GAMES: GameSpot | GameFAQs MUSIC: Last.fm | MP3.com MOVIES: Metacritic | Movietome TV: TV.com
Home | About Metacritic | About Metascores | What's New | Wireless Versions | Discussion Forums | Advertising Inquiries | Contact Us | RSS
Metacritic.com: We Deal With Criticism
     Help
> Switch to Advanced Search  
Film Video/DVD Music Games TV

Games

Playstation Reviews
PS3 | PS2 | PS One | PSP

Xbox Reviews
Xbox 360 | Xbox

Nintendo Reviews
Wii | DS | GBA | Cube | N64


PC | N-Gage | Dreamcast

How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Games In Our Forums

 

Upcoming & Recent Releases

sort by name sort by score

xx Age of Pirates 2: City of Abandoned Ships
xx Alien Shooter - Revisited
xx Alien Shooter 2: Reloaded
xx Altitude
xx America's Army 3
75 And Yet It Moves
79 ArmA II
xx Armed Forces Corp.
xx Astro Tripper
75 BattleForge
74 Battlestations: Pacific
75 Bionic Commando
78 Blood Bowl
59 Blueberry Garden
xx Book of Unwritten Tales, The
90 Braid
xx Burnout Paradise: Big Surf Island
81 Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
80 Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, The
76 Chronicles of Spellborn, The
67 Codename: Panzers - Cold War
73 Cogs
64 Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 - Uprising
70 Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor
69 Cryostasis: Sleep of Reason
41 Damnation
66 Dark Sector
89 Dawn of Discovery
82 DCS: Black Shark
53 Death Track: Resurrection
xx Delta Force: Xtreme 2
76 Demigod
xx Drug Wars
71 Elven Legacy
89 EVE Online: Apocrypha
81 Fallout 3: Broken Steel
78 Fallout 3: Point Lookout
77 Fallout 3: The Pitt
50 Fenimore Fillmore's Revenge
xx Final Fantasy XI: A Crystalline Prophecy
65 Flock!
80 Free Realms
72 Fuel
78 Ghostbusters: The Video Game
54 Gobliiins 4
63 Godfather II, The
36 Grey's Anatomy
xx Hannah Montana: The Movie
xx Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
xx Helldorado
xx Hinterland: Orc Lords
xx Humans, The
xx Hunter, The
xx Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
72 Killing Floor
xx Larva Mortus
66 Last Remnant, The
20 Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust
xx Light of Altair
75 Maw, The
79 Men of War
76 Mevo & the Grooveriders
xx Military History Commander: Europe at War
74 MLB Dugout Heroes
63 Monsters vs. Aliens
74 Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate
72 Officers
xx Operation 7
xx Orb and the Oracle, The
78 Overlord II
80 Path, The
88 Plants vs. Zombies
xx Pool Hall Pro
xx Pro Cycling Manager: Tour de France 2009
79 Prototype
xx Railworks
xx Raycatcher
70 Restaurant Empire 2
xx Righteous Kill 2: Revenge of the Poet Killer
73 Runes of Magic
xx Samantha Swift and the Golden Touch
72 SBK 09 Superbike World Championship
xx Scorpion: Disfigured
64 Secret Files 2: Puritas Cordis
74 Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper
77 Simon the Sorcerer 5: Who'd Even Want Contact?!
86 Sims 3, The
xx Smashing Toys
73 Spore Galactic Adventures
26 Stalin vs. Martians
xx Stateshift
68 Still Life 2
42 Stormrise
92 Street Fighter IV
71 Superstars V8 Racing
51 Terminator Salvation
xx Theatre of War 2: Africa 1943
xx Three Cards to Midnight
70 Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.
61 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
xx Trine
31 Tunnel Rats
xx Up
61 Velvet Assassin
72 Virtua Tennis 2009
76 Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures Ep 1: Fright of the Bumblebees
73 Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures Ep 2: The Last Resort
75 Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures Ep 3: Muzzled!
62 Wanted: Weapons of Fate
xx Warrior Epic
58 Wheelman, The
xx Women's Murder Club: A Darker Shade of Grey
72 World in Conflict: Soviet Assault
xx WSC Real 09: World Snooker Championship
77 X-Men Origins: Wolverine - Uncaged Edition
xx Yosumin!
78 Zeno Clash

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.



Printer-Friendly Version Email This Page Discuss In Our Forums
Thing, The pc Game Reviews
Thing, The
Critic Score
Metascore: 77 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
7.4 out of 10
based on 19 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 10 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game

Dropped into the frozen wastelands of Antarctica, you're the leader of a military rescue team sent to investigate the mysterious deaths of an American scientific expedition. In the punishing wind and cold, your team encounters a strange, shape-shifting alien life form that assumes the appearances of the people it kills. This monster is difficult to see, hard to kill, and seemingly impossible to evade. And when you see it, it's often too late. [Universal Interactive]

PUBLISHER: Universal Interactive
DEVELOPER: Computer Artworks
GENRE(S): Action, Adventure, Survival Horror, Shooter
PLAYERS: 16
ESRB RATING: M (Mature)
RELEASE DATE: August 20, 2002

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100
Four Fat Chicks
So see the film, take a little break, then turn down the lights, put on headphones, and prepare yourself for the atmosphere, anticipation, apprehension, anxiety and action of The Thing.
Read Full Review
100
Maxim Online
Incredibly atmospheric (it makes great use of flickering lights, icy landscapes, and foreboding corridors) without skimping on the screams, The Thing is a terrifying battle to the finish.
Read Full Review
85
IGN
The visuals and sound are top notch and the sense of desperation you feel when you are stuck outside and about to succumb to the elements or being hunted by packs of the foul creatures is very real.
Read Full Review
85
Game Over Online
Excellent, moody and atmospheric, and at some points downright creepy.
Read Full Review
84
Gamers' Temple
More interactive movie than third-person shooter, The Thing is an enjoyable diversion loaded with atmosphere.
Read Full Review
84
PC Format
The Thing isn’t a classic but it is a superbly executed, engrossing horror shooter that almost everyone will enjoy, once at least.
Read Full Review
81
Armchair Empire
It adds multiple innovations to the survival horror formula and improves on that genre immensely. Unfortunately, The Thing also holds on to some of the most annoying conventions of the genre.
Read Full Review
80
ActionTrip
The game is fairly short. The overall impression was also reduced with those sound bugs and camera issues I mentioned. Still, the excellent visuals and squad-based gameplay compensate for all of that and they make The Thing a truly entertaining product.
Read Full Review
80
GameZone
The control interface is overly complicated. When you look at the manual you might feel like ripping your arms off and beating yourself silly, but there is no need. After thirty minutes of running around the station you'll feel more familiar. However during an intense battle looking down to press the I button is like trying to read Latin in the dark.
Read Full Review
77
GameSpot
If it weren't for a general scarcity of terror and a control scheme unsuited to its action-oriented gameplay, The Thing would be great.
Read Full Review
75
Entertainment Weekly
This contrived implementation of a great concept is disappointing, but at least the surrounding game delivers some taught cinematic moments that would make Carpenter proud. [6 Sept 2002]
70
PC Gamer
Too many rough edges ruin an otherwise smooth production: clipping problems, unexplained mission objectives..., save points strategically placed to artificially raise the difficulty of certain missions, and an emphasis on scripting over substance. [Dec 2002, p.102]
70
Yahoo! Games
The Thing on its own stands as a slightly flawed, yet atmospheric and alluring action-adventure. Hardcore fans of the film, however, will have fewer complaints.
Read Full Review
70
Adrenaline Vault
If you're willing to get frightened out of your wits, be grossed out along the way and feel like an icicle, The Thing will definitely not disappoint.
Read Full Review
70
Voodoo Extreme
Has many unique and innovative points going for it, but in the end has one too many little flaws that prevent it from being a truly great game.
Read Full Review
69
GameSpy
At least The Thing starts out strong. It's the sort of game you don't have to feel bad about not finishing.
Read Full Review
61
netjak
But since the game operates in 3rd person, and doesn't give you a cursor when you're using important weapons like the flamethrower, you can't aim. This totally sucks.
Read Full Review
60
Pregaming
It's like the design team started designing a good game, complete with the groundwork for the fear and trust system and then decided to throw it all to the wind and turn the game into some sort of half-cocked Half-Life clone, except without the playability or shock value of that title.
Read Full Review
60
Computer Gaming World
A great concept but is filled with crippling annoyances that drag down the entire experience. [Nov 2002, p.120]

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 7.4 (out of 10) based on 10 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

R.J. M. gave it a 10:
This game kicks Ass. the action is Sweeeeeet. it is so easy and FUN to play. I have finished it 4 or 5 times !

Jon C. gave it a 7:
Great game with the notable exceptions of almost everyone you meet in the game is a thing. Hardly anyone is human. And for those of them that are human. what becomes of them at the end of the game? We only get to see Blake being rescued by McCready. What about the actual humans!?!?!? A disappointing incomplete ending.

Jason M. gave it a 9:
Game is great. The updates i had to make to me machine were not. I havent had any other problems with it other than that.

[Anonymous] gave it a 7:
It is a very good game and is very creepy and freeky the grapics are awsome but the downside is that the things are almost impossible to kill and i like that you get to control your own team.

The Voice gave it a 5:
The graphics can be improved. Also, the game is too scary for me as the player has to explore dark and spooky areas which I have phobia doing so.

Night Wo1f gave it an 8:
Ok, I've played through half the game so far. If you like good scares, play at night with all but a background light (so you can see controls) on and the sound up, this game will screw you up. ;) Gameplay is good, the only bad point being in third person without a crosshair to aim with. First person gives you a crosshair, but is too difficult to hold down as you try to move. The levels are fine, and quite difficult if you're playing on hard. Ammo can be scarce, which adds to the tension when you can hear something 'BIG' nearby. Graphics are fine, nothing special here. Sound is just plain dang creepy. During some cutscenes there's a glitch where characters are talking, but all you can hear is a heartbeat. Why? This game is worth $30 bucks and some late at night play. Parents, do NOT let young kids play this or be prepared to have to put up with some nightmares or tripping over them cause they're sleeping outside your door.

Gaz gave it a 3:
The game overall in my opinion is poor. The graphics are ordinary and the whole concept is based around sending wave after wave of monsters and soldiers after you. There is only 2 types of soldier and seemingly 3 types of "Thing", rangin from critters, medium things and "end of level baddie things". What I don't like is how the soldiers fire endlessly at you, never run out of ammo and even drop ammo when they die. How is this possible?? I got bored of this game after around an hour and totally regretted purchasing it. Anyone reading this interested in buying the game should look in Amazon.co.uk as I will be selling it very low cost. Very disappointed.

Read more user comments...

Discuss this game in our forums

Return to top of page
Home | FILM | DVD/VIDEO | MUSIC | GAMES | TV | Forums | About Metacritic metacritic.com

Popular on CBS sites: iPhone 3G | Fantasy Football | Moneywatch | Antivirus Software | Recipes | E3 2009

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use