Singularity

Singularity is the game that comes to my mind when people talk about underrated games. In that sense, Raven Software is also the name that comes to my mind when it comes to underrated devs, as nearly everything they have created felt like FPS heaven to me.

Singularity takes heavy influence from games like Bioshock and the Metro series, but then also has enough personality to create a unique game. Its story is really gripping and since it touches the concepts of multiuniverses it twists and turns a whole lot throughout the game. The weapons and time altering powers feel great to use, the and the reactions of the enemies to them are the icing on the cake. The game has terrific pacing, offering both fast paced set pieces as well as more open and explorable levels. It never drags, and is always offering new stuff to the player. There are lots of secrets staches to find, some of which are hidden behind puzzles. Im struggling to really find a weak point about this game, its just an extremely solid package alround which is a blast to play. As far as linear FPS go, this is amongst the top 10 as far as im concerned.

Raven Software made a career of riding on the coat tails of bigger franchises in the ‘90s, so it’s no surprise that they have clung to licenses ( X-Men, Star Wars, etc.) over the past couple years. Singularity, as much as it clings to the aesthetics of BioShock and the mechanics of similar titles, should be applauded for at least taking a step away from Wolverine and light sabers for the first time in a decade.

You play as a time-traveling US Marine from 2010 sent to investigate an island where Russian experiments took place during the Cold War. Anyone who is a fan of time-travel will be pleased by how the story cleverly links these two eras together with your interactions. One of the key mechanics of the game is your Time Manipulation Device which lets you age objects and enemies, as well as do lots of other neat things you’ve probably seen done in other games dozens of times by now.

Between the slow-setup, cinematic set-pieces and numerous, collectable audio logs, it’s clear that Bioshock and Half-Life 2 were more than influences on this title – they are practically the blueprint that it attempts to build upon. Raven is excellent at finding various ways to dismember an incoming mutant; what they aren’t so great at is art design, pacing, and dialogue: everything that made its influences so memorable. The game is fun and very eerie at times (thanks to great sound design), but for a game that attempts to be so much more it falls short of its potential.