**The Thing: Remastered on Xbox – A Gripping Revival of a Classic Horror Experience**

Here is the overview regarding The Thing Remastered; or rather, it’s still essentially the 2002 version of The Thing. This can be a valid aspect, or a negative aspect, depending on how much you value your The Thing experience.

2002’s The Thing, as you may observe, draws its inspiration from the intensely thrilling Kurt Russell film, The Thing, (which is fundamentally based on a novella that is not actually titled The Thing!) is a nicely blended adaptation of a game. It establishes its ambiance impressively, delving into the creeping dread and gradually intensifying paranoia of the iconic film, offering light squad control and showcasing its narrative in settings that – while undeniably dated – still capture the essence of the overall experience (didn’t even mean to suggest that one) exceptionally well. However, it does tend to falter a bit during the latter portion of its short runtime.

Let’s focus on the positives for the time being. This is a game that has consistently excelled in its presentation, and this aspect of the experience only improves with the expertise of Nightdive handling the remastering duties. It’s a polished and sharp return to the 1980s Antarctic setting. The controls are flawless, featuring motion controls, fully customizable options for your controller settings and sensitivities, along with all the tweaks you might expect to ensure you’re receiving the original vision, excellently presented as it is.

The visuals have been greatly enhanced for this re-release, boasting more vibrant character models and refined textures. Nightdive even created some unique animations and updated lighting and atmospheric effects. So, you’ve got all that delightful volumetric goodness as well. Which is fantastic!

The end result is a remarkably impressive feat on a technical level. It performs impeccably at up to 4K/120FPS, feeling as comfortable as a grotesquely mutated child’s bottom while you play, and for the first couple of hours, it’s certainly worth immersing yourself in. Even after twenty-two years, it captivates your attention in a manner that encourages you to think a little as you band together against the threat, solve some clever puzzles, and get caught up in the tension of earning the trust of your teammates, all while enjoying some intense moments from the films – which we perhaps shouldn’t spoil here, just in case.

All of this initial gameplay is excellent. It was spectacular back in its original release, and it remains enjoyable now. Especially when it looks and feels this good. However, and it is indeed a significant drawback, this is also a game that sadly falls short during its latter half. It’s not an uncommon issue, succumbing to the temptation of adding numerous weapons and things to shoot them with, but here it genuinely stings, as if they’d simply remained creatively subtle – without all the gunplay – we might have been 40% of the way to a classic horror experience.