Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-10 of 25
 Something wicked this way comes. . . November 8, 2005
Brendan L. Agnew (Nowheresville, OK, USA)
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
There's something brilliantly terrifying about an evil that is so powerful that mankind ultimately stands no chance of defeating it, and yet so sly and so subtle that it could walk up to you and shake your hand without you being any the wiser.
Welcome to the Cthullu mythos.
H.P. Lovecraft's seminal world of myth and madness has been criminally underused, especially in the video game industry. Aside from echoes of his style found in horror titles like Silent Hill or (even moreso) Eternal Darkness, most of the survival horror genre tends to toward the more plebian and campy nature of the Resident Evil games. However, Cthullu gurus now finally have a game straight from the source to sate their horror appetite with Call of Cthullu: Dark Corners of the Earth.
And hey, it's actually pretty darn good too.
Dark Corners of the Earth is primarily a first-person action/adventure game, mixing mind-bendingly fun puzzles, spine tingling suspense/horror, and skin-crawling action for a unique and (if it's your bad) very entertaining gaming experience. The story, an adaptation of Lovecraft's The Shadow Over Insmouth, is a very well-paced, well-presented, and overall engrossing tale of one man's struggle against terror and insanity. Speaking of which, insanity has visible effects in the game, much like Eternal Darkness's Sanity Meter. The more horrifying things you witness, the more slippery your grasp on reality becomes.
Which will make you start physically looking over your shoulder when the creepy really starts to get to you, mostly because this game's middle name is "immersion." The first-person perspective puts you in the middle of everything, providing the kind of constant "in the world" feel that games like Half-Life 2 excel at. However, Dark Corners goes the extra mile, providing a "HUDless" screen, further pushing the player into the game's whispering and macabre world. Along with the game's stylized graphics (which do a solid job overall) and tremendous use of sound (for music as well as both for voices and. . . well, other stuff; you'll find out), the game has enough enticing scares to have you soiling your britches within the first hour of play.
Which isn't to say that the actual game is perfect. While the graphics are very solid, the textures also suffer from some sameness and lack of detail in places, especially compared to some of the XBOX's premier lookers like Half-Life 2 and Chaos Theory. Additionally, there are times When manipulating objects for the game's myriad of puzzles proves a little problematic (let's face it, consoles still don't quite have that aspect of adventure games down pat).
However, even with these minor shortcomings, the game is easily one of the most unique and enjoyable horror experiences available on consoles. It's not the kind of fast-paced brain candy scare/action adrenaline rush that you'll find in titles like Resident Evil 4, but if you're looking for a dark, smart tale of terror dripping with atmosphere, you couldn't go wrong with this one.
 Immersive atmosphere, solid game play, and Cthulhu. What more do you need? October 28, 2005
Henry F. Lewis (San Francisco, CA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
This is a great game! It drips atmosphere, and is scary/nerve wracking as hell. While not a traditional shooter, the First Person perspective adds a significant layer to the immersive feel. There's a chase scene early on that is just amazing.
The game also stays true to the source material, sometimes directly, sometimes with little nods and winks. Readers of Lovecraft will see tidbits of various stories intertwined, thought the game is ultimately about someone who is ignorant of the mythos, and learns as he goes, so knowing the material is not needed to enjoy the game.
Much has been written about the HUDless system, sanity system, and the health system - so I wont go into those, other than to say it all works together very well.
The puzzles are decent (so far), and while there are some `get A for B' puzzles, they all make sense and add to the plot. I haven't felt like I was running an errand simply for something to do. It's all part of the investigation, and is believable.
The graphics have a stylistic feel to them, which hints at the time period (scratchy, and grainy), the voice acting is very good.
 How do you pronounce that? June 18, 2006
Nachos Del Muerte
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
I recently bought this game used, after trading in my copy of the -less-than-two-weeks-old copy of Astonishia Story for PSP (don't f***ing buy that tripe; wait for Valkyrie Profile), I picked this up. I have been intrigued by the premise for a while, but was timid due to the overwhelming number of lackluster titles currently available. Feeling like taking a chance, I decided to bite the bullet.
Overall, this game is pretty okay. It's not outstanding in any sense, but it does the trick. I'm only 21% of the way through the game, and have already picked out a couple of gripes.
First off, it's touted as a first person shooter. I'm almost a quarter of the way through a game, and have yet to find a gun or any form of melee weapon. That's not to say that there haven't been tense moments in the game, but if there's not much shooting, why call it a shooter? This title would have been much better had the developers adopted more of a third-person perspective a la Silent Hill or Resident Evil.
Second off, and the biggest gripe thus far, THE CONTROLS SUCK. Again, if it was a third-person view, it would be a metric buttload easier to judge some of the jumps you have to make. In one particular chase scene you have to hop out of windows, onto balconies, and across alleyways in order to avoid hatchet- and shotgun-wielding bloodthirsty cultists. I plummeted to my demise numerous times before I finally passed that particular chapter.
It's not all bad however. Call Of Cthulhu is definitely atmospheric enough to hold the stigma of a survival-horror game. It's dark and brooding, and the character design I have encountered thus far has only made the in-game world that much more creepy. The storyline is at least intriguing enough to keep one interested...
Overall, I'm glad I took the chance with this game. I have a ways to go, but I'm glad.
Better than prisoners of ice October 25, 2005
A. Whipple
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
I have always been a huge fan of Lovecraftian games be they PC pencil&paper or board games. This is a ferocious interpretation of H.P.L.'s legendary work. Bethesda's history of providing ridiculous amounts of sandbox play is a perfect fit with Lovecrafts characters who were usually wandering with no more ambitious goal than to see something fantastic and eerie. I recommend this game to anyone but if you have ever played GTA or Morrowind and enjoy the Horror genre then this is probably the best you can do right now.
Cthulha: Dark Corners of the Earth November 12, 2005
T. Connery (Mount Rainier)
5 out of 26 found this review helpful
I found the game rather boring. The load time was aweful you just start to get the thrill and you have to wait for load. It just got frustrating. I wanted to love it, I wanted to love it, I wanted to really but I just can't * Cry
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