Calling Web Site Now Live... Be Afraid.

At first, I didn't know whether or not I should be too scared to look at the darn thing. Then I remembered that I'm NOT at all the superstitious type. So, I cheerily clicked on the Kuroeight link and... Hey! it's a pretty slick deal of a teaser site. Cool - makes me want to see more of the game, which is a great thing, being a games journalist-type and all...

Of course, if yours truly drops dead in a week thanks to a visit from a creepy little girl with a freaky-looking doll , well... it's been very nice to know you guys. Anyway, Calling is Hudson's upcoming Wii-exclusive horror game, yet another for the console which has recently been turning into a paradise of sorts for genre fans. The game isn't out 'til 2010, but you can get yourselves slightly weirded out (if you really want to) by clicking on that link yourselves.

Go on, I dare you...

Trailer: Calling

It may be a bit low-res, but this brief, creepy teaser of Hudson's upcoming Wii horror game, Calling (set to hit retail sometime in Spring 2010) is nicely unsettling, in a Ringu kinda way.

After watching this a few times, I'm not picking up the phone for at least a month AND I'll be walking backwards so no one sneaks up behind me. Or maybe I should just hold off on leaving the house at all until AFTER the game comes out... y'know, just in case...

Damn kids and their creepy dolls these days...

Gallery: Calling

Hudson Soft is looking to join the well-packed "scary games" truck barreling at a breakneck pace towards Wii owners looking for more substantial and varied horror experiences. Calling is the company's upcoming horror adventure that draws inspiration from Japanese Horror films such as The Ring and Ju-on along with games like From Software's Echo Night series and the underrated PlayStation 2 mystery/adventure, Shadow of Destiny, among others. Well, that's how my fevered brain deciphered this press release:

“Players will be asked to use their wits and senses to survive the world of Calling,” said Mike Pepe, Director of Marketing of Hudson Entertainment. “It is a game that revolves around real people and real emotions – no chain saws or suits of armor. The game is traditional survival horror at its finest.”

In Calling, players begin by visiting a mysterious “Black Page” website with a simple number counter. Some say it is a bridge to something sinister; the counter indicating the number of people who have died after visiting the page. It is said that people who have visited the site and witness a certain event are drawn into a mysterious space compiled of the memories of the dead - the space between life and death. Someone or something is drawing the living there for a reason, and it is up to the player to discover the horrifying truth. In order to do so, players will use various equipment including flash lights, phones, and other items to navigate and escape the Calling.

Throughout the game players will visit various parts of the Calling world. Memories of houses, schools, hospitals and more bring players closer to either an escape or an untimely death. Players will solve puzzles, search and interact with objects, and ultimately try to avoid the inhabitants of this alternative existence.

Sounds like nicely unsettling stuff - check out these early screens:

Calling has no definite release date other than a nebulous "2010," according to Hudson's site. I'll press Hudson's PR guy into a corner and haunt him for more updates every now and then. Man, the things I do for you readers...