Steam Sale Haul Review: Singularity

So we're in the midst of Steam's Christmas bargain bonanza once again, and once again I've been cleaning up. I've long maintained that Games are the best value form of entertainment and with the deep cuts that our friends over at Valve are making to the prices, it's never been more true. With all the games I'm buying, (if it's under a fiver and remotely interesting then I'm having it) it felt like the perfect opportunity to have a go at a few reviews that attempt to come down on the side of brevity. I won't be doing everything, maybe only three or four, since I already know that some things aren't going to work as reviews and others will take me forever to finish.

Singularity (PC)
Sale Price: £3.74
Standard Steam Price: £14.99
Developed By: Raven Software
Published By: Activision

Welcome to Russia. Sorry, Яussia.

**The following refers to the single player only because I couldn't get a game in multiplayer**

It's not all that uncommon to find a game whose vision outstrips the capability of the developer to deliver that experience. There are plenty of games out there that get by on goodwill for the concept and respect for the endeavor that they represent, in spite of technical problems and  sometimes sub-par implementations of  what were clearly good ideas. Until Skyrim, Bethesda games would often hold this crown, their sheer scale and vision allowing forgiveness of their quirks, bugs and in some cases downright broken-ness. What makes Singularity is amazing in that it manages to be almost the complete opposite.

Singularity is not a bad game. As a campaign driven FPS, it's technically proficient, a well executed example of the genre. Yet, in spite of getting everything right in terms of the actual implementation of gameplay concepts: it just isn't at all remarkable.

Being unremarkable doesn't mean that it's boring by any stretch of the imagination. The shooting is good and solid with an array of different weapons. From the standard FPS family meal of the Pistol, Shotgun and Assault Rifle, to more exotic weapons like the Dethex grenade launcher replete with rolling remote control grenades or the Seeker with its manually controllable bullets; the arsenal is varied and generally satisfying to use. This is surprising in a game that comes from the guys that brought the world Solider of Fortune. By the same token, nobody should be surprised to learn that full dismemberment of enemies is in effect here: nothing gives in-game shooting a sense of weight quite like blowing a guy's legs off with a shotgun. There's even a weapon upgrade system powered by finding, often hidden, collectable weapon tech boxes around the world. These can then be spent on improving damage, clip size and reload speed for each weapon. Not all that exciting, but it's at least another thing that the game can claim to do competently. 

Aiming down sights: the next generation gaming experience is here!

Guns are only a portion of your arsenal though. Singularity, like most non modern military shooters, has its gimmick weapon: the Time Manipulation Device (TMD). As its name suggests, the TMD has time based effects upon enemies and objects in the environment. Initially, it can only age or rejuvenate specific items, age enemies (to dust), and let out a shockwave as a melee attack, but through the magic of a few story specific upgrades, you're soon able to grab objects and projectiles, and sling around pockets of stopped time. The fun of messing with time is short lived though, as many of your combat abilities will rapidly wear down the TMD's energy. This is understandable, as the game loses all challenge if you can dust most of the enemies on sight. 

Given the limited charge, most of what you end up using the TMD for is puzzle solving. An example that crops up a couple of times in game is the rolling garage door that is stuck slightly open but still too low to get through. Simple enough: age a metal crate so it crumbles small, place it under the door, then rejuvenate it so it grows back to its original size, opening the door as it does so. The game is full of minor puzzles like this that use the fact that objects change size under the effects of the TMD. It's an interesting system in concept, and it doesn't really get boring by virtue of the game's short 5-6 hour campaign length, but once again, it's just a little unfulfilling. Being so qualitative it's a hard thing to really pin down, but the best comparison is with the physics puzzles way back in Half Life 2. Solving some of those could feel genuinely rewarding: they made you feel smart. Singularity's puzzles just don't. They're just another place where one of the game's systems, though well made, fails to make an impact.

Still Яussia.

The whole time manipulation deal is very central to the plot of Singularity, a plot that once again shows that when in doubt, blame the Russians. Essentially, the story comes down to those pesky 1950s Ruskies, with their perverted science, messing with a new element (E99) that has a warping effect on time. As a plucky, silent, American soldier sent to investigate strange radiation readings on said island 50 years later, you find yourself being flung backwards and forwards in time, changing the past to impact the future. The odd thing is the fact that other characters seem to be perfectly aware of you changing the timeline. You'll travel to '55 a couple of times in the game in order to create events that will change the present. In spite of you being the only one that travels through time, other characters (who are part of the history you have changed) will comment on what you've done. 

The plot of the game isn't truly bad. Despite being set in Soviet era Russia, and you know it's Russia because the game font is full of backwards 'R's and 'N's, it doesn't come off like the product of a right wing lunatic with a stiffy for the Cold War as so many games and films... and books, do. Like so much of this game, it's just a bit throwaway. The game attempts at mystery by leaving 'cryptic' messages on walls for you to uncover with the TMD. The game doesn't go anywhere interesting with them though. It's also fairly obvious where they've come from anyway, so the reveal at the end of the game has no impact. It's the same with the tacked on moral choice at the end of the game. It's essentially a 'choose your ending' moment. Since it's the only story choice in the entire game and none of your previous actions have any impact upon it, it just feels like a tacked on afterthought. 

As a technical exercise, Singularity is once again competent but uninspiring. Sights, sounds and implementation of physics are such as you'd expect from a shooter from 2010. There are some nice effects when large structures are built or decay in real time, like watching the paint flake off of the walls of a room all at once, or a door go from pristine to rusty before your eyes. Nevertheless, these are uncommon occurrences, and can't make up for the fact that the rest of the game looks a little muddy. The game definitely looks of its time in most respects, yet many of the textures have a definite first-generation Source engine game vibe to them. If anything, the impressive aging effects make the rest of the game look a lot worse by highlighting what could be achieved as contrasted with how the game looks most of the time.

I don't think I've ever played a game like Singularity before, a game that gets things right to such an extent, and yet manages to be an ultimately forgettable experience. I can't mark it down from any technical angle, well apart from maybe looking a little ropey for the time, and yet I can't recommend it at anything other than sale price because was such a resounding 'meh' for me. I maintain that it is not a bad game, it just isn't a great one either.

Good but passionless: 7/10