This one’s sneaked up a bit. The Xbox version is out this week in the UK. I didn’t even know there was an Xbox version - thought it was for the PC. A look at the official forums has almost no concrete info on the release at all, which is unusual…
Weird. GoGamer still has it pushed back to February, and I hadn’t realized there was an Xbox version either. Perhaps they delayed it so they could release it on the Xbox too?
I remember hearing about this game, wow, years ago now and back then it looked really really cool. Then it sort of fell off the radar… at one time I thought it may have been cancelled… pushed back to February you say? Hopefully it’s as cool as it looked back then.
As far as I’ve been able to piece together it looks as cool as ever, although big development delays always make me wonder. It had been set for an October release (according to GoGamer) for a long time, but this was changed some months ago. Now apparently the Xbox version is out in October? Hey Sam, where did you hear that?
It was mentioned on a very recent Penny Arcade update - either Tycho or Gabe (I can’t tell them apart) had a short rave about it, so I looked it up at my favourite retailer (Gameplay UK) and saw it was being released this week. They’re listing it as the 21st, and they’re not usually wrong this close to release:
Also, Play.com are listing it as the 21st Oct:
Given that there’s been no hype and buildup at all, I would suspect that Bethesda are pulling another Pirates of the Caribbean on us.
Wow never heard of the game… Could you give me a note when you have seen it on the shelves in your country?
Well, I’ve ordered it, so if it does get released this week, I guess I’m the official forum guinea-pig. I’ll post some impressions.
I’ve heard grumblings that they diverged from the fear/insanity gameplay angle and made it a straight horror shooter. Is this true?
And why the fuck is the PC release all the way in the middle of 06?
Man, I hope that’s not true.
Ugh. That would be terrible – say it isn’t so!
Where did you hear this? Last preview I read implied it was definitely in but that was a while ago…
No, it isn’t true. See the following official forum thread containing questions answered by the developers over the past month:
A lot of people seem concerned about how much action there will be and how different this will be to a first person shooter. I can confirm two things for certain - not only does this NOT play like a standard first person shooter but each any every level has so many different elements that there is no single way of describing the gameplay. Some levels focus on exploration primarily with only small action elements, some are concerned with sneaking around and solving puzzles, whereas others focus on horror and simply trying to surive. The puzzle solving is extremely varied and can be anything from using inventory items on objects in the environment to interacting with the scenery in a specific way like pusing objects, or even looking up information in the journal to crack a code. Most of the puzzle sequences are combined with suspense and a constantly unerving atmosphere to keep the player on their toes.
The action scenes are short and intense with a focus on running the hell away rather than blasting your way to victory. A lot of first person shooter games are based on killing enemies and reaching waypoints in order to progress to the next stage. Dark Corners focuses on varying objectives between levels, with progress often occuring through uncovering new evidence or solving a puzzle to open the way forward. The enemy encounters which may occur during this are normally secondary to the objectives, hence the various sections where you can use stealth to avoid confrontations. The various tasks are provided by Jack’s diary or conversations with other characters.
The sanity system is probably one of the other more complex areas of the game, but it’s probably best not revealing how that works since it will spoil some of the suprises that crop up during the game. What I will say is that is operates dynamically throughout the game triggering sanity loss whenever the player witnesses horrible sights or sounds, which in turn generates semi random effect. The idea being that you get a strong illusion of vunerability as you notice your player react directly to each and every scare he witnesses in completely unpredictable ways.
I’ve been waiting years for this game.
Those first videos that came out around 2000 were amazing… running away from a horrible creature chasing you, shutting a door and pushing a dresser in front of it. The door bursts open, and you start going insane from the sight of the monster.
If they pull this stuff off, I’m so there.
Who me? Interested in a Lovecraft game? =)
Not sure if I can wait for the PC release tho, but it has been years whats a few more months?
This is definitely shipping this week, in the US today (Tues), and Europe on Friday. Apparently, Edge has given it 4/10. Erk…
Ouch, that does not sound promising :(
Awesome. I’m curious if they can pull it off. I’ll definitely be following the release and reviews.
I refuse to believe that score. <curls up, sticks fingers in ears and hums
“Freddy the Red-brained Mi-go”>
I don’t really care, I’m buying it anyway. I’m a nut for all things Lovecraft. I will be watching my Dagon DVD tonight, sat next to Dread Plush Cthulhu on the sofa.
Ditto, and just to counter the Edge score a little bit, hrer’s the Eurogamer review- 8/10, and the text of the review pretty much hits all the right notes with me…