Things changed in 1998 with the release of Half-Life, an ambitious FPS that broke the mould by introducing a narrative to accompany the blasting. This seminal classic and its sequel are almost entirely responsible for the shift in design of all modern shooters. Maybe it’s the advances in technology, but today plot seems as integral to an FPS as rocket launchers. Take Bioshock for example, a game more lauded for its story than the quality of the blasting.

Playing Raven Software’s Singularity reminds me greatly of both Half-Life and Bioshock but never quite reaches the dizzying heights of either for a number of reasons. Let me explain.

The game then shifts to present day, and you play a Black-Ops soldier called Nate Renko who is sent to the recently discovered island by the US to investigate high radiation levels. Naturally things don’t go according to plan; Nate’s helicopter crashes onto the island and the mission is aborted by high command. Nate is then forced to explore the island in order to uncover the mystery of a secret weapon that will see him hunt for clues and tackle enemies across two different points in time. Using the TMD (more on this later), Nate is able to jump backwards and forwards in time to uncover the source of the disaster and potentially reveal a solution to the entire catastrophe.

It’s also something of a kleptomaniac’s dream, literally showering you with items to pick up off the floor, all with that dizzying shimmer that was so well realized in Bioshock.

Enemies in the game take two forms depending on the point in time you’re at. In the present day, Nate is attacked by all sorts of zombies and creatures who were no doubt formed as a result of the E99 experiments. In the sections of the game played in the past, you’re pitted against angry Russian soldiers who are no doubt a little surprised to see a US operative running amok in their secret laboratories. Thankfully you’re given a healthy arsenal of familiar and innovative weapons with which to tackle them. Pistols and shotguns are barely worth a mention these days, and it’s the same story here. The weapons that allow you to pilot the bullets in slow motion, and allow you to pick off those pesky soldiers hiding behind cover are memorable and you'll be wanting to steer your bullets in the next Call of Duty or Halo after this.

As you work your way through the game the TMD starts to become an integral tool to your progression as it allows you to open portals to the past. It’s through this dynamic that the game shines brightest as not only does it allow for a regular change of setting, but it also drives the various strands of the plot giving the player a real sense that their actions are affecting the overall outcome. There’s a lot of fun to be had zipping through the time zones and solving puzzles that change events in the gameplay in future levels.

As this is a narrative-driven game, Raven Software have taken a leaf out of the Bioshock book by leaving around the diaries of the workers and scientists on the island. While this is clearly a device to allow the story to unfold as your progress through the levels, they’re not as well developed as the audio tapes in Irrational Games’ classic. Instead the diaries must be picked up and read, causing a pause in the action which in my opinion was detrimental to the overall experience. After a while I began to resent them, and if it wasn’t for the need to review the game, I doubt I would have continued reading them through to the end, no doubt missing chunks of the back-story.

It’s a shame the diaries affect the pacing because Singularity works so hard to ramp up the excitement and tension through many of the well-designed set-pieces throughout. There’s a successful blend of high-octane action (a shoot-out on a train springs to mind as do some of the boss battles) and subtle stealth that can often take you by surprise. Once you are able to manipulate time, things really click into place and actions you perform in the past clearly have had an impact when you return to the future.

Fans of multiplayer may feel a little disappointed with what’s on offer, consisting of only two modes. Extermination is a variation on capture the flag with one team as soldiers and the other as creatures. Creatures Vs Soldiers is a more standard team deathmatch scenario where the soldiers have access to the TMD. Both modes are fun with well developed maps but it does feel a little light compared to the abundance of choice on offer in other shooters of this generation.

There’s no doubt that anyone picking up a copy of Singularity will have an enjoyable experience. There’s enough variation in the gameplay to prevent boredom setting in and there is genuine innovation in the present day setting, weapons and some uses of the TMD. The pacing can suffer, especially if you insist on stopping to read all the diary entries, and veteran FPS fans may well feel they’ve seen similar gameplay mechanics used better in other titles. Thankfully the plot, which twists and turns to a satisfying conclusion makes up for some of Singularity’s other deficiencies.