Singularity (2010)
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Raven Software
Country of Origin: United States of America
Price: $7.49 on Steam/$29.99 the original price
[Spoilers Minimized]
Background: This was a game I was always curious about. Time travel! Alternative History! All wrapped up in an FPS. After plenty of FPS duds I was ready to play a quality commercial game from AAA developers at a reasonable price. That’s why I didn’t buy this game until the price dropped below ten dollars. Furthermore, this game discusses a matter in Soviet history most are unaware of: the secret cities. For further reading on secret cities visit here.
Atmosphere: The architecture of buildings: whole and ruined give the atmosphere of Soviet brutalism and the ominous colors present around the island further the feeling of being in a secret Russian research city. The hidden vault where the player character discovers the game’s time travel asset feels like a cavern. The radio tower firefight feels like a vicious scene from a Bond or Bourne movie.
Storytelling & Gameplay: As of late, I am getting frustrated with games that have long tutorials or long cutscenes. I’m not interested in cutscenes unless they are as well made as Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight’s cutscenes. The tutorial was simply done through the progression of the game. Many of the cutscenes were optional and could be viewed via nickelodeons present throughout the game.
Final Analysis: This is a decent game. It is more of a horror FPS. I’m not really a horror film or horror game fan. So I didn’t really play this game too much. I’d rather see the player character do battle with the Soviets in the secret city rather than deal with radioactive mutants in the city. I would recommend this game if you like horror FPSs like Metro 2023 or F.E.A.R. I enjoyed this game, but I had to buy it on sale. I recommend you do the same on Steam at this time. It is old enough to where its $29.99 price doesn’t make sense.
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