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Spec Ops: The Line now arriving in 'Spring 2012'
After Spec Ops: The Line had its launch window unceremoniously realigned during publisher Take-Two Interactive's quarterly earnings call last May, the only thing we knew for sure about its eventual release was that it'd be some time after March 2012. As it turns out, the game's gearing up for a spring 2012 launch window (so, like, between March and summer of 2012, then), and there's even a new trailer to prove it. If the trailer doesn't quite do it for you, might we suggest checking out our brand new preview of next spring's shooter? It's light on devastating natural disasters, unlike the game.
The dangerous game of Spec Ops: The Line
It's been more than a year since I've seen Spec Ops: The Line. In fact, I'm one of the few people to have played Spec Ops, back at a pre-E3 event in Los Angeles in 2010. It was an unofficial session, as previews were limited to eyes-on impressions, so I won't go into too much detail about it. But even then, it was clear that Spec Ops: The Line had a long way to go. Now, 18 months later, I've played more than an hour of a Spec Ops that feels solid and functional -- current, even. But now that The Line seems well on its way to relevancy as a game, developer Yager faces what might be an even bigger obstacle. In a quest for a literary sort of statement and message, Spec Ops: The Line has the baggage of the entire medium to overcome.%Gallery-140044%
Spec Ops: The Line delayed beyond March 2012
More like Spec Ops: The Wait, am I right? Much like that joke should have been, Spec Ops: The Line has been pushed back way, way, deep undercover -- like, first half of Take-Two's fiscal 2013 deep -- as revealed in the publisher's earnings report today. For the fiscally challenged among you, that means the game won't appear on store shelves until after March 2012 at the very earliest (it's been pitched into an April–September 2012 release window). Oddly, the game was in beta as of last fall, so we can only imagine whatever's happening now is a significant overhaul.
XCOM, Spec Ops listed for fiscal 2012 release, Max Payne 3 not listed at all (again) [update]
Take-Two has updated its release calendar in coordination with the publication of its lastest financial report. Most of the entries aren't too surprising, including already known release dates and windows for LA Noire, Duke Nukem Forever and BioShock Infinite -- however, XCOM and Spec Ops: The Line, both of which were formerly scheduled for this calendar year, are now listed as "Fiscal Year 2012" (April 2011 – March 2012) releases. That means they could still both arrive this year -- Strauss willing and the creek don't rise -- but the publisher has opened up the possiblity for delays to the first quarter of 2012. Also, Max Payne 3 has again failed to make an appearance on Take Two's release calendar. When this happened last December, Take Two was quick to reassure fans that the title was still in development. We have our fingers crossed for a similar assurance in the company's conference call, which is due to start any minute. Update: During the Q&A portion of the investor's call, Take-Two CFO Lainie Goldstein spoke about the fate of Max Payne 3, saying, "There is no update on that title at this time." That's a really not great answer. We've emailed other Take-Two contacts in search of something more concrete.
Spec Ops: The Line beta sends out more invites
We've received several tips from readers that the Xbox 360-only Spec Ops: The Line multiplayer beta is finally expanding to incorporate more users. Back in July, a "small number of applicants" were selected to participate in the beta. One tipster sent over some images from the beta, showing off the character customization screen, challenges menu and some gameplay shots. Feel free to work a little recon on our gallery below and check 'em out. [Update: We've removed the gallery and the image at the top of this post at 2K's request though, this being the internet and all, it'll be hard to put this cat back into its NDA-shaped bag.]
Spec Ops: The Line beta invites 'going out to a small number of applicants'
If you followed our advice and applied to be a part of the Spec Ops: The Line multiplayer beta, you just may be finding an invitation in your inbox sometime soon. Joystiq reader Reece got his earlier this week and sent over some images of the sign-up process. 2K Games confirms, "This is correct, beta invites for Spec Ops: The Line are going out to a small number of applicants. We'll be allowing more people into the private beta in the coming weeks." Unfortunately, 2K also confirmed with Joystiq that this beta is "Xbox 360 only" – for you PC and PS3 gamers, consider it karmic payback for all that early access on Medal of Honor you've been enjoying while Xbox owners sat idly by. Anyone in on the beta? Sound off in the comments below or, heck, send us an email.
Queue up for Spec-Ops: The Line's beta
Ready for 2K's Dubai-based reboot of Spec-Ops, but can't wait until the game releases sometime next year? You'll be glad to hear, then, that the game's beta signups have already begun! It seems that, at the moment, the beta is just for Xbox 360 owners, but we've asked 2K for more info about if and when it'll be heading to PS3 and PC. Signing up, however, doesn't necessarily guarantee entry to the beta this minute. 2K's signup page notes, "If you are selected to participate in the Beta, we will contact you via the email address you provided with next-step instructions on how to redeem a download token." That said, it seems that anyone who manages to sign up before 2K draws a line in the sand will get in. Hooray!
Preview: Spec Ops: The Line
Dubai is a crazy enough place in the real world, but in Spec Ops: The Line, its insanity is taken to new levels. Not only do players have the cluster of ostentatious skyscrapers and opulence of the once great city in this game world thrown at them, but with the factions of murderous bandits and impoverished innocents still littering the sandy landscape -- it's a lot to deal with. %Gallery-82339%
Spec Ops: The Line gets pre-release beta
During our demo of Spec Ops: The Line, the new military shooter set in Dubai from Berlin-based development studio Yager set to launch in 2011, producer Greg Kasavin revealed the game would open a beta prior to its 2011 launch. While he couldn't divulge exactly when the beta would be available, he did say that PR was likely to reveal more in the next few days. We'll be sure to update you all as soon as we hear something, but if you're looking for a taste before you get your taste, we suggest you grab some Nerf guns and head down to your local playground.
XCOM, Spec Ops: The Line opt for 2011 release
Tucked away in its E3 lineup announcement, Take-Two shed the tiniest bit of light on the release dates for Spec Ops: The Line and the upcoming XCOM reboot. According to the release, both games are slated for a 2011 release, though it doesn't get any more specific than that. Spec Ops had previously been announced for Take-Two's fiscal 2011, offering the hope of a November 2010 release at the earliest. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. If only there were other games that let you blast aliens and enemy soldiers.
Impressions: Spec Ops: The Line
click to enlarge Having seen the game debuted during the 2009 VGA broadcast, we sat down for a live demo of 2K's Spec Ops: The Line last week at the company's Northern California headquarters. Behind the controls was Cory Davis, lead designer at Yager (developer of -- you guessed it -- Yager), who led us through a roughly 15 minute slice of the game designed to convey the uniqueness of the setting and some pleasantly surprising play mechanics that tie into its backstory. Set about 18 months after a massive sandstorm has ravaged Dubai, the game sees players entering this "no man's land" as part of an elite team sent to locate the origin of a transmission from an earlier mission that had been presumed dead, swallowed up by the sand. The demo began mid-firefight, with the player character (voiced by a decidedly all-business Nolan North) and two AI squad mates seeking cover behind remnants of an office, as unknown gunmen fired at them from a half-collapsed building nearby. What happened next was, well ... unexpected and very cool. %Gallery-82339%
Do some recon on Spec Ops: The Line with these screens
Click image to embiggen 2K Games sent over some new screens from upcoming Spec Ops: The Line and, as one can imagine, the shots feature a lot of the same stuff we saw in the VGA trailer last month: sand; dilapidated buildings; and lots of bang-bang shoot-shoot. While producer (and ex-GameSpot EIC) Greg Kasavin played up the appeal of setting a game in a veritable wonderland of architecture (see: neat buildings to shoot dudes in) during a recent interview, we have to wonder if staring at all of these bieges, browns and mustards will become annoying after a while. We guess everyone will find out when the game releases later this year. In the meanwhile, feel free to head into our gallery below to check out the new screens, which even include a shot that would probably give Bill O'Reilly a heart attack. %Gallery-82339%
Spec Ops: The Line may face censorship; Dubai taking the 'wait and see' approach
"It takes place after an unimaginable natural disaster has struck the region," says former GameSpot editor-in-chief and current video game producer Greg Kasavin, discussing 2K Games' recently revealed shooter, Spec Ops: The Line. The unimaginable natural disaster he's referring to is a catastrophic sandstorm and the region is the financially precarious Dubai. With the one-time booming city-state finding itself in something of a bust, following the global economic downturn, scenes of Dubai's world-famous skyscrapers buried in sand surely struck a nerve. "We will have to review the game first before issuing any decision on whether to ban it or allow it," Mohammed al Mutawa, a video games censor at the United Arab Emirate's National Media Council, told The National. Juma Obaid Alleem, the director of media content at the NMC, told the newspaper that 'before a video game is released in the UAE, the NMC assesses whether it conforms with local laws and notifies authorities if it does not.' From there, we see references to "international matter" and "Ministry of Foreign Affairs" and we figure it best to take the 'wait and see' approach Mr. al Mutawa referred to. For his part, Kasavin is playing up the setting as a "fantastic location from an architectural standpoint" but is quick to point out that "the game uses the location purely as a location." He explained to The National that 'the enemies ... in the fictional Dubai would not have any clear religious or political beliefs associated with them' and that 'none of the shoot-outs took place in mosques.' With myriad games having angered religious or national groups before – everything from Resistance and the Church of England to LittleBigPlanet and the Qur'an – the Spec Ops team has plenty to learn from. We'll know more closer to the game's expected 2011 release. [Thanks, mister_jOBe; via LA Times]
Spec Ops: The Line not dusting up until Nov. 2010 at earliest
Though the Bjork-filled trailer for Spec Ops: The Line may have left you eager to start shooting up a sandy Dubai, we have to recommend that you save at least some anticipation for late next year. According to publisher Take-Two, the Yager-developed shooter isn't due until the 2011 fiscal year, which kicks off on Nov. 1 of 2010. Yes, it's a long way off, but don't get depressed! Your friends at Joystiq have a wonderful way of filling your quota for desert-based e-murder in the interim: 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand. With Game of the Year list time just around the corner, has there ever been a better moment to revisit the most points-laden diamond skull hunt of the year? We think not.
Spike VGA 2009 Wrap-up: The awards, the trailers, the premieres
As you can probably tell by looking at our front page, last night's Spike Video Game Awards show was a pretty prolific source of gaming news. From the big reveals of games like Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2, to new trailers for Crackdown 2 and Halo: Reach, to ... well, the actual awards, it was a pretty busy night for all parties involved. We've collected all the stories, trailers, and winners of each award in this post to prevent you from hunting through our archives -- or our hateful, hateful liveblog -- to find what you're looking for. You'll find them all listed after the jump!
Spec Ops: The Line VGA trailer is serious business
We're just not sure if we can get behind the aesthetic of the Yager-developed, 2K-published shooter Spec Ops: The Line which was officially revealed during last night's Spike Video Game Awards. It just looks way too gritty for us. Now that we've gotten that pun we've been wanting to make since we first saw the game last night out of the way, we can tell you that the debut trailer is posted after the jump. Despite our irreverent panning during last night's festivities, it doesn't look half bad. According to the last screen of the trailer, it's coming to 360, PS3 and PC. Check out the video if you're a fan of sandy environments, ruined landscapes, female vocalists and egregious violations of the Geneva convention. Update: We've added a hi-res version of the trailer above.
Mystery VGA teaser revealed as Spec Ops
It appears as though yesterday's mystery teaser for the upcoming Spike TV Video Game Awards, featuring a CGI scene of a war in Dubai, is actually not the newest teaser in the world. Revealed back in August, the clip is said to be from upcoming 2K Games franchise reboot Spec Ops. Originally, the title was claimed by EGM rumor mill "Quartermann" to be in development in the shuttered magazine's July 2008 issue. 1UP claims the title to be confirmed by the 90-second teaser trailer that we've dropped after the break. We'd suggest checking it out simply for the fact that it contains more footage than the teaser from yesterday, but the fact that Björk is involved makes us all the more inclined to recommend a viewing. For those of you thirsting for more, your next chance to see the game will be at 2009's world exclusive-filled VGAs. We've contacted 2K Games for comment and will update this post if we hear more.
