Singularity

Review from Luke - Monday, 26 July 2010 @ 7:49am

Raven Software is one of my favourite developers in the industry, they have produced some very solid video games over the last 15 years. These guys are responsible for hijacking 3 years of my online multiplayer life by getting me addicted to Soldier of Fortune 2, a fantastic game that ripped me out of the competitive Counter-Strike scene. Most of the work Raven has done for the last decade has been with existing licenced properties, that is until now. Singularity is a brand new IP that incorporates elements from previous Raven titles, while throwing a few new tricks into the bag.

The game starts off in present time with you taking control of the protagonist Nate Renko, an American 'Black ops' soldier, sent to investigate a strange Russian island known as Katorga-12. This island was the home of some crazy experiments during the Cold War era involving a substance called E99, an element with time manipulation properties. A catastrophic event occurred on the island back in 1955 which caused it to be evacuated with the details covered up by the Russian government. As always the most unreliable form of transportation known in a video game, the helicopter, makes a spectacular crash landing forcing Renko to rendezvous with the other member of his team.

From the start Singularity has a very BioShock-esque feel to it. The atmosphere of Katorga-12 is brilliant, with the story of the island and its experiments being portrayed through 50's era movies and the ever so popular audio diaries that you'll find along the journey. Time plays a big role in the game as early on you will get a hold of the Time Manipulation Device, or TMD, which allows Renko to do all sorts of crazy stuff within the environment. Initially the TMD has the ability to age objects so they either crumble apart or are reverted back to their original state. As you progress, the device is upgraded giving it more features, which also introduce some puzzle elements into the game. They aren't anything too mind bending but do offer a bit of a mix to the general shooter aspect.

You can definitely notice the Raven touch in terms of the gore within the game. While it is toned down a little, that Solider of Fortune vibe is still there. Blood sprays across the room as an enemy loses a limb. Although shocking, body dismemberment is ever so satisfying when you explode someone's head up close with your shotgun.

The number of weapons offered isn't substantial, but this just means you have an easy choice with what to use; most of the game I was running around with an assault rifle and shotgun. You can carry a total of 2 weapons at a time, with the heavier range of arsenal taking up a 3rd spot, but you have to drop these on the ground when switching back to the main weapons. This means whenever you come across a heavy weapon you should pick it up and start using it while you can. Stations spread out in the game will allow you to upgrade abilities and weapons, some of these abilities are passive, while others can only be equipped in specific slots.

Raven is very good at designing interesting levels, one that sticks out in Singularity is aboard a freighter. This sunken ship, when hit with the powers of the TMD, is restored back to life, however due to it's size is reverting to rubble extremely quickly. Inside the walls are deteriorating before your eyes, the creaking sound of metal tears through your speakers as pieces of the ship fall apart around you. A lot of the levels have a very dirty look to them due to the decay of the island, you aren't always left with looking at this gloomy environment though as you jump between time during the game. A decent chunk takes place in the 1950's where everything has a clean, cold metal feel to it, which is a nice change for the eyes.

Multiplayer has been slapped in although I don't really think it was needed, it would have been better to just focus all of the attention on the single player. The biggest issue I had with Singularity was the way Raven decided to do the ending. The entire game is very linear in terms of story up until the last 2 minutes when you are presented with 3 choices as to how things play out - basically good and bad endings. I don't understand the motivation behind this, there isn't any decision making previously, then they just throw it out at you. Also there is no indication to suggest that Nate Renko is a bad person, why would he make a decision like that? It just didn't make any sense to me.

Pros

Fun shooter mechanics

Interesting story

Mixing of gameplay elements

Cons

Handling of ending was disappointing

Multiplayer not really needed