Scariest Survival Horror You'll Ever Play
By James Apr 15, 2007
Pros: The story, the voice acting, gameplay. This is how a survival horror/thriller is supposed to be made
Cons: Graphics are sometimes a little bit TOO dark...
This is one of those games that will scare you even if you have all the lights on. It puts Resident Evil 4 to shame in terms of the suspense, not just due to the creepy monsters surprise entrances, but the music & sound. This game plays like a suspen...se thriller you've seen on TV, except you're controlling the character. You play a character named Torque who was convicted of killing his ex-wife and their two children. All of the evidence was circumstantial, but his defense was that he blacked out and couldn't remember a thing. Consequently, he is sentenced to death by lethal injection. One of the great things about the story is that you never really know if Torque was really guilty or not. The truth depends on how you play the game. There are three different endings. Which ending you see depends on how you interacted with others throughout the game. Did you help them, kill them, or do a little of both? The game plays like a first person shooter like doom, quake, halo...with the exception that this one actually has a story. You can do many of the same things that you can do in other 1st person shooters, and you can find an assortment of weapons, items, and healing agents to help you through each level. There is also an option to change the camera to a 3rd person view. Believe me, it's better in 1st person because you have better control in a fight and the game is more realistic. The graphics are done well...perhaps too well at times. The game is supposed to be dark; so, it is reasonable to assume that there will be plenty of dimly lit areas in the game. Some of the areas, however, are TOO dark though. Fortunately, you can find flashlights (w/ plenty of batteries to power them) and flares to light your way. The graphics slow down a bit when fighting multiple enemies, but you'll be fighting during those times; you'll barely notice the slow down. The audio is flat-out creepy...and I mean that in the best possible sense. In the Resident Evil series, you only got freaked out when a monster suprised you, but not in the Suffering. Remember how I said earlier that Torque "blacked out" and couldn't remember anything about his family's murder? Well, that whole "black out" thing is a focal point of the entire game. Among the various weapons Torque has at his disposal, he can turn into a huge beast when his insanity meter becomes full. You don't have this ability on the first level; that's the introductory level. Starting with level 2, you meet some of the main characters in the game. In addition, you start getting these weird visions pop up on the screen. Some of them occur when you hit a trigger, such as opening a door into small office-type room. However, there are others that just happen for no reason at all while your walking. This is when the suspense hits you like a hammer. It's freaky enough when the vision flashes and makes a screechy noise, but the vision itself is disturbing. It's up to you to figure out what the visions mean...if anything. The game has some interesting extras as well. There is a "making of" documentary for the game as well as a documentary for the real-life prison that the prison in this game is based off of. Even if you don't believe in ghosts and spirits, it's an interesting documentary to say the least. The best extra, however, is the addition of a new level that serves as a prologue for the game. The game can now be bought new for $10 - $15. I highly recommend playing it. It's the epitome of what the survival horror genre is supposed to be; however, this game is extremely controversial based on its content both visual and audio. This is one game where the mature rating is probably an understatement. If you love survival horrors...and you don't have kids, then turn out all your lights (better yet, wait until midnight first) and have the greatest scare you'll ever enjoy. Read more Less
