A wicked and wild ride.

Another day, another explicit game hits the market. Thankfully for The Suffering, the swearing, gratuitous violence, and gallons of blood aren't the only draws to this fast paced shooter/survival horror title. The game is really suspenseful, scary, and on the brink of psychologically disturbing. You play as Torque, a prisoner who has been sent to the right place at the wrong time. I've heard of hard time before, but never has a prison system gone so array that hoards of ghouls and demons began slaying prisoners and guards alike. It's your job to stay alive, plain and simple. You do come across a great assortment of demon slaying weapons and even the ability to transform into a beast yourself. When the dust settles, most of you will be lying in a corner asking yourself, "What the hell just happened?" or worse yet, "Why are my pants soiled?"

The Suffering's visuals set a dark and eerie tone that would make the Silent Hill creators go "hmmm". The environments are what you would expect by a demon-overthrown prison. They are dark, blood-soaked, and filthy. The game does boast some great dramatic lighting that is well placed, to help the scares work more effectively. Creature design is spectacular. I can't help to think that a huge Clive Barker fan didn't create this game. The enemies are unique and very disproportioned to help give them an even creepier appearance. The main character on the other hand looks like a huge Wolverine fan-boy who has read one too many X-Men comics. For those who wish the game was first person or third, the game actually gives you a choice of either! No camera complaining here folks. Gotta problem with the camera in 3rd person, switch to first. This can all be done on the fly as well. The game moves along very smoothly, even with dozens of enemies vying for a taste of your flesh. Expect plenty of blood, painful death scenes, and a huge body count. The texture quality is the visuals biggest knock, as I would have like to see better bump mapping and detail. Nonetheless the game welcomes you to a place in your mind that few rarely see. For Xbox owners, the game does support Widescreen 480p support, which looks crisp and clean and wickedly beautiful.

To help the visuals along, the game provides a skin crawling soundtrack full of ominous sounds and great voice acting. The developers have done a remarkable job of creating fantastic imagery in sound. The Suffering has a nice gritty soundtrack that is suspiciously quiet in roaming parts, and rocks during the combat scenes. The sense of sinister atmosphere climbs when you hear the voices in your head giving you advice on what to do next. Sound effects are what you'd expect from a title like this. You can expect lots of booms, explosions, growling fiends, and the pleasant squishing of blood and flesh. Toss in some good old voice acting, that not only does a great job of creating that B-horror feeling, but also throws in tons of that B-horror language in for good measure. Yes, all you mommies out there. This title deserves every bit of its mature rating besides blood and gore.

What really keeps The Suffering from scoring an A is the game is so darn linear. Sure you get different endings depending on some choices you make throughout the game, but the game for the majority of it is very straightforward. Pull a switch, solve a puzzle, and shoot the baddie, repeat. Actually, repeat the baddie shooting part mostly as this game, while has puzzle elements, is geared for the shooter fan. What's more, there really isn't too many ingenious ways to deal with your foes either. You basically shoot them, or beat them to a bloody pulp in your transformed monster state. Thankfully the experience and mood of the game make up for the lack of diversity the game offers.

While The Suffering leans more in the direction of mindless shooter than psychological horror game, that doesn't mean the effects, surroundings, and atmosphere won't make you feel like you are in psychosomatic horror game. Think of this game as a survival horror game that allows you to kick ass instead of being a helpless victim who is low on ammo and courage. All in all the game is a blast to play, and if you play it at night, turn the lights off and be careful not to wet yourself...the game is that scary. It's the story; jump scares, and insanity of The Suffering that will keep you coming back for more.