It’s very difficult these days to find a shooter that can achieve significant cut-through and unique buzz, not to mention excellent core gameplay, with such a plethora of excellent titles out there already.

Spec Ops: The Line has its roots firmly in the storytelling from classic novella Heart of Darkness and the film that it inspired, Apocalypse Now.

As a result, The Line delivers an awe-inspiring narrative that undoubtedly upstages the third-person shooter gameplay, which is still perfectly passable.

Some set pieces will have you wrestling with your conscience as decisions need to be made, while others are about as disturbing as it gets in the genre.

Insurgency and double crossing in Dubai, featuring the original Kurtz character, proves to be the perfect antidote to any saccharine sewing up of plots in other shooters, and the Spec Ops ending will leave you speechless.

Some odd AI and cover moments may create a bit of frustration en route, but overall Spec Ops does a fantastic job of blurring The Line between gaming and a big-budget cinematic experience.

4/5