The Suffering
Score: 86% ESRB: Mature Publisher: Encore Developer: Surreal Software Media: CD/1 Players: 1 Genre: Action/ Survival Horror
Graphics & Sound: The Suffering presents an interesting look at the survival horror genre. While it sticks to many of the genre standards like dark environments and various scare tactics, it also changes up the formula by introducing more action-oriented gameplay and some limited, choice-based gameplay. Presentation is where The Suffering absolutely shines, both technically and stylistically. As expected, the PC version of the game looks cleaner that its console cousins. While the character models aren't the best looking, they still hold enough detail to please gamers of more discerning graphical taste. The design of monsters is rather interesting in that each monster you come across represents a different form of execution. You have hangmen who will drop from the rafters and try to choke you to death as well as mainliners who are endowed with glowing hypodermic needles. As an added effect, each time the mainliners hit you with their needles, your vision blurs. Another cool effect comes when Torque, the main character, encounters and slaughters enemies -- leaving him covered in a fine layer of gore. Environments are dark, dreary and set the mood perfectly. Sound can make or break a horror game; just look at Tecmo's Fatal Frame 2. The Suffering provides a soundtrack as creepy as its visuals, complete with ambient shrieks, moans and a few ethereal laughs. Voice work is also very well done, although it is worth noting that the game's script is a bit on the vulgar side. While I am usually turned off by the over-use of four letter words (just to make it "cool"), the language actually fits within the game's context -- so it works. Still, this may be something you want to keep away from younger ears.
Gameplay: The Suffering opens with Torque being sentenced to death row for the murder of his wife and sons, a crime he doesn't remember committing. After his arrival at Abbott State Penitentiary, the prison is attacked by monsters. During the ensuing chaos, Torque escapes his cell in hope of getting out of the prison alive. Thus the game’s primary focus -- survival. Gameplay is pretty straightforward, blending elements of both action games and survival horror. After his escape, Torque is limited to using a melee weapon to hack away at monsters. As he works his way through the prison, he'll outfit himself with an arsenal of pistols, machine guns, flares and other weapons. Torque can also pick up pills which serve as health power-ups and a flashlight which will help you navigate the dark corridors of the prison. This also lends an additional creep factor to the game when you see shadows darting around you or hear something in one area of the room, only to see nothing there when you shine the light on it. Giving The Suffering an even more supernatural feel is Torque's ability to turn into a brutish monster when his insanity meter fills. The trick with switching to this form is that you must keep an eye on the meter and change back before it runs down, spelling dire consequences for Torque. All of these weapons will certainly come in handy when facing the hordes of enemies the game will throw at you. This is where the game takes more of an action twist, rather than committing itself to the norms of the survival horror genre. Enemies will literally pop-out at you from all sides. Some will even drop out of the sky or from the ground. You're typically given more than enough ammo to deal with whatever situation you may come across, which takes away some of the "fight-or-run" gameplay found in games like Resident Evil. This will undoubtedly appeal to some fans, while it may turn off others -- it is all up to personal preferences. I liked having lots of firepower, but found that it did cause the game to become a little redundant at times. Blast a baddie, blast a baddie, and reload. It is a cycle that can get old without some forms of strategy to think about.
Difficulty: When not fighting through prisons, Torque will also have to solve puzzles, introducing a thinking element to the game. While he'll have to contend with the typical "find the key" or "move the box" puzzles, Torque will also have to make decisions that affect his "standing" within the prison. He can choose to help guards and other prisoners, or shoot them and take their items. These decisions don't make too much of a difference during gameplay, but will influence the ending. Combat is pretty easy to get into, as is most of the game. Vets of action games will, of course, have no problem getting into the action. Casual players and newcomers will face an initial learning curve, but ease their way into gameplay after about an hour. Anyone looking for a tougher game can up the difficulty level, giving you harder monsters and less ammo.
Game Mechanics: Overall, making your way through Abbott State is pretty easy to handle. The game allows you to switch between both first-person and third-person perspective; allowing you to choose which camera works for both your own tastes and the situation. Either camera works for the gameplay (instead of feeling "worked in"), but the third-person view seems to work a little better since you it gives you more viewing area – something that will come in handy when monsters start coming from above and below. All control is handled via the mouse and keyboard. The keyboard lets you move Torque around, as well as giving you hot keys for turning on your flashlight. Turning and fighting are handled with the mouse, as is switching between weapons. The set up is pretty responsive and works. No complaints from this end. While it may buck a few survival horror trends, The Suffering remains a fun game. Action fans will probably like the game just a little more given the repetitive motions of shoot, kill, reload instead of having to think about how to handle situations. Still, survival horror fans will still find enough horror in the game to keep them interested.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
Minimum System Requirements: Pentium 4 2.0GHz processor; 512MB RAM; 64MB DirectX compliant video card; 3D sound card; 52X CD-ROM   Test System: Windows XP; Pentium 4 1.7 GHz; Radeon 9100 128 MB; 40 Gig HD; 640 MB RAM
Final Fantasy XI: Online Madden NFL 2004