It does already have a video game based on it, but I want a proper The Thing video game. The existing one has some neat ideas, but I think they could be done much better. It'd be a shorter game, first person, around 6-8 hours long, maybe 10 if you're feeling extra spicy. I could see it taking place on the mainland, but I think McMurdo Station is the next logical place. It was mentioned in the movie and it's way bigger than the American and Norwegian stations combined.
A friend of mine brought up a pretty great point while we were watching the movie together. What exactly is stopping the Thing from just like, leaving the base? It won't die, it'll only be frozen. It doesn't even have to go very far! There will be people investigating both stations eventually and I doubt they'd stay entirely within the confines of the base when conducting an investigation, especially when the bodies of most the people in the station are unaccounted for. So it could just travel within super easy walking distance and start hibernating. Maybe it was afraid of being covered in snow and nobody would ever find it? But it being found is a lot easier to believe over there being a secret research base underground that has been experimenting on the Thing for awhile. x)
Anyway, people from McMurdo Station come to investigate, find the frozen Thing and take it back with the other bodies they could find to base for examination/autopsy. Shenanigans happen and now it's loose in the base. It is basically the exact same setup to both of the films, but someone smarter than me could spice it up some. The game would probably take place a few days or weeks after the Thing's escape.
I could see it being a bit like Alien: Isolation from here on, lots of sneaking and scavenging, but you can actually kill one of the Things with the right equipment, unlike the xenomorph. It'd have to be balanced so that you could only find enough supplies to kill a few of them though, never all of them.
You'd find other survivors and depending on stuff like time or decisions or the order in which you visit places would determine who is infected or not. People would eventually figure out what triggers what, but most people aren't going to spoil themselves I'd imagine. Even if they watch, I dunno, Markiplier or someone play through it, they could play or watch another playthrough that has entirely different characters be infected and such.
I'm not exactly sure where the story would go. You could do the usual wanting to escape thing, but it'd be neat if your character realizes what's going on and tries to prevent it from getting out, like at the end of the movie. Which movie am I talking about? I don't know what you mean, there's only the movie from 1982! :p Maybe your ultimate goal would depend on who your allies are or depend on the choices you've made?
The whole thing is that I want to keep it in a relatively small area and have a story with a small scope. I'd want to keep it small because that would make it more reasonable to have multiple possibilities. I'd rather a game only have one or two choices that change the entire story (like Front Mission 3 or Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together) instead of a bunch that lead to a line of dialogue or short scene. I'd want more than just two options, but I think you can see what I'm getting at. Ennio Morricone would have to do the soundtrack, so we'd need some necromancy to bring him back. Hey, my idea isn't going to happen, might as well get everyone I want! :> I'd want John Carpenter involved in some way, but I'm not exactly sure how or to what degree. He did endorse the other game though, so maybe his expertise cannot be trusted anymore.
Phew, that's a whole lot of words. Yes, I have given this more than a little thought. x) Ultimately I'd settle for a lot less as long as it's closer to the vibe of the film. Hell, I'd even take a Telltale style game if I had to, though I know Telltale is a dirty word now. But I said style! It doesn't have to be Telltale, I'm sure other developers could spice up the formula. Anyway, that's the end of that. I can't see this ever happening, but who knows?
