Is this game really true to the spirit of Lovecraft? With more action than horror, I think not! I've been a fan of Lovecraft for almost two decades now, and I tell you this game is a disgrace to his good name! Lovecraft's tales are about HORROR, not action! Necronomicon, by Dream Catcher Games is more true to Lovecraft than Dark Corners of the Earth!Aside from disgracing Lovecraft's work, this game is more about player luck than player skill. This is a good example of a poorly designed game, where the designer places the player character in one near hopeless situation after another. Only luck allows the player to survive. And the final sequence at the end where the player has to race to escape the underwater lair of the Order of Dagon? I've tried numerous times to get through it fast enough, all to no avail. It would take a top-notch processor and video card to get through that final sequence, and my computer is nearly top-notch (but I guess still not good enough). Another example of poor design.

this game kicks ass, IMO it has one of the best stories ever.sorry that you didnt like it

Thanks for the reply, and I must say it is nice to meet someone who is a long-standing fan of Lovecraft as I am. Maybe I should have rephrased what I said about the designer placing the player character in one near-hopeless situation after another, or should have added that the designer relies too much on player luck rather than player skill in these situations. It is true in many of Lovecraft's tales that the antagonist(s) are placed in near-hopeless situations (the essence of horror), but in the end, it is their skill that gets them through. Luck plays only a small part. A game which is frustrating to play takes away from player enjoyment, and severely dulls the feeling of horror in the game.

I can see where you're coming from, Jeremy, I do agree that parts of the game were a bit of a stretch when it comes to being truly "lovecraftian," such as the final battle sequence, but do remember that first and foremost, they were trying to create a video game that is fun to play. A truly lovecraftian game wouldn't ultimately be that fun to play because there would be no way for you to truly take part in the horror that the character faces (and even if you could, would you really want to, and would that really be "fun"?).By masterful use of the sanity/insanity game mechanic, I think the DCotE folks brought us as close as possible to a true lovecraftian gaming experience without making a game that was boring and tedious.I honestly think it was a perfect balance and if they had sufficient time to really polish it (before the company went under and all that nonsense), it could have been one of the best games ever. Even with its glitches and shortcomings, I still regard it as one of the best games I've ever played.You also have to consider that not every person would react the same way in a lovecraftian scenario. Some people would go insane, some would be mentally bolstered enough to withstand some of the horrors they experienced, some would flee in terror, some would stand and fight, etc. The particular hero of DCotE was who he was. You weren't playing as a character from one of the lovecraft stories, you were playing as that particular character in a lovecraftian universe.I think they did an admirable job keeping the character consistent.

It is close in some areas to Lovecraft's stories. Elements of the game remind me of Shadow Over Innsmouth. It isn't totally Lovecraftian in others. It is a great game

Removed on account I realized I had just unknowingly partaken in thread necromancy >.<

It's a great game. I however don't think Lovecraft would've approved. Plus it's pretty much got nothing to do with Call of Cthulhu. Poor name

Lovecraft wouldn't have approved of anything in the modern world, to be fair. And the name is a hook, isn't it? References the pen-and-paper RPG as well as Howard.

I'm only a little way through the game, but ludicrous bugginess notwithstanding I'm enjoying it hugely. I think it is more in the 'spirit of Lovecraft' than I'd have expected. Certainly the protagonist displays a Lovecraftian naivety in the face of overwhelming evidence of nightmarish horror. Reminiscent of dear old Professor Armitage - "Hmmm, I wonder if there's something peculiar about that goatish child carrying around a copy of the Necronomicon. Ah, I'll let him use the library anyway."

The setpiece movies are great, anyway.

LOL...c'mon, Armitage didn't know Wilbur was 10 He just saw an 8 foot tall, dark and goatish gargoyle.... ok, he should have barred the doors