Singularity game review

            Singularity is a FPS game developed by Raven Software published by Activision and released on June 29 2010.

            When I first look at the game description, it sounds really interesting: a game that involves time travel, monsters, “Nazi” and a rifle that can let you control the path of its bullets. Unfortunately it is not that interesting.

1. There are parts of the game play where you will travel back in time and fight the USSR soldiers. Most of them are not necessary to story and have no unique game plays involve. You are basically slaughtering the enemies with your advanced weapons.

2. The TMD (Time Manipulation Device) is a cool concept. You can age or renew objects and only curtain objects, and it is basically used to solve the puzzles since aging an enemy cause a lot of energy (regenerate slowly). It can release impulse force to attack the enemies, and that cause a lot of energy too. You can pull objects and only curtain objects from other time to help you solve some puzzles. You can also lift objects and throw them to your enemies. When it gets the final upgrade where the TMD doesn’t require energy any more, you are indestructible while you keep aging and impulse the enemy.

That’s basically all that the TMD can do. It’s mostly used for puzzle solving until the end and in some combat situation. They try to make the game more like BioShock but the large energy consumptions during combat use and the limited ways to use it during combat just make me want to play more BioShock.

3. Weapons. The gun that can control the bullets that you shoot is interesting at first but soon it will make the game too easy, boring and time consumed to watch the bullet flying slowly that can hit the enemies no matter where they are hiding. 

The other weapons in the game are very good and I feel like using weapons in the Modern Warfare. You have many different unique weapon choices, and most importantly, when firing the weapons I don’t have the awkward feeling like when I fire the guns in Aliens vs Predator (2010) game. In fact, if Aliens vs Predator was using Unreal Engine 3, it may actually be a better game. I just hate to use the weapons in Aliens vs Predator, it feels weird when I fired them.

After all, it is not bad but not great either. It is a good shooting game with great guns and enemies. The story is unique and is more or least well told with decision making that let you choose 3 different ending. The TMD and time travel concept is great but not implemented well enough into the game play, story or the combat. That is a disappointment. It is still worth playing.