I didn't know much about Singularity outside of it being an FPS when I bought it. It was only $8 though and generally I'll buy almost any game for sub $10. So I put in the disc with very little previous knowledge, started playing, and so far I've been pleasantly surprised. Singularity is a great game. It has a very Bioshock feel to it, an abandoned location with people who have been mutated (though in Singularity they are much closer to monsters then humans) audio logs laying around to listen to to get backstory, scrawled messages on the walls, people talking to you over a com system, etc...
When the game first starts all you have is a knife then eventually a gun and it is pretty standard FPS fare. Singularity uses some jump out scares to try and catch you off guard, but for the most part the game isn't scary, it's creepy. The atmosphere of a burnt out school with charred corpses huddling under desks, will raise the hair on the back of your neck, while blood trails and disemboweled corpses will keep your trigger finger ready for action at all times.
I haven't played too far into the game yet, but I did get far enough to unlock the thing that seperates Singularity from other FPS's and makes it original. You gain a device that can control time. Not like slowing down and speeding it up(though it does slow down some enemies) but more like aging and renewing things. Once you unlock it, certain items will put an orange stripe on your hud or a blue stripe. The colors signify whether you can age or renew an item. Aging it will destroy it and leave it a broken husk, while renewing an item...well, renews it. So far it's been used pretty well, at one point I had to age a box, which caused it to collapse, then place it under a door, then renewed it to lift the door up so I could fit under it. You also use the device as a weapon, sometimes slowing down enemies, sometimes aging them into dust. I ran into one "portal" that when manipulated took me back in time to prevent the death of a scientist. When I went back to the present, he was there waiting for me. This is where I left off in the story, so I'll talk more about it next time.
Downloaded Lara Croft: The Guardians of Light last night because it was finally on sale for a mere 600 MS points. It was definitely points well spent. Delved into it last night late, after I was done playing Singularity, and finished the first level. I'm playing it solo right now and it is truly great, I can definitely imagine it will be even better playing coop. When you play solo you play as Lara and your partner (whose name escapes me at the moment) gives you a spear to use as well as your gun. I don't know if he keeps the spear in coop or not but I'm thinking that is how it might work. Hopefully I'll be able to play it coop soon and find out.
The game plays from a 3/4 isometric view (which I've always been a fan of) and controls using both sticks, left to move, right to aim, you hold the right trigger to fire. Y sets and detonates bombs. The spear is used as a weapon, and as a means to reach higher ledges. You can throw them into walls and jump on them. Lara is also equipped with a grappling device that, so far, I've only used a few times, It hooks to specific places only and Lara can climb up walls with it. I'm not sure if it will have a further purpose yet, but if it does, I'm sure I'll talk about it here.
Still have Dead Space 2 sitting and waiting, and today, I purchased Half -Minute Hero from the Arcade. Not sure when I'm going to play either of them but I'll have something to say soon. I'll probably try to get some time with Half-Minute Hero first so that this blog is at least a little up to date with newer games.
I won the Stanley Cup this week...in NHL '09. I'm tempted to upgrade to '10 or '11 but I'm not sure I'm going to. Maybe I'll look into '12...I'm just not that big of a Hockey fan. Now, football...that's another story. Madden '12 is coming in August and I'm starting to feel the Madden itch. THE MITCH! I'm not going to go too far into it but I definitely like what I'm reading about it. Improved Franchise Mode is the thing I'm most excited about. New ways of trading and signing free agents, this is stuff that hasn't really changed in years. The gameplay is always upgraded a little every year, so hearing they are finally addressing some of the meat and potatoes of the game...well, that's just the best news.
The Game Beard is out for now. Next time I'll get more into Singularity and Lara Croft, maybe into Half-Minute Hero and Dead Space 2, and maybe I'll even have finished L.A. Noire or Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. I think a post to talk about the titles I'm excited for that are coming this fall might be in order as well. WHO KNOWS? The Game Beard is a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a fluffy beard.
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