The Thing

Back when scary movies were actually scary, director John Carpenter released his vision of true fear and paranoia and survival in a movie titled “The Thing.”  And like the movie, the game puts gamers into a situation where if you want to survive, you must overcome that fear and paranoia in the face of an otherworldly enemy that can take the form of anyone it comes in contact with.

The story takes place a few months after the incidents in the movie as gamers assume the roll of Blake, Captain of a military rescue team sent to the frozen tundra of Antarctica to find out what happened to an American science team.  Landing on the outpost in the middle of nowhere, Blake and his team discover the horrific remains of the science team and an alien presence that can infect anyone.

Thankfully a tutorial takes you through the first steps since the controls might seem a bit complex in the start.  The Thing’s controls are the type that seem difficult to manage at first but once you’re going through the motions you gradually ease into it.  Blake can manage weapons and items in each hand and is handy at repairing some electrical doors as well as combat.

Yet the heart of this game is the team that accompanies Blake in his mission of investigation and finally survival.  He starts out in the company of a medic (they always wear a beanie with a red cross stitched on it), an engineer (who favor wearing ball caps) and soldier (who wears military helmet). Later, Blake comes across other rescue team members scattered throughout the outpost.  All of them help Blake in various ways such as help repair electrical circuits, medical assistance or even fight alongside you.

Still not every person you come across will eagerly follow your orders.  Certain people require you to perform a task to win their trust and others simply can be won over by offering them weapons or ammo.  You’ll know what kind of impression you made by icons that appear over their heads or their faces.  You’ll also know when your teammate starts loosing it (your teammate starts trembling at the sight of the monsters or a dead body) so you can choose to have him leave the room or give him the adrenalin shot.

And who can blame your teammate from loosing it?  The monsters are hideous and some of them require different tactics to destroy them such as a combination of flamethrower and machine gun. In the heat of battle, you might even accidentally shoot a member of your team or he becomes so frightened that he simply drops to his knees trembling and telling you he can’t take it anymore.

While not stunning, The Thing is actually a good-looking game when it comes to the environment and the characters.  The textures on certain things around you such as metal crates or downed helicopters do tend to look PSOne-like, but not by much.  The interior of the base’s many buildings are almost always dark and chaotically littered with remnants of human and alien bodies. And the characters--even in close ups--convey more emotion in one glance than in what they say.

One of the game’s strongest elements is also the sound, which is so amazingly rich in detail that it not only compliments the visuals but also helps push the creepiness factor to its limits.  Harsh artic winds blow the skeletal remains of a shed as a loose panel slams against the side of another metallic panel.  You can even hear the sound of your boots crunching on the snow as the characters run through the snowy tundra.  And all of this is accompanied by the film’s darkly somber soundtrack that just adds fuel to our fears.

Wildly engaging and even somewhat innovative, The Thing is one of those games that should not be missed.  While the story isn’t at it’s strongest; the game possesses all the great things we look for in a true survival horror title.  Pick this one up . . . that is, if you’re not afraid of things that go bump in the artic night. 

Gameplay: 8.4
At first the controls might seem a bit complicated, after all, you’re not alone in this game.  Managing your team requires not only patience but carefully thought out orders too see a situation through.  Gamers might need an easily frightened teammate to stay in the next room while you search an area heavily filled with dismembered bodies.  You might even want to make sure certain people are better armed than one of the others.  There are just so many possibilities.

Blake can perform a number of tasks at the same time such as tossing a grenade while firing a gun--and all of this is easy to do too. 

Graphics: 8.5
The graphics are not bad at all and interior and exterior of the outpost look good enough to send chills down a gamers’ spine.  And the weather effects look as wonderful as the dancing flames the shoot out of a player’s flamethrower. The only complain is that there are a few minor clipping issues and the occasional odd camera angle that is noticeable.

The game’s characters also look good out there and are well detailed . . . which serves something of a purpose other than to look cool.  Certain characters specialize in certain crafts (such as medic, soldier and engineer) so it is important that you can identify their trade just by looking at them.  There is also the fact that you need to be aware of their emotional condition, which could lead a team member to freak out completely at the sight of heavy carnage or a frightening monster.  But nothing is as frightening as watching a character you thought was human transform into the grotesque alien life form. 

Sound: 8.9
The game’s score comes directly from the film and it is great hearing it in the game during key moments where the action becomes frenzied and characters become untrusting enough that weapons are drawn at one another.  The game also features the song “After Me” from the band Saliva to complete this game’s cinematic feel. 

However, nothing comes close to the spectacular sound effects.  Gamers will be surrounded by sounds that can become so unnerving that when something finally does jump out, it will momentarily startle those who weren’t prepared for it.  The big creatures screech loudly and you can hear the tiny pitter-patter of the small crab-like legs of the smaller creatures as they look for you.  Outside, the winds howl against the window when you’re indoors.

You’ll also hear the other characters talk to you while you’re moving around in the game.  A team member might offer encouragement or let you know how they feel by saying things like “I don’t like this place, man.”  The voice acting is well done--although occasionally riddled with profanity--and you can expect to hear a few phrases repeated now and then.  Other than that, the dialogue is delivered wonderfully and believably during cut scenes.

Difficulty: Hard
In order to survive, you must take full command of your team.  You must rely on your team to carry out the mission along with you while performing their duties such as healing teammates or going to work on junction boxes.  Yet they also rely on you to get them through this and that means you have to constantly check on their emotional state as well as their needs when it comes to medicine and ammunition.

There are certain creatures that require different strategies in order to kill them.  Some monsters simply die with gunfire or quick bursts from the flamethrower while other require a combination of both gunfire and flames.  The problem is that the attacks happen so quickly that you have to be quick in finding what combat method to use before the creatures wipe out you and your team.

Concept: 8.9
Rarely does a game use human emotion as an asset and a hindrance as does The Thing and this is a well-conceived concept that keeps the game’s adrenalin pumping and thus keeping the gamer very busy.  The Trust/Fear interface can lead into several different things and can actually make bad situations even worse.  Or it can lead into something good like having that medic you sorely need join the team once you show him that you can be trusted.

Overall: 8.7
Fans of the survival horror genre will find The Thing an entertaining action-adventure that is easy to get into and hard to forget.  And while certain small things could have been improved upon (more boss fights, for instance, and small clipping issues), the game serves up enough chilling action that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go until the very end.