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[Kot]

Spoiler: Spec Ops is shit. (click to show/hide)

I dislike Spec Ops, it tries to make you feel bad by telling you you made the wrong choice, but there is actually no choice, there is not even an illusion of it. You don't get to either use the white phosphorus or fight against overwhelming odds, you HAVE TO use the white phosphorus to proceed. IIRC, it even allows you to kill everyone by regular means but you can't get off the roof anyway, so you have to literally shell the place even if it's fucking empty. So, it completly failed at making me feel bad because I did everything I could but then realized that fuck no, I still have to become Hitler because the game tells me to. There's always a choice, eh? Except when there isin't, but not because it would kill you but because the game dev decided to teach you a lesson.
If the game gave you choice to face endless waves of enemies so it was impossible to actually win, if the game showered you with thousands upon thousands of enemies until you finally run out of bullets and get killed, then there would be an illusion of choice, sort of. What's the fucking point of feeling bad if everything was scripted form the beginning? Spec Ops represents the shitty way of trying to force emotions on people, it becomes scripted Call of Duty, literally what it tries to make fun of. And to think it could be so great, since, you know, the idea was pretty good.

[Avis-Mergulus]

-Spec Ops: the Line-

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Yeah, I always found that kind of meta to be kinda disingenuous. The developer is all like "Y U do dis, Avis, you fuck? Are you a bad person? ARE YOU A BAD PERSON, HUH???" And I'm like, "You know perfectly well why I am doing this, you slippery bastard. I am doing this because you are telling me a story, and I am listening to it. All that you blame me for is listening to the story that you wanted to tell me. You know this, I know this, stop pretending otherwise. If I am gross for listening to your story, then you are doubly gross for telling it."

As an aside, if you try to quote that entire quote pyramid, it breaks your entire post. For some reason.

[TD1]

So it does. Strange.

[scriver]

It's almost as if all those people telling people to not quote pyramids because it fucks with the site-ware were correct.

...Nah, we were probably just being asses

[overseer05-15]

It's almost as if all those people telling people to not quote pyramids because it fucks with the site-ware were correct.

...Nah, we were probably just being asses

Yeah, they were just messing with us.
This event reeks of destructively interfering magical energies, AKA: A Wizard Did It^tm

[hops]

Undertake

You rang?

[Tack]

Undertake

You rang?

muh fone.

Spoiler: Spec Ops is shit. (click to show/hide)

I dislike Spec Ops, it tries to make you feel bad by telling you you made the wrong choice, but there is actually no choice, there is not even an illusion of it. You don't get to either use the white phosphorus or fight against overwhelming odds, you HAVE TO use the white phosphorus to proceed. IIRC, it even allows you to kill everyone by regular means but you can't get off the roof anyway, so you have to literally shell the place even if it's fucking empty. So, it completly failed at making me feel bad because I did everything I could but then realized that fuck no, I still have to become Hitler because the game tells me to. There's always a choice, eh? Except when there isin't, but not because it would kill you but because the game dev decided to teach you a lesson.
If the game gave you choice to face endless waves of enemies so it was impossible to actually win, if the game showered you with thousands upon thousands of enemies until you finally run out of bullets and get killed, then there would be an illusion of choice, sort of. What's the fucking point of feeling bad if everything was scripted form the beginning? Spec Ops represents the shitty way of trying to force emotions on people, it becomes scripted Call of Duty, literally what it tries to make fun of. And to think it could be so great, since, you know, the idea was pretty good.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

But that would be the Only gripe I have about it. The story it tells is still pretty brutal and thought-provoking, and the more-and-more sinister load screen texts were pretty freaking clever IMO. I still felt horrible in the phosphorus scene, right up until I went "Hey!". So it worked in setting the tone the game wanted.
But there's the thing, it IS targeting the FPS gamer. Find a cod-kiddie who won't hear "Get on the canon!" and give an excited squeal. They wouldn't think twice, they wouldn't break that illusion, and the plot would do an effective rug-pull.

[Kot]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

But that would be the Only gripe I have about it. The story it tells is still pretty brutal and thought-provoking, and the more-and-more sinister load screen texts were pretty freaking clever IMO. I still felt horrible in the phosphorus scene, right up until I went "Hey!". So it worked in setting the tone the game wanted.
But there's the thing, it IS targeting the FPS gamer. Find a cod-kiddie who won't hear "Get on the canon!" and give an excited squeal. They wouldn't think twice, they wouldn't break that illusion, and the plot would do an effective rug-pull.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

There's a reason why they have this one squadmate go "dude no don't". Illusion b0rked.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I've heard this criticism about Spec Ops a few times, but I don't think it's valid. The thing the game is making you feel bad for isn't your choices or not within the game, it's the glorification of war's horror.

Much of what Walker and the squad do, they genuinely don't have much choice in. The white phosphorous is necessary because they are but three men facing an army. The whole path they embark on which ends up killing everybody in Dubai is an out-of-control roller coaster of madness. The mistake they made was going in the first place when, as you can see at the very start of the game, their orders are to scout past the storm wall and report back. Walker's desire to become the hero he sees Konrad as is what causes the events of the game.

Your choice points within the game are just places where you have leeway on how the procession of death takes place, and how it ends. Walker's damnation is out of your hands.

What's really being criticized by the game isn't really shooter games or even you as a player, but humanity for portraying war as anything other than what it really is: death.

[Greiger]

In less sad wtf.  I have found chocolate covered potato chips.  Now even I'm going WTF America.

_{^{They were like a taste of heaven.}}

[Sirus]

Still not as bad as deep-fried Twinkies

^{_{also there's nothing wrong with sweet-and-salty flavors}}

[TheBiggerFish]

Now I have this urge to find chocolate-covered tortilla chips.

[Greiger]

Deep fried twinkies, and chocolate covered tortilla chips.  After a single one of those chocolate covered potato chips I think I could feel my liver vibrating like descan.  Even the idea of deep fried twinkies and a chocolate covered tortilla chips I think has it packing up a little mini suitcase and leaving for canada.

[Descan]

ironically i'm not a huge fan of sweet things

[Kot]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Much of what Walker and the squad do, they genuinely don't have much choice in.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

But they dooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
1) Kill the guys.
2) Don't kill the guys.
Ez.