Review: “Singularity” (Xbox 360)
- Scott
- Feb 18, 2019
- 4 min read
It’s only natural that games in the same genre borrow from each other, it’s almost an accepted event. Most of the time these elements only detract from the overall game and the feel of the total package. Singularity borrows heavily from Bioshock and other well known, bigger name titles. However, there is enough fun and originality here to make this a game worth checking out.
Game: Singularity Publisher: Activision Developer: Raven Software Genre: First Person Shooter Original Price: $59.99 Verdict: Borrows heavily from other FPSs but still manages to be fun, and engaging. Pros: The TMD is really fun to mess around with, fun concepts Cons: Actually affecting the future happens too infrequently, Lots you’ve seen before
In Singularity, you play as Nate Renko. A black ops soldier sent to a (fictitious) island off the eastern coast of Russia named Katorga-12. Katorga-12 was the site of some rather nasty goings-on, that all started as an R&D base for communist Russia back during the cold war. Found on this island, and ONLY this island, is a new element known simply as Element 99, or E99 for short. The Russians upon finding E99 recognize it’s power and true potential to basically destroy the US and take over the world, normal “Red Scare” stuff. As you might have guessed, things go awry and the island is destroyed. Renko is sent in to investigate the island and find out what’s going on for certain. Immediately upon arriving he is thrust into a chain of events that threatens not only his life but the lives of everyone on the planet, basically.
As the old saying goes, “Imitation is the highest form of flattery.” This could not be truer than in Singularity. Just to get it out of the way, let’s go over the finer points of this statement right out the gate. Singularity owes A LOT of its charm to Bioshock, with subtle differences. In Bioshock, you find and use “plasmids” to solve puzzles and create wreak general havoc. Whereas in Singularity you use the “Time Manipulation Device” (or TMD for short) to accomplish the same goals. Stop time, bring items back to life, and even literally age enemies to death. Most of the puzzles are creative, however very simple. In Bioshock, your plasmids were fueled by “EVE” in Singularity they are powered by the unstable “E99”. Both have a story riddled with twists and a protagonist doing the bidding of someone unknowing, or uncaring, of the outcome. The similarities are very obvious. What might not be obvious, at least from the very beginning, is the appeal of Singularity.
What I first thought would be a very overused, and underdeveloped gimmick, turned out to be a pretty fun gameplay mechanic. There is something very appealing to being able to hold out your hand and watch your foes wither to dust in front of your eyes. One thing I was disappointed wasn’t used more were the sections of the game where you slip through time to entirely different decades. The first time it happens, you are literally able to alter the future from the past. It’s a very satisfying event that leaves you wanting more, the unfortunate thing is that it doesn’t happen again really until the end of the game. The rest of your travels through time, while interesting and informative, don’t rise to the level of direct interaction as the first.
Singularity is actually pretty fun. It looks pretty polished, so are the levels and enemies. Everything has enough detail to show the player that they cared enough and put enough effort forth so that others would do just what I did… Look past the inevitable comparison. There is something to be said for a game that literally combines a WWII shooter with a futuristic FPS that gamers everywhere wanted. The weapons, though futuristic, don’t feel overpowered… with one exception, “The Seeker”. It’s not available as a gun you can carry the entire game, but it does well to break up the monotony of some of the levels. The best way I can describe it is this; Remember in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” when the guy had the gun that shot “smart bullets, kinda like that. Look down the sites, fire, and steer the projectile around the map until it hits something… preferably soft and fleshy. It’s pretty satisfying.
By the end, I was looking for reasons not to enjoy this game and really couldn’t find any, save one overpowered enemy. If you ever played the first Halo (who hasn’t by now) and remember the little flood fleas (the little ones that crawled on you) you get the idea of it. Long story short, it is way overpowered, and at one point you come across a hive of them. I almost rage quit several times. However, once past that section, the game glided along wonderfully. While it did borrow a lot from other games, it still managed to show a bit of originality and that was enough to keep me chugging along.
*Originally posted… somewhere else but I have long since forgotten where.
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