The Thing (PC, PS2)
By Susie Vee

This is a truly a game for our post-modern media age. It’s a game based on a movie, which was based on an earlier move, which in turn was based on a short story. In an example of clever cross-marketing, the Sci-Fi Channel’s recent airing of The Thing (the movie) went into every commercial break with an ad for The Thing (the game).

So, why has this story of creepy aliens in the frozen tundra been part of our popular culture for over 50 years? The 1951 original was an allegory for the Red Scare and the nuclear nightmares of the era. A North Pole army crew is threatened by a creature that can straddle the line between plant and animal, and a misguided scientist would rather keep it alive than protect his fellow humans.

In 1982, cult director John Carpenter recast the film as a conflict between rugged individualism and the collective consciousness of the materialistic '80s. The Thing became a massive hive mind, absorbing everything in its path, reducing us to mangled faces in a monster’s hide.

This new game, a licensed sequel to the Carpenter film, brings the same themes up to date by playing off modern fears of genetic manipulation and “the enemy within.”

But many games have failed with equally impressive source material to work with -- especially when it's a movie tie-in. Fortunately for us (and humanity), Universal Interactive and developer Computer Artworks have pulled off what may be the surprise hit of the summer.

The Thing takes place immediately after the events of the 1982 film. You’re the commander of a military team sent in to investigate. Since you’ve probably seen the source film, you already know that gooey aliens who can infect and absorb human hosts are to blame. But instead of giving you a competitive advantage, it merely serves to fill the game’s quiet early sequences with dread.

One might most accurately call The Thing a squad-based third-person shooter. At different times you’ll be joined by fellow soldiers, who you can give simple commands to, like “come with me,” or “fix that electrical box.”

Since anyone around you may or may not be a Thing, your squad-mates can lose confidence in you and refuse to follow orders until you convince them that you’re human. You can do that by giving them weapons or administering blood tests. A failed blood test leads to hurt feelings, recriminations and, of course, a human transforming into a bloody, misshapen monster.

One of the game’s only flaws is that the blood tests aren’t terribly useful. You can test someone, show they’re human and then have them turn into a monster seconds later. This, along with the game’s small levels, make The Thing a lot more linear than it seems at first.

We also wish our squad-mates were more interactive, and less prone to dropping dead at pre-determined intervals, but their AI is generally on the ball. Only once or twice did we have to go back and get someone stuck on a corner or a desk.

Combat is handled well, with generous auto-targeting and squad-mates who (for a change) actually can hit the side of a barn. You’ll generally need to weaken a creature with traditional guns and then polish it off with a flamethrower.

Graphically, the game is great, with good character designs and motion-capture. Levels are well-detailed but small. Being in a cramped artic base leads to a certain repetition of room types, but the small areas also mean high frame rates and small load times.

Puzzles are the basic “find-the-key” type, and rarely very complicated. But you’re given ample time to explore the creepy surroundings between waves of creatures.

Much like the John Carpenter film, this game seems to be a boys-only affair. In explaining his film, Carpenter says this increases the feeling of isolation for the trapped crew. The game, being mostly about army dudes, follows suit. We would have liked to see a little integration in our armed forces, but we suppose the game does technically take place in the early ‘80s.

The Thing could have very easily been a cheap movie spinoff. But its high production values and attention to detail make this a must-play if the gory themes don’t turn you off. Despite it’s console roots, we’d suggest the graphically superior PC version.

SCORE: 8.5