The Suffering

I still am a very big gamer and I always seem to make time where ever and whenever possible to play although its I don't play as I used to due to other various commitments but still my fondness for the escapism of computer games has not faded and what an excellent way to mark my return to the world of computer games with The Suffering!

Being a huge fan of survival horror genre with the likes of Resident Evil and Silent Hill it was going to be difficult for something to come up close and match the high level of atmosphere and game play, and I was glad to see that The Suffering delivers on many levels.

Players will assume the lead role of Torque an inmate sent to the infamous and remote barren Prison Island called Carnate, he has been sentenced to death for the murder of his wife and children , the action then picks up for there as you are swung into a nightmare world and take control of the hard as nails Torque. The game receives a lot of praise from me for capture of the grim and depressing place that is the island it-self along with an explanation to its rather colourful past. There are truly some jump out at you moments with scare and atmosphere all the way along to keep you going further. The game captures this Silent Hill/The Shining atmosphere well in some places and a Resident Evil theme in the other and carriers that well so the player never really does get bored.

The faults I would have to say start with the graphics which seem a little like PS 1 graphics in most places and the controls really do taking some used to (can't tell you how many times I blew my-self up when I was just trying to jump) but if you put the effort in you get used to them in no time. Also game play can be a little bit tedious in most places with a bit of repetitiveness but having said that you never truly do feel like turning your console off because the scary atmosphere keeps you going.

The game took my 4-5 nights of serious game play and believe me it is great playing at nights in a dark room! Players should also remember that the endings are determined by your behaviour and choices during the game. To sum it up The Suffering is what a computer should be about - entertainment and escapism and this delivers more than that as it also has a few themes tied behind it, my only regret is that I checked out a little too late . I am also aware that there is a sequel called Ties That Bind and a movie is in the works so I am looking forward to both , highly recommended and worth a look at.

THE SUFFERING : 8.6 OUT OF 10

PRISON IS HELL!!!

I work at an EB Games store and we had received the new Xbox magazine with the demo discs. One of the demo's happened to be The Suffering. I'll tell ya, for the brief 15-20 minutes the demo gave you to play, it was damn scary stuff. The atmosphere was creepy, the monsters scare the crap out of you, the noises would startle anyone, and the voices in your characters head will send chills up your spine. I am definately going to get this one when it is released.

I will not tell u again how great the game is. The previous reviews have covered that already and i completely agree. Its been a long time since i was drawn into such a dark atmosphere. Hardcore game with lot of violence (but u get that in most of games nowadays) What makes it special is the sound and the dialogs. I was surprised by the profanity and the bad words (in how many games have u heard the word co*k?).

And a strange coincident. I finished the game yesterday and just finished watching the movie "Beyond Reanimator" (2003). It is obvious that the game draws its inspiration from that movie. Some of the monsters, the lethal ejections, the electric chamber, the doctor.....yes its all in beyond reanimator :) excellent movie by the way (in its genre)

Great game. A gem from the Golden Age of gaming. I love that it comes with all kinds of extra content too. Reading material, trailers(love when games came with trailers for other games back in the time), behind the scenes(which more games should come with) and even a very interesting documentary about old prisons, which talks about history, living conditions and how they're haunted. This is amazing. I love when games were made with love and passion, and packed with all kinds of extra content. Made for more intelligent people, not just soulless products churned out for sheep to eat up.

Take Silent Hill, add Beyond Reanimator with the nickname "Rebirth power", add a lot of horror survival, some cliché "cute little girl wants to play" horror, and the result is a wonderful fast but repetitive and short Survival Horror TPS/FPS. The actual plot changes the way you finish it, and if you don't know how you are, you can track down your character's soul alignment from the family picture.

The cleaner it is, the better you are. I don't want to add more as it would be spoiler, but I advise fans of such games to get and play it. IT is a game worth playing at least once.

Annoying Problems: Grenades aren't worth much in more difficult modes than Easy. Game sometimes crashes, so save often. Rhombium heals less in easy mode, so do monsters hurt less, so difficulty level only defines maximum health and monster health.