Singularity

Singularity is a lot like other games you've played recently. At the same time, Singularity is nothing like anything 
you've played before. And it might be one of the best games you play this year.

Coming from Raven Software, most known for their recent work on the latest incarnation of the Wolfenstein series, 
Singularity is a story heavy first-person shooter that knows exactly what atmosphere it wants to create and persistently 
does so throughout the single player storyline's moderately lengthy lifespan. It shares more than a few elements with 2K 
Software's Bioshock series and at times feels like it's borrowing heavily from it, but never goes so far as to risk being 
branded as a rip off or a poor imitation.   
 The game is set on the Soviet research island of Katorga-12, an otherwise uncharted island, home to the mysterious 
substance Element 99. This substance, first discovered by Russian scientists in the 1950's while searching for Uranium, is 
highly dangerous and contains a power unseen on earth to that point. During research into the newly discovered "E99", the 
testing causes a monumentous explosion which all but wipes out the research facility, the workers and the island itself. 
Due to this incident the Russian government strike the element's discover and the research facility from their records and 
it seemingly covered up for good. 

That's where you come in. You are cast as Captain Nathaniel Renko of the US military as his team is called in to  investigate the growing radiation surges coming from the seemingly abandoned Kortuga-12. Quickly after their arrival it is clear that all is not what it seems on the island, as time itself appears to be tearing structures and land masses apart. 
This is where the game introduces one of its most intruiguing gimmicks, one that is used almost to perfection at times - the time echoes. After exploring Kortuga-12 in its current abandoned state in 2010, Captain Renko finds himself suddenly in the same place but in a different time. Specifically, he finds himself at the island's testing facilities moments before the explosion that destroyed it. After a chance encounter with a scientist and one small good deed done, Renko returns to the present only to find that things have changed drastically.

Upon his re-arrival he finds the Soviets in power in 2010, the testing facility far from abandoned and that he and his 
team have well and truly worn out their welcome.

With this, Singularity shows where its heart is and it's from this point on that the game's atmosphere and mood draw you 
in entirely and almost lead you around the game's world, as you endeavour to find every hidden area and Audio Log left 
stranded to build a bigger picture of the story as a whole and to investigate the history and alternate histories of 
Kortuga-12, the world around it and what exactly is creating some bizarre mutated creatures that appear to attack you at 
various times in the game.

The game has an impressive array of weaponry available to the player including the standard assortment of assault rifles, 
pistols and shotguns. Most impressive is the game's unique sniper rifle which, once fired, features a manually controlled 
bullet which the player can then guide to whatever target they see fit - be it human, mutated creature or otherwise.  But where the game really comes into its own is when the player uncovers the Time Manipulation Device - or TMD. This handheld device - which can be upgraded throughout the game's storyline - is, if anything, Singularity's main stand out feature as it enables players to age or de-age the environment around them. Anything from repairing broken ladders back to their original state in order to access restricted areas, to accelerating an enemy's aging forward so that they crumble and fall into a pile of bones can be achieved through the nifty little device discovered early on in the game.  

You'll spend a lot of your time in Singularity shooting, but when you aren't being chased down by enemies the game becomes more of a puzzle based adventure. Most of these puzzles are solved using the TMD to revert a clue or a required mechanical  part back to its previous 1950's state in order to gain access to other areas of the island. These puzzles are not always going to stop you in your tracks, but they do a fantastic job of breaking the action up enough and maintaining the atmosphere so that you never end up feeling bored or at a loss for things to do in the game.

Singularity has multiplayer in the way of the standard Team Deathmatch/Deathmatch/Objective match affair. Mutants vs  Humans. When playing as the humans it plays the way you would probably expect it to for the most part - similar to the 
single player only the enemies are more erratic. Playing as the mutated enemies is far more interesting, if a bit limited 
gameplay wise. You will spawn as one of a few different types of mutants and will be given a unique ability dependant on 
what type of mutant you spawned as - some are stronger and slower, others are smaller and faster but weaker. Playing as a 
tiny cat-sized mutant enables you to leech onto and possess members of the Human team giving you the ability to turn the 
opposing team's weapons against them. 

The single player experience is what you should come to Singularity for. The multiplayer, while definitely worth trying, 
is nothing special and nothing new. But the game's storyline, atmosphere and scattering of hidden audio logs and secret 
rooms are definite reasons to play Singularity.