"This is one intense action/horror game. You gotta play this one, man - it'll blast you against the wall."

• John Carpenter

In the frozen wastelands of Antarctica, a mysterious shape-shifting alien life form has wiped out an American scientific outpost. You're the leader of a military rescue team sent to investigate the carnage. Trapped by the elements and infected by a horrific enemy, you must keep your squad together. Control their fear, gain their trust and you might just survive.

**Use awesome firepower like explosives and flamethrowers to torch your enemies.

Control your squad's emotions using innovative trust/fear tactics.

Fight fear with psychological mind games to survive.

Experience state-of-the-art environmental effects.

Choose multiple paths to solve levels and accomplish goals.**

Source:

Back of Case (U.S./Canada)

The game:

The Thing picks up where the 1982 film "left" off...

The Thing picks up where the 1982 film ''left'' off 'center'ing on the military investigation of enigmatic deaths of an American scientific team in the frozen wastelands of the Antarctic. Within these inhospitable surroundings your team encounters a strange shape-shifting alien life-form that assumes the appearance of people that it kills. Capitalizing on the fear and intense paranoia portrayed in the film, The Thing will deliver a new gaming experience blending player controlled, squad-based action and horror elements for the first time. Through the use of an innovative Trust Fear NPC management system, the player must monitor and influence his fellow NPC squad members psychological state throughout the game. Using all your team members is critical if you hope to accomplish objectives, let alone survive. Now if you only knew which ones were still human…

**Hints available - 09065 558810. (£1 p/min at all times.) You MUST have the permission of the telephone account holder before making the call.

Amazing lighting, weather and particle effects complemented by subtle sound cues and in-engine cinematics create a deep level of immersion.

An innovative blend of fast paced squad action meets survival horror. The Thing will deliver a new gaming experience.

Advanced trust/fear interface adds a new level of interaction to the genre - How you influence non-player characters (NPCs) psychological state determines whether or not these characters will co-operate with you.

Shockingly grotesque Thing beasts ranging from spider-like mutated head scuttlers, to walkers and full multiple-appendage Thing bosses.**

Source:

Vivendi Universal Games UK website - PlayStation 2/Xbox

The Thing infects gamers with isolation and paranoia in third quarter 2002Universal Interactive to transform survival/horror gaming on next generation platforms

Universal City, Calif., January 14, 2001 - Get ready for unprecedented levels of fear and suspense as Universal Interactive has unveiled its plans for The Thing for Microsoft Xbox®, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, and PC CD-ROM scheduled for release in third quarter 2002. The Xbox® and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system games will be co-published with Konami Corporation.

Universal Interactive's The Thing, a game inspired by Universal Studios' and John Carpenter's classic horror film of the same name, picks up where the movie left off and features an all-new cast of characters.

You are a military squad captain sent into the frozen Antarctic to investigate the mysterious deaths of an American scientific expedition. Are you a trustworthy leader? Are your fellow soldiers really on your side? Are they even human? London-based game developer Computer Artworks, Ltd. has created a revolutionary gameplay mechanic never before implemented in the survival/horror genre: an advanced trust/fear interface enabling you to monitor the psychological states of the non-playing characters (NPC's) which in turn determine whether these characters cooperate with you. Unlike most survival/horror games, The Thing demands that you work with your increasingly suspicious teammates, relying on wits and an arsenal of weaponry, including flame-throwers and machine guns, to escape infection and finish the game with your squad.

"The Thing is a phenomenal license that lends itself incredibly well to adaptation as a game," said Jim Wilson, president of Universal Interactive. "This innovative, multi-platform title provides fans of The Thing the sequel they have been waiting to see for 20 years."

The ultra-realistic 3-D game also features groundbreaking snow and lighting effects, subtle sound cues and some of the most hyper-detailed and truly horrific creatures ever to grace the gaming screen. The Thing is difficult to see, hard to kill and seemingly impossible to evade. Are you ready?

The Thing video games have not yet been rated by the ESRB.

About "The Thing"

Derived from John W. Campbell, Jr.'s short story "Who Goes There?" and a remake of Howard Hawks' 1951 film, John Carpenter's ("Christine," "Halloween") The Thing has become a cult phenomenon since its theatrical release in 1982. Telling the story of an alien monster that ravages an Antarctic outpost with its power to morph into the shape of anything it kills, the film was rated by Entertainment Weekly as the 12th-scariest movie of all time, in the company of such classics as "Alien" and "The Exorcist."

About Konami Konami is a leading developer, publisher and manufacturer of electronic entertainment properties, specializing in the home video game market. Konami's action and adventure titles include the popular franchises Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill and Castlevania, among other top sellers. In addition, the company has an agreement with ESPN to develop and publish sports games. The latest information about Konami can be found on the Web at www.konami.com. Konami Corporation is a publicly traded company based in Tokyo, Japan with subsidiary offices, Konami of America, Inc. in the US and Konami of Europe in Frankfurt, Germany. Konami is a registered trademark of Konami Co., Ltd. ©2001 Konami of America, Inc.

About Universal Interactive

Universal Interactive develops and publishes innovative interactive entertainment for next generation game consoles and PC platforms based on original content and Universal Studios character, movie, and television franchises.

About Vivendi Universal Publishing

Vivendi Universal Publishing (VU Publishing), the publishing division of the world's second largest communications group (Vivendi Universal), is an international leader in multi-platform publishing and content distribution. As one of the top three players in the global publishing market and the only publisher with an international reach, the Company's key content areas include literature, reference, education, games and consumer press. VU Publishing publishes content in four major languages, including English, French, Spanish and Portuguese, and has strong local publishing brands, including Anaya, Atica, Houghton Mifflin, Knowledge Adventure, Larousse, Nathan and Scipione. In the games category, VU Publishing is a leading publisher of online, PC and console-based games. Its studios include Blizzard Entertainment, Sierra On-Line and Universal Interactive.

Source:

Press Release

Where the movie ended, the true terror begins. In the frozen wastelands of Antarctica, a mysterious, shape-shifting alien life form has wiped out an American scientific outpost. You're the leader of a military rescue team sent to investigate the carnage. Trapped by the elements and infected by a horrific enemy, you must keep your squad together. Control their fear, gain their trust and you might just survive The Thing.

Source:

www.xbox.com

WO DER FILM ENDET, BEGINNT DER WAHRE HORROR.

In der Eiswüste der Antarktis hat eine mysteriöse, gestaltenwandelnde außerirdische Lebensform einen kompletten amerikanischen Außenposten vernichtet. Sie sind Cpt. Blake, Führer eines militärischen Rettungsteams, mit dem Auftrag, die Situation zu erkunden. Gefangen in den Minusgraden und infiziert von einem schrecklichen Feind, obliegt es einzig Ihnen, Ihr Team zusammenzuhalten. Beherrschen Sie deren Ängste, gewinnen Sie ihr Vertrauen - vielleicht werden Sie dann sogar überleben.

• Nutzen Sie die volle Feuerkraft von Sprengsätzen und Flammenwerfen gegen Ihre Feinde.
• Kontrollieren und steuern Sie den Gefühlszustand Ihres Teams.
• Bekämpfen Sie die Angst mit psychologischen Tricks, um zu überleben.
• Erleben Sie atemberaubende Spezialeffekte, die Ihnen den Schauer über den Rücken laufen lassen.
• Für viele Probleme stehen verschiedene Lösungswege offen.

Source:

Back of Keep Case - Windows (Germany) Bestseller Series

Where the movie ended,The true terror begins.

In the frozen wastelands of Antarctica, a mysterious shape shifting alien life form has wiped out an American scientific outpost. You're Cpt. Blake leader of a military rescue team sent to investigate the carnage. Trapped by the elements and infected by a horrific enemy, you must keep your squad together. Control their fear, gain their trust and you might just survive.

Use awesome firepower like explosives and flamethrowers to torch your enemies.

Control your squad's emotions using Innovative trust/fear tactics.

Fight feat with psychological mind games to survive.

Experience state-of-the-art environmental effects that create suspense and terror.

Choose multiple paths to solve levels and accomplish goals.

www.TheThingGames.com

Source:

Back of Case - PlayStation 2 (UK)