Goods = Delivered
One might imagine, or at least be forgiven for thinking, that Raven have a thing about mad scientists and experimental labs. If little else, they certainly like to keep remaking the same game. Since the very first Wolfenstein they were invited to work on, they've fiddled about with the nefarious Strogg (Quake 4), put poor old BJ through the wringer time after time at the hands of those pesky genocidal, occultist Nazis (Wolfenstein) and now here we are again, with another mad caper around the insane fun house Raven have built to all things gloriously B-movie - this time with a cold war-inspired yarn set on a remote Russian island, time-traveling and a happy collision of schlock sci-fi and US/Soviet cold war paranoia.
Good old Raven. Yes, to cut to the quick: they've delivered the goods. Now you can relax and read on.
Singularity is a game that, much like Wolfenstein, wears it's credentials on it's sleeve. It's an FPS. It has some great weapons (and some really great weapons) and you run about (or, for a nice change, you can also creep and snipe) shooting stuff. Sometimes in slow motion, sometimes manipulating time. It looks well-imagined, colorful and there's a marvelous sense of atmosphere about the proceedings, especially towards the first half of the game.
I've read many criticisms of the game's visuals. Hmmm. I'm a very harsh critic of the old eye candy, but - fellas - come on. This game looks impressive. Whilst I'm still irritated that Raven jumped ship from idTech (and one can only imagine how this game might have looked with id's latest game engine powering the show) in favour of Unreal this time, it has to be said they've done a sterling job; even on my 360 console this game looks the business, so I can only imagine how great it must look on a beefy PC. It runs silky-smooth and some of the shaderFX really demand a second view.
The sound design, too, is most satisfactory - helping to build up an atmosphere of unremitting gloom in environments where you soon realize you might get attacked at any moment. The ambient sound FX really do a good job of wrong-footing the player, occasioning many instances where one is convinced there is something around the next corner, only to find an empty, ruined room or corridor. But stay alert, Marine. Next time you might be caught napping.
The story is, of course, complete nonsense - but I wouldn't have it any other way. This is a cold-war re-write of Wolfenstein, after all. It really is. Raven are re-making their last game again this time with a token change of plot and characters, a new skin and slightly shiner toys. And it's great. For players like me who know exactly what they like, Raven are the go-to guys. The B-movie stylings are perfectly pitched, even inviting some unexpectedly melancholy moments set amidst the obvious tragedy of what has occurred on the ill-fated island of Katorga 12.
It's all here: the solid FPS gameplay Raven are now famous for, the chunky guns with bite (the shottie was love at first sight - but the sniper rifle goes one better), the pick-ups, the cannon-fodder and the good-looking level design. It's just a mystery to me why Activision have failed completely to get behind this title - this is no shoddy piece of work. Barely registering on most people's gaming radar, it'll be a pity to see this very enjoyable title sink without a trace. Singularity was Raven's labour of love, the title they most wanted to make and you can see that love in the visuals, the mad-as-a-bag-of-kittens gameplay and the tidy menu design, not to mention the minutiae of detail scattered around every level.
I urge you, if you enjoy FPS gaming even in the slightest, to go fetch this little beauty for yourselves. This is FPS gaming the way it should be done. This is fun.
