Singularity

If I had a dime for every game that featured a remote secret research facility where a 'freak anomaly' has turned everything upside down, I'd have enough for a deposit on a small seaside cottage. Add an army of dodgy Russians and an American Spec Ops-style hero, and we are definitely in well worn territory here. But somehow even this unoriginal setting doesn't do enough to ruin this strangely intriguing and solid shooter. Instead, this latest offering from Raven Software suffers more under the weight of its own potential than anything else.

What could have been an outstanding addition to the crowded first-person shooter genre has instead ended up a quirky alternative to the reams of triple-A titles already begging for your attention. That's not to say that Singularity has failed as a shooter, but it has surely fallen well short of what it could have been, had Raven been able to give us the game they alluded to in the planning phases.

Singularity Screenshot

The proceedings kick off with the protagonist Captain Nathanial Renko and squad leader Devlin inbound for the Russian research facility of Katorga-12, off to investigate strange signals coming from the island. As is to be expected in situations like this, it doesn't take long before everything goes horribly wrong and Renko is cut off from his squad leader. From there Renko explores the decaying mess that is Katorga-12, uncovering a number of old film reels among the ruins which fleshes out the history of the island, explaining how the Russians had discovered a powerful, yet unstable super-element, Element 99, and had been trying to unlock its true powers. Isn't that just a recipe for disaster? Surely by now all scientists in these 'top secret facilities' should know that pretty soon there will be an explosion or leak and suddenly there will be time-warping mutants hanging from the rafters? We've seen this all before, and by now the change from Nazis to Russians has also grown old. When did the old Red Army take over from Hitler and his cronies as cannon fodder du jour?

Regardless, much craziness ensues as Renko sinks deeper into the story, with 'behind-the-scenes' filler being dished out in that most painful of mediums: recorded audio logs left scattered across the levels by those who didn't survive. While the use of audio logs can add depth to a story, such in the case of BioShock, here it just feels contrived. Recordings are so liberally scattered across the island, sometimes in the most obtuse of places, it starts to reek of lazy storytelling. Still, although Renko's adventure may start off slow and cliched for a shooter of this kind, things do start to heat up before long. The primary source of this heat? The discovery of the Time Manipulation Device, or TMD. By this point the time-distortion aspects of the story have become clear, and the addition of the TMD adds a whole new layer of depth to both the story and the gameplay. Soon Renko is switching back and forth between the 1950s and present day, altering the course of history willy nilly along the way, all in the name of stopping one mad Russian and his plans for world domination (naturally).

Singularity Screenshot

Unfortunately, while the TMD is definitely the one aspect of Singularity which sets it apart from most other shooters, its also the single greatest disappointment in terms of missed opportunities. During the planning stage Raven Software went to great lengths to explain the power of the TMD and the effect it would have on gameplay. The idea sounded fascinating, and the possibilities could've been endless, such as escaping from mutant Spetsnaz soldiers by decaying a section of wall until it crumbled, leaving a gaping hole for you to escape through. Sadly, in practice, its nothing like that. Instead, the use of the TMD device is mostly reduced to basic puzzle solving. The door is locked, but the locking device is old and decayed, so you warp it back in time, and the door opens. That sort of thing.

It's not all bad news for the new device though, as the TMD introduces some great puzzle gameplay. You'll come across sections which will remind you of the less taxing parts of Valve's Portal, or the more cerebral sections of Half Life 2 with the gravity gun, and I guess it should be a compliment to be compared to those two brilliant titles.

The highlight in Singularity has to be the action packed gunplay. The pace of the game starts off slowly enough, but it won't take long before it turns into a frantic fight for survival, reminding you of classic shooters such as the original Quake. The guns feel solid and make a suitable mess of the opponents, while the addition of a bullet-camera feature for the E99-powered rifle gives you that 'ooooh, nasty!' feeling we all love as another round tears through enemy flesh.

Singularity Screenshot

There are also more than a few frightening moments, almost all caused by the enemies ability to warp into and out of time, appearing suddenly behind a grate right next to you and screeching in your ear. It's those times where you are creeping forward slowly, firing reflex shots off into the dark at any sign of movement, that you know that the game's atmosphere has gripped you. Besides their tendency to appear where you least expect them, your foes in Singularity are also for the most part quite grotesque, deformed lurking beasts which add a horror element to the proceedings. Stand-offs with hordes of these bulbous mutants can be dramatic and relentless. Combat is also given additional depth as the various TMD powers are unlocked, adding the ability to rapidly age enemies to an early grave, or to slow the creatures down to a crawl as you fill them with lead. It can become quite overwhelming once all the powers are available, just to try to keep track of your options in battle, but enjoyable nonetheless.

What isn't so overwhelming is the quality of the graphics in Singularity. The popular Unreal Engine 3 is employed here, but it's left looking somewhat dated. Textures are sometimes bland and blurry, with an occasionally ill-suited glossiness in some places, while other elements are often no more than average. We're in an age where the top rated games are breaking all barriers when it comes to visual fidelity, and a game like Singularity is left trailing far behind. Let's put it this way: it gets the job done, but it doesn't strive for greatness by any stretch of the imagination.

While your eyes won't be treated to a visual feast, the sound design is far better, especially when it comes to ambient noise. The distant gurgles and growls of enemies is unsettling, while the voice acting for the main characters is average, with passable accents and dialogue to keep the story flowing.

Singularity Screenshot

It is obvious that Raven Software put the focus on creating an absorbing and fun to play single-player campaign, but a shooter just doesn't seem to last these days without a compelling multiplayer element to keep gamers occupied. Unfortunately Singularity doesn't fare so well here, and the few multiplayer modes available give the distinct impression that they were tacked on as an afterthought. Teams are divided into humans and creatures, with a number of classes for each side. It comes down to a basic deathmatch set-up or a more entertaining capture-and-hold (Plots) style game. There is a sharp learning curve before you can really sink your teeth into the multiplayer game though, with each class having its own unique ability. This is especially true for those playing as the creatures, some of which spend their time puking torrents of green slime on their opponents. It's messy and confusing and you really need to work at it to make the most of it. With so many high-profile titles out there all trying to grab a slice of gamers' online time, it's hard to imagine Singularity taking much playtime away from the market leaders.

Let's put the sadly limited multiplayer game aside, and try to come to some sort of conclusion about the real meat of Singularity: the single-player campaign. It's an odd one, this. See, as cliched as the main story may be, there is also something comforting about it all. It's like watching an old sitcom where you know exactly what's going to happen next but you stay to watch it unfold anyways. There are new twists to the formula, with the addition of the Time Manipulation Device and the crafty puzzles, but Singularity really boils down to a good old-fashioned blaster in the age-old run 'n 'gun tradition of years gone by. The reality of it all is that if you've been looking for a solid but not revolutionary shooter which will get your pulse racing and give your brain a bit of a workout in the process, you're bound to enjoy your stay on Katorga-12.

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