10 Video Game NPCs Who Got The Worst Deaths
2. 47 Civilians Are Melted With White Prosphorus - Spec-Ops: The Line
Spec Ops: The Line is one of the most unforgettable war shooters of all time, and though it has some truly shocking twists and turns to come later in the game, by far the most traumatic death scene occurs much earlier on.
We're talking of course about the infamous sequence where protagonist Walker and his team decide to deploy a salvo of white phosphorous munitions upon a position apparently occupied by enemy forces.
The player is forced to conduct the strike themselves from a drone above the area, but when they inspect the fallout, they discover they've actually melted 47 innocent refugees simply trying to survive.
The glimpses of dead civillians, their clothes burned off their bodies, are absolutely nauseating, and the closing image, of a still-smouldering mother cradling her daughter's charred corpse, is surely burned into the memory of anyone who has ever played the game.
The white phosphorus attack marks a major turning point in the game's narrative and Walker's characterisation, while assuring players that this isn't just another generic, oorah military shooter.