Summer may be a time for blockbuster action movies, but amid all the explosions and fighting sequences, I often find myself craving a good horror flick. Spring and summer video games are much the same way: I’m all for shooters and racers and role-playing games, but there comes a time when I just need a good scare. Unfortunately, most horror-themed games don't release until October or later, so gamers need to sweat out the wait for a frightening good time.
This Halloween, Midway hopes to make that wait worthwhile with a game that will change people’s perception of the action-horror genre. The Suffering is an action-horror title in every sense of the compound modifier. The plot is traditional action fare: Players assume the role of Torque, a maximum-security inmate who finds himself not only fighting to clear his name but also fighting to break out of prison. By most standards, this plot is sufficient for an action game. Midway has introduced a strong horror element, though, in having the prison overrun with murderous apparitions, all of which are modeled after outdated modes of execution.
To boost the fright factor, those monsters have been designed by Stan Winston, the renowned creator of the creepy creatures in movies such as "Aliens," "Predator," "The Terminator" and "Jurassic Park." Having played a recent pre-release build of The Suffering, I can tell you that Winston’s knack for freaky creatures is translating all too well from movies to video games. And they look particularly frightening given their appearance in full HDTV (the game supports 480p, 720p and 1080i).
The best action-horror games scare gamers psychologically as much as they do graphically, and generally speaking, they achieve this through the use of fixed camera angles. Having a fixed camera helps the pacing of the plot by revealing frightening moments at precisely the right time, not unlike a movie does with sudden shots of monsters. Take Clock Tower 3 or Fatal Frame, for instance. Both games had static cameras, and as a result, both included some very cinematic experiences as a result of such "pre-planned" scary moments.
Yet this is where Midway is truly breaking new ground in The Suffering, with the first fully controllable camera to hit the action-horror genre. At first glance this wouldn’t seem to inspire much action, but because the developers have relinquished control of the viewpoint to gamers, they’ve had to program monsters to appear from every conceivable angle. This leads to the unintended side effect of the game feeling action-packed, because players must move the camera around on a regular basis to make sure they’re not being hunted.
The moveable camera has also allowed Midway to include more monsters in general, because rather than playing in two dimensions with a static camera, the environments have as much depth as a traditional third-person shooter, with enemies around every explorable corner. While these "interactive" monsters provide the action, though, it’s the monster-related scripted events that give the game its psychological bend.
For example, at several points you will turn a corner and see monsters dragging a fallen guard into a heating duct. Or enter a room where two different monster species are fighting amongst themselves. Or look down at a security monitor where you see yourself - and a monster creeping up behind you. Naturally, you’ll frantically click out of the "view" mode and swing back to the action to defend yourself, but the monster may not necessarily be there.
You see, The Suffering includes what can best be described as a sanity meter. Throughout the game, as Torque battles unimaginable creatures as well as his own demons, players will see certain apparitions that have little impact on the game but all sorts of an impact on their sense of what’s real. In some cases these apparitions will foreshadow future events or give clues about the crime Torque is accused of committing. In others, these apparitions will turn all-too-real, bringing gamers back to the frantic action. Like the best horror movies, The Suffering keeps players on their toes, ever cautious about what lurks just around the corner.
What would the classic shower scene in "Psycho" have been without the screeching music? In a word, mundane. Likewise, The Suffering is aptly supported by a host of mood-setting environmental effects, all of which are reproduced in full Dolby Digital surround sound. The voice acting of the characters is also well done, with screams for help and frantic conversations all believably acted. It’s worth noting, though, that the script writers had no qualms about using the colorful language you’d expect from a maximum-security prison under duress. Consequently, The Suffering is definitely not a game you’ll want your kids playing at their Halloween slumber party.
The Suffering’s final genre-bending aspect is almost role-playing in nature: the ending will change depending upon how you play the game. Interact with non-playable characters "honorably," and Torque will be acquitted of his crime. Interact with them "heartlessly," and Torque will be found guilty on all counts. All told, the game will have three unique endings, which will ensure the game’s 15 to 20 hours of once-through play will be more than sufficient to fill your action-horror cravings.
With insanity-induced transformations, 10-plus weapons and a fully controllable camera, The Suffering nails the "action" part of "action-horror." With surround-sound support, more gore than I’ve seen in years and indoor and outdoor prison settings in line with Hollywood’s darkest locales, the game also delivers on the "horror" part of the genre. Halloween may seem like a long time off, but The Suffering is shaping up to make the wait more than worth the wait.
