Midway ships The Suffering

March 8, 2004

Midway has shipped its so-called revolutionary horror action title The Suffering for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox video game system. It is backed by a multi-million dollar advertising campaign that stretches into print, television, and online media platforms.

“The Suffering captures the disturbing and terrifying nature of the horror genre in a compelling third-person action/adventure game set in the mature and gritty world of a maximum-security prison,” said Steve Allison, chief marketing officer, Midway. “The Suffering has already generated massive awareness and backed by a multi-million dollar marketing campaign, we are confident that the game will be well received.”

The Suffering will try to create the ultimate terror experience by alternating between suspenseful exploration sequences and frenetic combat melees. Creatures jump out from shadows, erupt from entrapment from the earth, and fall out from trees to attack players in the most horrific ways imaginable. Players will battle ghoulish aberrations that besiege the prison alongside fellow prisoners and jail guards, not to mention the “demons of their forgotten past.”

Players will assume the macabre role of Torque, an inmate in his late 20s that is sentenced to death for a crime he may or may not have committed. Torque hides under his hardened exterior a psychological unbalance—the prison fears more than he lets off. Developers use this exposition as a means to develop the plot, unveiling events leading up to the crime through psychologically tormented flashbacks played out in Torque’s head. The protagonist also suffers from blackouts that transform him into a volatile beast thirsty for havoc and destruction.

The Suffering boasts the following features:

• 9 gritty and terrifying levels—transverse indoor and outdoor terrain and horror lurking in every dark corner.
• Amazing character morphing effect—fills your rage meter and transform into a hideous and powerful creature.
• Over 10 deadly weapons from the shiv to the flamethrower to help you survive this nightmare.
• A dozen horrific monsters—each representing the means of execution that befell them—stalk your every move.
• Blood and gore galore, dripping, pooling and splattering every level of your frightening journey.
• Interact with hardened criminals featuring advanced AI; garner their assistance or end their life on your path to freedom—it’s your choice.
• 3 distinct endings depending on how you play the game. Are you a cold-blooded killer, a man wrongfully accused or something else?
• Intricate levels featuring moveable and destructible environments.

The Suffering is tagged with an MSRP of $49.99 and an “M” for mature rating. Keep your eye on PlayStation Pro 2.0 for a review of Midway’s electrically hyped title.

-Ramón V.

Related Pages: The Suffering Media

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