The world is full of mysteries. What killed the dinosaurs? What is stored in Area 51? Why-oh dear goodness, why-does anyone think Dane Cook is funny? And now, there's a new head-scratcher for that list: Why didn't Activision give Singularity, easily its best new IP in years, a promotional push to...

Inventive time manipulation powers; creative weapons; intense levels; fun story

Simple, primarily crate-based puzzles; slow start; limited multiplayer options

When a name like Raven Software comes up, we think of a variety of solid games such as Quake 4, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Soldier of Fortune, Star Trek: Voyager Elite Force, Star Trek: Voyager Elite Force: Virtual Voyager, Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix...

Runs smoothly and remains an exciting experience all the way; with cool and diverse gameplay mechanics; plenty of different skills and weapons to try out

A number of plot inconsistencies; even with all its features and commendable gameplay diversity; Singularity is nothing more than an average first-person shooter void of any unique characteristics that would make it stand out in a highly competitive genre

On the surface, Singularity appears to be your run-of-the-mill FPS with little to distinguish it from any number of generic shooters flooding the gaming market. The game starts off with what appears to be a routine military mission.

Aging enemy soldiers and watching their bodies turn into dust never grows old; You also have some pretty sweet firepower to blow enemies to pieces when you aren't messing with the space-time continuum

Almost no replayability; Multiplayer lacks original content; Could have benefited from more imaginative uses of the TMD

(continued from previous page) ...revert back to previous save points because we've totally ran out of ammo and been surrounded by enemies with no place to go. It's a good job then that the upgrade system was included.

The classic shooter feel; The range of prototype weapons and enjoyable time manipulation powers; The location of Katurga-12 and the mysterious goings-on

The lack of ammo when there's so many mutants to kill; The predictable AI that follow the same behavioral patterns if you die

Another solid shooter from Raven Software, Singularity competently marks most of the boxes on the FPS checklist. It won't dethrone the genre's best offerings, but its campy story and fun combat should keep gamers' index fingers flexed and minds engaged throughout.

A story-driven shooter in the vein of BioShock that grants gamers with some cool powers and time-twisting abilities; diverse, creative combat options; some standout seat-of-your-pants set pieces and scripted moments

Raven Software has been creating first person shooters longer than some Call of Duty players have even been alive, but they have never been able to find the massive success that long-running developers like Bungie, Epic, or id Software have.

Going back in time and changing the past is something we've all thought about. We've of course done it selfishly; how many mistakes have you made that you've wished you could go back and avoid?

How can you go wrong with mixing a little bit of mystery in with a lot of shooting, unique weaponry, and time manipulation? While I'm not entirely sure, Singularity clearly avoided any major missteps that could have derailed its entertaining experience.

The single best shooter in a slow summer season.

Unique and fun time manipulation mechanics; very satisfying gunplay and gore effects; cool story concept; superb production values

Storytelling is lacking; campaign is on the short side; multiplayer is extremely limited; assorted minor bugs and glitches

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked Singularity – Raven Software's first original IP in over a decade, which looked good in trailers, but was led out to die by Activision, to the …