Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth

Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth is a survival horror game released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox. It was developed by Headfirst Productions and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is based off the H.P. Lovecraft novella, The Shadow over Innsmouth and as the name suggests based off the Cthulhu mythos.

Plot
Set in 1922 the game is about Jack Walters, a private detective who had amnesia for 6 years after dealing with a cult, who is asked to find a young man named Brian Durnham who ran the First National Grocery chain in the very xenophobic town of Innsmouth. When the locals, aside from a drunkard and a beautiful woman, refuse to aid Jack, he stays the night in a hotel. When he awakens, nearly the entire town wants him dead. Jack must escape the evil cursed town or be sacrificed to their dark gods, all the while trying to stay sane.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) There are no weapons to aid you for almost an hour in the game, requiring you to use your wits and stealth to avoid the fishmen.
 * 2) Horrific scenes can drive Jack to madness, avoid them at all costs.
 * 3) Very faithful to H.P. Lovecraft.
 * 4) Face off against a Shoggoth, a shapeless acidic blob like creature, Father Dagon, and Mother Hydra.
 * 5) Different injuries require different treatments, use a splint for a broken leg, use a bandage for a light cut or a suture for a deep wound.
 * 6) Different ending depending on how well you do.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Except for a statue that can drive you insane, Cthulhu doesn't appear in the game.
 * 2) Headfirst Productions went bankrupt before two sequels could be released. One of the sequels, Destiny's End already had a trailer out that was heavily praised.
 * 3) Can be quite buggy.

Reception
Although the game was a commercial failure, it is regarded as one of the scariest and best horror games ever made.