20 Video Games That LIED (And Got Away With It)

15. Spec Ops: The Line

2012's Spec Ops: The Line is a 3rd person shooter that takes place in a fictionalized version of Dubai that has been hit by massive sandstorms, covering most of the city in sand. Playing as Captain Martin Walker of the US Army, you're instructed to enter Dubai with your comrades and find a soldier who has reportedly gone rogue. However, what at first seems like a standard shooter where you're killing the bad guys to save the civilians, quickly descends into something much worse.

The main turning point comes when Walker and his team are given a devastating white phosphorous weapon to use. The context is that this weapon needs to be used in order to clear enemy soldiers so you can progress, and the game happily makes you believe you need to pull the trigger. However, on doing so, Walker (and you as the player) faces the horrific consequences of his actions when its revealed scores of innocent civilians were caught in the blast. It quickly becomes apparent that you aren't the hero here after all.

Unlike most other military shooters, Spec Ops: The Line forces you to confront the outcome of your decisions, however awful it is. This actually turned out to be a masterstroke by developer Yager. It set this shooter apart from the many others on the market at the time, and left a lasting impression on players.