Tag Archives: spec ops: the line

Tighten up the Narrative in Level 3: The grammar of videogames

Posted on September 21, 2013 by Mark Filipowich

In the great sandwich of videogames, game mechanics are the baguette and game stories are the stuffing. Whether a game is simply a thin spread of butter on an oven fresh bun or a triple-decker steak’n’cheese with pan fried vegetables … Continue reading →

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Contemplating The Mirror: Manhunt Revisited

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Javy Gwaltney

Memories Rockstar’s Playstation 2 games were the video nasties of my generation. I remember my father reading an article in USA Today about prostitution in Grand Theft: Auto Vice City and telling me that I couldn’t have it. Likewise, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical Conversation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , Kotaku , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Game is Talking Back: A Review of “Killing is Harmless”

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Bq Roth

As I write, Brendan Keogh’s new book has been out for less than a week, and has already been declared a landmark of games criticism. The book’s primary qualification for this opinion seems to be its length, around 50,000 words, … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical Conversation , Reviews | Tagged Ben Kuchera , BQ Roth , , , Gamasutra , , self-analysis , , Stolen Projects , Suicide is Painless , | 3 Comments

An Ode to Stanley & Esther

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Miguel Penabella

Popular gaming culture today swells with generic shooters, unoriginal shtick, franchise building, and overproduced games from big developers that rarely deviate from anything already on the market. The release of more and more games with each passing year renders many … Continue reading →

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Cross the Line/Face the Mirror

Posted on July 30, 2012 by Bruno Dion

Bruno Dion Spoiler Warning. Ye Hath Been Warned. There’s no denying that the virtual killing of other humans is pretty easy, whether their representations are controlled by the computer or by an actual person miles away. Shooters, and especially modern … Continue reading →

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Sadistic Design in Spec Ops: The Line

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Karl Parakenings

“Yet to go further in tackling these issues I’d like to look at them as symptoms, not as the problems themselves. There’s something wrong with our commercial games, and with the core audience that buys and loves them. There’s something … Continue reading →

Posted in Close Playing , Critical Conversation , Reviews | Tagged allistair pinsof , daniel ravipinto , , francis ford coppola , full metal jacket , gamespot , heart of darkness , , jeff gerstmann , joseph conrad , , machinima , mitch dyer , sanitarium , slouching towards bedlam , , , star foster , the shining , will whitman | 4 Comments