I got this game at Xmas along with Splinter Cell. Splinter Cell has frankly been a chore to play compared to The Thing; sessions on The Thing that I'd planned to be half an hour often ended three hours later. It took me about 3 weeks to complete and admittedly could have been longer.
One of its strongest features is atmosphere. Sound effects and music cues are sparse which makes for an uncluttered audio experience which really benefits the raising of tension when you do hear something. Nice little fleeting cut scenes smoothly crank it up further.
Graphics are fine without being spectacular, the monsters are pretty good. Sometimes the NPCs or things overlap their surroundings but it's only a minor quibble.
Controls are no more difficult than other games of its type and with a little early patience are easy to master (I think I used an alternative control setup which suited me fine).
I enjoyed the sections where it was possible to build a squad and I was disappointed that this became less and less a part of the game as things progressed. The save option comes up whenever you discover a data recorder which is great when you've found one but there are a few sections at the beginning of levels where it seems like an age between saves. I seemed to spend much of the last half of the game creeping about with a throbbing controller (critical low health) and frequent prayers for health, a medic or a data recorder.
Overall a pretty well balanced game, exciting, challenging and well designed. It isn't for kids though. Fans of the film should enjoy spotting all the little nods to that classic either by the dialogue or the surroundings. I'd certainly buy any sequels though I'd hope for more of a focus on the squad aspects of the game.
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