At this point, you may be thinking that auto-aim combat and locked door
puzzles make for a run of the mill shooter, and in most cases you'd be right.
However, The Thing does such a good job of creating atmosphere and filling it
with a good story, that you'll find yourself sucked in. When you're in a
building, you'll find yourself in cramped and darkened quarters, listening
intently for any sign of things. When outside, you'll be in a raging
blizzard with howling wind and poor visibility. You'll also feel pressed
for time as a meter measures your exposure - you can only spend so much time in
40 below zero temperatures without succumbing to the cold. The developers
made very good use of lighting to give the game a dark and foreboding feel -
almost too good in some cases. Some areas require that you have your
monitor's brightness set to its maximum and play in a darkened room in order to
make things out.
The sound is also very well done. Background music is almost
non-existent, relegated to dramatic moments and cutscenes. Most of the
time all that you will hear is the howl of the wind, your squad voicing their fears,
and things going bump in the night. It's all very effective in creating a
feeling of feel, isolation, and foreboding.
The game's replay value is limited, as all story events are scripted.
You'll find the same things in the same location each time you play, and if the
story dictates that a squad mate will turn into the thing, then sure enough he
will do so at the appointed time. In fact, performing a blood test on a
squad mate will not reveal infection if it is too early in the story for him to
mutate. However, the limited replay value should not prevent you from taking a look at The Thing.
The story and atmosphere are so well-crafted, that you'll find yourself sucked
in and enjoying the experience.
In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated:
84%. More interactive movie than third-person shooter, The Thing is an
enjoyable diversion loaded with atmosphere. Add this one to the list of
games that are fun to play in the dark when you're alone at night.
System Requirements: Pentium II 400; 64 MB RAM; 8 MB
Video RAM; 4x CD-ROM; 600 MB Hard Drive
Space; Mouse; Internet connection.
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