The Suffering
Score: 92% ESRB: Mature Publisher: Midway Developer: Midway Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 Genre: Survival Horror
Graphics & Sound: The PS2 version of Midway's The Suffering may not be as graphically crisp as its Xbox cousin, but the game holds its own. The Suffering absolutely fits within the survival horror genre, and the visuals complement this well. While many textures are noticeably tiling in certain areas, most of the game looks dark and creepy, just as intended. Once again, the PS2 may not have the auditory depth that the Xbox's Dolby Digital delivers, but the sounds are very nice nonetheless (with Dolby ProLogic). Even when playing through the simulated surround of my TV speakers, the audio easily engulfed me and drew me into the game. Along with the excellent sound fx is great voice acting. All too often video games have a great presentation, only to be undercut by lackluster voice talent. Not so in The Suffering.
Gameplay: As an inmate of the Maryland Department of Corrections Facility on Carnate Island, you go about your everyday life behind bars, at least until one very strange day. Nicknamed 'Torque', our hero (who is actually a villain) has been incarcerated for the murder of his family. But all of that is about to change. It seems that the ghosts of past-executed inmates have come back for revenge, and they don't care who gets in their way. After all hell breaks loose (literally), you have the opportunity to escape the penitentiary. But in order to do so, you will have to not only get past the surviving guards, but also the abominations that are sprouting from the ground. The beasts of The Suffering are all based on different methods of execution, including hangings, the firing squad and lethal injection. Not only will you fight these hideous beasts, but you can become one as well. And when you do, the rampage you go on can often leave numerous bodies in its wake. While the storyline of The Suffering is not all that deep, and the completion time not incredibly long (it took me an estimated 20 hours), I was thoroughly drawn into the action and the unexpectedness of the game. Based on your actions, The Suffering also offers three different endings. Because of this, you'll always have to make life or death decisions involving characters you meet during your prison break. Usually it's a simple choice: Do I kill them or let them live and use their advice to my advantage? You will encounter both prisoners and guards, both friend and foe alike. Where I believe The Suffering shines, however, is simply in the overall presentation of the game. Torque suffers from many hallucinations throughout the game; some of which are mild, while others are massive. These recollections are outstanding because many times the action on screen continues during the flashback. In addition, you will have a bit of problem solving ahead of you on Carnate Island. While the puzzles are never overly difficult, there are times when solving these puzzles coincides with baddies trying to kill you.
Difficulty: The Suffering has its moments, but overall the game plays at an average difficulty. Each enemy has its own strengths, but once these are learned, fighting them becomes similar in every battle. In fact, there are only a small handful of different beasts to fight, which is one of the only real faults I found with the game. The weapons at your disposal is quite a list, ranging from dual revolvers, a shotgun, and a tommy gun to grenades, TNT dynamite sticks, and a homemade makeshift flamethrower. Then there are hidden 'relics', of which one reminds me of (the old PC game) Redneck Rampage as you hold a chicken, shooting eggs from its butt. One thing to note is that there are tons of weapons and health lying around, almost to the point of being too much. This makes things even easier still for Torque to do battle. Fortunately, Torque can carry a limited amount of ammo.
Game Mechanics: The Suffering has a controller layout that is near perfect. At first I wasn't fond of the fact that you had to switch weapons on the fly (as opposed to pausing the game), but in time I found that it only added believability to the action combat sequences. The one thing I did miss, however, was a dedicated button for the very-often-needed flashlight. There are many, many times within The Suffering where the only way to see is by flashlight. This, too, was another outstanding gameplay feature. But the problem arises that to turn the flashlight on, you had to use the D-pad, which is used for all of your weapon and item selections. This turned into a problem during some battles as you were fighting or running and needed to also switch the flashlight on/off. Finally, The Suffering offers the ability to switch between third and first person perspectives. In many games, this option proves more of a gimmick than necessity. But in The Suffering, I found myself constantly switching, depending on what the situation I was facing called for. While I have not played The Suffering on Xbox, it has been said that the visuals are much better, and I would assume that the audio would be as well. So those with the choice may want to explore that route. But either way you go, owners can be happy as The Suffering is a great game that offers a bit of replay value due to the three alternate endings available. If you're looking for another game in the survival horror genre to add to your collection, look no further. Just remember, to experience The Suffering to the fullest, make sure your monitor's brightness is set up correctly, and play with the lights out!
-Woody, GameVortex Communications AKA Shane Wodele
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