Call of Cthulhu (PC, XBX)

For fans of gothic horror, the works of H.P. Lovecraft have always held a special appeal. Lovecraft (1890-1937) was little known during his lifetime, but in the decades since his death, his short stories of New-England-themed horror have been widely influential. Dozens of movies, comic books and games have used elements of his style, from the Alone in the Dark video games to the Evil Dead movies.

Now Bethesda is preparing to release a new first-person action/adventure game based on the Lovecraft mythology. Named after one of the author’s best-known stories, Call of Cthulhu, it actually combines elements from several interrelated stories.

The preview version we saw of the game looked great, with the creepy haunted New England vibe you want out of this kind of game. We were afraid that the game would focus too much on action, but the developers claim to be after a fairly good adventure/action/story balance.

In the parts of the game we saw, there was one especially frightening sequence in which evildoers of some sort track you through a hotel, and you are forced to bar the doors as you go.

The game’s AI will set your pursuers searching for you, checking closed doors and looking in shadowy corners. We jumped from the balcony of one building to the next trying to outfox them, only to moments later see them close on our tail through a window. Very unnerving.

The game will also feature special fear effects, much like the ones in the GameCube game Eternal Darkness. Spotting something particularly freaky can blur your vision or cause you hear voices. This has the potential to be a little cheesy, so we hope the effect won’t be overused.

Currently set of an end-of-year release, Call of Cthulhu was one few titles that pleasantly surprised us at this year’s E3. --DA