Common Sense Media Review
By Chad Sapieha
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Gruesome shooter with novel concepts, but not for kids.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Singularity
What's It About?
Time is a weapon in SINGULARITY, an innovative sci-fi shooter in which our hero doesn't just bounce back and forth through time but also wields it to manipulate his environment and even kill his enemies. The game is set in an alternate history in which the Soviets have discovered a new mineral called E99 that carries temporal distortion properties. U.S. marines are sent to a remote Russian island on which E99 experiments have been carried out. They arrive to find the island in ruins. The bodies of researchers and their families are everywhere, and horrible, mutated creatures are running amuck. When our hero finds a gauntlet that alters the flow of time, a way to right the altered and potentially disastrous last half-century of history, he begins a quest that only he has the power fix.
Is It Any Good?
A better than average sci-fi shooter, Singularity offers players novel weapons and tools as well as an intriguing, time-bending tale. The ability to progress or regress a particular object in age makes for some interesting game scenarios. We can un-collapse fallen tunnels to clear a path and restore decrepit boxes to make the ammunition and supplies they hold usable. Conversely, players can age a safe to make its door fall apart, or make their enemies grow old and die in seconds.
It's just too bad that it takes more than two hours of pretty standard first-person-shooting slogging to get to the innovative stuff. Also, the graphics feel as old as some of the objects players age in the game. The blurry textures and rough-hewn character models might have seemed modern at the start of this generation, but they're definitely dated now. Still, it doesn't detract much from the overall experience. There's plenty of entertainment here for grownups who enjoy gory gun games; just keep in mind this brand of fun isn't family-friendly.
Online interaction: Players can go up against one another online. Open voice chat is supported, which means potential exists for players to share personal information and encounter inappropriate language and topics of conversation while playing multiplayer games. Common Sense Media does not recommend open online play for children under 12 years of age.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about varying levels of violence in shooters. Singularity could have been designed without blood or gore, potentially resulting in a sci-fi adventure suitable for a slightly younger audience. Is its gruesomeness essential? Does it have a purpose aside from shock value?
Families can also discuss the use of profanity in action games. Does the occasional vulgarity make dialogue feel more natural and realistic? Does it somehow enhance the narrative? Have you played games in which the profanity was just too much, swearing used simply for the sake of swearing?
Game Details
- Platforms : PlayStation 3 , Windows , Xbox 360
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : Activision
- Release date : June 29, 2010
- Genre : First-Person Shooter
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : January 19, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate