Spec-Ops: The Line
Games Like Gears 5
Spec-Ops: The Line is easily one of the most brilliant stories ever told in video games, using mechanics and the entire idea of what a video game is to drive home a theme. On two fronts Spec-Ops should appeal to Gears 5 fans, with its story about the horrors of war and its third-person cover-based combat.
The game takes place in Dubai, after the city has been annihilated by the worst sandstorms in recorded history. With the situation downplayed by politicians and the elite, the 33rd Infantry Battalion of the United States defies orders and executes a “rescue mission” for those trapped in the city, instead implementing martial law and committing countless atrocities.
You play as Captain Martin Walker, the leader of a three-man Delta Force sent into Dubai to figure out what’s been going on.
Spec-Ops is a pretty standard third-person shooter in terms of gameplay. It’s not bad in any way, but its gameplay doesn’t particularly excel either. Still, you can issue squad commands to your two squadmates giving you more control over combat, and there are some neat sandstorm effects that can influence battles.
Again combat is totally fine, but story is where Spec-Ops shines, asking serious questions about the horrors of war and how we glorify it in entertainment, like video games.
It’s honestly a game that anyone and everyone should experience at least once.
