Both have an immersion ability that totally sucks in the player, often times using nothing more than the mechanism of text and novel like constructions. Unlike the text adventures of the past, these weren’t particularly hard to play. The player is challenged not in terms of twitch reflexes, strategic calculations, or one line dialogues for questing. The player is challenged to the limits of their human capacity for emotion and intellectual advancement. Their choices matter, for it has transcended the artificial veil between a simulation of life and the player’s life.

Spec Ops: The Line has the same conflict between narrative and game play. It tries to hide the fact that it routinely forces the player into making questionable choices at key decisions by requiring input from the player. No matter what you do, the story outcome is the same at key junctions and the game won’t progress until the player gives the consent either. If you pay close attention, you can tell at which points in the game where the developers force the players hand. It just outright ruined the emotional experience for me in that game.