lost
07-29-2010, 11:57 AM
Title: Singularity
Platforms: Xbox 360/ PS3 / PC
Platform Reviewed: Xbox 360
Developer: Raven Software (http://www.ravensoft.com/)
Publisher: Activision (http://www.activision.com/)
MSRP: $59.99
Writer: Martin 'lost' Perry
Singularity Review
The Russians are coming! With time machines!
You’ll be familiar with the output of Raven, I can almost guarantee. As the developers of the X-Men Legends titles and their recent relaunch of Wolfenstein it’s likely that although you might not have played any of their games you have probably talked to somebody who has. Well, this is the developers latest release, Singularity, a game that bears all the hallmarks of the developers focus on consistent quality, even if it is far from revolutionary.
http://evavhost.com/i/press/singl-1.jpg
As part of a US military team you open the game up floating over the mysterious Russian island of Katorga 12. The shit hits the fan pretty quickly as a massive explosion knocks your bird out of the sky and hurtling down towards the creepy, abandoned isle below. Soon armed with a ‘Time Manipulation Device’, you will head on a time warping journey to reverse the terrible future that you put in motion after an early heroic act.
It’s really those first few hours, when all of this intrigue makes itself known, that really shine. The opening area, a mostly domestic zone, has creepy written all over it. Stumbling across ghosts of the past there’s some real psychological horror – bouncing balls, slamming doors and the very first monstrous enemies skulk around the shadows. BioShock leaps to mind as an obvious influence, the glowing key items being particularly reminiscent, and while some concerns arise that this game will be something of a copycat, all of this oddity is really enjoyable.
As you move further into the game the tone shifts significantly away from creepy and odd towards violent and monstrous. Like all those classic FPS games your parents played bigger and better weapons become available to take down bigger and badder enemies. There’s little requirement for spooks when you are battling against a giant, hairy spider-thing. The visceral excitement certainly increases, blood and gore will win over most gamers, and Raven obviously know how to put a shooter together. The change does send the game hurtling towards acceptable mediocrity but that’s where all those fancy time powers come in.
http://evavhost.com/i/press/singl-2.jpg
At various points in the game you’ll flash back to the 50s – usually to put in motion some event that will advantage your present-day self. These sections mix up the shooting a good bit, pitting you against Russian soldiers instead of monsters and bogeymen. E99, the resource that makes all of this time travel possible, has also enabled weapons developers to up their game. Expect to face men with modern weapons in a period setting – a scenario that increases the overall sensation that you ain’t in Kansas anymore.
On top of this the ‘Time Manipulation Device’ receives upgrades as you progress; levitation, slow motion area bombs and an Iron Man style repulsion melee attack. It’s primary function is its ability to age and renew certain objects within the world. See a crushed oil drum? Why not make it new again and throw it at your enemies? Some puzzles will require you to expand and contract objects like these to open rusty gates or to fit an object through a tight gap. These sections tend to present themselves at quiet points in the action, the game delivering a heady mix of aggression and calm as it moves along. Boss battles are the strongest contrast to these moments. Several impressive bullet sponges make themselves, and their weak spots, known to you throughout, the best being a massive tentacle beast that you need to take down while precariously balancing on a train over a gorge.
Multiplayer packs out the package, not achieving much more. Allowing you to play as human soldiers or the various mutated monsters that you’ve crushed during the single-player campaign, capture point and team deathmatch modes offering something different, but certainly less compelling , to the usual offerings. It’s really quite throw-away, and arguably unnecessary given the decent value for money the substantial, if 10 hours counts as that now, single-player campaign. The games are stable, the lobbies fairly full and the match-making decent – they just aren’t exciting additions.
http://evavhost.com/i/press/singl-3.jpg
Singularity surprised me, I went into it expecting it to be by the numbers and boring. Truthfully, it’s by the numbers but really enjoyable. All the time manipulation and control is a fun gimmick but the core of the gameplay is a mechanically sound, classically designed first person shooter. I can’t help but wish that Raven would think out of the box a bit, they even go as far to re-use effects and tricks that you might recognise from Wolfenstein. Despite these criticisms, and a weak multiplayer, if you want a solid shooter with a compelling story then you need look no further. Everybody should at least rent it, buying not quite necessary.
Score: 4 out of 5
http://evavhost.com/public/4.gif
The Good Solid, experienced design that delivers plenty of fun and action. The time effects are fun and your arsenal has some good variation. Decent puzzles and all the time travel/effects stuff is really enjoyable. A good story, with interesting twists and some decision making to spice things up.
The Bad I would have preferred that it stay spooky rather than overtly monsters based. The multiplayer could definitely be more compelling. A bit too familiar in plenty of places.
The Ugly Unreal Engine texture pop-in runs riot.
Platforms: Xbox 360/ PS3 / PC
Platform Reviewed: Xbox 360
Developer: Raven Software (http://www.ravensoft.com/)
Publisher: Activision (http://www.activision.com/)
MSRP: $59.99
Writer: Martin 'lost' Perry
Singularity Review
The Russians are coming! With time machines!
You’ll be familiar with the output of Raven, I can almost guarantee. As the developers of the X-Men Legends titles and their recent relaunch of Wolfenstein it’s likely that although you might not have played any of their games you have probably talked to somebody who has. Well, this is the developers latest release, Singularity, a game that bears all the hallmarks of the developers focus on consistent quality, even if it is far from revolutionary.
http://evavhost.com/i/press/singl-1.jpg
As part of a US military team you open the game up floating over the mysterious Russian island of Katorga 12. The shit hits the fan pretty quickly as a massive explosion knocks your bird out of the sky and hurtling down towards the creepy, abandoned isle below. Soon armed with a ‘Time Manipulation Device’, you will head on a time warping journey to reverse the terrible future that you put in motion after an early heroic act.
It’s really those first few hours, when all of this intrigue makes itself known, that really shine. The opening area, a mostly domestic zone, has creepy written all over it. Stumbling across ghosts of the past there’s some real psychological horror – bouncing balls, slamming doors and the very first monstrous enemies skulk around the shadows. BioShock leaps to mind as an obvious influence, the glowing key items being particularly reminiscent, and while some concerns arise that this game will be something of a copycat, all of this oddity is really enjoyable.
As you move further into the game the tone shifts significantly away from creepy and odd towards violent and monstrous. Like all those classic FPS games your parents played bigger and better weapons become available to take down bigger and badder enemies. There’s little requirement for spooks when you are battling against a giant, hairy spider-thing. The visceral excitement certainly increases, blood and gore will win over most gamers, and Raven obviously know how to put a shooter together. The change does send the game hurtling towards acceptable mediocrity but that’s where all those fancy time powers come in.
http://evavhost.com/i/press/singl-2.jpg
At various points in the game you’ll flash back to the 50s – usually to put in motion some event that will advantage your present-day self. These sections mix up the shooting a good bit, pitting you against Russian soldiers instead of monsters and bogeymen. E99, the resource that makes all of this time travel possible, has also enabled weapons developers to up their game. Expect to face men with modern weapons in a period setting – a scenario that increases the overall sensation that you ain’t in Kansas anymore.
On top of this the ‘Time Manipulation Device’ receives upgrades as you progress; levitation, slow motion area bombs and an Iron Man style repulsion melee attack. It’s primary function is its ability to age and renew certain objects within the world. See a crushed oil drum? Why not make it new again and throw it at your enemies? Some puzzles will require you to expand and contract objects like these to open rusty gates or to fit an object through a tight gap. These sections tend to present themselves at quiet points in the action, the game delivering a heady mix of aggression and calm as it moves along. Boss battles are the strongest contrast to these moments. Several impressive bullet sponges make themselves, and their weak spots, known to you throughout, the best being a massive tentacle beast that you need to take down while precariously balancing on a train over a gorge.
Multiplayer packs out the package, not achieving much more. Allowing you to play as human soldiers or the various mutated monsters that you’ve crushed during the single-player campaign, capture point and team deathmatch modes offering something different, but certainly less compelling , to the usual offerings. It’s really quite throw-away, and arguably unnecessary given the decent value for money the substantial, if 10 hours counts as that now, single-player campaign. The games are stable, the lobbies fairly full and the match-making decent – they just aren’t exciting additions.
http://evavhost.com/i/press/singl-3.jpg
Singularity surprised me, I went into it expecting it to be by the numbers and boring. Truthfully, it’s by the numbers but really enjoyable. All the time manipulation and control is a fun gimmick but the core of the gameplay is a mechanically sound, classically designed first person shooter. I can’t help but wish that Raven would think out of the box a bit, they even go as far to re-use effects and tricks that you might recognise from Wolfenstein. Despite these criticisms, and a weak multiplayer, if you want a solid shooter with a compelling story then you need look no further. Everybody should at least rent it, buying not quite necessary.
Score: 4 out of 5
http://evavhost.com/public/4.gif
The Good Solid, experienced design that delivers plenty of fun and action. The time effects are fun and your arsenal has some good variation. Decent puzzles and all the time travel/effects stuff is really enjoyable. A good story, with interesting twists and some decision making to spice things up.
The Bad I would have preferred that it stay spooky rather than overtly monsters based. The multiplayer could definitely be more compelling. A bit too familiar in plenty of places.
The Ugly Unreal Engine texture pop-in runs riot.