Saturday, July 10, 2010

Singularity Review



When I first heard about the game Singularity and saw bit of gameplay footage, I wasn't immediately excited about playing it. It looked a bit too similar to Bioshock, which I was not a huge fan of, and I thought I would just sit this one out in anticipation of a better game. I stopped following its production and basically forgot about it for the next three months. As it got closer, though, one of my gaming buddies mentioned that he had been following it for quite some time, and was thinking about buying it. Since our taste in games is pretty similar, I started having second thoughts. He put a glimmer of hope in my shadow of a doubt, and I'm sure glad that he did, because Singularity turned out to be quite the enjoyable experience.

Set in one of my favorite gaming genres, Singularity is a Sci-Fi shooter that takes place on a remote island that is owned by the former Soviet Union, called "Katorga 12". Sometime after the events of World War II, towards the beginning of the Cold War, the Soviets discovered a powerful element called "E99" (or "E to the 99th power") that allowed them to develop weapons that were far superior to anything that the West was able make. The Soviets' efforts never came to fruition, however, and the facility is now abandoned - or at least thought to be.

You are a member of an elite special forces team from the US, one Captain Renko, deployed to the island to investigate some "strange occurrences" that have happened of late. While circling Katorga 12, your reconnaissance helicopter is hit by an EMP blast and knocked out of the sky, stranding you on the island away from the rest of your squad.


This, in case you didn't catch the bright green overlay, is Devlin. Nice guy, but not quite the brightest candle on the birthday cake.


Say... that thar's real purdy...


Oh dear God! My eyes! And my helicopter!

If you've played Bioshock, the similarities between the two games' artwork will be almost immediately apparent. Although Singularity's setting is very different, the graphics are rendered in much the same way as Bioschock's - shiny, vivid, and at times almost cartoony. That isn't to say that the graphics are bad, though. They may not be up to par with most recent shooters, but they certainly fit the story and add to the creepy, surrealistic atmosphere.



Singularity's sounds are also largely a big hit, with only a few exceptions. The ambient sounds and music do a more than adequate job of immersing you in the game, rising and falling appropriately with the action. The creature and combat sounds are excellent, whether it's the roar of a massive beast or the growl of your weapon as you pump bullets into it by the bucket-full. The voice acting is pretty decent for the most part. My only gripe here is that the Russian soldiers you encounter often repeat the same damn phrases over and over during combat, as if those were the only Russian phrases that the developers bothered to translate with Google's language tool. Aside from this minor complaint, though, Singularity sounds incredible.

Gameplay is always the most important aspect of a video game for me. Personally, I would much rather have an incredibly fun game whose graphics are not cutting edge (like Quake) than have a great-looking game that plays like crap (like Sniper: Ghost Warrior). Fortunately, Singularity offers you the best of both worlds, as the gameplay is every bit as good as the graphics. There are a small variety of situations you will find yourself in, including heated gun fights, battles against powerful creatures, and even a little puzzle-solving.



What really makes the puzzle-solving truly unique is the implementation of Singularity's semi-original gimmick, the TMD (or "Time Manipulation Device" - don't let the fact that a Russian scientist came up with an English acronym for his own invention bother you... he's quite a lovable character). The TMD not only allows you to physically manipulate certain objects, much like the gravity gun in Half-Life 2, but it also gives you the power to either accelerate or reverse the aging process of some objects. A broken-down stairwell can be instantly repaired, or an explosive barrel can be reduced to a crumpled, rusty heap with a flick of the wrist. Enemies can also be manipulated by the TMD by either blowing them to pieces with an energy blast or accelerating their age until they turn to dust, which looks just about as badass as it sounds.



Tying all of these great aspects of the game together is a very compelling storyline. The overall concept is brilliantly executed (maybe it's my love for Tom Clancy Novels and East/West confrontations), the majority of the characters are developed quite well (if not an tiny bit cliched), and the pacing of the game is damn near perfect. I would highly recommend this title to anyone who enjoys a good Sci-Fi first-person shooter. Great graphics, wonderful sounds, exciting gameplay, and one hell of a story make Singularity a worthwhile title.

Additional Media:


Dramatic confrontation between Captain Renko and the first boss monster in the game. You know you dig the soundtrack.


Don't play with that E99 bomb - you'll go blind. And sterile.