Life Is Just A Dream™

The sound in Singularity is what you’d expect from a game like this, but as with all aspects of this game, it’s done well. The player’s movements are mapped accurately – there is even a rustle of clothing when you aim down your sights. The guns sound just as they should, although these days that is nothing special. The enemies are also as you’d expect – their solid appearances are not let down by the noises they make. Where Singularity really shines sonically, however, is in its voice acting and its ambient noise. When wandering round cramped school corridors, the creaking and faint echoes of children laughing really build the tension. Outside, the moans of something inhuman are carried on the wind, keeping the player on their toes at all times. The voice acting is perhaps even better – the marines shout with a sense of urgency; the Russian soldiers play the part of the ‘baddie’ well; the evil characters sound like they were plucked straight from a James Bond movie; the announcers of the propaganda videos are sickeningly optimistic, and the voices on the recordings speak with genuine fear. All add to the atmosphere of the game already laid down by the graphics and character animations, further immersing the player in the legend of Katorga-12. You might find the russian voices a little cheesy, but I like big helpings of cheese in my games; sometimes it adds to the already surreal story and environment. Besides, I’ve still yet to play a game produced by a Western developer where the Russian accents don’t sound inherently cheesy.

Multiplayer:
The multiplayer aspect of Singularity is a departure from the single player. I expected to find a bunch of clones of the main character, all in first-person mode, in the usual Deathmatch/Objective playlists. I also expected it to be somewhat tacked-on to the single player, which seemed to be too in-depth to allow for a comprehensive multiplayer. What I found was a pleasant surprise. Raven have created a team-based 3rd person multiplayer facet to Singularity, with a selection of the monsters from the game making one of the teams. Each has its own set of moves, albeit pinched from the single player. There isn’t a great deal of depth to the multiplayer and it is most likely tacked on, but it has had enough thought put into it to make it a worthwhile addition to the single player element of the game – one that will keep players occupied for a weekend or two once they have completed the game’s core story.

Longevity There are those of us out there who are perfectionists, and those of us out there who are not. The replayability of Singularity most likely lies solely within the realms of Achievement whoring and 100% completion. It is a mostly linear game; the only mutable elements being the upgrades one chooses to buy or the weapons one chooses to use. As mentioned, the multiplayer will add to the lifespan of the game, though not monumentally.



Singularity is the type of game that begs to be savoured on the first play-through - where the player can immerse themselves in the rich background, graphics, voice acting and storyline for the first and only time, and perhaps return to it after a year or two on the shelf. Sadly though, as the game progresses it devolves into a standard shooter, shedding more and more of the imagery and atmosphere that made it stand out. Perhaps if it had not been preceded by the likes of Bioshock, Portal and Fallout 3, it would have been heralded with a great deal more praise. However as it stands, it falls firmly into the category of ‘solid addition’ to the post-catastrophe shooter; an immersive, enjoyable game that has some interesting moments but is sadly just a year or two too late to be classed as groundbreaking. If you can get past the déjà vu, however, Singularity makes for a very enjoyable experience – much more so for its theme than its straightforward gameplay.

7.5/10: If you like your games founded on artistic themes and dystopian imagery, or you’re looking for something to keep you busy until your next major game, consider this 8/10. If you only like innovative gameplay, perhaps hold out for Portal 2.

FOR MOTHER RUSSIA!
+ Solid, yet unoriginal gameplay
+ Great graphics/art direction
+ Immersive environment
+ TMD is fun for a while
+ Novelty of TMD/E99 weapons
+ Multiple thought-provoking endings

CAPITALIST PIGS!
- It’s all been done before
- Superpowered enemies
- Environments are very similar
- TMD concept could be much more developed
- Where’s the map?!
- The twist is weak, and can be guessed from near the beginning of the game