The Suffering: Ties That Bind

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The Suffering: Ties that Bind
Developer(s) Surreal Software
Publisher(s) Midway Games
Designer(s) Richard Rouse III (Creative Director and Writer)

Andre Maguire (Lead Designer) Todd Clineschmidt (Lead Systems Designer) Ben Coleman (Lead Level Designer)
Engine Riot Engine (Proprietary)
Platform(s) PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC
Release date Sony PlayStation 2/Microsoft Xbox:
Flag of the United States September 26, 2005
Flag of Europe October 28, 2005
PC:
Flag of the United States October 2, 2005
Flag of Europe October 28, 2005
Genre(s) Action-adventure, Third-person shooter, First-person shooter, Survival horror/Psychological horror
Mode(s) Single player
Rating(s) ESRB: Mature (M)

The Suffering: Ties That Bind is a video game developed by Surreal Software and published by Midway Games, released in 2005 for the Xbox and PlayStation 2 game consoles as well as the PC. The Xbox version of the game is not supported by the Xbox 360's backwards compatibility feature, unlike the first game in the series.

It is the sequel to The Suffering, and storywise picks up immediately after the ending of that game. Players who have a game save of the different endings of The Suffering can decide with which morality to start with, starting with a different morality changes the dialogue and intro of the game.

Contents

[edit] Gameplay

The Suffering: Ties That Bind features a number of gameplay changes from the original The Suffering. The player can no longer carry around xombium bottles to refill their health whenever they need to, and instead must rely on stationary pickups located throughout the level. When critically injured, the player may also heal a very small percentage of their health by hiding from the immediate battle to recover. The player is also now limited to only carrying two weapons at a time. Torque has also gained the ability to crouch.

[edit] Story

The game begins by revisiting Torque's stay in the Eastern Baltimore Correctional prison five years prior to the events of the first game, in which he and Miles are confronted by Blackmore, the man who orchestrated the events leading to their imprisonment, and several of his cohorts. As Torque and Miles are about to be attacked, a prison riot ensues, which leads Torque to discover that many of the creatures he encounters on Carnate five years later are attacking here as well.

Five years afterward in the present day, Torque escapes Carnate Island, the site of his imprisonment, and attempts to return to his home city of Baltimore, only to be captured by a mysterious paramilitary organization known as the Foundation. The apparent leader of the Foundation is a woman named Jordan, who wants to study Torque and his connection to the malefactors, the creatures that appeared when he was sent to Carnate. Torque manages to escape from his captors and is prompted by the ghost of his dead wife Carmen to return to his apartment and investigate the death of his family, where he learns that a powerful crime lord by the name of Blackmore (for whom Torque worked) is ultimately responsible for their deaths. Much to his shock, however, it seems that the horrible Malefactors that had brought Carnate to ruin followed him to the mainland to continue their spree of murder and chaos, feeding upon the dark and ancient history of the city to grow strong. Torque makes his way through the city under the questionable guidance of Dr. Killjoy, who wants to help Torque understand his mental state and his past.

At the very end of the game it is discovered that Blackmore is actually one of Torque's alternate personalities, which surfaced when he was a child living in an orphanage called The Garvey Children's Home because of violent acts upon him (as learned from the "archives"). There are three possible endings depending on the morality of the player at the end of the game: Torque is completely overcome by Blackmore, who takes total control of Torque's personality (Evil); Torque and Blackmore are unable to overpower each other and remain in their current state of opposition (Neutral); Torque eliminates Blackmore's presence from his mind once and for all (Good).

The player's morality also affects certain sequences during gameplay and a level near the end of the game, where Dr. Killjoy, the slavehunter Copperfield, and the vile killer pimp Creeper forge a tribunal and look back on Torque's actions, and also decides whether the player will face Copperfield or the Creeper in the sub-boss battle.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Humans

Blackmore
A mysterious crimelord who lies at the center of Torque's struggles. He is inexplicably tied to every major event in Torque's life including his imprisonment and the deaths of his family. Later it is discovered that he is actually Torque's alter ego, who takes control of him every time he blacks out. Originally beginning as little more than an imaginary friend to Torque in his childhood, Blackmore would soon become intertwined into Torque's personality in adulthood. Torque claimed during his court case that he blacked out during the deaths of his family, which is true or not depending on his morality at the end of the game. Almost viewing his 'better half' as a best friend more than anything, Blackmore acts willing to do almost anything to bring Torque over to his side; force him to understand and embrace the reasoning that so violently drives the crime lord. Blackmore's voice is now Torque's evil mental sprite in morality situations, as he can be heard goading Torque to perform evil acts throughout the game. Blackmore is voiced by famed actor Michael Clarke Duncan.
Kyle
A young drug addict who Torque must "help" by escorting him to an apartment complex to get his drugs. Due to his drug problem, he thinks Torque is his father, and relies on him for protection. After injecting himself, he finds his friend Freddy on the floor after he committed suicide with a shotgun, which he previously did not notice, despite the fact that he was right in front of the door. While escorting him, the player will find out that he accidentally shot, and probably killed his younger brother.
Jordan
The apparent leader of the Foundation who has dedicated her life to studying the malefactors. Torque's connection to the malefactors has made him a target of study for her and she spends much of the game in pursuit of him. On more than one occasion, other characters (including Kyle, Reilly, The Creeper, and even Jordan herself indirectly) will imply that she is harboring some type of attraction to Torque. She is a cold and calculating woman who will stop at nothing to achieve her goals; she even goes as far to sacrifice her own men to fool Torque into thinking she is on his side. If the player completes the game with a good morality, they will fight her in a helicopter. When she exits, she then mans a turret, where she can then be defeated in a normal manner. However if played as Evil, she will aid you at several points, displaying a distinct like and attraction to the player. However at the end of the game when Torque's persona is overcome by Blackmore's, Jordan approaches the man and says "You're the only part of him I liked", implying that they were working together the entire time, even though she showed signs of aiding Torque. This may even allude to the idea that if you play through the game as Evil, you may be playing through the game as Blackmore himself. Jordan is voiced by Australian actor Rachael Griffiths.
Hejirah
A former neighbor of Torque's who meets up with him near his old apartment. Hejirah appears to be a militant Muslim member of a black nationalist group (Before parting with Torque he urges him to continue fighting, quoting Malcolm X's By any means necessary saying) and is on his way to meet up with a group of his friends at a special place (a Christian Service named the 'mission') where they were supposed to meet once the city collapsed. He assists Torque on his path through the city until reaching the Canal Street Mission, where he is shocked to find that none of his friends have arrived. He decides to wait for them and parts ways with Torque.
Miles
Torque's best friend and proprietor of "the Underground" a bar in the city. He is one of the only few people Torque talks to. He seems determined to find out the identity of Blackmore and bring him down. He was set up by Blackmore, along with Torque, and sent to Eastern Baltimore Correctional. After Torque's return to Baltimore he tries to meet up with Miles, claiming that he knows how to expose Blackmore. The two eventually meet again within Eastern Baltimore only to see Miles attacked by Copperfield. It later transpires Miles survived the attack, as he is met again inside the prison - however, Torque blacks out and is controlled by Blackmore, resulting in Miles' death. Prior to Miles' death, it appears that he'd discovered the true connection between Torque and Blackmore, but before it is directly revealed, Miles is killed. Miles is voiced by Arif S. Kinchen.
Consuela Alvarez
The wife of CO Ernesto from the first game. She survived the Carnate incident and was imprisoned by the Foundation. Torque finds her locked up in the docks and can choose to free her. If rescued, Consuela will become separated from Torque, later to be found being attacked by The Creeper. The player can choose to leave her to die, or attack the Creeper (who will feel betrayed by the act) to rescue her. Later Torque can help her get back to Carnate to find Ernesto. Consuela's recounting of local landmarks and urban legends makes up part of the game's Archive section.
Reilly
A Foundation soldier that realizes that the creatures will never stop appearing and has given up on his mission. On one of the chapters, he helps you find Blackmore. He has a thick Irish accent and carries a heavy machine gun. In the machine shop, following an ambush by a horde of Arsonists, he will be trapped behind fire - Torque can choose to save him by shooting fire extinguishers, or leave him to die. If rescued, he will part ways with Torque on the way to the elevator. He can be seen standing near Jordan near the beginning of the game. Reilly is voiced by Ciaran Reilly.
Warden Elroy (A.K.A. Junior)
Son of Warden Elroy Senior, who died in a riot 30 years ago. He is physically weak, but is bold and strong within his heart. He has no idea of the crimes that Torque (or Blackmore) committed. Torque can either help him make a small army of survivors, or shoot him on sight as an evil act. Elroy will often make numerous quotes from songs from metal bands like Slayer and Metallica. He is voiced by James Patrick Stuart.
Police Officers and Prison Guards
Various cops trying to survive in the Malefactor-infested streets of Baltimore. Torque first meets a pair of officers after two of their comrades are killed by a Triggerman. After Torque kills two Triggermen, the male officer opens a weapons trunk for Torque, letting him have a shotgun while the other female officer deputizes Torque in gratitude[1]. Later, at Eastern, Torque meets up with Warden Elroy, and later, three more officers, who will be enemy or ally, depending if Elroy is with Torque. Only these cops know of Torque's stay at Eastern five years earlier. The last cop Torque meets is trapped behind a wall. Torque can free him by using his insanity to knock down a wall, or turn the crank handles against his wishes and killing him as an evil act.
Baltimore Survivors
Through out the game Torque will encounter other un-named survivors, mostly un-armed and the weapons are found near them. One of these survivors is Ranse Truman (with a Tommy Gun nearby), the man who wrote all the messages seen during loading screens. Like Torque, Ranse was a former Carnate prisoner and has an intimate knowledge of the Malefactors and their tragic histories.
Ranse Truman
Truman was an inmate at Abbott who has surprising intelligence. He was largely an unseen and unheard character in the first game, though the profound notes he leaves are viewed during the loading screens of both Suffering games. A dead inmate from Torque's journey through Abbott prison is found with a note adjacent, possibly alluding to his death. However, Torque encounters him after arising from one of the Malefactor surfacing holes after his battle with one of the two sub-bosses. He is seen as a thin, gangly man with a Southern accent who is weighed upon by his memories. After Torque reaches the Garvey Children's Home, Blackmore tells him that he'd sent a wave of Malefactors to attack Ranse. If the player so chooses, Torque makes the long run back where he came to save Ranse.
Foundation Soldiers
Torque also faces human opponents in the form of Foundation soldiers (replacing the C.O.'s from the previous game), the members of Jordan's private army. Foundation soldiers are equipped with machine guns and body armor, and some also carry bulletproof riot shields. The human enemies are significantly stronger than many of the other enemies found in the game, as they use powerful weaponry, are often found in groups and tend to make use of cover.
Inmates
In the beginning of the game, during the riot, some inmates will attack Torque using knives. An early situation involves a guard tied to a chair with several inmates exhorting the player to choose to execute him. However, after a few seconds, a Slayer Captain attacks the group regardless of the player's actions. Five years later, three inmates (named T-Rod, Sammy, and Jerome) ally themselves with Torque out of respect. One of the men from the situation with the guard five years earlier also appears later in the game, apparently wounded and abandoned in the basement of Eastern. There he begins to talk about Torque as Blackmore instead of himself. Before he can reveal anything directly, Torque blacks out and Blackmore, in control of Torque, brutally executes the prisoner.

[edit] Spirits

Carmen, Cory and Malcolm
Torque's deceased wife and the mother of his children Cory and Malcolm. Her apparition guides Torque throughout the game in an attempt to keep him on the right path. Depending on the whether the player has a saved game with a specific ending from the first game present, her death was either directly or indirectly Torque's fault. These outcomes will also affect her interaction with Torque, as she will scold him for performing evil acts and praise him for doing good. Carmen is voiced by Rafeedah Keys.
Cory and Malcolm also retroactively appear in the game, with Malcolm ultimately hating Torque and Cory appearing eerily playful to Torque.
Dr. Killjoy
The former operator of the Carnate Institute for the Alienated who has followed Torque to Baltimore. As a doctor he wants to help Torque understand his mind and ultimately cure him of his dementia. To this end he serves as something of a guide for Torque although his methods of guidance are questionable at best. According to him near the end of the game, he met Torque's mother once[2], although, this can be a hint that he and Torque share a deeper relationship that has yet to be explained. Killjoy is voiced by John Armstrong.
Copperfield
Copperfield is one of the major recurring evil characters in the game. Little information is given regarding his identity, but it is revealed at points in the game that he was a slave catcher from Baltimore's past and, according to him, may have chased Torque’s ancestors.[3] He also claims to have chased and returned Carmen's ancestors to their owner, 5 times. The sixth time, he says, they escaped, but he assumes they died in the swamp.[4] He is believed to represent the racism in Baltimore's history (and is probably the reason why police officers are called "Cops"). At several points in the game he appears in order to attack other characters, targeting black characters specifically (claiming them as descendants of escaped runaway slaves), whilst boasting about his prowess in hunting his 'quarry'. In the chapter "The Greatest Story Never Told", if the player has a morality status of good, they will fight Copperfield.
Copperfield is usually aided by Maulers. They represent Copperfield’s bloodhounds, which he “trained” by depriving them of food –so they wouldn’t lose track of their victims- and allowing them to feast on the slaves. When he is killed, his bloodhounds will turn against him and devour him. Copperfield is voiced by Bob Papenbrook.
The Creeper
The Creeper is another evil character who appears throughout the game. The Creeper is the manifestation of Baltimore's history of prostitution, but is also linked to Baltimore's violent history towards women. He is also revealed to be a homophobe in a later part of the game, in which he can be heard berating and killing a gay inmate in the Eastern Prison. The Creeper is voiced by S. Scott Bullock.
Reports from Consuela's Archive scrapbook and loading screens tell the story of a pimp named Luther Stickwell who started murdering prostitutes, before turning his attention to any female he came across, eventually killing between 50 and 200 women and becoming the basis of an urban legend. The Creeper can be found roaming through dark alleys, or down in the sewer system, in which he appears to Torque surrounded with the dead bodies of seemingly hundreds of women. At various points in the game, the Creeper's quavering voice can be heard recounting his exploits, such as how he killed women in the sewers because he liked the damp conditions and elaborating on his misogynistic and his violent attitudes against women. In the chapter "The Greatest Story Never Told", players with an evil morality status will fight the Creeper, who will explain "I took [the prostitutes] to a warehouse and when the police got there the whole place was already burnt down." Ironically, if played in a Good morality, it appears that The Creeper is trying to warn Torque of Jordan's impending treachery, by virtue of his general hatred and distrust for women.
His appearance is of an overweight man, not fully bald, in a large trenchcoat and gloves. His face is oddly doll-like and the torsos of several scantily-clad women are hidden under his coat, viscerally connected to him by bladed tentacles. After he is defeated, the women will turn their hooks against him and kill him, but strangely, even to Torque, he enjoyed it.

[edit] Monsters

The monsters of The Suffering are now referred to as "Malefactors" by The Foundation, a secret organization dedicated to studying them. The Slayer, Mainliner, Burrower, and Marksman monsters from the original game return in this sequel, with new representations (and slightly different looks). New monsters are also introduced in this game, some of which featuring recycled concepts from previous monsters.

[edit] Returning Creatures
  • The Slayers now represent mugging by knife-point, but they are also the manifestation of the pain, greed and desperation of street criminals. They all still have different heads, but no longer respawn if their heads are intact after being killed. The blades in their legs are affixed at the edge of the shin by hinges (rather than being jammed in at the knee in the previous game), allowing them a greater degree of mobility. The blades on their arms are darker and thicker with jagged edges, as they sharpen their blades against the pavement and brick walls, allegedly inspired by knife-wielding street thugs.
  • The Mainliners represent drug addiction due to the aggressive manner of administering their chemical concoctions (Jordan's Archive entry for Mainliners suggest they represent dealers rather than simple addicts). The key differences in this generation of Mainliner is that the Mainliner looks more like an average human (save for the deformities in its arms and legs). It wears grungy cargo shorts and has a tightened belt around its arm with a smaller needle in a vein, akin to the addicts they're derived from. Only one eye socket is impaled with a syringe, and the fluid inside the syringes are bright orange rather than yellow-green.
  • The Burrowers represent deaths in construction accidents and mining cave-ins. The living embodiment of Irish immigrant workers buried alive and crushed to death due to faulty equipment and unsafe conditions, the Burrowers now feature limbs (rather than being wrapped in heavy blankets in the first game), have a visible lower torso and have lights affixed to their armored heads in a similar fashion of construction hard hats. Its hooked chains now extend from the points of its elbow joints plus a third chain on some Burrower's backs. They also have a series of new attacks, including bursting up under Torque knocking him upwards, uppercutting with the chains rather than swinging them down and also generating sentient chains from under Torque.
  • Marksmen represent those killed by a firing squad when the military was called to settle a riot in Baltimore. The Marksmen are now wearing grey fatigues and no longer wear blindfolds (like the victims of military firing squads), but has now gained NVGs. They also have poles piercing their bodies, possibly to replicate the barbed-wire barricades the military stood behind as they fired into the crowds. Interestingly, they appear doing the exact same animation as the previous game by bursting out of the ground and pulling away from a wooden board, except that there isn't actually a wooden board to pull away from. Either this is a glitch or a corner that was cut in the game.

[edit] New Creatures
Gorger
A humanoid beast with an unhingable jaw, spindly legs supported on crutches, and a distended pot-belly. Its legs, arms and back are impaled by nails. It represents those in Baltimore who have starved to death; unsurprisingly, it is still hungry, and will gladly try to eat Torque and any other creature in the area. It is revealed in a flashback and one of Consuela's Archive entries that a reverend ran a soup kitchen in Baltimore, which ran out of food during the Great Depression. Rather than let his people starve, he supplied them with the only meat available - human flesh. Ever since then, the Gorger was a story that parents told to their children to explain when they couldn't provide enough food for them, claiming The Gorger came from the sewers and eaten it all.
Arsonist
Arsonists appear to be two bodies melted together by heat and covered in fire, and represent deaths by arson or burning buildings. It is alluded to that the Arsonists are representing the shared souls of homeless people that burned to death in abandoned buildings that caught fire on winter nights. The Arsonists are similar in appearance and concept to the Inferna girls from the first Suffering game, but they attack much slower than their predecessors. They can easily melt through structures such as metal bars, and unleash powerful blasts of flame that can set Torque on fire. They can heal when struck by fiery attacks such as explosions or Molotov Cocktails, however a well-placed shotgun blast is more than enough to kill them.
Triggerman
This abomination is the incarnation of the gun violence that is all too common on the streets of Baltimore. It takes the form of a still-living bloated corpse riddled with bullet holes and part of its head blown off, holding Skorpion machine pistols and lifted off the ground by four gigantic arachnoid legs. It appears that three of the limbs are holding shotguns as well, giving an attack powerful enough to knock Torque prone and leave him vulnerable to further attack. On closer inspection, the Triggerman wears pants that are gray with blue stripes down the sides.
Maulers
The living spirits of Copperfield's slave-hunting hounds. It is possible that Maulers also represent the police dogs sicced on African-American protesters during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. The Mauler looks like a red, hairless dog with leather straps lining its body, and a human skull in place of the dog's head with a knife attached to the right side of the skull. They always come in packs and attack by biting or jumping and stabbing their prey.
Suppressor
This creature is an incarnation of both police brutality on civilians and the brutality inflicted upon the inmates in prisons. However, they are not the prisoners themselves; instead, the guards and officers are forced to live out the pain in the same way as the Festers from the previous game. The Suppressor has had its legs severed at the knees, though it is deceptively mobile for only being able to use its hands to move along. As Suppressors drag themselves along the floor, they leave trails of blood from their stumped legs, which can help warn the player of a Suppressor's immediate presence. The entire face has been replaced with a single floodlight embedded into the skull, which provides the sole means of detecting its victims. Should Torque (or anyone else) be caught in the light, the Suppressor will fire relentlessly with the four tommy guns embedded in its chest, and will not stop shooting until it either loses sight of the target, or if the target is killed. Shooting out the floodlight causes the Suppressor to go insane and fire it's tommy guns in every direction before dying.
Isolationist
An Isolationist is a creature representing the agony of prisoners kept in solitary confinement. A flashback reveals the Isolationist's origin to the story of a prison guard (actually warden Elroy Senior) that left several prisoners locked in solitary confinement for months at a time. The guard sadistically watched as the inmates were driven to insanity and suicide as a result. It appears as a large, obese humanoid on crutches, dragging its seemingly broken legs behind it. The Isolationist despises light and seeks to destroy it, ultimately drawing electricity into itself. This energy is released in the form of an electric current that extends in a radius around itself as well as a projectile launched from one of its crutches. Should you get too close to them, they swing their crutches left and right to bat you away. Additionally (in a similar fashion to the Festers from the first game), they release exploding cockroaches called 'Wretches' from their stomachs to seek out and attack the player. The Isolationist also has a metal plate implanted in its skull, but that doesn't mean it can't be killed with a headshot.
The Wretches
The Wretches are huge bugs and almost a perfect copy of the rats that lived inside the Fester in the first game in terms of behavior and function. They writhe inside the caged bellies of Isolationists, who will release them upon its enemies. They too, will explode on contact.
The Horde
A representative of massive urban riots (leading to countless murders amidst the mass hysteria in the city), The Horde is an immense worm-like creature capable of burrowing underground and leaving huge tunnels in its wake. Its body appears to be composed of a multitude of writhing animals held together, and discharges an electrical energy once it surfaces. It appears a few times on the streets of Baltimore doing little more than frightening Torque and clearing paths for his progression. It also appears as a boss in the machine shop of the Eastern Baltimore Correctional Facility. The Horde makes one last appearance at the Garvey Home for Children, in which it serves to endlessly spawn malefactors from its mouth.
Malefactor "Captains"
Throughout the course of the game, variations of some of the monsters will be encountered, which are stronger and can only be killed when Torque is transformed in insanity mode. These are the Slayer Captains, the Triggerman Captains, and the Arsonist Captains.
  • Slayer Captains are larger in size than normal Slayers and are covered in black armor. Their heads seem to be encased in spiky metal shells.
  • Triggerman Captains are larger and hang lower to the ground, are coated in dark tank-like armor and are mounted with large M60s rather than the shotguns normal Triggermen have.
  • Arsonist Captains are larger and darker (likely lava-colored) and have (seemingly non-functional) glowing blades attached to the spiderlike limbs on their backs.
All Captains spawn normal enemies of their respective type in a cloud of blackish-green smoke, in order to allow the player to build up their Insanity Meter.

[edit] Morality

Unlike the first game, the player's choices determine the attacks as well as the appearance that Torque's monster form can use. As the morality status moves in either direction, Torque's monster form will gain new attacks depending on the direction. Some special attacks will take on traits of some of the Malefactors, such as by summoning the hooked chains of the Burrowers, the electrical attacks of the Isolationists, or the gun-mounted limbs of the Triggermen. The game starts with Neutral morality, but the morality will change depending on the player's actions. Successfully protecting others and keeping them alive shifts the morality scale towards good. Killing non-combatants, killing animals, desecrating corpses and choosing to let innocents die earns evil morality. Neutrality is also an option, since it involves not getting directly involved with anyone and leaving them to their own fate (those who do not directly die by Torque's hands will not be counted against you).

When the game has been completed, the morality level will determine what ending is shown. It will also change Torque's appearance in the game. With a good alignment Torque remains clean and healthy looking (save for enemy blood spatter). Neutral makes him look a little dirty, and an evil alignment causes his skin to become greyish and covered with open sores, while his eyes give a sinister glow.

When the game has been completed at least once, the player are given the option of replaying again and choosing the initial moral alignment at the beginning.

[edit] Good Alignment

Torque is rescued from Carnate Island by a Coast Guard member, but when the two of them reach Baltimore they are intercepted by soldiers from the Foundation.

With a Good Morality, Torque's transformation will appear closer to a Hulk-like version of himself with a blue tinge and a cleanly-bladed arm.

In this story branch, Torque's family has been killed by Blackmore's goons after Torque refused to continue working for Blackmore.

In the end, Torque will kill Blackmore and erase this personality from his mind. Carmen's ghost thanks Torque for walking the right path and will kiss Torque.

If the player starts the game as good, by either loading a saved game from the first Suffering or selecting good at the beginning of the game after another play through; it will be revealed that Blackmore had not intended for his men to kill Torque's family: only scare them.

[edit] Neutral Alignment

Torque, having knocked out the Coast Guard member sent to retrieve him, makes his way to Baltimore, but is intercepted by the Foundation.

In Neutral Morality, Torque's transformed state will be more like the monster form he took in the first Suffering, with a slight upgrade in appearance.

In this story branch, Torque accidentally killed Carmen, which led to his older son Cory killing his little brother Malcolm and then himself. Cory does this all under Blackmore's influence, and in revenge for Torque beating him all the time.

In the end, neither Blackmore nor Torque are able to get rid of each other, and their suffering shall continue.

[edit] Evil Alignment

Instead of trying to leave Carnate, Torque instead runs deeper into the island under the influence of his dementia. He blacks out, and (after being berated by Dr. Killjoy) wakes up to find himself being captured by Foundation soldiers exploring the island.

Evil Morality turns Torque into a red-tinged demonic version of himself with horns, a leathery hide and a jagged-bladed arm. This form is similar to the appearance of Drake/Dracula's transformed state in the film Blade: Trinity.

In this story branch, Torque, likely possessed by Blackmore, murdered his family members with his own hands.

In the end, Blackmore's personality will dominate Torque's body. After this, it is revealed that Jordan and Blackmore have agreed upon a pact to destroy Torque's personality completely.

[edit] Trivia

  • It's revealed in a Garvey Home Report that Torque's birthdate is March 12, 1974.
  • In the underground sewer system, Torque's son can be seen floating in the water. He says "We all float down here." This is a reference to Stephen King's It.
  • After Torque's son says the line from Stephen King's "It" novel, there is a telephone that you must pick up. The voice on the other side says "I am here for the sole purpose of your death. Look into my eyes and see the revelation of your demise. Feel the pain that stares at the center of your heart", which is a line out of the song "Gemini" by the metal band Slayer.
  • When picking up a phone in the game the player can hear Blackmore saying "I know the only thing I've ever loved was hate." This is a reference to "The Nameless", a song performed by the band Slipknot.
  • The warden that comes to your aid says "That was a vulgar display of power" in reference to a line from The Exorcist and an album title from metal band Pantera. He can also be heard shouting "Kill 'Em All." This could be a reference to the title of Metallica's debut album.
  • Upon picking up a phone in a line of three a female voice says "Your mother, your father, your brother and the thing under the covers. Your lover, the others, the leeches, and the serpents and the suckers" this is a reference to The Dillinger Escape Plan's "Pig Latin".
  • Various portraits seen throughout the game are of members of the development team.
  • When you come to the abandoned theater, the movie posters show the evil version of the beast that Torque turns into, and the posters for the "film" are entitled The Beast In Me.
  • At various points in the game, in shops & Miles' bar, there are numerous neon signs advertising an alcoholic beverage called "Dan Jackals", an obvious pun on Jack Daniels. The Molotov Cocktails in the game are presumably jerry-rigged from bottles of a similar likeness.
  • When you enter the theater, Dr. Killjoy says "Excellent wretch! Perdition catch my soul,But I do love thee! and when I love thee not, Chaos is come again." This is a line from William Shakespeare's famous play Othello.
  • During one level, there will be a toy store in the streets. If you were to look in the window of it, on the floor you'll see copies of the Mortal Kombat: Deception video game.
  • There were a number of cuts made to the game to achieve an ESRB rating of M in the US. These included the removal of the line "Blood makes the best lubricant", as originally said by the Creeper. However, the line is slightly tweaked to be less macabre and can be heard closer to the game's beginning.
  • The game was the first Midway Entertainment title to be officially released in Russia. The Russian title literally translated is The Suffering: Bonds of Blood
  • Following Surreal tradition, it is possible to acquire a "Gonzo Gun" - a gun in the shape of a chicken which fires eggs - by entering a cheat code.
  • There are several easter eggs in the game. In one, a parody of the Kool-Aid man (Captain Carafe - a large carafe of Sangria) bursts through a wall. If killed, he provides the player with a swizzle stick weapon (complete with olives). The drink is a reference to the development team's favorite bar - Bandoleone - which was outside the studios (and is also referenced in the game credits). Sangria was one of the drinks that the FX team would commonly order.
  • The marketing funds for the game were pulled at the last minute, and instead spent on the game LA Rush. The sales of the game suffered as a result.
  • The game was the last to be produced by Surreal using its RIOT Engine, a fully streaming game engine developed internally. Future titles will use the Unreal Engine.
  • Save games from the first Suffering title are recognized by the sequel, and will determine the initial story line that the player sees.
  • The Foundation Soldier's voices are similar to the voice of Sektor in the Mortal Kombat series, possibly due to the fact that Mortal Kombat was also created by Midway.
  • Unlike the previous game, Torque is wearing shoes, instead of going around barefoot.
  • One of the game's load sections is titled "Discipline and Punish," which may be a reference to the critical theory book of the same name by Michel Foucault. Foucault's book is concerned with the creation and evolution of the prison system, including ideas about how the society at large and the hegemony actually make prison MORE necessary by practically creating criminality--an idea which might have influenced the the game makers' thinking, judging by the types of malefactors and themes in this sequel.
  • There are rumors of a third game called "The Suffering: Return to Carnate".

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Yeah, consider yourself deputized."
  2. ^ Killjoy reminds Torque that he never knew his mother through a telephone and ends the call saying: "But I knew her Torque."
  3. ^ "Who owned your great grandfather? Your great grandmother?"
  4. ^ "The sixth time, the swamp must've claimed them, because I never found a trace."
  5. ^ "Do you get my hollow point, you son of a bitch?!"

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