more thing to get through it. And just one more. Just the next bit. It's mentally and physically tiring to play. I think if you just took regular breaks this wouldn't work so well, but the game is also very good at never really giving a point of natural break. Sure there are some lulls, but there's always the impetus to just climb that next hill. I love being driven by, and playing to, the diagetic game soundtrack. Many games do that constant voice/taunt in your ear, but being mocked WITH MUSIC is a great twist on that trope. I also struggle to think of another war game (feel free to throw me names if you know them) that just feels bad to keep playing from the outset. Right from the start it it feels wrong to proceed and yet you do, and it only gets worse. Just about every war game I can think of is about the glory. That first time I played COD4 - and I was like HOLY SHIT I'M AN AMAZING WARRIOR IT'S LIKE I'M PLAYING AN EPISODE OF THE UNIT, SO EPIC. They don't teach much except "combat is cool". Conversely. Spec Ops says: this is completely fucked. It always was, and it always will be. War is stupid, and pointless. You do all of this, and what? What did you achieve? What did it help? It's not without issue, controls, combat isn't fun (should it be?), but it's a unique game that I'm sorry I didn't play back when it was new.
http://sneakybastards.net/stealthreview/behind-enemy-lines/
