The Suffering: The Ties that Bind - XBox

Finally, a "different" FPS/TPS! Right off the bad, I must say that giving the player the option to be in first-person or third-person at any point during gameplay was an excellent idea. Good job, Miday.

Anyway, I bought this game because it was cheap (Media Play went out of business). Second, it looked interesting. Although it came out after, I will say that it has a Condemned (Xbox 360) feel to it, without abandoning the firearms. It was a good choice, although it's yet another title that won't work with the 360 (yet). Oh well.

Graphically, this game is a toss-up. In some areas, the graphics really shine, and in others they are a bit...standard. However, during battles the weapons and the character will become covered in blood which I thought was pretty cool given the circumstances of the game. Other than that though, there are some quirky animations and other bugs that I've run into. I had the same types of problems with Shaolin Monks, so I hope Midway beefs up their QA a bit.

The controls take a bit of getting used to. The d-pad is used to switch views and to reload. Possibly other things, but I'm not sure. The only reason they don't come naturally is that they are somewhat different to Halo.

The developer definitely made this game to be replayable and does change up the action at times. I personally enjoyed riding in the back of the truck with the "big-boy" gun. The option of going good, evil, or neutral is pretty cool. You can help people (who in turn, help you) or just kill everything that exists and moves. I've not reached the ending, but I believe the ending changes per your choices.

Must-have game? Maybe...but I can say I enjoy it more than Doom 3. If you are looking for a gory FPS involving a delusional nutcase, then this game is for you. If you are tired of blowing up demons, then this may not be a game you'll want to visit. I've enjoyed most Midway games, and this is another to add to the "good" list.