The Suffering: Ties That Bind
Posted October 21, 2005
Survival horror games have been coming out in droves lately, and the sequels and imitators that decent series spawn are making the whole genre seem washed up and a little boring. Midway realized this last year when the released the The Suffering, a no nonsense action horror game that ratcheted up the creepy factor by taking out deepest fears and turning them into some of the most bizarre and quite disturbing things seen in a game in a long while.
The Suffering: Ties that Bind is a follow-up that starts literally seconds after the first story ends, and for those who played through the first you will be treated to an opening cinema based on your alignment from your saved game.
Torque has just made it off of Carnate Island, locale of the first game, but then is captured by the Coast Guard and after a short cinema, the game begins. Torque is not a good man by any means, as the reason he was incarcerated in the first place was he was convicted of killing his wife and sons. In The Ties that Bind, Torque has to confront more of his personal demons throughout the city in which he lived, as well as deal with some of the inner demons that the city itself has; ranging from the Reverend who fed his congregation the most unholy of meals, to the public lynching in the streets of Baltimore.
The initial startup of Ties that Bind was an almost overwhelming experience, with images flashing onscreen and voices filling the rooms at a breakneck pace. The disorientation that occurs actually helped bring me more into the game as I felt as confused and broken as I am sure Torque is meant to be. But after the initial shock of what I was seeing wore off, Ties turned into a fairly enjoyable action game that kept me on my toes throughout.
Gameplay:
Ties that Bind, like The Suffering before it relies heavily on action to propel the game and story forward. There won't be much need for hunting for keys or typewriter ribbons when you've got your trusty sawed off shotgun and rusty pipe with you. As you make your way through the city you'll run into countless demons that you engage and sub sequentially dispose of. Shortly into the game you learn that by vanquishing these foes, Torque loses a bit of sanity and a meter fills which when full allows Torque to transform into a hulking demon himself. When in demon form, Torque is a brute who can slaughter anything he wishes with one swipe or impale baddies on his bladed arm. Choices you make throughout the game dictate your moral alignment in the game, and as you progress through the morality scale, your demonic form changes and upgrades in its attack strength.
As you work your way through the levels in the game you’ll also encounter some other choices that you'll need to make, such as should I help the Junkie back to his room, or should I splatter his addicted flesh and bone on the wall behind him. Choices like this will not only help strengthen your demonic form, but will also dictate which of the multiple endings you'll receive when you finish the game.
Aside from blasting your way through the story with its seemingly endless supply of machine guns and ammunition, you'll be required to do some light puzzle work, such as throwing switches in the correct order and reaching a hatch before the water level in it drops too much.
Controlling Torque and his demon comes very naturally to anyone who's played a FPS on the Xbox. One control stick for movement and the other to control aim, nothing groundbreaking or overly exciting in this first or third person shooter when it comes to controls.
Graphics:
Ties that Bind looks almost exactly like its predecessor, and really it's not too bad of a thing that this is so. Sure some character models are a little blocky and animation is jittery, but that really helps add to the feeling of unease and despair that is so prevalent throughout this game. In game flashbacks are a unique watermark like effect with the action onscreen slowing dramatically while the cut scene takes place within the same field of vision though slightly transparent. Official cut scenes use the in game graphics but add an old school film like filter to add a level grittiness that is akin to movies like 8mm and Se7en.
As the game progresses and Torque blasts thought he cities demons they become more and more disgusting and Torque himself becomes covered with the blood of humans and demons alike. Demons from the original Suffering make appearances here, but some in slightly modified forms to make them fit the motives of the city which they inhabit. For example, the Mainliner makes a repeat appearance, but this time it hurls syringes at you, more like a drug pusher on the streets instead of a drug abuser. Graphically, the demons are very nicely drawn, in a revolting sort of way. Humanlike torsos with severed heads with blades for arms and feet never looked so real! Even the impossibly spider like Triggerman representing the street violence with its bullet mangled body and limbs that have weapons grown into the flesh.
The level of detail in the graphics really helps add to the creepy feel throughout the game; it's a little unnerving to be walking down a deserted hallway littered with headless bodies and blood splatter covering walls and ceilings. Now imagine wandering down this hallway in pitch black, with nothing but the fire from the muzzle of your gun and a dying flashlight. Yeah, it's a little tense at times.
Audio:
Ties really shines in the audio department, especially for those who play with a surround sound system. Because Torque is such a tortured soul, he is haunted by voiced of his inner demons which are nicely directed to the surround speakers along with a ton of ambient sound effects. There were times where I'd literally have to pause the game and get my bearings because of the overload of audio stimuli.
It goes without saying that the sound effects in this game are great, each weapon type packed a unique punch and for the most part the voice over work was done very well. Actors Michael Clarke Duncan and Rachel Griffiths turn in fairly good performances in their roles in Ties, and help add an extra level of professionalism to this title.
Conclusion:
If it ain't broke why fix it. The Ties that Bind follows the same formula that helped make The Suffering a hit. While not offering much variation in gameplay other than run-n-gun, the multiple endings and moral choices you make through the game help add to the replay value, plus the four levels of difficulty will be sure to challenge even the most hardened horror vet out there. At this point, I would recommend this game.
However, for those who continue reading, the rating will be dropped down to Rent It simply because of a variety of sometimes Tourette worthy fits of rage caused by bugs that should not have made their way into the game. Way more often than I'd like to admit, I found Torque locked up on an invisible barrier in a room; and No, there was nothing else around me when the lockup occurred. Other times Torque would blend into an object or wall and again become locked with no way to unlock myself other than a reset. Bugs like this aren't acceptable in a game, especially one that kept me entertained as much as Ties that Bind did once I made it through the mind fogging opening.
The Suffering: Ties that Bind is a follow-up that starts literally seconds after the first story ends, and for those who played through the first you will be treated to an opening cinema based on your alignment from your saved game.
Torque has just made it off of Carnate Island, locale of the first game, but then is captured by the Coast Guard and after a short cinema, the game begins. Torque is not a good man by any means, as the reason he was incarcerated in the first place was he was convicted of killing his wife and sons. In The Ties that Bind, Torque has to confront more of his personal demons throughout the city in which he lived, as well as deal with some of the inner demons that the city itself has; ranging from the Reverend who fed his congregation the most unholy of meals, to the public lynching in the streets of Baltimore.
The initial startup of Ties that Bind was an almost overwhelming experience, with images flashing onscreen and voices filling the rooms at a breakneck pace. The disorientation that occurs actually helped bring me more into the game as I felt as confused and broken as I am sure Torque is meant to be. But after the initial shock of what I was seeing wore off, Ties turned into a fairly enjoyable action game that kept me on my toes throughout.
Gameplay:
Ties that Bind, like The Suffering before it relies heavily on action to propel the game and story forward. There won't be much need for hunting for keys or typewriter ribbons when you've got your trusty sawed off shotgun and rusty pipe with you. As you make your way through the city you'll run into countless demons that you engage and sub sequentially dispose of. Shortly into the game you learn that by vanquishing these foes, Torque loses a bit of sanity and a meter fills which when full allows Torque to transform into a hulking demon himself. When in demon form, Torque is a brute who can slaughter anything he wishes with one swipe or impale baddies on his bladed arm. Choices you make throughout the game dictate your moral alignment in the game, and as you progress through the morality scale, your demonic form changes and upgrades in its attack strength.
As you work your way through the levels in the game you’ll also encounter some other choices that you'll need to make, such as should I help the Junkie back to his room, or should I splatter his addicted flesh and bone on the wall behind him. Choices like this will not only help strengthen your demonic form, but will also dictate which of the multiple endings you'll receive when you finish the game.
Aside from blasting your way through the story with its seemingly endless supply of machine guns and ammunition, you'll be required to do some light puzzle work, such as throwing switches in the correct order and reaching a hatch before the water level in it drops too much.
Controlling Torque and his demon comes very naturally to anyone who's played a FPS on the Xbox. One control stick for movement and the other to control aim, nothing groundbreaking or overly exciting in this first or third person shooter when it comes to controls.
Graphics:
Ties that Bind looks almost exactly like its predecessor, and really it's not too bad of a thing that this is so. Sure some character models are a little blocky and animation is jittery, but that really helps add to the feeling of unease and despair that is so prevalent throughout this game. In game flashbacks are a unique watermark like effect with the action onscreen slowing dramatically while the cut scene takes place within the same field of vision though slightly transparent. Official cut scenes use the in game graphics but add an old school film like filter to add a level grittiness that is akin to movies like 8mm and Se7en.
As the game progresses and Torque blasts thought he cities demons they become more and more disgusting and Torque himself becomes covered with the blood of humans and demons alike. Demons from the original Suffering make appearances here, but some in slightly modified forms to make them fit the motives of the city which they inhabit. For example, the Mainliner makes a repeat appearance, but this time it hurls syringes at you, more like a drug pusher on the streets instead of a drug abuser. Graphically, the demons are very nicely drawn, in a revolting sort of way. Humanlike torsos with severed heads with blades for arms and feet never looked so real! Even the impossibly spider like Triggerman representing the street violence with its bullet mangled body and limbs that have weapons grown into the flesh.
The level of detail in the graphics really helps add to the creepy feel throughout the game; it's a little unnerving to be walking down a deserted hallway littered with headless bodies and blood splatter covering walls and ceilings. Now imagine wandering down this hallway in pitch black, with nothing but the fire from the muzzle of your gun and a dying flashlight. Yeah, it's a little tense at times.
Audio:
Ties really shines in the audio department, especially for those who play with a surround sound system. Because Torque is such a tortured soul, he is haunted by voiced of his inner demons which are nicely directed to the surround speakers along with a ton of ambient sound effects. There were times where I'd literally have to pause the game and get my bearings because of the overload of audio stimuli.
It goes without saying that the sound effects in this game are great, each weapon type packed a unique punch and for the most part the voice over work was done very well. Actors Michael Clarke Duncan and Rachel Griffiths turn in fairly good performances in their roles in Ties, and help add an extra level of professionalism to this title.
Conclusion:
If it ain't broke why fix it. The Ties that Bind follows the same formula that helped make The Suffering a hit. While not offering much variation in gameplay other than run-n-gun, the multiple endings and moral choices you make through the game help add to the replay value, plus the four levels of difficulty will be sure to challenge even the most hardened horror vet out there. At this point, I would recommend this game.
However, for those who continue reading, the rating will be dropped down to Rent It simply because of a variety of sometimes Tourette worthy fits of rage caused by bugs that should not have made their way into the game. Way more often than I'd like to admit, I found Torque locked up on an invisible barrier in a room; and No, there was nothing else around me when the lockup occurred. Other times Torque would blend into an object or wall and again become locked with no way to unlock myself other than a reset. Bugs like this aren't acceptable in a game, especially one that kept me entertained as much as Ties that Bind did once I made it through the mind fogging opening.