When Singularity was announced and unveiled in an issue of Game Informer a few weeks ago, one thought immediately popped into my head: Do we really need another TimeShift already? As anyone who played through that game probably knows, there's a big difference between promising the ability to control time and actually delivering something that doesn't just feel like a gimmick. With that in mind, it's pretty safe to say that I was skeptical heading into my Singularity demo at the annual D.I.C.E Summit yesterday. After meeting Brian Raffel, Raven Software's founder and studio head, we jumped right into the demo, and it was immediately apparent that I had severely underestimated the game. Not only is Singularity not just another TimeShift, it looks like it could be one of the most unique shooters in years, incorporating the time controls so they don't just feel like a gimmick.
Before I launch into the reasons why Singularity is now a major blip on my radar, let's take a brief look at the game's story. You'll play as Nate Ranko, a recon pilot who's sent on a flyover mission to Russia in 2010. Something happens that causes Nate's plane to crash, and he finds himself on a seemingly deserted island that houses a decrepit military base. Apparently the Russkies had been experimenting with a powerful substance called Element 99, and Nate comes across what the developers are calling a "Time Manipulation Device," which uses the mysterious element to, you guessed it, allow the wearer to manipulate time. Unfortunately for Nate, the island isn't as deserted as he initially thought, and it's not long before he's doing battle with the Soviet forces that occupy it... both in the present day and the 1950s. You'll actually spend a chunk of your time back in the '50s, unlocking the secrets of the island while trying to avoid capture or death at the hands of the Russians.
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Unlike TimeShift, which simply allowed you to reverse or stop time, Singularity will actually allow you to manipulate time in a much deeper way, which looks like it should lead to much more interesting scenarios. For instance, if you find a rusted-out barrel on the ground, you can either revert it to its 1950s state (apparently they had explosive barrels even then!) or move it forward in time to break it down completely. When using the time powers on an enemy (in the Xbox 360 version, the left and right bumpers control backward and forward, respectively), you can either revert them to a primordial creature that will attack other enemies, or cause them to decay right in front of your eyes, killing them instantly.
