2. Spec Ops: The Line Walker Was Mad The Whole Time
If you've played Spec Ops: The Line, you'll know how special it is. It expertly skewed the modern shooter in the most effective way possible by making it clear that the power-fantasies you indulge when you pick up a run-and-gun shooter are utterly pathetic. It does this by showing you the increasing madness of Captain Walker when confronted with an incredibly dark situation which Call of Duty might play for thrills. But if you were paying attention, you could've noticed that Walker's madness is foreshadowed throughout. First of all, lots of subtle details change for Walker depending on whether you look at them. For example, we know by the end that Konrad is just a figment of Walker's fractured consciousness he's an imaginary construct of an obsessive mind, and the game gives you many clues to this throughout. If you look closely, you'll see that the fake Konrad actually resembles Walker, and Konrad remarks they're a lot alike, hinting at the fact they actually are. This revelation also gives a new spin on Walker's madness there are images of Konrad looking down on him throughout chapter one, implying that Walker's already insane before everything goes FUBAR. You also get another hint in chapter 5, when a billboard changes from Konrad's face to what it really was, further showcasing the obsession Walker has with his old C.O. A final, less specific augur of madness comes just after that scene when Walker passes a tree at first glance it's completely normal, but when you pass it, it withers and dies off-screen. If you look back, it's a burnt husk. Combine all these with the fact you spend the game physically and mentally descending, and you've got a brilliant metaphor on your hands. Really, if you saw the signs, you could've turned the game off before Walker went truly mad. No-one's forcing you to drive him crazy, but as the game loves to tell you, this is all your fault.