Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2420 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: UBI Soft
• Released on: 2006-03-24
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• ESRB Rating: Mature
• Platform: Windows XP
• Number of items: 1

Manufacturer's Description
Call of Cthulhu -- Dark Corners of the Earth is a first-person horror game that combines intense action and adventure elements. You will draw upon your skills in exploration, investigation, and combat while faced with the seemingly impossible task of battling evil incarnate.

Other than fighting, you have the ability to interact freely with characters and the gaming environment. To increase the sense of immersion, there is no interface or 'HUD' on screen at any time during normal gameplay. Instead, more intuitive methods are available for you to assess your condition, ammunition levels, and other relevant information. The combat within the game is extremely realistic, with a detailed damage and healing system that breaks down the healing process into conditions and treatments - rather than having the typical FPS 'health packs' lying around everywhere.

The game also allows you to stamp your own style onto the proceedings via an advanced AI system that can react to your method of play. Cthulhu enemies can roam freely around the environment - opening doors and tracking you down single-handedly or in groups. To stay alive you won't just be able to outshoot them, you'll need to outthink them as well.

You will have to keep your mental health in check as you are exposed to the increasingly shocking images of the Cthulhu Mythos. You will need to combat enemies using the environment, powerful and evil artifacts, Alien technology, or by fighting with weapons that are completely authentic for the period.

Set during the 1920s, Call of Cthulhu is based on the Cthulhu Mythos of HP Lovecraft, an American writer of fantasy and horror. Lovecraft's stories tell of unthinkable evil, psychic possession, and mythical worlds and his work has profoundly influenced numerous fantasy and science fiction writers, including Stephen King and Anne Rice.

The technology powering Call of Cthulhu has provided Headfirst with the means to present an incredibly detailed and accurate depiction of the sights and sounds of this unique 1920's New England setting. A diverse range of cutting edge special effects is utilized to ensure both unprecedented levels of realism and an exact portrayal of your mental degredation.

Customer Reviews

Flawed genius, much better than I expected.
I wasn't going to buy this games, as I had seen so many reviews slagging it off. However, I saw it cheap on Amazon, and thought what the heck?

I love it. Sure there are bugs, and sure there are better graphics around, but this is one of those rare gems; a game with a decent storyline attached to it!

If you get stuck, go to youtube and search for call of cthulhu. There are video walkthroughs of ALL sections, so yes you can finish it.

If you are hit by a bug (as I was, on the ship where I couldn't zoom in with the big gun) then go to the call of cthulhu forums. I did, and downloaded somebody else's save game taken from directly after that point.

Why did I bother doing that rather than just canning the game?

Because it has such a good story.

If you are a fan of Lovecraft, or just like a good gothic horror story, then play this game. Get assistance from the web when it is needed, but play it, and let the bean counters know that we want more of the same!

Are you serious?!!!
What is wrong with the world today? First i was able to pick up such a classic game as this for a bargain price of ten quid and then find such negative reviews for it online. I happen to be quite partial to lovecrafts writing and, even though it isn't essential to enjoy the game, it was nice to see Lovecraft's famous creatures and settings realised in such brilliance.

Another nail this game hit on the head was the style. The game is easily the scariest experience you can come across in a game, and is elevated into new heights of terror by both the incredibly claustrophobic first person view point, but also by the clever use of imagery symbolism and a narrative switching between predator, prey and some very disturbing flashbacks. It is much scarier than both resi evil and silent hill so be wary not to underestimate its fear factor

I hear a lot of people attacking the graphics of this game, which i suppose is justified in comparison to more modern games. Yet a game that can tell a story this well without crystal clear visuals deserves praise in its own right.

The hud system adds well to the game in that there is no hud. You have to tell your characters health and sanity by subtle cues on screen. It sounds gimmicky, but the system works surprisingly well and really adds to the game.

Overall a near perfect experience but it does have some serious difficulty issues both in the mind-bending puzzles and the near impossible combat sections.

Worth the reduced price on amazon for sure, but it's not for the faint-hearted or the novice gamer.

Opens well, but loses its way
This is a game that begins very well. Having read Lovecraft and played Cthulhu isn't required, but doesn't hurt: the game opens with exactly the right sense of lurking menace as your character (a private detective) begins to discover the terrible secrets of the town of Innsmouth, only to be set upon by its homicidal inhabitants.

Unfortunately, it then wanders away from being an intense Mythos-based adventure, and becomes a run-of-the-mill first-person shooter and puzzle game: and it doesn't do those particularly well. You find yourself stumbling around, fighting endlessly-respawning opponents, with dwindling ammunition, hunting for the way out that surely *must* be around somewhere...

The sepia-toned and washed-out graphics work well for an adventure, but again the swerve into FPS territory leaves you unsatisfied: opponents don't seem very animated or lively, weapons feel underpowered, and the frequent combat sequences are a chore rather than a challenge.

There are some very good touches on the way through, such as the way the game simulates your sanity being affected by events, but the game isn't sure what it wants to be: it opens as a very good Cthulhu-style adventure, decides that's not exciting enough and so becomes an indifferent FPS.