![spec ops the line helicopter freebird spec ops the line helicopter freebird](https://i0.wp.com/sofrep.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Army-UH-60-Blackhawk-helicopter-prepares-to-take-off-from-Camp-Rudder.jpg)
Please note, that – while the credits roll after The Line’s conclusion – the campaign in Bioshock actually continues. I assigned labels to the key sequences I’d like to discuss here and found, that treating the game sequences as metaphors for stages of a life’s journey using motifs from christian mythology ends up being rather appropriate. Here is a quick overview of the key sequences in both games I’d like to discuss: But from there The Line takes you to a place where Bioshock didn’t dare to make you go. But even under close scrutiny, looking at individual elements, it becomes evident, that both games basically provide the same context for the player’s actions and decisions. There are major parallels in the way both stories unfold from a bird’s eye perspective. Well, the structures of both games and how they lead up to the existential revelation in the end are very very similar. Anongst others, like Mass Effect, Limbo, Shadow Of The Collossus, Red Dead Redemption, Dead Space, Spelunky, Dragon Age 2, Alice – Madness returns, The Darkness… and now – very high on the list: Spec Ops: The Line. Some kinda existential experiences games gave meīioshock was one of those games.
![spec ops the line helicopter freebird spec ops the line helicopter freebird](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0ASyBX1i4sM/maxresdefault.jpg)
It becomes a personal Voight-Kampff test basically. More meaningful, than any high score could be. Still, if a game makes me discover something about myself, imho it becomes truly meaningful. Of course there is still some translation work involved, the virtual game world is an abstraction after all. They challenge me with more than skill tests, logical conundrums or quizzes… they challenge me to explore who I am. To me, the most interesting and intense gaming experiences are the ones that make me self-conscious.
![spec ops the line helicopter freebird spec ops the line helicopter freebird](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/W0857XB8QUo/maxresdefault.jpg)
Most game designers aim at creating a state of oblivion, making the player get lost in the world and colors and mechanics, immersed, in state of flow, hopefully completely forgetting the controller in their hand and their butt on the couch.
#SPEC OPS THE LINE HELICOPTER FREEBIRD FULL#
Editor’s note: This article is full of spoilers, obviously.…and therefore turned out to be one of the most interesting and perspective-changing interactive experiences I had this console generation.Īfter Spec Ops: The Line, for me, there is no more going back. While Spec Ops: The Line pushes you – the player in front of the screen – to ask and maybe answer the questions for yourself. I will make comparison of two on the surface very similar player journeys, with one key distinction at the core.īioshock asks and answers all existential questions within its gameplay mechanics for you.