Time Killer- Singularity Review

With harbingers which included numerous delays and a decidedly minimal market budget, many feared the worst for Singularity. That pessimism was further advanced by a game mechanic which many assumed would be mere gimmick, recalling Fracture‘s terrain deformation or Timeshift‘s temporal alteration abilities. Yet unlike these middling titles, Singularity’s ability to advance or rewind time is integrated into a proficient shooter, recalling the clever plasmid-fueled firefights of BioShock. For first-person shooter devotees, the game is destined to be the sleeper hit of the summer.

Players take control of Nate Renko, a special forces operative sent to investigate a clandestine, Cold War-era Soviet outpost, which is emitting suspicious amounts of radiation. As Renko’s helicopter nears the island, a blinding shockwave rips erupts, sending the transport cascading down to the militarized station. Upon investigation, players learn that the source of the perilous emission is known as Element 99, a mysterious but formidable substance which allows changes in the space-time continuum. Unfortunately, the blast initiates a time ripple which escalates into Soviet world domination; it’s up to the player to abolish this dreadful geopolitical catastrophe.

The sole upside to Mother Russia’s supremacy is the Time Manipulation Device (or TMD), a gauntlet which grants players several time manipulation abilities. At first, players can return dilapidated staircases or weathered ammo crates into pristine condition, or alternatively age soldiers into innocuous piles  of dust. Later, the game’s most interesting abilities are given to gamers, such as the Deathlock, a temporal sphere which decelerates the momentum of everything caught within its walls. Some of Singularity’s most satisfying moments originate when a group of foes are caught within the Deathlock’s confines, becoming defenseless against salvos of ammunition-  their appendages bursting as the orb expires.

Yet, the TMD is more than a mere weapon. Like Half-Life 2‘s gravity gun, players can grab objects and fling them around the environment, or return volatile barrels thrown by nefarious beasts. Derelict crates can be restored into pristine condition, then guided into crevices to create makeshift ramps. Skillfully, Singularity‘s puzzles rarely feel forced or halt the momentum of the title; instead they offer sporadic doses of fulfillment which complement the game’s visceral firefights.

Less successful are the BioShock-inspired audio recordings, projectors, and notes distributed across the game’s environments.  Whereas Irrational Games’ meticulously placed snippets rarely broke BioShock‘s cadence, I found myself ignoring Singularity’s story-expanding objects in favor of the pleasures found in ballistic exchanges. Fastidious  gamers may also be disappointed by the game’s mediocre artificial intelligence; it’s often painfully easy to outflank the title’s dimwitted antagonist.

Unexpectedly, Singularity‘s multiplayer component proved more enjoyable that the archetypal deathmatches found in most FPS (although a Team variant does exist for inclined players). Teams take turns skirmishing as human soldiers and the game’s mutant in a class-based fracas. Shrewdly, both teams have enjoyable arsenals- from the homo-sapiens ability to teleport and heal to the baddies capacity for projectile vomiting and throwing explosive barrels. The competition’s only fault is a awkward pull-down menu for establishing player classification.

While Singularity isn’t radically original, culling ideas from Half Life 2, BioShock, and Left4Dead, the game’s masterful amalgamation of elements blends to form one of the most enjoyable first-person shooters of the year. Much like Raven Software’s recent efforts (Wolfenstein, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance) Singularity is a satisfying title which would make a terrific addition to any action aficionado’s library.