By Despite often being cited as one of the best military shooter games ever made thanks to its exploration of the morality of war, the 2012 game “Spec Ops: The Line” is about to go AWOL.
Kotaku reports that the game has been pulled from sale on Steam and an ex-staffer there turned independent writer Stephen Totilo has followed that up saying on X that he has spoken with a rep from 2K Games who says the removal of the game will go beyond that one digital storefront in the coming days and weeks:
“Spec Ops: The Line will no longer be available on online storefronts, as several partnership licenses related to the game are expiring.
Players who have purchased the game can still download and play the game uninterrupted. 2K would like to thank our community of players who have supported the game, and we look forward to bringing you more offerings from our label throughout this year and beyond.”
As of writing, the Xbox 360 version still appears to be available on the Xbox store. The title was initially released for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.
A third-person adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” but moved into the era of the War on Terror, the player takes control of Captain Martin Walker – leader of a Delta Force team on a recon mission in a post-catastrophe Dubai.
As the game progresses, your character’s sanity begins to deteriorate and they see horrific hallucinations. These force the character (and player) to deal with the horrors of war, the nature of war crimes and the agency and responsibility of those who serve in the military.
It’s an aspect of the game that was generally kept under wraps until release; the title was marketed as more of a generic shooter. The title landed rave reviews for its story and themes, though it was less well-regarded for its gameplay and multiplayer. It pulled in multiple end-of-the-year accolades, but ultimately was enough of a commercial failure it sank the franchise.
The post “Soec Ops: The Line” Removed From Stores appeared first on Dark Horizons.
