Spec Ops: The Line is a terrible game that fails at everything it tries to be and people latching onto it are just posers. It's a nonsensical fantasy story that's pretending to be a grounded warfare tale and it presents literally no choice to the player and then tries to make you feel bad for making that choice even though you have no option. The only option is to stop playing, so that's what I did. I went AWOL. Fuck you game. You aren't worth shit and your gunplay is just dreadful and your checkpoints are unfair.
how about this: it's a great and incredibly ambitious story that's based on Apocalypse Now (movie) and Heart of Darkness (book the movie is based on) and conveys their themes through setting, atmosphere, visuals, gameplay and sound alike. it took a great risk for a mainstream game because it isn't readily explainable to everyone and that alone is an accomplishment.
if nothing else it at least makes you think. it handled an important topic that's relevant in society & game industry - unlike most *nonsensical fantasy* AAA games do. it lured people in with the looks of another generic shooter but turned that whole expectation upside down, in a slow and subtle way. Dubai's desert was the perfect visual metaphor for transcending into madness, there are so many thoughtful placed details to it. the implicit moral critique did not only adress players but the CoD & BF-shitting game industry itself. and that took balls an obviously made them a lot less money than they could've made by following the rulebook. nothing but respect. did I mention the kickass soundtrack? what other games features Mogwai, Alice in Chains AND Inner Circle??
<3