SINGULARITY
7 out of 10

So, I’ve finally broken down and gotten a gamefly account and the first title I decided to test out was Singularity. I knew very little about this title going into it, just knew it was shooter and probably had to do something with time travel. Since I’m more sci-fi than shooter, the only real sell for me on this game was going to be the storyline and Singularity didn’t disappoint there. You’re an American military grunt sent to secure a deserted Russian testing facility and you accidentally get sent back in time and save a man from certain death, from there – the timeline gets all messed up and it’s up to you to set it straight. The gameplay is pretty slick and not too hard for a non-shooter guy like me to get addicted to the game. The graphics are good, the enemies challenging and yeah…there were some parts in the game where I was ready to completely throw in the towel and move on.

The game has a very “Batman: Arkham Asylum” feel to it. The run down facility and the clues you find to further the story along are very similar to Batman and you can’t help thinking to yourself that the team developing this game got some of their ideas straight from that game. The voice work isn’t anything special and sometimes the explanations take a little too long. There were times I found myself ready and anxious for the character to finish their diatribe before I could move on to killing things. The most compelling artifact/weapon from the game is the TMD, or TIME MANIPULATION DEVICE. This device allows you to automatically age or de-age certain elements/enemies in the game. While it’s fun to de-age crates and chests and get the loot inside, it’s more fun to age your enemies and make them explode.

While the game is certainly addictive and makes you come back for more, there was a certain, “I wish they could have made that better” feel to a few elements of the game. There are points where the path isn’t very clear in front of you and cause for a frustrating few minutes going over the same terrain just to find your exit. Also, there are a few enemies in the game that are seemingly invincible to gun fire and their sole purpose is to run into and blow up and kill you. While that’s not a complete reason to hate the game, it is a reason for me to frown on it, just a little bit. All in all, Singularity was fun and I do recommend it to the casual gamer, not as one to buy – but as a rental for sure. 7 out of 10.