Let's play...Call of Cthulhu: Shadow Of The Comet (Complete)

Darth Roxor · May 8, 2009

This house has 'EVIL' written all over it.

Pliskin · May 8, 2009

ghostdog said:
So, being a gentleman pays off !

Evidently it does, it that's what I think it is on Melanie's chin...

I'll have to try that "I'm desperately in need of photo-sensitive plates!" line, next time I'm out.

Ya, 'ol MYER sure looks like he's selling it, all right.

Too bad you didn't take the hint --- you could have been a " lucky man" twice in one day.

Wyrmlord · May 8, 2009

So I see that this game is being remarked for its difficulty, and also happens to be French, just like another very difficult French adventure game called KGB.

Hmm, speaking of French adventure games, I need to try out Alone In The Dark, though I can't bear to see that moustachioed protagonist slowly trudge across the screen for a whole minute before he reaches his destination.

Gragt · May 8, 2009

I didn't play KGB but from what I read, it's mostly logical. Shadow of the Comet is mostly unfair, killing you for exploring the wrong place at the wrong moment or forcing you to solve a puzzle only by trial and error with no clue to allow you to find the right move.

You can run in Alone in the Dark. Press the up key twice.

ghostdog · May 8, 2009

Pliskin said:
Ya, 'ol MYER sure looks like he's selling it, all right.

Too bad you didn't take the hint --- you could have been a " lucky man" twice in one day.

No way man, I don't want to end up like Boleskine. That Chtulhu stuff must be sweet , but lethal...

Wyrmlord said:
So I see that this game is being remarked for its difficulty, and also happens to be French, just like another very difficult French adventure game called KGB.

Hmm, speaking of French adventure games, I need to try out Alone In The Dark, though I can't bear to see that moustachioed protagonist slowly trudge across the screen for a whole minute before he reaches his destination.

I think AITD was created from the same developers that did Shadow of the comet.

Gragt · May 8, 2009

ghostdog said:
I think AITD was created from the same developers that did Shadow of the comet.

They were made around the same time, when Infogrames got a few Cthulhu based games out, and a few people worked on both games, but the people who had the most influence on design and art are different. AitD has more in common with Little Big Adventure, made by the same people, than SotC.

ghostdog · May 9, 2009

Once again say hello to John Parker: astronomer / reporter / investigator.

CHAPTER 4 : UNCOVERING THE PAST.

Finally! we've reached the town hall. Who would have guessed it was that big red building with the American flag outside...

Inside there is a sign that reads:

What a lazy bastard! Let's talk to the clerk.

I'm trying to find the town records.

The side door, where did I put that stamp?

After all this bureaucracy madness, I managed to get to the town records. This place looks like a local history museum. As soon as I enter I see someone entering the next room, let's follow him.

(Hello, John Hurt!)

Tobias Jugg, Keeper of the archives and records, at your service.

There is probably nothing I can tell you that you don't already know.

You're wrong Mr. Parker. I may know your name and profession but not the reason for your visit.

I'd like to consult the town records.

So your interests are not limited to the stars! I hope I may be able to quench part of your thirst for knowledge, but remember... "There are more things in heaven and earth Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy" Now who the devil wrote that?

No, this is not some kind of old type copy-protection. Tobias wants to see your knowledge of literature. If you answer correctly , he'll like you more and give you more info to help you with your search. Well, even I know the quote is from Shakespeare.

Excellent. So like to read, Mr. Parker?

I like nothing better than a good read!

Books are my passion, Mr. Parker, my most precious companions. Silent Discreet, sometimes filled with mystery... But I must let you get on with your work.

Let's check the archives... (These animations that pop up at certain actions, are p.cool)

Satisfied?

I believe I've found what I was looking for.

There are times when believing is not good enough, Mr. Parker! Sometimes we must be absolutely sure! Take Illsmouth, for instance, for many years the locals believed in the old legends... Did that make them true? I have a number of documents on the subject.

Do tell old chap, do tell.

My library is full of such material...A life-long study, you know. There are those who would dearly love to get their hands on some of those old papers! But they'll need to be smart!

Let's play along...

You are close to the mark Mr. Parker! but I'd better let you get on with your work. My house is just right to the post office. Just ring whenever you want. I'll tell you some interesting stories!

And just as I'm about to leave...

You are a likable Young fellow... I happened to glance over your shoulder while you were consulting the register. And I may be able to save you some time...

It seems that he likes Parker enough to help him. He told us the location of the houses of the 3 old geezers. It's not something that we couldn't find out ourselves, but it will save time. I thanked Tobias and went back to the museum room. It seems it's time for him to go home and he leaves us all alone. We've won his trust, so we are free to plunder at our leisure.

Let's look at these statues to the left...

That's curious. The word pistol has been crossed out and replaced by rifle... And a handwritten note... "truth sleeps beneath appearance". J. Keats... Interesting.

Now we are free to search the archive office.

Nice, every investigator that respects himself should have one.

heh, the old pervert...

Maybe we can learn something about Illsmouth's history. Tobias mother was called Suzann Smith. The book also mentions someone called Silas Sprague, who abandoned the village in 1809, leaving behind four children. Maybe this is of some importance, who knows. Also:

So people from the town must have purchased some of Boleskine's belongings...Good to know. How about paying a visit to Mr. Tobias house?

There is a rifle hanging on the wall. Let's take a closer look at it...

Good thing I took the magnifying glass with me. Let's see, it's badly written. Ah! Searcher, E. ST... The rest has been rubbed away. Suzann Searcher probably. Strange these names are not mentioned in Boleskine's notebooks.

Let's find Tobias.

Not at all. Indeed to be frank, I can't get our last conversation off my mind.

I see. And...?

Still nothing. I have to consult a book. Come back a little later.

Nothing more to do here. Now we must question the 3 old men to see if one of them was the guide Boleskine used in 1834.

And question them we will, in da next update...

Wyrmlord · May 10, 2009

I should just remark about how wierd this Illsmouth town feels.

It is so empty and sparse, with a few scant people who keep to themselves, and yet these people seem to know alot about each other and about the town in general.

It seems to be a town too small to be eventful enough, and yet there are shady figures in the pawnshop, and an elderly man in the town records who knows about your visit.

See how this game tends to show you in large empty spaces, always alone, even though there is some resident nearby within a close distance. It's really cool and atmospheric, the way they do it.

ghostdog · May 10, 2009

I remember playing it in an ancient 386 with a monochrome screen and pc speaker sound, I was glued to my chair by the atmosphere and I was even scared a bit. What I like most though, is how well written, detailed and bizarre are the characters of the town, I really enjoy having conversations with them.

ghostdog · May 11, 2009

So, while playing this game I got the urge to watch movies based either on Lovecraft's novels or with a just with a Lovecraftian/chulhlu atmosphere.

The first movie that came to mind is Carpenter's In the Mouth Of Madness. It's a really good movie and even if it's not actually based on any of Lovecraft's novel it uses the Cthulhu mythology. The town also has a distinct Innsmouth atmosphere.

I also remember Dagon , which was very B-movie-ish but it managed to capture Lovecraft's style at some moments.

Any other suggestions?

Vibalist · May 11, 2009

I remember watching Dagon with a friend where we both thought it sucked ass. None of us knew who Lovecraft was at the time. It was very b-movie-ish indeed.

ghostdog · May 11, 2009

Vibalist said:
I remember watching Dagon with a friend where we both thought it sucked ass. None of us knew who Lovecraft was at the time. It was very b-movie-ish indeed.

Well I happened to catch the movie on TV one night and I was expecting to see a complete piece of crap , but it managed some times to produce a good horror atmosphere.

Unfortunately there must be very few movies based on Lovecraft's stories and most of them suck. They also say "Re-Animator" and "From Beyond" are loosely based on Lovecraft's stories. They seem to have been b-horror cult hits in the 80's, are they any good?

MisterStone · May 11, 2009

This game looks kinda interesting, but that HOUND OF SHADOWS adventure game was better IMHO. Anyone ever played that?

Gragt · May 11, 2009

The Re-Animator movies are pretty fun but you won't find anything really Lovecraftian in it.

betamin · May 11, 2009

best lp ever

Pliskin · May 11, 2009

ghostdog said:
Any other suggestions?

The Dunwich Horror from 1970. A bit dated by todays standards --- but it still maintains the Lovecraftian tone of something-just-ain't-right.

Evidently it's been remade and released just recently --- with the twist of casting the actor who originally played Wilbur Whateley as Dr. Armitage. Haven't seen this version yet.

The Resurrected (1992) isn't half bad, either: It's a fairly straightforward adaptation of The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, and was directed by the same guy who wrote Alien.

ghostdog · May 12, 2009

After watching a couple of Lovecraftian b-movies that would make HPL rise from his grave in Cthulhu form and kill us all, I'm back in the LP business.

Previously on COCSOTC:

In 1834 Lord Boleskine experienced something in Illsmouth that drove him insane.
In 1910 John Parker goes back to Illsmouth to uncover what the hell was all that about.
In 1834 Lord Boleskine had someone from Illsmouth to guide him through the forest.
In 1910 John Parker is out to find that man...
...And John Parker always gets his man.

CHAPTER 5: THE SIGN OF THE CROSS

Now let's see if we can find out if one of these 3 men was the one that guided Boleskine 70 years ago. It turns out Coldstone's house is that evil looking house the mayor entered! Still no response, but Parker glimpsed someone watching him from the second floor...

Dead end here, let's find Greenwood. He lives in the stone house we saw earlier. Hey, miss Picott is here too.

Don't waste your breath. This poor sinner is deaf and blind by birth. Now, if you'll excuse us, Mr. Greenwood is hungry and...

(The perfect match for the old hag !)

Yes, of course. Thank you so much Miss Picott.

If you knock the door, miss Picott gets mad. Who knows what she does to that poor man in there... Oh well, Greenwood doesn't seem to be our man.

Finally we reach Hambleton's house. Let's take that rope ladder, maybe we'll need it to descend into some hellhole, who knows.

Hambleton's place has seen better days. While he is sleeping let's look around.

When Parker looks at the sleeping man he spots something extraordinary about him... Very odd indeed!

Mr. Hambleton? Curtis Hambleton? 76 years ago, a British scientist, Lord Boleskine.../i]

What thing?

I wish I didn't remember! He'd drawn a map. I took him to the cross. I don't mind telling you, I was scared!
Later on, I refused to go with my father to pray at the stones... So my father threw me out. My brother Wilbur cursed me! And now I live in squalid conditions.

Don't try to bribe him...

Get away from this region, mister. The comet is coming back, so get away while you've got time!

Why?

If you saw what I saw... It was on the third night in the forest, near the cross. The English guy was drawing... Then the THING appeared. I'd pay any price to forget what I saw... Now get lost. Shoo!

We should search for a cross in the forest then.

Going back to the square I stumbled on a band of gypsies being harassed by the local policeman...

Say Mr. Parker! Mr. Arlington, the mayor, told me about you. Welcome to Illsnouth. I'm sergeant Baggs from the local police.

Glad to meet you. I'm looking for a cross...

Maybe you should try the cemetery. We call it the dead center of town. Har har har. Get it?

I'm looking for a calvary in the forest.

I can't help you there and I don't advise you to wander in the forest by yourself. I wouldn't even go there with a MAP!

What have they done?

They're Gypsies, Mr. Parker. Sneakiest chicken thieves you ever saw!

Surely they have some rights...

I decide who has rights around here, Mr. Parker and no stranger is going to tell me how to do my job!

But come now...

He goes Dirty Harry on me...

Who cares about him, the gypsy fortuneteller seems to like me now.
(FACT: fortunetellers are always female and that's the way we like it)

The gypsies leave. If we come back to the town square we'll overhear Gloria and her aunt having some rather funny conversations.

"moderation in all things" ...written on a gold plaque on DarkUnderlord's mahogany desk...

How about going into that forest? Well,it seems there is no way to find the calvary right now, but the walk wasn't a total failure, we found 3 branches and a creeper vine, better than nothing I guess... For a moment there, I was wandering that the hell a calvary is. Google says it's "A sculptured depiction of the Crucifixion" so yes we are still looking for that cross in the woods...

We need more clues about the location of the cross. If we go back to our room, we can get the map and Boleskin's drawing from the trunk. We can also now get hold of the surgical spirit and the absorbent cotton, which we can combine:

Now I was sure that I had to use the cotton on the drawing to uncover a clue, but the damn game did not let me do it. After countless tries, I discovered, by accident, that you must use the goddamn desk to do this...

Finally! we rubbed the drawing with the cotton and uncovered a new clue from Boleskine:

Let's take a look at the map:

If we combine the new clue with the one we got from Boleskine's rifle then we have:
" Searcher E. ST.../ N.E. BEAST ... 4X2 STARS ... THE CALVARY IS HERE."
So this probably means east from the stalker constellation and northeast from the beast constellation. Searcher is not a name , it's a constellation! Combine this with the fact that it says "4x2" stars and we can guess that the calvary is at the Searcher constellation. (These precise calculations can only be done by astronomer-reporters, don't try this at home folks.)

Hip hip hooray! We've found where the calvary is! Or at least we think that we found where the calvary is, the game doesn't tell you shit about if you're right or wrong. But let's assume we found where the calvary is! Now we just have to find someone to get us there...

Wyrmlord · May 12, 2009

The hell kind of an Atlantic Monthly reading individual did they make games for in those days?!

Who the hell would know what a calvary is? It's just like Betrayal At Krondor, with its high level vocab words like BRIAR and MOUSER.

Gragt · May 12, 2009

The Call of Cthulhu is probably the most faithful movie lovecraftian movie I've seen. But before you look for it, you should know that even though it was made in 2005, it is a mute black and white movie and it might not be to everyone's taste, yet it gives it some class.

Wyrmlord said:
Who the hell would know what a calvary is? It's just like Betrayal At Krondor, with its high level vocab words like BRIAR and MOUSER.

Maybe if you and the other manboons read a bit more often...

Pliskin · May 12, 2009

I'm getting the distinct impression the artists for this game just rotoscoped some old movie-star photos, and turned it into a game:

Miss Picott = Lillian Gish

Mr. Greenwood = Walter Brennan (complete with cowboy hat!)

Policeman = Sean Connery (straight out of The Untouchables!)

Gypsy Girl = Katy Jurado

Not sure who the fish-man is supposed to be tho.

You sure this game is French? Gypsies, totalitarian cops, bad statuary, a bear(!), and a constellation named STALKER, all scream Ukrainian.

Hmmm, perhaps Mr. Hambleton = Viktor Yushchenko?

Wyrmlord · May 12, 2009

That bear is a performing bear that the gypsies have brought for the show. They would probably make it dance and shake hands with people.

I know this, because gypsies came from what is now modern day Pakistan and there is still a tradition of bears performing in public in some parts of India.

someone else · May 12, 2009

Christians should know what Calvary is, another word for Golgotha(which is used in FO2).

ghostdog · May 12, 2009

What astonishes me most, is how this French company managed to produce such a well written English script, with language faithful to the timeline and to British/American mannerisms. Compare this to Bethesda's crappy writing, that makes even a non-native english speaker like me cringe and all I can think of is... :decline:

Consider finding who's actor's faces are being used, as a minigame! (This LP is so nextgen

)
Who the hell plays Parker though?

The Call of Cthulhu is probably the most faithful movie lovecraftian movie I've seen. But before you look for it, you should know that even though it was made in 2005, it is a mute black and white movie and it might not be to everyone's taste, yet it gives it some class.

I borrowed it from my neighborhood's TPB-video club. It looks... interesting.

Darth Roxor · May 12, 2009

Mighty Mouse said:
Christians should know what Calvary is, another word for Golgotha(which is used in FO2).

Which only proves again that atheists are inferior :cool:

rpgcodexusername · May 13, 2009

i got this game when it came out on budget, i could never find the calvary (too dumb) and i didnt have internets back then so i couldnt cheat.

Let's play...Call of Cthulhu: Shadow Of The Comet (Complete)

Royal Dongsmith

Arbiter

Arcane

Arcane

Arcane

Arcane

Arcane

Arcane

Arcane

Arcane

Arcane

Arcane

Arcane

Arcane

Learned

Arbiter

Arcane

Arcane

Arcane

Arbiter

Arcane

Arcane

Arcane

Royal Dongsmith

Arcane