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Unfortunately, the fundamentals of the game, are slightly disappointing. Although the soundtrack does assist in keeping the element of tension high, the Unreal 3 graphics are bland and often downright upsetting. Like pulling down Megan Fox’s jeans to find a bulge. Having said this, the graphics forgiven when it comes to combat; it is possible to shoot specific body parts off, leaving, for example, a headless torso of a mutant, pulling itself along the floor, still hell-bent on consuming your brain matter.

Unusually enough, the Spetsnaz soldiers you will regularly come into contact with seem to have less intelligence than their zombie/mutant counterparts, although, considering the weapons these troops carry, it is nothing to complain about. It is not unusual to find enemy soldiers running around with their back to you, allowing you to casually riddle them with enough bullet holes to strain a cabbage. Needless to say, this is a highly satisfying feature for more casual players, although the more hardcore players may get frustrated with the lack of challenge from the soldiers. But worry not, those looking for a challenge, will never have to look far as there are certain points where, even on the easiest difficulty mode, the creatures will kill you faster than you can say “WTF”. For example, after quite a fun boss fight, of which there are several in the game and will be discussed later, the game does not present you with a hoard of ammo, instead it relies on you to explore and find it yourself. Therefore, in the next part of the game when you’re savaged by creatures oddly reminiscent of tickers from Gears of War 2, you’ll present as much of a challenge as stealing candy from paraplegic children, and therefore, end up little more than cat food.

The boss fights, are possibly the best aspect of the game. The first boss (we say boss, but what we mean nine times out of ten is gargantuan monsters who’d like to mount your stuffed head on their wall) is relatively easy to kill, despite its personal retinue of mutants determined on turning you inside out. These boss fights do not get any easier, either. Regretfully, however, the length and size of the game pretty much ensures that all but the most avid gamers will not want to replay the campaign, which is a shame, as it is one of the best since Bio Shock, a game to which Singularity is remarkably similar.

Raven Software have lavished attention on the single-player aspect of the game (although, bearing in mind the numerous glitches and the occasional disputable issue of continuity, some people may argue that more could be done); it is truly a shame that the same cannot be said for the multiplayer. When you enter the multiplayer lobby, players are split up into two teams of six, the mutant zombie things versus human soldiers, who happen to be equipped with the TMD; all of which sounds good on paper, but it cannot be said that it was pulled off with any sort of enthusiasm. Players are granted limited character customisation based on their personal preferences, which allows a brief respite from the otherwise dismal game play. There are only two game modes; team death match, and extermination, which is a kind of capture and hold objective game, only with hideous mutants and TMD wielding humans. Unfortunately, by the time players have attained any sort of skill with any of the weapons (about two to three hours by our reckoning) they will have grown mightily bored of the three maps supplied on disc. Here’s hoping that Raven Software has a large store of DLC waiting in the wings.

Although Singularity does not quite live up to its full potential, with repetitive puzzles and at best mediocre game play, it is still an excellent game, and a fantastic shooter. The game comes so close to being an instant classic, but with the glitches, sporadic moments of poor AI, and a tacked-on multiplayer, it’s hard not to feel a little disappointed by what could have been a truly awe-inspiring title. If you can find a good deal, it’s definitely worth a look.

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