IMO a lot of the subtlety comes from the imagery and symbols around you as you progress through the game. The vibrant tree that you pass that burns up when you look back, etc.
As far as gameplay goes it is very linear. The only “choice” is to stop playing. If I remember correctly the development behind Spec Ops was very rushed so they didn’t have time to so any of those branching paths.
I appreciate it like I would a visual novel more than I do an interactive game.
I think you can patient gamer it but it only works if you’re heavily familiar with that time.
I was really into COD4 and grew up during the Bush administration so I knew exactly what Spec Ops was critiquing. If you don’t have that experience though I agree it does not land.
Persona 3 Reload. Only played a bit of the original but I’m loving this remake. The QoL updates make it feel more fun and less of a slog. And I love the newer graphic style.
Did a bit of helldivers 2 with friends. Good fun but between work and kids I don’t have a lot of multi-player game time anymore.
Just started this one but Afterimage is becoming a big favorite of mine. A really great Metroidvania game.
Older, but also played Frostpunk. It’s a really great twist on a city building game. Highly recommended.
One odd ball I’ll throw out is Last Case of Benedict Fox. It’s a complete mess of a game, but the exploration and puzzles are a lot of fun. I never realized how much I want a metroidvania where you go around just solving puzzles. If LCBF just dropped all combat and focused on puzzle-solving it would have been a lot better.