The Thing

"A great video game that takes place after a great horror movie!"

Here is a game that was from a movie that came out in 1982 and made only a little over 3 million in the theatres. Yet it's a cult classic for horror fans. Another little trivia fact about the film. If you have seen the movie you should realize that there are no women in the entire movie. The closest thing to a woman is the voice on the computer when MacReady is playing chess.

As for the game, it takes place right after the movie ended. Which I loved, since you get to see the area where the men were at and you even get to see a few familiar faces! The Creatures in the game are just like they were in the movie. It's amazing how much detail was given for this game. John Carpenter must have been proud.

Since this is of course a horror game, it has plenty of blood, gore, and swearing. There were a few scenes where I looked on in disbelief. Thinking to myself “Did I just see that right?” Without ruining the scenes, let's just say that it was pretty graphic. The soldiers who help you on your missions are not robots. They can be frightened, or they can turn on you, or even become a ‘Thing' right before your eyes.

The game could easily be turned into a script for a second ‘Thing' movie. Which I don't understand why John Carpenter hasn't even thought of making another film. They way horror movies are today, his film could be much better than say “Freddy VS Jason” was. He could go off of the game, or do something new. Which would give us fans another ‘Thing' game to play.

Presentation
It's great! From start to finish, the action never stops. From searching out the destroyed outpost to sniping out guards in the snow. It isn't just a game about killing the creatures. You also have human enemies against you. The game has a very well written plot for gamers to follow, so you really can't get bored with the game. Unless you don't like horror games. But if you don't, then why are you playing this game? From using several different weapons, (Flame Thrower is great to use) to having to keep your men sane and alive, to trying to outsmart the creatures (In certain levels). This game is perfect for those who either loved the movie or just love horror games. I'm in both categories. 10/10

Graphics
Very clean and detailed graphics for the game. The outside environment looked very sweet with the snow and the wind making things barely visible unless you were close to them. The detail given to the creatures is awesome! And the blood shown when someone died was also done very well. 10/10


Sound
The music for this game is just like the movie. It's almost as if John Carpenter wrote the music for it. It sets the mood really well and gives the game a movie feel to it. Can't say much against the music. And the sounds for the weapons were also very realistic. 10/10


Gameplay
This is your basic survivor horror game. You need to kill to survive. And you need to keep your teammates alive as well. Since you need a soldier for opening certain doors, or you might need a medic to heal you. Or to make it easier for you, just having an extra man to shoot the creatures. But be careful. They can turn on you if they think that you are a ‘Thing'. Or they might freak out and go crazy, which is funny to watch. Or they might become infected and turn into a ‘Thing' and attack you and your remaining men. The soldiers add an extra fun factor to the game since they can do several different things on the levels. 10/10


Lasting Appeal
This is another game where once you finish it, that's all. No extras, or hidden items to try and find in another run of the game. But since I love horror, I played this game more than once. Movie fans will love seeing the levels and noticing the little hints in the game that were in the film. Especially the ending. All I can say is WOW!! 10/10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/03/04