The Suffering

 Xbox
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 28 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 28
  3. Negative: 2 out of 28
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  1. coolgames101
    Jun 11, 2011
    3
    okay, lets just get one thing straight. THANK GOD that whoever made this knew what he was doing. this game was full of jump scares (which i usually hate because they are so predictable) that actually scared me. which is rare! now, these scares that we are talking here were very few, and weren't as impacting as scares from the silent hill series (which i dearly love.) but still deserveokay, lets just get one thing straight. THANK GOD that whoever made this knew what he was doing. this game was full of jump scares (which i usually hate because they are so predictable) that actually scared me. which is rare! now, these scares that we are talking here were very few, and weren't as impacting as scares from the silent hill series (which i dearly love.) but still deserve credit. the story was great, scratch that, excellent. and the monsters were psychodelic, and the action flowed pretty well. (except at the common "where the **** do i go moments"). now lets get to the bad things about the game, and the only reasons that the game gets the score it does. i felt that the fact you could turn into a monster was ****ing ridiculous! i felt that the way you could do that was cheating. alot of the jump scares involved an ink blot, or a badly drawn picture flashing across the screen, and get anoying when i'm trying to shotgun a whole army of damn mother ****ing **** monsters! there are three endings (not telling what they are) and two of them are very closely resembling, and makes me feel that the game designers were getting lazy. now, i like this game about as much as i like RE 0, i didn't really enjoy it at the most times. the plot was forcing itself upon the player, and i couldn't really decipher if he really had committed the murder or not. the parts that i couldn't figure out where to go just were out there all the time, and weren't as fun as silent hill, because silent hill wasn't even action oriented! and this was, so the puzzles ruined it like in God Of War **** That Game) and at least in silent hill and resident evil it made sense for there to be puzzles because they weren't as action oriented as the suffering, and when i play a game that has a whole bunch of action, that is soon replaced with a puzzle like a rubix cube with a million sides, with a million little squares on each side. so in other words, if you absolutly adored the crapstock known as god of war , than this is that, except with less shouting, and more guns.â… Expand
  2. AT
    Aug 4, 2004
    9
    REal scary and great use of sound.
  3. MichaelC.
    Feb 5, 2004
    9
    I played the demo level and I was pretty blown away. I was expecting another third-person shooter with some boring little box puzzles. What I got was one of the most sadistic, heart-pounding shooters I've played in a while. Take Max Payne, add a somewhat intriguing story, better graphics, 10 times the blood and gore, and the most terrifying environment you can imagine, and this is I played the demo level and I was pretty blown away. I was expecting another third-person shooter with some boring little box puzzles. What I got was one of the most sadistic, heart-pounding shooters I've played in a while. Take Max Payne, add a somewhat intriguing story, better graphics, 10 times the blood and gore, and the most terrifying environment you can imagine, and this is The Suffering.… Expand
  4. JoshuaD.
    Mar 7, 2004
    10
    The most gruesome game ever, but yet the COOLEST, SICKEST game ever. You have to have it!
  5. ChrisD.
    Apr 6, 2004
    8
    Genuinely frightening. Immersive environment (eerie sound effects, gruesome visuals). Gameplay is not overly difficult but does provide a certain amount of challenge at times. Great game to play if you want to be freaked out.
  6. BobL.
    Apr 7, 2004
    9
    It can scare the hell out of you. It must be played in the dark and in 5.1 surround. You won't be disappointed!!!!!
  7. PIRANHAG.
    Dec 3, 2003
    8
    I´ve already played a bit of the game, not gonna say how... and i´m impressed...But graphics need big time improvement.
  8. MichaelM.
    Feb 22, 2004
    10
    This game has great potential. when bodies are thrown threw windows and monsters jump from know where and scare the hell out of you, you know it is a good game. NOTE: even better if played with dolby digital 5.1 and turn that stereo up baby, yeah!!!
  9. EWWS
    Mar 23, 2004
    10
    It's the best.
  10. Uter
    Mar 28, 2004
    8
    It's a good horror game, but don't believe people if they tell you it's better than resident evil 1 on gc. Those people obviously don't own a gc :P
  11. JamesH.
    Aug 23, 2004
    8
    Dark, Sinister and surreal. The Suffering manages to create an atmosphere of nervy tension as you explore the dark and depraved reaches of Carnate prison. The game has a balance of puzzle-solving and shooter action which is weighted to the latter. There are also several opportunities in the game to buddy-up with other escaped inmates or guards. Those that wish to trigger the Dark, Sinister and surreal. The Suffering manages to create an atmosphere of nervy tension as you explore the dark and depraved reaches of Carnate prison. The game has a balance of puzzle-solving and shooter action which is weighted to the latter. There are also several opportunities in the game to buddy-up with other escaped inmates or guards. Those that wish to trigger the 'good' ending must work with these NPCs and keep them alive. Those that want to get the 'bad' ending should kill them indiscriminately. The game is relatively short and re-play value is limited (I didn't even play through twice) as its playability lies in the fear of the unknown. As other reviews have pointed out, the intensity and fear factor of The Suffering drops off towards the end of the game. However, overall its a great game and well worth renting at least. … Expand
  12. IliyunH.
    Apr 21, 2005
    9
    This was a Fantastic game. It's fear factor was head and above anything else I've played. This game personifies the REAL REASON why i got into the Resident Evil series. Which compared to this Title is very tame. I can't wait for the sequel !
  13. KainaniA.
    Feb 27, 2004
    10
    The Suffering is an action horror game that is amaazing with the graphics and is fun to play.You also have a choice of a first person or third person shooter.I give this a 10 bigtime and its fun to play because you dont know what is going to come out of a corner.I played th demo level and i say that if people are going to buy it then ask your parents because it is a gore fest with off the The Suffering is an action horror game that is amaazing with the graphics and is fun to play.You also have a choice of a first person or third person shooter.I give this a 10 bigtime and its fun to play because you dont know what is going to come out of a corner.I played th demo level and i say that if people are going to buy it then ask your parents because it is a gore fest with off the wall profanity.… Expand
  14. solo-kreep
    Nov 16, 2013
    10
    when i buy new releases now in 2013, it just dont feel the same as 10 or 11 years ago to have a brand new xbox or ps2 buying suffering or red faction 2. games nowadays are cool, but they just wont ever have that one satisfaction as a good classic like this.
  15. AmadeusE
    Jan 12, 2021
    9
    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. ThisGreat 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.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

58
#58 Best Xbox Game of 2004
36
#36 Most Discussed Xbox Game of 2004
39
#39 Most Shared Xbox Game of 2004

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 44 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 44
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 44
  3. Negative: 1 out of 44
  1. Xbox Nation Magazine
    70
    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.
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  2. Edge Magazine
    60
    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]
  3. Thunderbolt
    60
    Ultimately, The Suffering tries a lot of different things, but it doesn't really do any one thing strongly enough to stand out.
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