Some games feature emotional stories with complex subtext, well-wrought characters that make us care about their fates, or philosophical implications that give thoughtful players pause. Singularity is not one of those games. While it clearly looks to nuanced classics such as BioShock and Half-Life 2 as inspiration, this first-person shooter is all about blasting hideous mutants with shotguns and performing crazy time-manipulation powers. It isn't deep and it isn't pretty--it's just an absolute riot, filled with fun shoot-outs, a few clever puzzles, and an overall kookiness that fans of old-fashioned shooters can rally behind. Those powers may come across as gimmicks at first, but they add a dash of gusto to the shooting, keeping the action from ever feeling stale. Aging visuals and a smattering of glitches may make you wish Singularity had spent a little more time in the hopper, but there's rather little to stand between you and the game's strongest asset: diverse mechanics that keep the action constantly fresh.
You'll initially be struck by how similar Singularity is to other shooters. The audio recordings scattered about and the throwback film clips will remind you of BioShock. The ability to grab hold of objects and fling them about recalls Half-Life 2's gravity gun. And the shooting mechanics and art style are strikingly similar to developer Raven Software's own 2009 shooter, Wolfenstein. Yet as derivative as some of these elements may at first seem, Singularity develops a distinct attitude that sets it apart.
The game moves smoothly between exciting firefights and less frantic sequences that help develop tension. The pace is generally excellent, thanks to diverse level design and varied enemies, both of which encourage you to mix up the various powers and weapons available to you. You move seamlessly from puzzle sequences that involve aging crates forward and backward, to set-piece battles against fun bosses, such as an enormous beast that attacks a train. That isn't to say that the run-of-the-mill parts aren't well put together. Solid sound effects and healthy amounts of gore make shooting even a regular ol' shotgun or submachine gun rewarding. Not every shoot-out is as fun as the last, however. Getting swarmed by vermin in a tight corridor is more annoying than entertaining, and the Russian soldiers protecting their treasured technology don't work very hard to stay alive. Don't be surprised, for example, if an opposing soldier takes cover on the wrong side of an object, turning his back to you and letting you fill it with bullets. The linear level design and smart scripted entrances keep the AI's dullness from being too noticeable, however, and you're never fighting the same enemy for too long.
Singularity further mixes up the pace with puzzles and exploratory interludes. The puzzles aren't too taxing, but there's a certain cleverness to some of them, such as one in which you must roll a grenade through a hole in the wall toward a group of mutants feeding on their prey. You also scour nooks and crannies looking for E99 and other objects you use to upgrade your weapons and TMD. Thankfully, the dismal dinginess of outdoor environments and the glowing organic pods lining the corridors keep the scavenging interesting and keep the buzz of tension alive. Yet while the art style gives this alternate history a distinct sense of time (or times?) and place, Singularity is not a looker. It uses the Unreal 3 graphics engine, but low-resolution textures, flat lighting, and occasional animation glitches make the game look somewhat behind the times. Animation stutters aren't the only oddities we encountered, either. A retail copy of the PlayStation 3 version locked up on us twice, while in the Xbox 360 version, a barrel-throwing boss spawned outside of the play arena and forced us to revert to the previous checkpoint.
Singularity isn't a groundbreaking shooter, but it's an incredibly fun one. This is an example of how fluid pacing and a tongue-in-cheek attitude can make old conventions exciting again. Disappointing visuals and a smattering of minor flaws keep this first-person shooter from feeling completely modern, but not every game must probe the human soul to achieve greatness. Singularity achieves it with variety, moving you from one enjoyable sequence to the next without lingering too long on any given moment. Besides, this is a game in which you can both snipe hardened Soviet soldiers in bullet time and heal your teammates by puking on them. And is there any greater selling point?
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