The Suffering is a game that would fall into the rather successful niche created by games like the Resident Evil and Fatal Frame series, but with one sick little twist.  This game takes psychological horror gaming to a sick and rather twisted new level.

In the game you play as Torque, who has just been sent to Carnate Prison, one of the worst penitentaries in the world.  Torque was sent there for the brutal murder of his wife and two children but has absolutely no memory of the crime.  On the day Torque arrives at Carnate, an earthquake occurs that seemingly has opened the door to a hellish gateway that unleashes demonic creatures based on the various methods that were used to kill the prisoners of Carnate.  Your task: kill whatever gets in your way (human, creature or otherwise) and learn the awful truth of Carnate while escaping the hellhole, figuring out why you have a mysterious ability to transform into a monster (more on that later), and learning if you really WERE responsible for your family's deaths.

Throughout the game you will encounter creatures that represent the various ways of dying in and/or escaping from prison, including creatures with blades for hands and feet (knife/shiv attack), beasts with needles in their backs and eyes (lethal injection) or guns on their backs (firing squad), creatures with half a body that drop from the ceiling with nooses around their neck (hanging), creatures that burrow underground (digging out) and one boss that has a particular affinity for-and is made nearly entirely of-poison gas (gas chamber).

SO how are you going to fight them?  Luckily for you you will run into a nice little assortment of weapons to use like a shiv, shotguns, Tommy gun (machine gun used by gangsters in the 1930s), revolvers, a dual revolver set, grenades, TNT, Molotov cocktails, and more.  But what if you're in a bit of a jam and your weapon's not helping?

Well you have a little something that is called an Insanity Meter that can help.  For each monster that you kill your meter will grow. If you just happen to kill a lot of mosnters in any area, Torque and his weapon will be virtually splattered with blood from the attack. When the meter is flashing, press one button and Torque transforms into a monster that can tear through enemies and shake things up if you need to.  Keep in mind that you will have to play in certain ways and do certain things to get one of the game's 3 possible endings.

This game is definitely not for kids since there is a lot of bloody violence, seriously disturbing imagery and a lot of swearing.  The graphics are pretty good, even if it is a dark and slightly moody atmosphere for the game.  But another fun aspect of the game is that the shooting allows you to switch at random from third-person (which you are in most of the game) to first-person at the touch of a button.  Additionally as I was playing the game I couldn't help of think of a rather obvious pun while playing...(Hell in Carnate/Hell Incarnate)

All in all, this is a game that a lot of gamers slept on initially, but now that its available for $20 this is a good time if you're not too happy with how Resident Evil: Outbreak was (I know I wasn't) and have your reservations on Resident Evil: Outbreak File #2.  So get set to (literally) raise a little hell and unleash The Suffering...
The Suffering is a game that would fall into the rather successful niche created by games like the Resident Evil and Fatal Frame series, but with one sick little twist. This game takes psychological horror gaming to a sick and rather twisted new level. In the game you play as Torque, who has just been sent to Carnate Prison, one of the worst penitentaries in the world. Torque was sent there for the brutal murder of his wife and two children but has absolutely no memory of the crime. On the day Torque arrives at Carnate, an earthquake occurs that seemingly has opened the door to a hellish gateway that unleashes demonic creatures based on the various methods that were used to kill the prisoners of Carnate. Your task: kill whatever gets in your way (human, creature or otherwise) and learn the awful truth of Carnate while escaping the hellhole, figuring out why you have a mysterious ability to transform into a monster (more on that later), and learning if you really WERE responsible for your family's deaths. Throughout the game you will encounter creatures that represent the various ways of dying in and/or escaping from prison, including creatures with blades for hands and feet (knife/shiv attack), beasts with needles in their backs and eyes (lethal injection) or guns on their backs (firing squad), creatures with half a body that drop from the ceiling with nooses around their neck (hanging), creatures that burrow underground (digging out) and one boss that has a particular affinity for-and is made nearly entirely of-poison gas (gas chamber). SO how are you going to fight them? Luckily for you you will run into a nice little assortment of weapons to use like a shiv, shotguns, Tommy gun (machine gun used by gangsters in the 1930s), revolvers, a dual revolver set, grenades, TNT, Molotov cocktails, and more. But what if you're in a bit of a jam and your weapon's not helping? Well you have a little something that is called an Insanity Meter that can help. For each monster that you kill your meter will grow. If you just happen to kill a lot of mosnters in any area, Torque and his weapon will be virtually splattered with blood from the attack. When the meter is flashing, press one button and Torque transforms into a monster that can tear through enemies and shake things up if you need to. Keep in mind that you will have to play in certain ways and do certain things to get one of the game's 3 possible endings. This game is definitely not for kids since there is a lot of bloody violence, seriously disturbing imagery and a lot of swearing. The graphics are pretty good, even if it is a dark and slightly moody atmosphere for the game. But another fun aspect of the game is that the shooting allows you to switch at random from third-person (which you are in most of the game) to first-person at the touch of a button. Additionally as I was playing the game I couldn't help of think of a rather obvious pun while playing... (Hell in Carnate/Hell Incarnate)

All in all, this is a game that a lot of gamers slept on initially, but now that its available for $20 this is a good time if you're not too happy with how Resident Evil: Outbreak was (I know I wasn't) and have your reservations on Resident Evil: Outbreak File #2. So get set to (literally) raise a little hell and unleash The Suffering...