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E3 2001 Preshow Report: Call of Cthulhu

We've got an early report and screenshots of Call of Cthulhu at E3.

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Fishtank Interactive is showing Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth at this year's E3. Call of Cthulhu is based on the H.P. Lovecraft-inspired pen-and-paper role-playing game of the same name. It's a survival-horror game--with a mix of action and adventure--that pits you as private eye Jack Walters, who checks out mysteries in the town of Innsmouth. What he will discover will chill your bones.

Call of Cthulhu's first-person perspective will immerse you in Lovecraft's world, which is set in the 1920s. The game uses the NetImmerse engine, which was used in Simon the Sorcerer 3D. Call of Cthulhu also uses the havoc physics engine to bring environmental effects to the game. The world is populated with creatures called the Old Ones, as well as other monsters. While the game is based on Lovecraft's work, all of the main characters and the plot are creations of the developer, Headfirst Productions. The first-person view helps contribute to the horrors of the world because you won't know if a creature is sneaking up on you. This view is also necessary to help convey the psychological aspect of the game. Constantly facing horrible creatures and being trapped in a terrifying environment will slowly drive the character to insanity. You'll hear voices and see hallucinations as a result of your sanity level decreasing. The weaponry available is standard for the 1920s time period, but you will be able to find strange weapons fashioned by the creatures in the game. The game has deathmatch and cooperative-play multiplayer modes for up to four players.

Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth is 70 percent complete and has a planned release date for the first quarter of 2002. Headfirst plans to have a playable build of the game at E3--a build that will let people check out the work in progress. We'll have more stories as the show progresses, which is when we'll get a chance to see the game, but for now, check out our 470998gameplay movies to get a taste of what the game will offer.

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