Ever since the popularity of Bioshock there has been several games that have been inspired by the huge hit a few years ago, Singularity is one of those games. A game that attempts to merge tried and trued shooter gameplay with a new time manipulation element Singularity had a lot promise since it was announced, but does the game reach the level of quality of Bioshock and other classic shooters?
The story of Singularity is that of an American solider investigating some mysterious events that took place in the Soviet Union, what events? In Singularity the communists had discovered a device that can manipulate time and create monsters, not exactly the most inspired story but it sets up the game. From the outset of the first level the player finds out that there is of course a big mystery that must be solved and an evil organization that must be stopped, overall the story isn’t necessarily bad but it simply feels bland and it never manages to get you into the happenings of the game.
Gameplay is where the game does better, the shooter aspect of the game is solid, with players having a whole range of guns that can be used, and upgraded. The main draw of Singularity however is the time manipulation aspect, at one point in the game players get the TMD which has the power to control little areas of time. For example players can use the TMD on a lock to age it into dust, likewise something that has fallen apart can be reforge by using the TMD to go back in time. The whole time manipulation aspect sounds good, but it really is never utilized to it’s full potential and becomes more of a gimmick, rather than a cool new type of weapon. Overall the gameplay isn’t necessarily bad but a lot was bet on the time travel aspect and although it works as it should it isn’t used as much as it should.
Graphics in Singularity are relatively good, there are a few cool looking lighting effects here or there but nothing to go crazy about, everything else however looks somewhat generic, the soldiers look like they could have been pulled from any shooter and creatures don’t fair much better. The graphics are just about average in all aspects.
Sound is also relatively average for a shooter, creatures sound generic and the tunes seem somewhat limited. One thing that does stand out is the voice acting however this is a hit or miss, some characters sound great while some, like the Russian characters sounds too exaggerated. The rest of the audio is pretty average as well.
Singularity’s main selling point is the element of time manipulation, that is the key difference between it and any other shooter on the market. Although the game does give players the ability to age enemies and objects but it soon becomes a bit of a novelty than a revolutionary element. The TMD’s uses are limited and force players to do what needs to be done rather than let player’s use the tool freely for themselves. The ingredients of a great shooter are all in the game however it seems that the recipe to utilize them fell a little short, what results is an average to slightly above average shooter. If you’re expecting a Bioshock level quality game then you won’t find it here, however if using time manipulation as a weapon sounds cool to you then by all means check Singularity out.
[starreviewmulti id=2 tpl=20]
Overall = 7.6
[nggallery id=145]
