The Suffering: Ties That Bind

"This isn't a game that's going to raise any bars, push any envelopes or revolutionise any genres, as they say. But if you played and enjoyed the first game and fancy more of the same, The Suffering: Ties That Bind won't disappoint. And even if you've never heard of the first game but are looking for a good, solid action adventure that features a decent plot, well designed gameplay mechanics, a bit of replay value and a nice big dollop of gore, it's well worth checking out."

"In the original The Suffering and in its sequel, The Suffering: Ties That Bind, one of our key game mechanics is the player's ability to make a surprising and dramatic change into a hideous creature form. "

"If you're a fan of the previous game and you're looking for more of the same, Ties That Bind fits the bill, but more expansion on the themes of the first game would have made for a much more interesting final product."

"With the survival horror subgenre so heavily populated, you'll want to add any flavor you can to make yourself not look like the stalwarts. Ties That Bind, being more urban, loses some distinction. Still, if you liked the original, you should like Ties That Bind. If you never played either, there has been some discussion in the office with regards to how much Ties That Bind is a standalone title. I think you'd benefit from playing the first one before diving in, and you can get it for cheap these days, while TTB is a very reasonable $30 brand-new. There are some recurring themes and characters whose presence has a lot more substance and context if you've played the original."

"Ties That Bind feels like a much more refined sequel and it is. Effort was put into making this game better and for the most part, it paid off."