Image via Complex Original
In the months leading up to Spec Ops: The Line's release on Tuesday, we've heard a lot about the game's psychological story inspired by Apocalypse Now and intense cover-based gunplay, but we haven't quite as much about the game's multiplayer section. We put the competitive side of Spec Ops to the test just in time for the game's release.
At first glance, the squad-based multiplayer matches look like a run-of-the-mill third-person shooter experience, but there are some key tweaks to the system that add a little extra flavor that shooter connoisseurs will definitely appreciate.
After taking it for spin, it looks like we may want to keep playing Spec Ops even after we're through with the game's campaign. Here's why...
There's Always Something to Look Forward to
There's Always Something To Look Forward To
Like many shooters, Spec Ops: The Line has an experience-based system for unlocking equipment. As you work your way up the ranks, you get access to new guns, armor, classes and customizable clothes for your character.
There are over 120 customizable helmets, jackets, and other gear to earn as you make your way up the ladder, and that's just the cosmetic stuff.
It's a long and winding road to the top, but once you get there, it's not the end. You can always "Re-Enlist" (think "prestige" in Call of Duty) and earn stuff that wasn't available the first time around.
A decoy attack that actually works
A Decoy Attack That Actually Works
When bullets and grenades just aren't cutting it, Spec Ops players always have another weapon in their arsenal they can use to mix things up in tough firefight... They can throw rocks. Yeah, that's right. I said rocks. The world's oldest weapon may be Spec Ops' most interesting mechanical innovation.
Rocks are essentially decoy grenades. They're selected and thrown like a grenade, and when they come flying at you, a grenade indicator pops up. When shooter fans see that flashing arrow, instinct tells them to get the hell out there; they sprint out of cover, they lose track of who they were shooting at.
You never run out of rocks, so there's a certain mind-game element: If you've been exchanging fire with the same guy for awhile, you might think he's run out of grenades, so when he throws something your way, you can call his bluff. Similarly a player could throw out bunch of rocks quickly, with a single grenade hidden somewhere in the barrage: the other guy might assume he's just goofing off, until that one grenade blows up in his face...
"Uplink", a Fresh Take on "Domination"
"Uplink" Is A Fresh Take On Domination
If you've played a couple of shooters, than you're probably familiar with most of the game-types Spec Ops: The Line "Deathmatch," "Elimination" and "King of the Hill" but there's one new mode that stands out.
"Uplink" is a variation on "King of the Hill." Players fight to hold a single, unchanging location in the center of the map. Each team also has a communications array on their side, near their spawning point. The comm station starts out online, but the other team can disable it if it's left unprotected.
That's where it gets interesting. In order to score, your team needs to hold the central point and have their comm station operational.
Remember, the match is always four-on-four, so having a tight and adaptable gameplan is essential. Other shooters variations on "domination" mode, where teams have to attack and defend multiple positions, but those games don't require players to co-ordinate efforts between points to score, and often play like a game of "ring around the rosie" with teams rotating control around different areas of the map. That's not an option here. The end result is that when you win big in "Uplink," it actually feels like you're "dominating."
Sandstorms Keep You on Your Toes
Sandstorms Keep You On Your Toes
The story of Spec Ops' campaign revolves around the fact that a giant sandstorm has separated Dubai from the rest of the world, and there are sequences where the player fights their way through one, but those are pre-designed battles. The sandstorms in multiplayer can come at any time, so there's no telling how it will change the situation on the battlefield.
Map fatigue is concern in all multiplayer games, but Spec Ops has a wrench that can keep games interesting for players even after after cycling through the game's maps a few times. A sandstorm can blow in on any map at any time, leaving your squad without communication, and players unable to see beyond what's directly in front of them.
Sandstorms are nothing to scoff at, players on ziplines or narrow platforms can be blown away, sending them to their deaths. More commonly, when players have such low visibility it's very easy to run into an enemy and not realize it until it's too late.
This Game's for Team Players
It's A Game For Team Players
No matter what type of game you're playing in Spec Ops multiplayer, the team are almost always four-on-four. (There's free-for-all deathmatch without teams.) Battlefield can keep its massive offensives, this is two squads squaring off in a battle for supremacy and bragging rights.
This is a game you're going to want to team up with friends for. Unlike other team-based shooters, it's essential to stick together and co-ordinate with your squadmates. Each class adds a different kind stat buff to all allies in their immediate vicinity, so even your team doesn't have chemistry, you're stronger together than you are apart.
A team of four lone wolves are going to have trouble winning matches, even if each of them is better than every one of their opponents.