The Suffering

This is a game that needs to be played on Surround Sound (Pro Logic) or with a good set of headphones. It needs to be loud in the room, and it needs to be dark. It should be like any good horror movie.

The ability to play through the game in the first person viewpoint really does kick up the immersion and suspense factor, as you lose the vision of your sides and immediately behind you that you have in third person view.

Multiple endings, strategy behind weapons, smooth gameplay, and a terrifying experience make The Suffering one of the biggest surprises of the year. [Apr 2004, p.9]

The game just hooks you from the beginning and never lets go.

Send the kids to Grandma's or tell your squeamish friends to stay at home, put out the cat, lock the doors, turn out the lights, and prepare to creep yourself out.

Much like "Undying," this game will probably be best remembered for its audio…for that alone it deserves kudos. Anything that can freak me out like this game gets my vote of confidence.

While the details and rendering of Torque and the other main characters such as Dr. Killjoy, Hermes, and most of the monsters are done very well, some of the other enemies and NPCs (non playable characters) suffer a bit from lack of detail.

To top things off, you can switch from third-person to first-person view whenever you want. You'll swear you're playing two different games depending on the view.

Yes, The Suffering is one downright frightening game, taking you for a long-lasting and not-for-the-weak-of-heart horror ride that is scarily enjoyable right from the start until it regrettably loses steam in its latter stages.

The action is intense, the creatures are actually creepy, and the story does not shy away from truly macabre elements. One cannot say enough about the horrific world that's been created here.

The actual pacing of the game may be a mixed bag, but one thing is always consistent - fear. In the end, The Suffering is a very good, albeit short, game that is as impressive as it is fun.

It's low level of frustration, great controls and creepy atmosphere are almost certain to please survival horror fans.

While The Suffering hits a bulls eye in almost every cinematic category, it misses the mark in a few of the areas which make a good game, namely unique gameplay and high resolution graphics.

But the other half of Torque's persona are the things he sees, the visions he has, the carnage he dreams about. This is what got me...Trust me, it's un-nerving.

The idea of your alter ego, if you can call it that, could've been expanded further, and the selection of monsters could've been richer.

If you think Peter Jackson's true masterpiece is "Dead Alive," you'll be right at home with The Suffering. [Apr 2004, p.90]

A surprising twist to the horror genre. With extremely creative monsters, an unique setting and quite a bit of replayability, The Suffering provides a sense of where the survival horror game could be going within future titles.

Think of this game as a survival horror game that allows you to kick ass instead of being a helpless victim who is low on ammo and courage.

It's the quiet moments that scare the most. The horrors that the monsters bring can at least be fought, but the silence... it is... unstoppable. It cuts through your psyche like a knife through flesh, fueling your hallucinations and driving up your insanity.

Hollywood creature designer Stan Winston lends his psychotic imagination to all of the monstrosities that pop up in the game. Instead of coming from obvious spawning points, creatures emerge from nearly any surface. The technique effectively adds dread to normally benign environments we haven't experienced since our days in the Boy Scouts.

Cool game play mechanics and heaps of atmosphere.

Though the game relies heavily on cheap scares, it's a refreshing take on horror-themed games. It's also a bit longer than you'd expect from a straightforward action game, though the increased length is offset by an overall lack of variety.

If you're a fan of action, blood and gore, then this game deserves a spin.

The shooting can become a little repetitive at times but I'm guessing the average gamer will be able to look beyond this for the sheer enjoyment of the rest of the game.

Incorporates elements of several different games to create a masterpiece. Other than the issue of the mediocre difficulty level, this game bundles up for assured fun for any Xbox owner looking for a fright.

A welcome new twist on the stale survival-horror genre, the Suffering's disturbing unreality makes the prison in "Oz" look like summer camp.

It's faster and nastier than most of the kindred of "Resident Evil" at the cost of losing a bit of edge. [May 2004, p.71]

Told in fragments along the way, the story resolves differently, depending on whether you torture and kill other humans or help them survive. Either way, the eerie atmosphere will scare you straighter than an "Oz" box set.

Incorporates harsh violence, language, and imagery into a much darker, nastier action/horror title that takes its subject matter and protagonist seriously for a change...The Suffering offers a good mix of the violent, the visceral, and the visionary.

The end result is a much more action-packed experience that might be a little too straightforward in spots, but it does make for a solid action game.

The lethal-injection-wielding beastie and other gruesome monsters were designed by movie F/X guru Stan Winston. Luckily, you can transform into a hulking beast when the prison yard gets too crowded. Dead man morphing! [Feb 2004, p.32]

It's offensive, psyche-damaging, brutal, makes no sense, and is unforgiving and violent. And damn good fun.

The game can be thrilling, poorly executed, compelling, expertly crafted and everything in between. [Apr 2004, p.54]

Straighforward, visceral fun that may not be Oscar-worthy in the plot department, but provides plenty of popcorn-munching matinee-style entertainment for the over-17 crowd. [May 2004, p.72]

It's above-average stuff, certainly, but spotty writing and voice acting pothole the story. Still, despite its flaws, Suffering remains an enjoyable and surprisingly compelling blastathon.

Whilst it's not your traditional survival horror the addition of high-suspense action is a welcome breath of fresh air. If you're looking to be scared it will do the job.

The repetition and the lack of variety, of entering one room that is simply is a replica of the last, may well get the better of you. The name isn't indicative of the game, but for excitement and real horror The Suffering just lacks that killer touch. [XBM]

The story loses steam about two-thirds of the way through; solving puzzles, which are few and far between, requires little brainpower; and it's far to easy to survive your sentence with so much free ammo and health lying around. [May 2004, p.86]

Had the level design have been a touch more ingenious, and the creatures exhibited more guile, this could have been memorable. [June 2004, p.106]

Ultimately, The Suffering tries a lot of different things, but it doesn't really do any one thing strongly enough to stand out.

The learning curve is gentle, the controls simple to master, but there's little new here.

The game's frequent puzzles also range from simplistic to mildly frustrating. Fortunately, you'll be finished with the game in a weekend.