Gaming Target - PlayStation 2: The Thing

Written by Chris Reiter on February 06, 2002

First Impressions: It's like playing a game of Wheel of Fortune, except with guns.

Ah, retro. There's nothing better than the promise of an old classic film like "The Thing" to rekindle our interest in a movie, as it did with people back in 1982 of the film's release. This twenty year old movie was about an Antarctic research group that headed into trouble when they discovered a plant-like creature that could morph into any form it chose: including human. John Carpenter, the creator of The Thing, is getting his popular thriller now placed in an upcoming game. Get ready to welcome back that chilly feeling as The Thing opens up in game retailers this spring.

The story of the game is branched off the movie's actual plot. After the movie's incident occurred, a team of both American and Norwegian military combines forces to head into the unknown to infiltrate a military base in Antarctica, and to rescue any of the missing research members that have disappeared. Like in all horror movies, the suspense builds up as every one of the supporting cast members begin to perish except for you, the branded hero. You'll face unexplained terror as a man named Blake, a reconnaissance team captain trying to figure out who's really human, and who's not, through this horrifying gaming experience. Can you battle an evil you can't really see?

Probably the game's most vibrant of attractions is its ability to move into an area of gameplay that's fairly new to video game titles, and in horror games alike. In The Thing, at your command, you'll have a squad of medical staff, soldiers, and even engineers, in which you'll need in order to aid your way throughout the several game locales. But, what's interesting about it is that you have to keep up your party's morale level, and not do anything funny that might make them think you're really the transformed creature they're after. Likewise, one of them might be infected, and you'll need to keep an eye open to notice which one of them acts the strangest, and have your teammates work together to finish off any plague ridden members of yours.

Additionally, there are ways to resolve the matter. If for some reason a team member starts to betray you, by believing you're the creature, the way to relinquish that fear from them is to point a gun at their head and force it out of them that you really aren't The Thing. Another part of the gameplay also focuses on how your teammates can work together in different environments. The gameplay will take place indoors and out. Since your mission is in Antarctica, the cold temperature may freeze the team to death, so you have to be quick about "Things" throughout the gameplay.

Normally, you'll come across the creature in many shapes and sizes, With use of an arsenal of weaponry, ranging from a machine-gun, to a flame-thrower, you'll need to fight off several forms of The Thing as its scattered abnormalities stalk you from area to area. At the same time through these areas, working with your team again is crucial, since the gameplay will invoke you to have you give out orders to the separate team members. The medical staff, for instance, will bring back your health. The soldiers amongst you will fight with you to kill off the Thing spawns. And as for the engineers, they are experts at unlocking several areas that couldn't be accessed before. It's not a one-man effort anymore in survival; you must be able to communicate, and plan strategies thoroughly if you're going to defeat an enemy like The Thing.

For a 1982 film, the special effects weren't as good as they are now. Especially for a video game, The Thing is receiving a major overhaul in visual flair. You'll see magnificent use of lighting and shadow effects, amazing weather results like wind and snow, and even use of your team's flashlights, which can brighten the many dimmed areas of the gameplay. The game's character models are also looking spectacular, from realistic facial expressions and also movements. As for the way the creatures will appear on screen, they'll range in an assortment of sizes, sometimes ones that are sci-fi humanoids with multi-colors that make it all seem like a real horror flick, to even smaller crab-like creatures that joust at your attempts to defeat them in visual mastery. By all means, The Thing's graphic capabilities make the game look almost good enough to eat.

Last of all, you can expect a cast of voice acting for individual characters within the game, as well as terrific sound effects. Guns that blaze with the rhythm of sheer power, to sound effects from within the game's music that'll mark a creepy feeling through and throughout every heart pacing moment of the gameplay. Playing the game is not going to be an easy task, and to add to that factor, you'll be scared to death while trying to accomplish it all.