Singularity™

great game also you can rule da world

Short game, nice and smooth gameplay.

Singularity is an interesting time manipulation/travel FPS. Developed by Raven Software, it was their last game before becoming a Call of Duty support studio.

The story starts out with you accidentally saving a man from a fire, leading him to take over the world as the Soviet commander. Together with help from some allies, you need to go back in time to stop this from happening as the world is in shambles. There's some twists and turns along the way, leading to an interesting story.

The gameplay is what's mostly interesting in this game, getting to play around with a classic weapons arsenal together with the gimmick of the game - the Time Manipulation Device. Mainly used to puzzles, it is also a great weapon against enemies. It's fun to use and play around with, as the puzzles sometimes needs some extra thought put into them to reach a solution. There's a few boss battles, but nothing major and it's noticable that the game takes inspiration of games such as Bioshock (if anything for all the recordings you can find in the game), with for example the available upgrade system where you can gain perks.

Overall it was a fun game and Raven Software once again (and for their final time) shows that they can make a competent game. Despite its age, this is a game that still holds up. It perhaps doesn't have the deepest story, but the special game mechanics makes it stick out among other FPSes of its time.

Only half baked, but still good.

Feels like I'm always running out of ammo and stamina. I literally got stuck on an early game section because I ran out of ammo due to the bullet-sponge enemies and I had no way to kill them until I realised there was a melee button bound to middle-mouse. There is literally no option for that in the controls???

last game ravensoft ever made before being locked in the call of duty mines. it was supposed to be far more ambitious but you know how it goes with publishers like activision, despite that its still a fun play and deserves a remaster. unfortunately this game has received little attention over the years to the point I had to roll back my driver software just to play, but its still a gem in my opinion and deserving of some love.

I adore this game, it did not receive the attention and love it deserved.

Not bad for a short little game. Somewhere between wolfenstien the new order for artstyle of that time/gameplay with a bit of half life with time powers instead of gravity gun.

Singularity: Time Travel, Russian Scientists, and Explosive Barrels!

Ever wondered what would happen if you gave a time-bending superpower to someone who solves every problem by blowing stuff up? Well, Singularity answers that question, with a generous helping of Soviet intrigue and mutant crabs. Yep, crabs.

First things first: The game hands you the TMD (Time Manipulation Device), which is basically a glorified Swiss Army knife for wrecking time itself. Whether you’re making old barrels new (because apparently, that's useful?) or aging enemy soldiers into dust, the TMD is the ultimate tool for anyone who ever thought, 'You know what this game needs? More disintegrating Russians.'

But let’s not forget the star of the show: exploding barrels. The developers were clearly big fans, because they’re everywhere. Running low on health? Boom. Pinned down by enemies? Boom. Trying to solve a puzzle? You guessed it—boom. By the end of the game, I was 90% sure I’d time-traveled back to the golden era of '90s FPSs, where every level was essentially a barrel maze.

The plot itself? Something about Cold War experiments, alternate timelines, and evil dictators. But let's be real, I was too busy turning enemies into primordial goo to pay much attention.

Singularity is a glorious mashup of time travel shenanigans, Soviet clichés, and enough explosive barrels to make Michael Bay jealous. 10/10 would mess with time again.

This game reminds me of why i fell in love with gaming, unfortunately solid single player games like this are a rarity nowadays, thats why im going back and looking for older games i missed out on back in the day, there is thankfully loads of amazing experiences like this that i have not yet played.

Such an underrated gem. One of the last if not THE last pure Raven Software game made before they, Sadly, started co-develop CoD games.

It has so much very early FPS shooter dna in it and i love every second of it.

Good story, interesting enemies, guns and location.

If you like time travel, Half Life, Doom 3, Quake 4 etc, you will definitely love this.

I recommend to Force AA and AF (the game lacks advanced graphics settings) in the control panel and bump up the saturation a bit for some eye candy.

10/10 Game!

After languishing in my backlog for years, I finally booted up Singularity more than a decade after its initial launch in 2010. I went in blindly, knowing little about the game and relying solely on a friend’s recommendation. To my surprise, I discovered that it is set in an alternate Cold War, primarily on the fictional Soviet research island of Katorga-12, where experiments involving a mysterious element called E99 lead to catastrophic consequences. One of the most intriguing elements of the story is the ability to time travel between two eras — 1950s and the modern day (2010) Russia — adding a fascinating layer to the narrative.

The narrative revolves around Captain Nathaniel Renko, sent on a covert mission to investigate the disappearance of a secret Soviet research team working with E99. As he explores the island, Renko uncovers dark secrets tied to the experiments and their devastating results. The story unfolds through environmental storytelling, audio logs, and encounters with a few key characters that gradually reveal the depth of the island's horrific past. The game takes numerous cues from Half-Life and Bioshock in several areas, such as its narrative structure and some plot twists that will feel familiar to fans of those titles. The overarching themes of ethical dilemmas in science, particularly the consequences of time manipulation, resonate throughout the storyline. As players gradually uncover the dark history of Katorga-12, they encounter various characters whose fates are intertwined with the mysterious E99. Although I did not feel particularly attached to the characters, they were sufficiently fleshed out to keep the story engaging. The campaign length is typically around 6 to 7 hours, but I could easily see it being completed in just 4 hours if you blitz through it like B.J. Blazkowicz from Wolfenstein. Whilst some may view the relatively short campaign as a drawback, I believe it fits well, especially given that the world-building does not reach the same heights as in Bioshock or Half-Life, even with its solid setpieces and twists near the end. The game has four endings, therefore it has replayabilty to an extent, but then again, you can easily watch them online once you finish the game in your first playthrough. Additionally, whilst fun, I ultimately found myself wishing that the time-travel between the two eras was utilised more frequently within the story, as it felt underused at times and could have enhanced the narrative experience even further.

The gameplay blends traditional first-person shooter mechanics with the innovative Time Manipulation Device (TMD), which Renko aquires early in the story, allowing players to manipulate time in various ways, such as aging enemies into dust, turning Soviet soldiers into creatures to attack their peers, simply slowing down/stopping time or restoring objects, to name a few. The sensation of using the TMD to manipulate the environment or disintegrate foes into dust is quite exhilarating, and players can even encounter small puzzles reminiscent of those found in Half-Life 2 — tasks like stacking boxes or creating pathways encourage some exploration albeit limited, and creative problem-solving. Retrospectively, I wished the game could have pushed the time manipulation powers even further, as there was potential for even greater gameplay depth. Furthermore, the combat remains engaging, featuring a variety of firearms ranging from rifles to shotguns and miniguns, complemented by diverse enemy types as previously stated — from monstrous aberrations to Soviet soldiers. This ensures that combat remains dynamic and compelling. However, a notable downside is that in the second half of the game, once players have upgraded their weapons and powers, the game can become too easy if you feel overpowered, revealing a balancing issue. Otherwise, the game is a fairly standard gun 'n' run shooter from the late '00s.

Visually, Singularity shows its age now, especially considering it was built on Unreal Engine 3, which for its time was solid. However, in 2024, I still found the visuals quite acceptable — I have certainly encountered much worse in other titles. Sure, the game immerses players in dark, industrial environments that create a bleak atmosphere, but they can occasionally feel repetitive due to their muted colour palette of greys and browns. This uniformity can make it challenging to differentiate between areas after extended play; however, the levels themselves offer enough variety in layout and design to maintain interest.

Also, it's worth noting that Singularity features a multiplayer component that, unfortunately, has been long dead. Given the game's age, no one plays multiplayer nowadays, so I could not experience that part of the game. Moreover, the game lacks subtitles, which is quite surprising given the importance of accessibility in modern gaming, and this omission can detract from the overall experience. Additionally, the current Steam version of the game does not support Steam Cloud, meaning that if you uninstall the game or switch to another machine, you may lose your progress, which can be frustrating for players who want to pick up where they left off without the fear of losing their progression.

Despite some of its shortcomings, Singularity remains a delightful experience, albeit very linear, and I am relieved to have finally embarked on this journey after letting it sit in my backlog for so long. The TMD powers are genuinely enjoyable, especially as you advance in the game and master the time manipulation mechanics that add an interesting twist to the combat, and the narrative stands on its own. Yes, whilst the game is quite derivative of both Half-Life and especially Bioshock in some aspects, I genuinely enjoyed the experience. Interestingly, upon reflection, Singularity may even be seen as a spiritual precursor to 2023's Atomic Heart, considering their thematic and gameplay similarities, and some of its time manipulation mechanics remind me of TimeShift from 2007 to an extent. Heck, it reminds me a bit of F.E.A.R. at some point.

Lastly, it is unfortunate that the game never received a sequel, as it holds significant potential that could have been fully realised with further development. As Raven Software has shifted focus to the Call of Duty franchise for a long time now, it feels likely that Singularity stands as their swan song, marking the end of their original IPs (as of writing this). If you are a fan of story-driven FPS games and seek something with a unique twist, Singularity is certainly worth exploring. I went in without any expectations, and it turned out to be a satisfying experience, reminding me of Bioshock and Half-Life in many ways, albeit without reaching the same heights. This title possesses a charm and creativity that make it a hidden gem worth your time, even if it is not at its full potential. I would highly recommend it to anyone willing to look past its flaws, and if only there were a sequel to further explore some of its potential endings. If you can get the game on sale, it's a steal!

A mediocre wanna-be Half-Life/CoD without any compelling characters or level design. The time abilities are a gimmick at best and the endings are all unsatisfying and make no sense.

Run FPS game from PS3 era. Really loved it when it was released in ps3, now also enjoyed it after steam release.

Duration: 6.8 Hours
Score: 7/10

A time-bending shooter from 2010, Singularity puts you in the boots of Captain Renko, a soldier who winds up stranded on a hidden island where Russia was researching a secret element called E-99 after World War II. After inadvertently breaking the timeline and creating a world where a dictator named Demechov takes over, Renko is tasked with fixing his mistake with the help of a handful of allies - and a hand-mounted device that can control time itself.

All in all, this is a very solid, very 2010 game that I probably would have scored an 8 or so when it came out, but has just aged a bit and feels almost quaint. Despite the simplicity of the story and the way the genre has evolved, there's still a lot to like here.

+Fun guns and powers, from a grenade launcher with controllable grenades to a super-aging beam that turns people into elderly corpses
+Pretty decent enemy variety for the game's length
+Gunplay handles well and upgrades let you shape your playstyle
+Well-paced, no sequences really felt padded or overly long

-The story, while not dull, is pretty simple and doesn't do as much as it could
-The graphics went for a pretty realistic style that hasn't aged great, even if some enemy designs stand out
-Just not a ton of gameplay variety, it's a pretty standard run n' gun campaign that lives on the variety of its weapons and abilities

This is so much more than just "yet another mid 2000 generic military shooter with some gimmicky time travelling superpowers"

It's both a lazy attempt from Activision to plagiarize Bioshock and to make a quick buck on Irrationnal games's back but also the last desperate cry from Raven software before being sent to the call of duty mines....

I miss you Raven

It's like Half-Life meets Bioshock meets Call of Duty. But without any compelling characters and the level and interface design is below average.

Remembered liking it way back in '10, picked it up cheap for $10. Loved playing it again! <3

Cool game!

Pretty short but other aspects make up for it! Tbf i would not be able to give this game more than 8 hours of my time.

I recall checking this out briefly back when it was released but never really gave it a chance, something I obviously should have given the positive experience I've had with the game recently.

Singularity was released during an era which had very much forgotten about the PC, extremely poor ports and lack of options dominated the landscape, and you were lucky if you even had a decent FOV on the PC. Speaking of Field of view, during this era many titles including Cod (starting with MW2) had horrendous FOV to the point where you wondered if the devs even booted the game on a PC before shipping.

Luckily and to my surprise, even tho the game does lack options, Singularity is very playable out of the box and the FOV isn't set at 55. My biggest gripe with options is that the mouse-sensitivity does little to nothing, it is way oversensitive and so you'll do best adjusting this outside of the game to get a better feel with more reasonable movement.

How is it then? Well the story is actually really great and engaging, and I would say that this game should definitely be played to enjoy the atmosphere, lore and appreciate what is going on by reading the notes, looking at the environment, watching videos, projections and so on.

It's in these moments that Singularity really shines, and it's pacing is surprisingly good on several occasions throughout the campaign. Thanks to that you get a sense of suspense and buildup multiple times which is great, but unfortunately it does have a some of these shooting-galleries from time to time which for me just breaks all sorts of creepy immersion. Some are more warranted than others, but overall the gallery shootouts with humans are the lows.

The world detail, textures, sound and ambience is quite good, but it does suffer a lot from uneven quality at times. Raven has a long history of developing for ID-tech (wolf, quake etc) but this game was built using UE3 and that's unfortunate for several reasons.

One thing that is often overlooked by UE-devs even to this day is how basic collision is handled with props in the world. There is no smooth transition and if you step on things your height is instantly elevated making for very unsmooth gameplay at times, especially when you're exploring. This can even be seen in modern UE-titles as well, and it's baffling to me how more people ain't reacting to such immersion breaking moments that ID handled in engine code decades ago.

I must however credit the animations, the guns and everything have very smooth and methodical animations unlike a lot of spastic shooters of today and yesterday, but it does lack in feedback when actually shooting and the same can be said for the gun-sounds which are quite underwhelming to say the least. Credit to the death animations as they often play out as if the monster or human are wounded, and they might even do an extra leap or crawl which kinda makes you question if you really killed them from time to time, a great touch. That combined with actual bullet impacts on the enemies and dismemberment adds to the immersion and realism.

The overall voice acting is quite decent and if you meet the game on its own terms and play for immersion it's a good game and quite a unique one even to this day. It was clearly setup for sequels or additional DLC, and it's a real shame we didn't get any.

Without even looking I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't a commercial success, and that's sad, this game sits in an era where we still had very different experiences and settings coming out of AAA-developers/budgets for the fps-genre.

Have you played Titanfall 2? You know the moment everyone remembers from the campaign near the end? This is that if that was expanded into a full game. It's a real hidden gem.

Another great game from Raven Software. Thats all you need to know.

Story Line is top notch and gameplay keeps this game relevant even today.

Everyone remember Wolfenstein 2009? Of course not, because it's impossible to get. Welp, this game takes the concepts of Wolf 2009 and says hey player enjoy learning even more forgettable dogsiht gameplay systems. If the game had focused on being a shooter, it would have done great, instead, I'm teleporting through time and restoring crates to jump ledges. Fcuk this. Recommended because tastes may vary, they put a lot of work into it, and I'm a total ssahole.

hidden gem

Before Titanfall 2 had the timeshifting sequence everybody loved, there was Singularity which was transporting you through the timelines, the world you are coming back to being visibly altered by the events made.

Pros:
-A really decent shooter, with fun gunplay
-The time altering mechanics, which also adds decaying and restoring different objects to your needs
-The timeline changings, at one point both timelines being merged and unstable
-The upgrade system, that does make a difference

Cons:
-A bit short (around 5-6 hours, but they are fun and action-packed)

One of the retro shooters that still looks good to this day and its worth giving a shot!
(Thank you again, my friend, Ionutz, for recommending yet another good shooter!)

Average gem of FPS kind. Don't buy any perks but Scientist and Healer. Since you can choose only 1 at first, prioritise Scientist, buy second slot, add Healer. Do not forget that you need to EQUIP perks. For guns you can go rifle + shotgun, I did rifle + minigun, maybe sniper + shotgun good too. Pistol and spikes are kinda meh. For guns always upgrade damage first. Other upgrades are up to playstyle.