Singularity

This FPS from Raven flew under the radar a couple of months ago but has been bubbling under the surface of anonymity and gaining an almost cult status. Should it be your next purchase?

I hadn't heard much of Singularity and when games like this aren't marketed enough (or in this case it seemed not at all), it's a dangerous game. Mainly because the market is full of FPS (first person shooters) and it's hard for the average gamer to know if a game is any good without seeing either some footage, a demo, or a preview article. None of which was easily available or advertised for this game.

This is another aspect where films and games differ. With a film you know who is going to be in it, what it's about, who is making it and the budget with trailers and posters everywhere. It's enough material to make a judgement before you go in, but with a game there's only a few recognisable names in the industry and you're also forking out a lot more money than a cinema ticket. All you have sometimes is the artwork and the back of the box. That's unless it's a franchise or a big game with a massive company behind it like Rockstar with Red Dead Redemption.

So what of this latest offering from Raven/Activision? Well the story is that you are sent to check out some strange activity coming from a hidden island, but once you get there all hell breaks loose. It starts as a horror story where horrible creatures walk around these abandoned schools but as soon as you pick up your TMD device it goes full-pelt into action. The TMD is a hand device that allows you to control time where you can fizzle away enemies into dust, open up time portals, rejuvenate ammo crates and by the end you can pretty much do anything. Along the way you pick up items that allow you to upgrade your TMD and the various weapons so you can personalise the gameplay to your style to a degree. As you progress in the plot, you see messages scrawled on walls and then time starts to go a bit ... well ... funny.

The first thing people will notice once they start playing for a while is that this is very similar to Bioshock. Just like your plasmids, you acquire different 'powers' as you progress that work alongside your weapons, but just like Bioshock these powers are fucking cool. Whether it's using the TMD to pick up oil barrels and throw them at your enemies, turn them into monsters, create a time 'shield' around you or more, the TMD has been well thought out and structured. The weapons are somewhat okay, once I had found an 'Autogunner' it was basically game over - I upgraded the hell out of it and nothing could stop me. This was an issue because after a while the game does get easy.

At first, the monsters are difficult to kill and the horror element is amazing, but where Bioshock kept this atmosphere going, Singularity settles for more explosions and such. They know the TMD makes you powerful, so perhaps they realised it was worthless creating tension when you're so badass - and you really are badass. The gameplay has a decent variety to an FPS, whether it's swimming underwater, trying to solve puzzles while you're in a gas mask running out of air, moving quietly amongst the blind monsters or just trying to pull boxes through time so you can stand on them to reach places, it does enough.

Picking up E99 tech and upgrading worked, but often they're everywhere and I had almost completely tech'd myself out. The tape players (similar to the diaries in Bioshock) fill in gaps of narrative as well as notes left around the place but I quickly got bored of just standing there and hearing them rattle on and unfortunately, if you move away from them, you can't hear them. Yawn.

The monsters were okay, a boss on top of a train was a good laugh but by the end you're killing more soldiers than anything. It's as if the monsters just gave up and the soldiers are far easier. The graphics looked great and the dialogue was okay. The actual island (with some references to Lost) had a geography that I just didn't understand, I never knew where I was or what exactly I was doing. The common problem with most FPS's, they tend to have a fleshy story but have trouble communicating it to you efficiently and unfortunately the same applies.

The plot is a good one, lots of twists and turns with multiple endings (and an ending after the credits if you hold out), but essentially you're getting from A to B, doing something like flicking a switch or using your TMD then moving on - which I guess is the same as any FPS perhaps. Strangely it doesn't feel repetitive though and the set pieces are fun but there just feels like there is something missing...

Overall, this game was a pleasant surprise. The TMD element was new, fun, adventurous and a great idea but the weapon element was not utilised enough and the monsters became more and more scarce and less and less fierce.The story was good and had much more depth than a lot of other FPS' and was a unique, well-devised plan - you can never really go wrong with time travel stories. The graphics and gameplay were good so why isn't it perfect? Firstly, it was too easy, secondly you become frustrated that there isn't something more solid here in terms of stand-out moments and real drama or tension, it just lacks huge set pieces that can sometimes make or break a game, you also can't help but stand it up next to Bioshock where it pales only slightly in comparison. It feels like something that's a bit too little too late. It was a great time but it's something I'm not going to come back to but definitely glad I played it. If you loved Bioshock and are on the lookout for something similar, or to keep you quenched for Infinite, then this will do nicely. It's just a shame it couldn't be so much more.

Rating: 7/10

Bioshock 2

The sequel to the BAFTA award winning game, it is already being touted to win again at this years awards ceremony. But does it live up to all those top reviews? The Wild Bore delves deeper into Rapture to find out ...

I loved Bioshock when it first hit our screens. I remember playing the demo before it came out sitting round my mate Ben's place, the burning plane, the abandoned lighthouse. It struck me as one of the most original FPS (first person shooters for all you others out there) made. I always think the key thing about any film, game, even song etc. is that it is made up of little works of genius that other pieces would base the entire concept over. For instance, in Bioshock, the Little Sister element of 'saving' or 'harvesting' these little fucked up girls could have made the entire game. But instead you have these amazing powers that you pick up along the way, which could have been a game in itself etc.

I did have some faults with the first game though that I was hoping the second would answer to. Mainly, by the end of Bioshock I was so powerful that nothing could hurt me, including the final boss whom I expected to absolutely batter me, but instead it took me almost no time at all. Secondly, I kind of understood the story, but did get lost often with what was going on. All I knew is I had to kill the bad guys. So has the second one made up for this? Not really ...

What I loved about Bioshock 2 is what I loved about the first one. The art deco setting, the fact it's all underwater, the amazing AI, the dark atmosphere, the horror element - but that's just it, I've seen it all before. So what's different? Okay, the AI has been boosted more, the enemies take cover etc. and all that, but there's also the fact that there's new enemies. In terms of the narrative, why didn't I see these new guys in the first game? I might have missed something where they explained it but I don't think so. Where would they have suddenly sprung from? You're also a Big Daddy and, to be honest, it hardly makes a difference. Yeah yeah, I know that you kind of lumber about a bit, that you have your drill, but I hardly EVER used my drill. I might as well just have been the guy from the first one but with new weapons. There was nothing that made me feel like a Big Daddy except for carrying the Little Sisters (yes I saved each and every one and got Adam from all the bodies for those in the know). Though sometimes I thought they did this on purpose - often the light shines from behind you and you see your shadow and you stare at it. Is that really me? This huge mechanical monster? Which, in a way you won't have in any other medium, would also be what your character is thinking. Clever, clever, clever.

The Little Sister element is a great little side project, but sometimes I just found it annoying. She will lead you to a body to extract Adam (the good stuff you want) and you protect her while there is an onslaught of enemies. Every. Single. Time. It gets quite tiring as for each Sister there's two bodies, which means that on average, as there are 3 Little Sisters in each level, you're potentially doing it 6 times each time. I just thought this was a bit much and made me just want to kill them, but I'm too sweet.

The other problem was again the story, I kind of knew what was going on, but if you told me to run you through it, I couldn't. I don't know how but I just feel they should make it clearer with what's happening. They summarise things usually through some kind of audio log which means instead of explanations, you get anecdotal summaries, which you don't always want to listen to. I enjoyed what I understood, but generally all I knew is I had to get from A to B for some reason.

The end was also quite satisfying story-wise and gameplay wise, but really the final 'onslaught' was nothing anyone couldn't handle and by that time, I was again ridiculously powerful. I had passed about 20 First Aid Kits on the final level because I just didn't need them. There's no real jeopardy. It's funny because I was talking to 'muh lady' the other day and she was saying how she didn't like the idea in games of re-doing things until you get them right and I explained that a lot of the time, you enjoy it, not if it's near-impossible, but the fact that you have to work twice as hard to do it and the satisfied feeling you get afterwards makes it even better because you know you deserved it. This is why people often see retro games in rose-tinted glasses, you really did have to earn it in those days because it was pure gameplay instead of the overall evolution of the industry today where everything counts. I wonder what you guys think ...

Anyway, other improvements is the hacking element. Instead of the 'pipe' hacking, you just have to time a needle against a colour. Easy enough and far quicker than before. An auto-hack tool and gun to do it make it a lot more fun than before. The graphics also look great and the gameplay is very smooth. You can shoot and fire your plasmid abilities at the same time, which I'm not sure you could do in the first one. There's also the online capability which, as I'm not hooked up to XBox Live yet (I will be) means I'm not able to do, but I've heard mediocre things about. True?

So what really makes this stand out from the crowd? Well, the story is good if not somewhat discombobulated, the gameplay is once again flawless, the graphics are incredible and the general tone of the game is as dark yet delightful as always. It's major fail? I've seen it all before in the first one. This return to Rapture under the guise of a Big Daddy does work, but I wish they'd branched out a little more. Why not an alternative Rapture? Perhaps a huge sea vessel like an underwater Dead Space? I don't know. If you haven't played the first one, I'd give this a 10, but as it stands it only gets a ...

Rating: 8/10

Uncharted 2

A game that is another example of the fact that if you aren't into gaming, you are seriously missing out.

Okay, so, this game might be a couple of months old now but I only just got it off my mate Si last week and had to complete it before Bioshock 2 came out so he could exchange it. True story. But my word, what a game!
I, like many others, was already hooked on the first Uncharted. There are only a handful of games that really make you stand up and go "Fuck me. This is brilliant. Actually fuck me!" This sequel takes everything about the first one and builds on it's successful formula. A bit of history, a bit of the supernatural, a beautiful landscape and an incredible story with engaging characters.
For those who aren't already in the know, the Uncharted series uses actual actors to act out the scenes and has developed facial recognition software (much like Cameron's "Avatar") in a way never seen before in games. Not since Uncharted had characters moved, looked, expressed themselves and acted so naturally. The graphics are incredible, luscious and amazing to look at. Perhaps the best seen on a console so far. It's voice acting is also incredible; in a way it is almost the future of acting itself. If you're a great actor but just don't have the face to be a leading man, then you can be made up to look just like one. Much like Drake is.
His character is what I LOVE about action films, he gets absolutely beaten about, he's charismatic, genuinely funny, truly wants to do the right thing and with impossible chances of surviving, he leaps in headfirst anyway. His character has a some kind of learning experience, in that he realises the true meaning of love and recognises that, despite his faults, he is a good person . But apart from that bit of slush, the action is relentless.
Without ruining a story full of twists and turns, your main goal is to stop the evil madman from getting to Shangri-La, but it's not until the end you find out why it's so important he must be stopped. From the very first moment you turn on the game where you're hanging off a train about to go over a cliff, to fighting helicopters, climbing mountains, running over crumbling bridges and more - you know you won't be in for an easy ride.
The entire franchise has bits out of Indiana Jones, Romancing The Stone etc. but in a way that is much, much better. Yes, I said it was BETTER than ANY Indiana Jones film. In fact, it's better than pretty much 99% of action films. It's hard to describe this to anyone who doesn't really like gaming. When I'm in work talking about it, people - like a certain Mrs Delbridge (I don't work in a school) - will laugh away with quite a chortle at how childish it all is. But I let them laugh. Because as all us 'gamers' know, we have the last laugh. As much as we try to get non-gamers to 'see the light' - we don't really want them to be part of it. We don't want to force them because you want it to be your thing, something that not everyone is part of. Like you have a secret. Even though, especially in the last 5 or so years with the certain next-gen console releases, people keep saying how successful 'video games' are (we don't actually call them video games here - it's a term we feel we have to use so that people who don't understand, will understand), the masses on their high horses just won't accept it. There's some kind of geeky stigma about it, well documented by people like Charlie Brooker.
When we put that controller in your hand and say 'have a go' - we're actually opening up quite a bit, letting you into some sort of mass 'Fight Club' and if you're not going to do it properly, then we'd rather you don't get into the club. In fact, it's like offering someone a doorway into another world of interactivity that they can never experience again. We're not talking MMO's and all that bollocks. Sure there's a time and a place for that, but you can actually get COOL games. But what the main point is, is that maybe we have been gaming since we were kids but the only reason we're any good at games and you might not be - is because we didn't quit. You're not a quitter right? You can't work out what millions of children can? Okay then. Hand me the controller back or fuck off because one thing is for sure - it's the future.
Okay, so Uncharted 2 isn't going to start a revolution, but it's definitely part of one. It combines the best thing about all these popular types of medium and puts YOU in the driving seat. I'm a big fan of films (as you can probably see) but games transcend films and will start to absorb the medium until in the end, people will rather play games than watch films. It is in essence a 12 hour film (average these days) that allows you enough breathing space to evolve characters, play different set pieces and constantly be entertained. There's enough good games out now that you won't be wasting your time with fluff. Recently, if you're game isn't of the highest quality, it will be shelved rather quickly which cuts out the fat - something Hollywood will never be able to do. It also is more of an investment, you get a lot more bang for your buck. But I am going off on a total tangent here and so will hark back to Uncharted. But let me put it this way, I hate having to explain myself for why I like to be a gamer. There's a reason why games like Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty etc. beat Hollywood films by huge margins (yes even "Avatar" - which in 2D looks JUST like a computer game anyway), and if you can't figure it out. Well, fuck off.
UNCHARTED 2! So ... the story is great - I'm not sure if it beats the story of the first game which I did love. But it does surpass it in every other area. The characters are so well-rounded and clearly important to the producers that it pays off hugely. It has raised the standard of game acting set by the first Uncharted (but could be beaten perhaps by Heavy Rain in the next couple of weeks?) and the control system is smooth, rarely without glitches. Though the odd hugging of a wall for cover can prove annoying when you're on the wrong side getting shot at.
I also don't like the way all the enemies, though there are different ones, essentially take 1 of about 5 or 6 different forms. It feels like they are all brothers or something. The puzzles are complex enough to have you guessing, but simple enough that you won't be stressing too much, you even get a hint if you're taking too long. The hanging off cliffs and finding your way round obstacles plays so fluidly and easily that when you do get to where you're going, you do feel truly satisfied for having figured it out. The game engine also blends into the cut scenes seamlessly and looks incredible - any game that can do that deserves respect.
So gameplay 'check', characters 'check', graphics 'check', story 'check' - it all falls into place. So what's missing? To be honest, not much. It was an adequate length full of different scenarios that would make any action film pale in comparison. The camera-work (yes there is such a thing) was very inventive - at one point it seems like you're looking at Drake from behind a boulder on the other side of a mountain, until it moves and you see it's some form of creature. Whoa!
Everything about this game is nigh-on-perfect. The only criticism might be is that it's greatest achievement is also it's greatest downfall. It feels like it wants to be a film so badly sometimes that you'd rather it keep to being a game as it also picks up flaws of most action films. The twist in the beginning is rather obvious, it feels like it jumps around the globe somewhat for the sake of it and there's even the big bad bald guy with scars, the hot femme fatale etc. and it plays into a box sometimes a bit too much. Also, where the hell is Sully through most of this?!
There is also the multiplayer, which is ... okay. It's not exactly going to see off COD or anything but it does work in some weird way. It's something to work on at least for the next one. There's also not much replay value unless you want to get ALL the artifacts. Which is a bit obsessive.
So overall, if you don't have a PS3 you should get one, even if it's just for this it'll be worth it. It is an experience you won't get from any film, book or TV show. It got IGN's game of the year last year (a very high accolade) because it's sheer innovation and blatant love for the game from it's producers make it an enjoyable experience for one and all. Except for those who don't want to try something new. Idiots.

Rating: 9/10