The Thing
↗ 18%
😊 7.5/10
(Playstation 2 - US, Horror)
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Developed_By:
Computer Artworks Ltd.
Published_By:
Black Label Games
Released On:
01 Jan 2002
Also available on:
The Thing , released for the PlayStation 2 in August 2002, is a squad-based third-person shooter set after the events of the 1982 John Carpenter movie. You play as a member of an Antarctic research team fighting against a deadly alien creature that can perfectly imitate humans.
Gameplay involves using every player in your team to overcome levels and eliminate the alien threats. As you progress, new weapons such as flame throwers and pistols become available to help you in the fight.
The game's 20 levels are filled with human characters who can be trusted or infected by the alien creature. Trust is crucial to success, as you must decide who to work with and who to eliminate to survive.
UPC-A:
020626714365 (United States)
eBay Product ID:
8716 (United States)
ASIN:
B000066RKC (United States)
Sony PN:
SLUS-20371 (United States)
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Media Type:
CD-ROM, DVD-ROM
Gamepads Supported:
DualShock 2
Number of Offline Players:
1 Player
Save Game Methods:
External Storage
Input Device Features Supported:
Vibration
Controller Types Supported:
Analog Controller
Miscellaneous Attributes:
Pressure/Touch Sensitive
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More from Computer Artworks Ltd.
Manual
Game Guide
Extracted from the original game manual
How to Play
GETTING STARTED
PlayStation®2 Setup
Set up your PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system according to its instruction manual. Ensure the MAIN POWER switch (on the back of the console) is ON.
Press the RESET button. When the power indicator lights up, press the OPEN button to open the disc tray. Place THE THING™ disc on the tray with the label side up. Press the OPEN button again to close the disc tray.
Attach game controllers and other peripherals as needed. Follow on-screen instructions and refer to this manual for information on using THE THING™.
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MEMORY CARD slot 2
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MEMORY CARD slot 1
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USB connector
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S400 i.LINK connector
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controller port 1
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controller port 2
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disc tray
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RESET button
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(OPEN) button
Memory Card (8MB) (for PlayStation®2)
THE THING™ allows you to save games and resume play on previously saved games. A memory card (8MB) (for PlayStation®2) is required.
Insert a memory card (8MB) (for PlayStation®2) into MEMORY CARD slot 1 on the PlayStation®2 game console BEFORE starting play.
Important
Do not switch off the MAIN POWER switch, or remove or insert a memory card (8MB) (for PlayStation®2) or Controllers while saving or loading games. Doing so could damage the game data.
THE INVENTORY SCREENS
Accessing Inventory
Your Weapons/Items Inventory screens can be accessed at any time by pressing the L1 button. Your Documents/Keys Inventory screens can be accessed at any time by pressing the SELECT button.
When any of these inventory screens are active, the game will be paused.
Scrolling Through Items
You can also scroll through your weapons and items without going to Inventory by using the directional button.
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Left and Right will scroll through your items.
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Up and Down will scroll through your weapons.
Weapons Inventory
When you press the L1 button, the first screen you see is your Weapons Inventory. This inventory displays all of your current weapons and their ammunition count.
The ammunition count lists the number of clips you have, then the number of bullets. For example, the top image shows a machine gun with 3 clips and 20 rounds besides. A bar indicates the amount of fuel for your Flamethrower.
Items Inventory
From the Weapons Inventory screen, you can switch to your Items Inventory by highlighting the circle in the middle and pressing the button. This screen displays all your current items, along with a number indicating how many you have of each.
Documents Inventory
When you press the SELECT button, the first screen you see is your Documents Inventory. Here you can reread any collected document by highlighting the item and pressing the button.
Keys Inventory
From the Documents Inventory screen, you can switch to your Keys Inventory by highlighting the circle in the middle and pressing the button. This screen displays all collected keys. Their name will indicate which door they unlock.
Your Mission Objectives
You can check your mission objectives at any time by entering the Documents Inventory screen and selecting the "Objectives" document. This will display your current mission objectives.
CHARACTER CLASSES
The Soldier
A soldier is your best friend in combat. Soldiers have the best weapon accuracy and the greatest courage. Consider giving a weapon to a soldier if you have only one to spare.
The Medic
Medics are invaluable in heavy combat as they can heal you and other Squad-Members without Medical Kits. If you're going into a massive firefight, you may want to leave your medic behind so he can patch everyone up afterward.
The Engineer
Engineers are an absolute necessity. Their ability to repair damaged electronics will be critical as you explore abandoned and decaying locations. Take good care of your engineers; you'll need them.
INTERACTING WITH YOUR SQUAD-MEMBERS
The Squad Menu
The Squad-Member Menu allows you to interact with your Squad-Members and can be accessed at any time by pressing the button. The Squad-Member Menu contains four Squad-Member Panels and a group Follow/Stay option.
You can tell all of your current Squad-Members to Follow you or Stay where they are using the group command. You can interact with a single Squad-Member by highlighting his Squad-Member Panel and pressing the button.
Individual Squad-Member menus give you the following four options: Go To, Follow/Stay, Take Weapon and Ammo, and Give Weapon. Whenever you see a red X over an option, the option is unavailable.
The Squad-Member Panel
The Squad-Member Panel displays the Squad-Member's name, character class, health, fear level, and trust level. His name appears in the Squad-Member Panel.
Both the color of his panel and the icon behind his name indicate his character class.
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If his panel is red and he has a syringe behind his name, he's a medic.
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If his panel is blue and he has a wrench behind his name, he's an engineer.
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If his panel is green and he has a gun behind his name, he's a soldier.
The red bar under his name indicates his health. Refer to the section on Fear to find out how fear is indicated in the Squad-Member Panel. Refer to the section on Trust to find out how trust is indicated in the Squad-Member Panel.
Go To
To tell a Squad-Member to go somewhere, access his individual Squad-Member Menu and select the "Go To" option. An inventory of
Controls
A button
Squad-Member Menu
button
Use Item
O button
Interact
X button
Fire Weapon
left directional button
Next Item
right directional button
Previous Item
up directional button
Previous Weapon
down directional button
Next Weapon
left analog stick
Move
right analog stick
Zoom In/Out when using CCTV & Sniper CCTV / Rifle
L1 button
Weapon/Items Inventory
L2 button
Sidestep Left
L3 button
Crouch
R1 button
Free-look
R2 button
Sidestep Right
R3 button
Reload Current Weapon
SELECT button
Documents/Keys Inventory
START button
Pause Menu
Tips & Maps
Sniper CCTVs
Sniper CCTVs are common CCTV units augmented with rapid-fire weaponry. Approach its terminal, press the button, and use the analog sticks to move the camera, zoom, and fire.
Strafing
Strafing allows you to move left and right, making it easier to dodge attacks and take cover quickly during combat.
First-Person View
First-Person View allows you to get a better look at things and aim at specific targets, though you cannot run in this mode.
Peeking
When in First-Person View, you can lean left or right from behind cover using the Strafe buttons to fire at enemies.
Taking Cover
Taking cover behind large objects like lockers, crates, or walls, or crouching behind crates or tables, will prevent you from getting shot unnecessarily.
Using Your Squad-Members
Your Squad-Members will fight beside you; keep them armed so they can help with the workload.
The Importance of Fire
Smaller enemies can be killed with bullets, but larger enemies require initial bullet damage followed by burning them to death with fire.
Tazing People
If you need someone's weapon and they won't give it to you, taze them and they will drop it.
Reloading
While things are quiet or before combat, reload your weapon by discarding the current clip and loading a new one to ensure a full stock of ammo.
Waste Not, Want Not
Manage your supplies wisely, for example, don't use a Medical Kit if you have a Medic, as you never know when things will run out.
Items & Weapons
The Tazer
The Tazer is good for stunning an opponent without doing any damage. The voltage hampers muscle tension, causing the victim to drop his weapon and ammunition.
The Pistol
A small-arms hallmark-it fires rapidly and is the best way to kill smaller Things. The pistol is the most accurate of weapons.
The Machine Gun
The standard firearm for you and your squad-a rapid-fire weapon commonly used for CQB (Close-Quarters-Battle).
The Shotgun
The Shotgun fires powerful rounds, but loses accuracy at great distances.
The Flamethrower
This is the only way you can kill the larger Things, but be careful that you don't burn yourself-fire catches and you can easily get hurt.
The Compact Flamer
A compact version of the Flamethrower, this weapon has a shorter throw range. It can be used to quickly lay flame patches on the ground, which are good for trapping your enemy or drawing a line they won't cross.
Standard Grenades
These are standard combat grenades. When using these timed explosives, the longer you hold down the button before release, the farther you'll throw them.
High-Explosive Grenades
These grenades pack a bit more punch. Toss 'em and run.
Stun Grenades
Stun Grenades emit a blinding flash that causes human targets to drop their weapons and temporarily confuses alien targets.
Flame Grenades
These grenades splash the immediate area with a flammable substance that creates a gigantic flame patch for a short time.
The Grenade Launcher
This weapon allows you to launch grenades that explode on impact. Use it when you need more accuracy than you get by throwing a grenade by hand.
The Sniper Rifle
Use this to zoom in on unsuspecting victims and plant a solid round right in their foreheads. Great for those times when you have barely any health and need to pick off enemies from afar.
C4 Explosive
These can't be used autonomously, but you will have to collect them and place them at specific locations as a mission objective.
Pistol Ammo
Used for your Pistol, each clip holds 20 bullets.
Machine Gun Ammo
Each magazine holds 50 rounds.
Shotgun Ammo
Used for your Shotgun, each magazine contains 12 rounds.
Sniper Rifle Ammo
Used for your Sniper Rifle, each clip holds 5 rounds.
Flamethrower Canisters
Ammunition for the Flamethrower.
Compact Flamer Canisters
Ammunition for the Compact Flamer.
Flares
Common flares are used to illuminate dark areas. After three minutes, however, they'll burn out.
The Fire Extinguisher
Every household should have one. Use the extinguisher to put out fires that are obstructing your path.
Medical Kits
Used for field operations, medical kits can be self-administered or used on a Squad-Member to bring health back up.
Blood-Test Hypos
This new hypo is based on chemical reaction research. If the subject is infected, the Blood Test will expose him. These can also be used to prove that you yourself are not infected.
Adrenaline Hypos
Adrenaline positively modifies behavior by negating the effects of fear.
Keys
Good ol' keys ... used to open locked doors.
Key Cards
Access Cards used to open security locked doors.
Documents
Documents can be found anywhere and will usually give you useful bits of information.
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