In 2004, The Suffering took its place along-side the big names of the survival horror sagas, such as Silent Hill and Resident Evil.
It told the story of Torque, a man sent to the prison on Carnate Island for the brutal murder of his wife and kids. Due to memory loss and constant blackouts he is still unsure whether he committed those terrible crimes or not.
"Ties that bind" takes off where the first Suffering ended: Torque has escaped from Carnate and has made his way back to Baltimore, his hometown, to find out if the notorious crime lord, Blackmore, was in anyway responsible for his family`s brutal deaths.
The game is rated for mature players and with good reason - it is extremely violent, dark, bloody and not for the skittish.
Gamers who finished the first Suffering will have the choice to continue on the path they completed the first time round.
The game itself hasn`t changed much, except that Torque is out of prison and on the hellish streets of Baltimore.
This time, instead of having an arsenal of weapons at his disposal, Torque can only carry two at a time, which keeps the gamer switching with weapons on the ground and trying to conserve ammo by using melee attacks.
Torque can wield dual weapons; imagine blasting enemies with two sawed off shotguns, or two revolvers.... Oooh the power!
Torque can also carry three types of grenades. This variety of explosives is useful when other ammo is running low and Molotov`s take down special-force humans far better then any other weapon.
As in the previous version, the game follows a linear path, as environments themselves aren`t built for exploring.
Only certain doors will open - Torque just shrugs his shoulders when trying to go somewhere he isn`t supposed to go.
The Torque "insanity metre" plays a vital part in most battles, as most new enemies can only be killed if the metre is full.
Once the insanity metre is full and starts glowing, Torque can transform into his "inner demon" - an unstoppable force of carnage, which demolishes anything in its path!
The game is more focused on the morality system than it was before and all choices made will affect the story and it`s eventual outcome. Players can either play a good, neutral, or bad character.
Helping non-play characters (NPCs) will create a good character and Torque will have a good ending. This will also alter Torque`s inner demon (which turns blue), eventually having special powers of electricity as well as a bladed arm.
If players choose to ignore NPCs and remain neutral, Torque`s ending will be neutral and his inner demon will be yellow.
If players choose an evil character (this is the fun part) by killing everything and everyone in sight, Torque`s inner demon will turn red, comes complete with spikes and horns and special fire attacks. Basically, it is a killing machine, which I wouldn`t want to run into in a dark alley.
The path chosen will depict the amount of horrific visions Torque will see throughout the game. It will also portray how NPCs and other characters relate and act towards Torque.
This time round, the game has a better checkpoint system as well as a save-anywhere feature. Too bad there are annoyingly long load times, especially when fighting a tough enemy that keeps taking Torque down.
Ties that Bind offers the choice between using third or first person views. Both work very well, so I guess it depends on the preference of the player.
Unlike the first game, Torque can no longer carry extra bottles of Xombium (painkillers), so the gamer spends much time running around looking for bottles to heal themselves.
It does become a little unrealistic finding Xombium bottles scattered all over the place, as there can`t be medicine cabinets and lockers all over the city.
While most enemies will be recognisable from the first game, there is also an explosion of newer and even deadlier enemies (like the armoured Slayers, the deadly Gorgers and the horrific Suppressor), which will leave even the most hardcore gamer screaming like a little girl. There is also a special task force that has been called in to deal with Torque and "take him down".
The enemy AI has received an incredible boost, as foes now leap, duck, strafe, cling to walls, and do what is necessary to counter any attack Torque throws their way. While this is impressive in itself, it paradoxically takes the focus away from the scare factor; I found this game wasn`t nearly as scary as the first one.
Graphics have improved slightly from the first game. The blood splattered walls and bodies spewed all over the place really added to the atmosphere of the game.
The camera angles don`t cause many problems, and are actually quite stable. Some areas were a little too well lit at times, and I would have preferred it if the game allowed Torque to rely more on his pocket torch as it did in the first one.
Sounds and voice acting deserve a standing ovation, as they are solid and fit the mood exactly. Moans, screams and enemies can be heard at just the right time to make the gamer want to switch off the game and rather watch something happy.
As a die-hard fan of the first Suffering, I highly recommend this. I give this awesome game an outstanding 9/10.
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