10 Video Games That Broke All The Rules

5. Spec Ops: The Line

Spec Ops The Line
2K Games

Yes, I know, it's another Whatculture Gaming list championing Spec Ops: The Line, but I couldn't really leave it off a ranking of games that completely subverted expectations and ripped up the rulebook, could I?

By now everyone knows how the shooter pretty much functioned entirely as a commentary on other shooters, and how players will blindly pick up a virtual gun and shoot hundreds of people in the face as long as someone confirms they're the good guy and the enemies are the bad guys.

However, the twist that your character was actually the villain the whole time - and that you were complicit in his evil actions - only worked so thoroughly because it was bundled into a game that looked like nothing more than a knock-off Gears of War clone.

Nobody expected a big-budget shooter - especially at the time - to hold a deeper meaning or commentary on war and violence, especially one which appeared so by-the-numbers and pedestrian at a glance.

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Josh has over 11 years of experience as a published writer, having worked nine of those years as a full-time content producer at WhatCulture. In that period he has created hundreds of articles, videos and podcast episodes for multiple WhatCulture channels, specialising in gaming, horror and film & TV. He now primarily works as a senior content producer and presenter on WhatCulture Gaming where he co-hosts the WhatCulture Gaming Podcast, a top 3 UK most listened to gaming podcast that he co-created in 2018. Over the years he has reviewed several high-profile gaming releases, covered industry events with on-site reporting, opined on breaking news, and even kicked off his interviewing career by chatting to childhood hero, Tommy Wiseau.