Spec Ops: The Line
Encyclopedia
Spec Ops: The Line is an upcoming third-person shooter
video game being developed by Yager Development and published by 2K Games
. The game is the ninth installment in the long-running Spec Ops series and it set to release sometime in 2012. The game will release on the Microsoft Windows
, PlayStation 3
and Xbox 360
platforms. It was officially announced at Spike Video Game Awards on December 12, 2009. The game is inspired by Joseph Conrad
's novella Heart of Darkness
.
bravo team to rescue a U.S. Army Colonel who remained behind in Dubai
. To accomplish this goal, players must traverse the city to neutralize enemy threats and natural disasters to find and recover the lost Colonel, named John Konrad. As the player progresses, better weapons and equipment will become available to accomplish goals more easily. Squad commands will also be available, allowing the player to direct their teammates to perform certain actions or move to certain areas.
The game focuses on the natural sandstorms of Dubai to provide dynamic terrain changing during gameplay, similar to Fracture
and the Red Faction series
. This is supported by an unpredictable engine that randomizes when and where sandstorms will arise, as well as how harsh they will be. Sandstorms may open or close paths to the players as well as turn advantages in a firefight.
A multi-player mode will be included as well, though the extent of this has yet to be revealed. Yager describes the multiplayer as a campaign that expands the single-player experience. In addition, there will multiple mode types with at least a few focusing on terrain deformation and expansion.
) as he is sent into a post-apocalyptic Dubai
with an elite Delta Force
bravo team. Previously, Dubai was a wealthy area with many high profile citizens until catastrophic sandstorms left a majority of the city buried. This caused many to evacuate, leaving only a few behind. One of the people left behind was U.S. Army Colonel John Konrad (a reference to the author of Heart of Darkness
, Joseph Conrad
), a founding member of Delta Force, who refused to evacuate from a training facility in the city and instead remained behind with the men under his command to help protect the citizens that could not evacuate. After several weeks of no contact, the Army fears that Col. Konrad and his men are lost to the destruction of the city until a weak distress signal is picked up. This gives the Army reason to deploy the player and their squad, who must infiltrate the city, neutralize outlaws and survive sandstorms as they attempt to determine what happened to Konrad and his men. Through the narrative in the trailer and sound clips from the game's website it is hinted that Konrad may not have entirely genuine motivations for remaining in Dubai against orders.
. Then, on December 12, 2009, a ninth game in the series was announced and titled Spec Ops: The Line. A trailer was accompanied that depicted several minutes of gameplay and showed off the new setting. This trailer confirmed the title as well as several game features including the third-person perspective, the dynamic terrain elements, as well as the setting. A subsequent press release detailed the premise, other game features, and a possible 2011 release date. An official site was soon launched. And a new trailer, come out 22-11-2011.
.
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
video game being developed by Yager Development and published by 2K Games
2K Games
2K is a global developer, marketer, distributor and publisher of interactive entertainment software games. 2K Games is a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, which also owns Rockstar Games notable for the Grand Theft Auto series...
. The game is the ninth installment in the long-running Spec Ops series and it set to release sometime in 2012. The game will release on the Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
platforms. It was officially announced at Spike Video Game Awards on December 12, 2009. The game is inspired by Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad was a Polish-born English novelist.Conrad is regarded as one of the great novelists in English, although he did not speak the language fluently until he was in his twenties...
's novella Heart of Darkness
Heart of Darkness
Heart of Darkness is a novella written by Joseph Conrad. Before its 1903 publication, it appeared as a three-part series in Blackwood's Magazine. It was classified by the Modern Library website editors as one of the "100 best novels" and part of the Western canon.The story centres on Charles...
.
Gameplay
The Line is primarily a third-person shooter with emphasis on squad-based tactics. The player controls Captain Martin Walker who is accompanied by a Delta ForceDelta Force
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...
bravo team to rescue a U.S. Army Colonel who remained behind in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
. To accomplish this goal, players must traverse the city to neutralize enemy threats and natural disasters to find and recover the lost Colonel, named John Konrad. As the player progresses, better weapons and equipment will become available to accomplish goals more easily. Squad commands will also be available, allowing the player to direct their teammates to perform certain actions or move to certain areas.
The game focuses on the natural sandstorms of Dubai to provide dynamic terrain changing during gameplay, similar to Fracture
Fracture (video game)
Fracture is a third-person shooter video game developed by Day 1 Studios for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was released on October 7, 2008 in North America and on October 10, 2008 in Europe.-Story:...
and the Red Faction series
Red Faction (series)
Red Faction is a series of science fiction shooter video games developed by Volition, Inc. and published by THQ. Originating in 2001, the Red Faction games have spanned PC, Mac and many consoles, including the PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.-Gameplay:The series...
. This is supported by an unpredictable engine that randomizes when and where sandstorms will arise, as well as how harsh they will be. Sandstorms may open or close paths to the players as well as turn advantages in a firefight.
A multi-player mode will be included as well, though the extent of this has yet to be revealed. Yager describes the multiplayer as a campaign that expands the single-player experience. In addition, there will multiple mode types with at least a few focusing on terrain deformation and expansion.
Plot
Although in the Spec Ops series, The Line does not take any story elements from previous games, but rather introduces its own storyline. The game will follow the story of player character Captain Martin Walker (voiced by Nolan NorthNolan North
Nolan Ramsey North is an American actor and voice actor born in New Haven, Connecticut. He has been described as "the nearest thing the games industry has to a bona fide leading man."-Biography:...
) as he is sent into a post-apocalyptic Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
with an elite Delta Force
Delta Force
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...
bravo team. Previously, Dubai was a wealthy area with many high profile citizens until catastrophic sandstorms left a majority of the city buried. This caused many to evacuate, leaving only a few behind. One of the people left behind was U.S. Army Colonel John Konrad (a reference to the author of Heart of Darkness
Heart of Darkness
Heart of Darkness is a novella written by Joseph Conrad. Before its 1903 publication, it appeared as a three-part series in Blackwood's Magazine. It was classified by the Modern Library website editors as one of the "100 best novels" and part of the Western canon.The story centres on Charles...
, Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad was a Polish-born English novelist.Conrad is regarded as one of the great novelists in English, although he did not speak the language fluently until he was in his twenties...
), a founding member of Delta Force, who refused to evacuate from a training facility in the city and instead remained behind with the men under his command to help protect the citizens that could not evacuate. After several weeks of no contact, the Army fears that Col. Konrad and his men are lost to the destruction of the city until a weak distress signal is picked up. This gives the Army reason to deploy the player and their squad, who must infiltrate the city, neutralize outlaws and survive sandstorms as they attempt to determine what happened to Konrad and his men. Through the narrative in the trailer and sound clips from the game's website it is hinted that Konrad may not have entirely genuine motivations for remaining in Dubai against orders.
Development
Following the release of several Spec Ops games in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the series was met with low sales and poor reviews, causing a halt on any production in successive games. From 2001 to 2009, the series remained largely unmentioned with the rights belonging to Take-Two InteractiveTake-Two Interactive
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a major American publisher, developer, and distributor of video games and video game peripherals. Take-Two wholly owns 2K Games and Rockstar Games. The company's headquarters are in New York City, with international headquarters in Windsor, United Kingdom...
. Then, on December 12, 2009, a ninth game in the series was announced and titled Spec Ops: The Line. A trailer was accompanied that depicted several minutes of gameplay and showed off the new setting. This trailer confirmed the title as well as several game features including the third-person perspective, the dynamic terrain elements, as well as the setting. A subsequent press release detailed the premise, other game features, and a possible 2011 release date. An official site was soon launched. And a new trailer, come out 22-11-2011.
Multiplayer Beta
A multiplayer beta was announced for the game from 2K Games during E3 2010, which is on Xbox 360 only. The Beta was shut down on November 15, 2010.Cooperative Modes
2K games has confirmed that the Spec-Ops the Line will not have Cooperative story modes.Censorship
Because it paints a future Dubai in decline or after a catastrophic disaster, the game has already been banned in the United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
.