History TearJerker / SpecOpsTheLine

* Something to note regarding Walker's behavior as one soldier cautiously approaches him and requests him to lay down his weapon. If you take your hands off the controls and let the scene play out, Walker automatically proceeds with handing over his gun as soon as the soldier gets close enough. After all the death and destruction that he has caused over the course of the game, the fact that his default action if you don't force it on him is to surrender is... rather sobering. In the end, he showed that he ''could'' have let go of his deranged hero fantasy... but it's far too late to have any significance on his development. He's already killed Dubai. He's lost just about everyone he cares about... and he'll never be able to get them back. All because he just ''had'' to keep going even when it was clearly a bad idea.

* The ending in which Walker successfully slaughters the men sent to rescue him is upsetting as well. He picks up a radio from a dying soldier and says his only line during the entire ending, [[{{Bookends}} the same line he said at the beginning of the game]]. The look on his face as he slowly closes his eyes is straight-up upsetting.

-->'''Konrad:''' No matter what happens next... don't be too hard on yourself. Even now... after all you've done, you can still go home. [[YouBastard Lucky you.]]
* Something to note regarding Walker's behavior as one soldier cautiously approaches him and requests him to lay down his weapon. If you take your hands off the controls and let the scene play out, Walker automatically proceeds with handing over his gun as soon as the soldier gets close enough. After all the death and destruction that he has caused over the course of the game, the fact that his default action if you don't force it on him is to surrender is... rather sobering. In the end, he showed that he COULD let go of his deranged hero fantasy... but it's far too late to have any significance on his development. He's already killed Dubai. He's lost just about everyone he cares about. And he'll never be able to get them back. All because he just ''had'' to keep going even when it was clearly a bad idea.

* It's a small moment but at the beginning of the chapter, right after Lugo has died and Walker and Adams are sitting on the ground, Walker offers Adams a hand up which he ignores. That single action shows how utterly destroyed their friendship is and how Adams' faith in Walker has been completely shattered. He's with him now only because he has nowhere else to go.

* What makes this ending even worse is that for how much he had to fight to kill the entire rescue squad, [[DeadManWalking Walker is absolutely doomed no matter what]]. Any pretence of Walker being a hero is long-gone (even in his own head), he's reduced the same Dubai that he heads back into afterward to a war-torn ruin with a population facing certain death, and having committed horrific war crimes against both civilians and his own allies and massacred a friendly squad who were trying to rescue him, [[IFoughtTheLawAndTheLawWon Walker will now be known to the entire U.S. Military as a dangerous traitor]]. Bigger and much stronger reinforcements will certainly be brought in to neutralize or apprehend[[note]]Which, even if Walker was taken alive, would no doubt result in him receiving a death sentence for Crimes Against Humanity.[[/note]] him, and even if they don't get him, Walker -- having thrown away the last chance he had to flee the country while he still could -- will assuredly die a slow, lonely death from [[HoistByHisOwnPetard self-inflicted dehydration]]. Neither of which, of course, account for what would happen if [[TorchesAndPitchforks civilian lynch mobs]] -- like the ones who killed Lugo in Chapter 13 -- were to find out [[TornApartByTheMob who he is and what he was responsible for]]. Regardless of what happens, Martin is a dead man walking; and [[AllForNothing ultimately achieved]] ''[[AllForNothing nothing]]'' [[AllForNothing except]] for [[FateWorseThanDeath condemning himself to the worst possible fate of all]].

* What makes this ending even worse is that for how much he had to fight to kill the entire rescue squad, [[DeadManWalking Walker is absolutely doomed no matter what]]. Any pretence of Walker being a hero is long-gone (even in his own head), he's helped reduce the same Dubai that he heads back into afterward to a war-torn ruin with a population facing certain death, and having massacred a friendly squad who were trying to help him, [[IFoughtTheLawAndTheLawWon Walker will now be known to the entire U.S. Military as a dangerous traitor]]. Bigger and much stronger reinforcements will certainly be brought in to apprehend or neutralize him, and even if they don't get him, Walker -- having thrown away the last chance he had to flee the country while he still could -- will assuredly die a slow, lonely death from [[HoistByHisOwnPetard self-inflicted dehydration]]. Neither of which, of course, account for what would happen if [[TorchesAndPitchforks civilian lynch mobs]] -- like the ones who killed Lugo in Chapter 13 -- were to find out [[TornApartByTheMob who he is and what he was responsible for]]. Regardless of what happens, Martin is a dead man walking; and [[AllForNothing ultimately achieved]] ''[[AllForNothing nothing]]'' [[AllForNothing except]] for [[FateWorseThanDeath condemning himself to the worst possible fate of all]].

* What makes this ending even worse is that for how much he had to fight to kill the entire rescue squad, [[DeadManWalking Walker is absolutely doomed no matter what]]. Any pretence of Walker being a hero is long-gone (even in his own head), he's helped reduce Dubai -- the same city that he heads back into afterward -- to a war-torn ruin with a population facing certain death, and having massacred a squad who were trying to help him, [[IFoughtTheLawAndTheLawWon Walker will now be known to the entire U.S. Military as a dangerous traitor]]. Bigger and much stronger reinforcements would be brought in to apprehend or neutralize him, and even if those don't get him, Walker will assuredly die a slow, lonely death from [[HoistByHisOwnPetard self-inflicted dehydration]]. Neither of which, of course, account for [[TornApartByTheMob what would happen if a civilian lynch mob]] -- like the ones who killed Lugo in Chapter 13 -- were to find out who he is and what he was responsible for. Regardless of how it happens, Martin is a dead man walking; and [[AllForNothing ultimately achieved]] ''[[AllForNothing nothing]]'' [[AllForNothing except condemning himself to the worst possible fate of all]].

* Konrad's "dying" words are also hard to hear, especially because he sounds so genuinely heartbroken about it.

** An example truly eerie enough to cross over with NightmareFuel, but the way Walker and Konrad talk in the final moments, after Walker has been shot down. It's not Walker replaying a memory in his head, he's actually reminiscing with Konrad as though he's really there. When Walker's voice talks about the things Konrad says, you can hear Nolan North's voice, imitating Bruce Boxleitner's, slowly shift into Boxleitner's real voice--while Walker lays there bleeding out, quietly gasping for air. Walker was still hearing Konrad even though he knew the man was dead by that point, and his voice is the last thing Walker ever hears.

* The ending in which Walker successfully slaughters the men sent to rescue him is upsetting as well. He picks up a radio from a dying soldier and says his only line during the entire ending, [[{{Bookends}} the same line he said at the beginning of the game]]. "Gentlemen, welcome to Dubai." The look on his face as he slowly closes his eyes is straight-up upsetting.
* Imagine how the rescue squad feel as the person they went in to save ends up killing them all one by one. As far as we know, they were all noble, heroic souls who, while wary and cautious of a clearly unstable, PTSD-ridden man, do nothing to him until he decides to attack them. Walker violently murdering them shows that [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope he has cast away any remnants of the man he used to be]] and took Dubai -- and so many innocent soldiers and civilians -- screaming with him.
* What makes this ending even worse is that for how much Walker had to fight to kill the entire rescue squad, [[DeadManWalking he's absolutely doomed no matter what]]. Any pretence of Walker being a hero is long-gone (even in his own head), he's helped reduce Dubai -- the same city that he heads back into afterward -- to a war-torn ruin with a population facing certain death, and having massacred a squad who were trying to help him, [[IFoughtTheLawAndTheLawWon Walker will now be known to the entire U.S. Military as a dangerous traitor]]. Bigger and much stronger reinforcements would be brought in to apprehend or neutralize him, and even if those don't get him, Walker will assuredly die a slow, lonely death from [[HoistByHisOwnPetard self-inflicted dehydration]]. Neither of which, of course, account for [[TornApartByTheMob what would happen if a civilian lynch mob]] -- like the ones who killed Lugo in Chapter 13 -- were to find out who he is and what he was responsible for. Regardless of how it happens, Martin is a dead man walking; and [[AllForNothing ultimately achieved]] ''[[AllForNothing nothing]]'' [[AllForNothing except condemning himself to the worst possible fate of all]].

* Imagine how the rescue squad feel as the person they went in to save ends up killing them all one by one. As far as we know, they were all noble, heroic souls who, while wary and cautious of a clearly unstable, PTSD-ridden man, do nothing to him until he decides to attack them. Walker violently murdering them shows that he has cast away any remnants of the man he used to be and took Dubai, and innocent soldiers, screaming with him.

'''Walker:''' ...Who said I did?

* Even the [[BittersweetEnding "happiest" ending]] where Walker surrenders to the rescue squad is filled with tear-jerkers, including the page quote. The future looks incredibly bleak for Walker. When asked how he survived the horrors of Dubai, he says simply, [[ThatManIsDead "Who said I did?"]] Even if he goes home physically, there is no guarantee he will ever emotionally or mentally recover from the evils he perpetrated; his body may be alive, [[ShellShockedVeteran but his soul is more or less dead towards any sort of happy future]].