The John Carpenter remake of The Thing is indisputably a favorite movie here at F:AT. Under the AmeriTrash movie scale, it had one of the top scores. So this new licensed boardgame for The Thing should interest FAT:ties:
I looked for the dog kennel right away, and found it. So that's a good sign.
However, this publisher has never done a boardgame before. I hope they at least approached this like a proper AT design, letting the theme guide the choice of components, mechanics, and overall game play. The components look promising, as I can't see how they would support some stupid resource management shit or auctions. The large Room Destroyed markers definitely give me hope.
I love the John Carpenter movie. It's nearly top 10 for me (I think it got number 11). This... I will wait and see. Hidden identity is so...2014. But I'm hopeful.
The optimistic nice guy in me is rooting for this to be good. It would be great for an unknown to just come up with something competent and enjoyable.
But the realist in me looks at it, and thinks refinement is in order. The graphic design being the first red flag that this property won't be treated like it deserves.
There is a certain expectation nowadays, being spoiled by "crappy" games that are actually good, just not enough to stand out as being worthy to really shine. The pessimist in me is winning out, but as always, I'll hold onto hope that it's compelling.
Hmm the gameplay may be designed by USAopoly, but the graphic design will be done by Alamo Drafthouse's Mondo studio, so if nothing else it should look really, really good.
Michael Barnes wrote: I hate this trend of board games based on cheap, easy to get licenses of beloved 80s movies.
I mean, who is playing Labyrinth, Goonies, Princess Bride, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and all of that? It's nerd pandering at its worst.
Hear me now and believe me later...this game will only disappoint you.
When is the Ladyhawke game coming out? The Time Bandits deckbuilder?
Eh, it's hard to call it a "trend" when publishers have been making cheap movie-themed games since the 50s. We should be thankful that they're at least trying to make a thematic *game* by modern standards rather than another roll-and-move around a track with pictures of Gremlins on it. Bring on the Night of the Comet game, I say.
My first thought on seeing the graphics was how much it looked like Dead of Winter. That could be a good or bad thing.
That's true. But it is comparatively recent that nerds and hobbyists have gotten excited by/interested in such game. Or that armchair game designers started thinking that D.A.R.R.Y.L. or Flight of the Navigator would make for great hobby games.
I don't have very high hopes for this, and the hidden traitor genre has been done to death, but I do want to point out that USAopaly did make that Harry Potter: Battle for Hogwarts game. I didn't play it, but I know a lot of people enjoyed it.
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