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Pretty good

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: October 17, 2002
Author: Amazon User

First off, it takes a lot for me to give a game 5 stars. A 5-star would be excellent graphics and a gameplay that I can keep coming back to. It'd basically be online, multiplayer games. But let's cover The Thing ...

Initially, the game was slow on action. It does, however, pleasantly surprise you by turning up the intensity with each level. Not every game has that shift in pace; instead, they'd stick with the pace The Thing kept on the 1st level -- i.e. Silent Hill 2 pace. After about 5-6 levels, I was really liking the game. Graphics resemble Half Life. First looking at the back of the box box, I thought it utilized the Half-Life engine. Seeing some of the creepers in the game, I think so even more. Just speculation. That said, it keeps a Half Life (PC) quality in graphics. Definitely not stunning, yet not bad. You could demand more from a title on the X-box, though.

Gameplay is definitely geared towards the console. You have a 3rd person view, and you can not look up or down without entering 1st person view. In 1st person view, you can not move the character. You basically see your crosshair and can move it freely. That's it. But it doesn't make it a bad game. Being a 1st person shooter fan, I didn't have any problems with this configuration. This said, the game is again geared for the console. Not the PC. Gameplay is nice. There's not exactly "bosses" that you have to measure up to and beat. It works the way that there's an intensifying level of more powerful foes to battle.

The story and missions make complete sense. It's cool that the game gets better instead of keeping a set pace of action. The levels are quite interesting. It's hard to "forget" to pick up key objects, as it might not be in other games. You've got decent supply of ammo and health, a nice arsenal of firepower, complete with a separate inventory where you can keep grenades, medical kits, and other items. As you meet people in the game, they team up and assist you in battles. You can order them to stay or follow at a spot, provide them with weapons and other items. Similarly, some of these people have the ability to heal you. Others are engineers and can fix items in the environment, like the control-panel for a door to a weapons-storage room.

There is one gripe that I have with the game. On the "normal" difficulty, there's quite a long time between save-points. This makes it difficult, and at times very frustrating. For example, you beat a thing perfectly and move on just to throw a grenade on the floor by mistake and blow yourself up or something. Then, you have to go back and beat that thing again maybe not as good as last time, etc. Or, once done perfectly, you enter a room with cannons that start firing at you and you die. It's kinda like you have to die X times to learn the environment before you have recon'd the area well enough to make it through.

THE THING

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: October 29, 2002
Author: Amazon User

THIS GAME HAS EVERYTHING A FIRST PERSON SHOOTER SHOULD HAVE TODAY.. EXTREME DIFFICULTY, ABOVE AVERAGE GRAPHICS, GREAT SOUND, AND A VERY IMPORTANT DEFINED STORY LINE THAT FOLLOWS THE MOVIE.. YES, THIS IS THE MOST FRUSTRATING GAME I HAVE PLAYED SINCE PURCHHASING THE X-BOX, IF I HAD TO GIVE A NEGATIVE ,IT WOULD BE ONLY THAT THEY DID NOT PROGRAM THE GAME SO THAT THE PLAYER CAN AUTO-SAVE WHEN EVER FEELING HOPLESS. SOMETIMES THE SAVE POINT'S WERE TO FAR BETWEEN AND LEAVES THE GAMER FEELING EXTREMELY FRUSTRATED!

Quite good, actually.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: September 27, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This is a very good game despite what some other reviewers may have thought. It is really good especially if you've seen the John Carpenter movie. Lots of action, great graphics, and a nice difficulty curve (although it really ramps up in the end!). Very scary in spots and tense in others (like the movie). It captures the feel of the movie just right. Control is very good too and the camera never gets in the way of the action. This was a game I looked forward to coming home and playing. It is a little short, though. Great nonetheless. Now Terminator: Dawn of Fate on the other hand...

Good Graphics, Nice Plot, But has faults

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: July 26, 2003
Author: Amazon User

The Thing is a game that is great with graphics/storyline but poor in other areas. You can't save where you want. Some parts in the game are way too hard to get through. It would be a 5 star game if it had a format to save anyplace you want and perhaps a difficulty setting. All in all the game was ok. The price is ok too. Don't pay over 20 dollars for it.

COOL 7/10

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 9
Date: May 08, 2004
Author: Amazon User

THIS GAME IS SOOOOOOOOOOOO AWESOME! THIS IS SO COOL! THIS IS THE MOST GORIEST GAME EVER! PROBABLY! BUY IT!

(The Thing) blood gore and more!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: December 14, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I like games that scare the ... out of you and still give you one heck of a time. The Thing has got everything a good gamer likes. Blood, gore, guns, aliens, other people, and plenty of gameplay. What more could you ask for out of a game? This game totally rules.

GOOD GAME BUT LOTS OF ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 10
Date: January 14, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I REALLY THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE DIDNT LIKE THIS GAME BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT LETS FACE IT THIS GAME ACTUALLY WAS HARD AND TOOK SOME TIME TO FIGURE OUT AND THAT LEFT A LOT OF GAMERS QUITTING RIGHT IN THE BEGINNING.I REALLY DID LIKE THIS GAME IT JUST HAS
SOME FLAWS LIKE THE CAMERA ANGLES ARE BAD AND THE CONTROL MOVEMENT CAN BE AWFUL AT TIMES AND AGAIN THE GAME AT TIMES IS JUST PLAIN HARD AND MANY WILL GET FRUSTRATED AND STOP BUT IF YOUR UP FOR A SOMEWHAT OF A CHALLENGE THIS IS A REALLY GOOD GAME JUST DONT GET MAD AT FIRST WHEN THERE IS NO FIGHTING OR
BOSSES TO FIGHT BUT WHEN THEY DO ARRIVE YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THE GAME BETTER AT THAT POINT AND THATS WHAT MAKES IT A FUN GAME
AGAIN PLEASE DONT GET FRUSTRATED TO FAST AND GIVE THIS ONE A CHANCE BECAUSE IT REALLY IS A GOOD GAME AND THEY SAID SILENT HILL
ANND RESIDENT EVIL WHERE THE SCARIEST OF THEM ALL IM TELLING YOU
THE THING WILL HAVE YOU SHAKING AND WORRIED WHATS GONNA HAPPEN NEXT IT DOES DRAW YOU INTO A VERY CREAPY ENVIROMENT.SO JUST BE PATIENT AND YOULL HAVE A GREAT GAME TO PLAY FOR AWILE.
BRIAN

Sets A Bold New Standard For Survival-Horror

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: September 13, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Now when could you call a survival-horror game new and inventive? Seriously, since the original Resident Evil which created a new genre of gaming (Not to shabby) that is quickly turning into one of the biggest genre's in the console world; what is new for each new Resident Evil or Dino Crisis? Ever year I go through these games, some turn out to be excellent like Onimusha: Warlords, other mediocre such as Konami's Silent Hill 2 and not to forget the... of this growing pile Extermination. Yet in this over-crowded genre while everyone is trying to copy Capcom's success, Black Label's The Thing breaks the mold and its result creates something entirely new for the world of survival-horror.

The Thing takes place three months after John Carpenter's 1982 cult classic with the same name. For those unfamiliar with the story of The Thing allow me to explain. In Antarctica an alien aircraft crash lands and is found by a United States base, Outpost 31. The Thing itself is an unknown unseen creature, it has the ability to posses, imitates and change into just about any grotesque thing it desires, and most notable for me is the severed head with spider legs that have ripped out from the skull of some poor sap. Once this menace is released from its ship it turns to your typical alien storyline and rips everyone there to hell leaving no survivors. Which is where you come in, three months later a Special Forces team is sent in to investigate numerous areas in the Outpost's vicinity as to why communications have ceased.

Right off the bat you'll be able to tell how fresh The Thing plays and feels if you're a die hard Resident Evil and Silent Hill fan. The best new feature is the squad tactics that opens a door to new gameplay possibilities and unexpected twists. First off is the classes of your squad, there are three members: a medic, soldier and engineer. Obviously medics can cure you and your partners, soldiers provide help in gunfights and engineers can fix broken power boxes and bypass security locks. However along with their help comes consequences; your members are very much alive, if you stumble across severed bodies or bloody messes they're going to get freaked out, some vomit uncontrollably others shake violently and can't concentrate on their given orders and some will even snap and go crazy.

This element is referred to as the "Trust/Fear" meter. Lead the way into battle, take out large enemies single handedly and you're men's trust will sky-rocket, give unarmed member's weapons and plenty of ammo to defend themselves and they'll gladly assist you. Yet be careful how you play, take weapons away from your soldiers for your own use, they'll lose trust, put them in harms way, don't assist them in battles, shoot at them they'll refuse to help you and may even kill you if you push them to the limit. Its all about trust in the squad tactics, being The Thing can inhabit any living creature and perfectly imitate them the question of who's bad and who isn't will come into largely into play.

To dive into this players are given numerous ways of "testing" their members for infection. Most common is the blood test, inject a syringe into your partners and find out for yourself if he has been infected, if so The Thing will reveal itself and erupt from the mans body. Yet if you can suspect members of being The Thing, they can suspect you as well, depending on your actions your men may completely lose trust in which you will have to give yourself a blood test to prove you're healthy. All of the added touches to the Squad gameplay are what makes it so unique and groundbreaking.

Even if you've never seen the movie, it won't in any way dampen your experience with The Thing. It's so nice to finally play a This is the coolest game I have played in a long time and I can guarantee this is going to be in my top ten of the year.

Great action game but medium graphics

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 5
Date: January 29, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Incredible game, but the graphics looks like PS2,
lot of variables to take care, very friendly interface and easy to move characters, lot of items to pick. Combines strategy with reflex.

Very Very Well Made Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: September 07, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game has it all. It can scare the hell out of you. The gameplay is very good. The NPC's in the game are very helpful, but watch out they will turn on you. Overall this game is very well done!

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