Well, I did expect it to look fantastic at the very least, which it certainly pulls off. For a title set in the relatively bleak wastelands of Antarctica, The Thing comes chock full of grotesque imagery, fear-inspiring settings and some seriously twisted enemies. Not a single one of these monsters would look out of place in the 1982 film, and that's exactly what the game needed. I was hoping to see 12-foot tall creatures with mutated dog heads and gnarled human torsos sticking out of a mass of bloody tentacles, and this game delivered. Score one for the guys at Computer Artworks!
All of the NPC models are crisp and unique as well, each with defining clothes and facial features -- but everyone has the exact same mannerisms. While the voice actors did a fine job, there simply isn't enough diversity in the soldiers' speech to convince the player of the game's environment. When over 20 fellow soldiers utter the same 'We've got company!' every time they spot an enemy, the entire experience suddenly changes from chillingly authentic to, well, humdrum and repetitive. A game based heavily on interactivity with teammates who essentially sound like robots can't achieve much in my book. The main character also has an overly macho, Max Payne-ish voice that garnered more than a few eye rolls from myself (and my roommate), but I guess that comes with the territory.