''A THANG JUST KEEPS ON THANGIN!''
Developed: Nightdive Studios
Published: Atari
Genre: survival horror
Release Date: Dec 5th, 2024
Platforms: PC, Playstation 4 and 5, Xbox Family and Nintendo Switch
*GAME PROVIDED TO ME BY ATARI
The Thing Remastered is the latest remaster in the endless cycles of remasters and it is developed by Nightdive Studios and published by Atari. With The Thing not really being... you know... a thing.. for quite sometime, Nightdive Studios decided it was time to bring it back into the limelight and bring us a remaster of the 2002 game that was once highly praised. But was this the right remaster to make considering the IP has been dormant for so long? or does this end up scratching that nostalgic itch? only one way to find out, so lets go!
''LETS NOT GET AHEAD OF OURSELVES NOW''
GAMEPLAY:
The Thing Remastered delivers a rather surprising amount of nostalgia and gameplay and bring back to the forefront the cult classic of not only the original version of this game, but also the classic movie its based off of as well. Developed by Nightdive Studios, The Thing Remastered is a.... you know... a remaster, duh, of the 2002 survival horror horror game that was directly inspired by the original iconic film created by the great John Carpenter. Which if you arent caught up on his films, please stop reading, go back and watch titles such as Escape From New York, Assault on Precinct 13 and They Live, trust me, they're classics. Thanks to this remastered implementing some modern touches, we get vastly improved performance over the original 2002 edition, which also creates more detailed environments, which greatly add to the already eerie atmosphere of the Antarctic outpost. Thankfully I dont really have to be out there, I cant even take the cold even when its low 60's or high 50s... so put me out in that type of weather, rip to me, popsicle amy initiates as I become the next Jack in The Shining, frozen boogers and all. But what may excite or disappoint some people is the gameplay department. While yes there's been several upgrades to the graphics, environments and the visual appeal... it generally does not dot really make any significant upgrades in the gameplay department, which mostly remains unchanged from the way you remembered it all the way back in 2002, which can be seen as a good thing like a ''if it aint broke, dont fix it'' type of thing, but also can be seen as a negative I feel for people that may find the play style a little outdated for modern standards. Myself however, I don't really mind as the weird controls that twenty years out of date give the game more charm and lends better to the horror aspect of survival due to the feel of the outdated controls, if that makes any sense. Probably doesnt since I'm pretty nuts, but then again, I'm also a person that prefers the old Resident Evil tank controls over the more modern action format, but hey thats just my opinion...which seems to be a crime nowadays in the community. Story wise, since you know this game is titled ''The Thing'', how does it connect to the franchise and where in the timeline doe it fit? I dont know. Why dont I know? I mean im typing this so I should know right? Well obviously I dont know since I havent typed it yet, ya big goof, but the next paragraph I will surely know... hopefully.
The narrative(that I now know since I'm typing it) is a continuation of the original film that takes place directly after its ambiguous ending, placing in in the role of the character, Captain Blake. As Blake, you are given the task of investigation the events and aftermath that took place in Outpost 31, which was me slaughtering everyone for taking the last piece of pizza. Ok it wasn't on that level of horror, but the real events of Outpost 31 does come pretty close, so thats a plus at least. Surprisingly, much to the same of the 2002 version of the game, even after all these years later, the remastered version still does a good job at capturing the paranoia that was so perfectly done in the original film with its theme, albeit in a more linear fashion, but still, give credit where credit is due - it still gives off the classic late 90's and early 2000's level of horror charm. The trust and fear system also makes it notable return once again, which back in the day, it was actually pretty cool in its own right, but just like me taking you for a ride in a multiplayer game with vehicles, it too was a situation of ''I didnt know what I had at the time, but now that I do, I regret it''. Ok now its not THAT bad, the system was pretty innovative for its time, whereas myself, slap a sticker on me that says ''defective'' because driving with me has a 90% failure rate, just saying. The system has been improved a tad, but because, once again, its 20 years outdated, which can cause issues with scripting that can make some things more predictable than they should be, which kind of kicks the ''immersion'' in its deformed monster nuts, making it squeal like Harry in Harry and The Hendersons. Yikes. I'm getting too old if I think everyone is going to get that reference. Oh well, its my destiny to be The Stoop Kid from Hey Arnold I suppose even in old age... and oops... another reference people wont get. Guess I better CUT. IT. OUT. Ok ill stop now, its getting out of hand. Lets just get into the actual gameplay, okay?
Here in The Thing Remastered, you stick with a combination of third person shooter and squad management, with modern aiming mechanics and a new addition of difficulty settings also added to the fray. Granted, thats not really a huge revelation, but I'll take quality of life changes any day in a game, so... fight me. Offering both indoor and outdoor environments gives the game a sense of scope, even if its rather linear, it still keeps it from becoming dull or repetitive for only having one specific setting, which keeps it feeling fresh, however even with that, the AI in this game is going to annoy you, pretty badly as well since there seems to be problem with coding or whatever it is that runs the script that makes them interact with the environment because a lot of the time they will get stuck somewhere, whether it be a wall or in the floor itself, or just not responding to your commands to begin with, like a tall, which leaves it frustrating. Several times Id fine myself in a tense situation, only for the immersion of what is going around me to be shattered due to an AI squad member not responding to an action. This is why emphasized the look and feel earlier about the game because the devs attention to detail with staying true to the horror aspects of original film, is what keeps you hyper focused on everything around you, with every detail making you want to dive more into this universe due to the detail of the environments, creature transformations, eerie sound design and syncing that with exploration and puzzle solving makes for a really fun experience, with the black eye of course being the dang AI. Stupid AI, as dumb as me when I walk past the exit to a level in Klonoa like 10 times over the course of 20 minutes.
''OH NO MY MOTHER IN LAW IS BACK'' - The man screams in terror
OVERALL:
At the end of the day, The Thing Remastered ends up being quite the mixed bad, for better or worse. On one hand you do have some negatives with the game not exactly meeting the standard of what you'd expect from modern games, making it feel a tad bit outdated in that sense, alongside with the clunky AI squads that can ruin your fun here and there... however, what makes up for it is the built up atmosphere, the sense of horror, and the immersion the game sets up for you to make you feel like you're in constant danger, which lines up with the paranoia feeling from the original movie and how that kept you on the edge of your seat. Is this remaster perfect? not even close, but do I feel its worth your time checking out? yes I do. If you're a fan of the original movie and want a continuation of that curiosity and want to get back into this universe of survival horror, then I highly recommend giving this one a go because I feel it will spook you now, just as it did in 2002. So now with all that having been said, my verdict is clear, GameNChick says BUY NOW!
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