Fatal Frame 2

I invited her over to my house to help her with her PS2 (turns out it was only the game - a different one from FF - that had the problem), and she brought along FF. She started me off with a new game.

The introduction of the game was fantastic - showing clips of cutscenes soon to come, and showing the twins' - Mio and Mayu - past.

It was the gameplay that then got to me. Immediately, you start off in the forest - with absolutely no music. I was almost shaking, because I was anticipating that the ghosts would jump out at me immediately. Then, walking down the pathway to the village, I saw a glowing figure walking between two of the buildings. I immediately freaked and refused to play the game again, and left my friend to play it.

But it's so intriguing, the story and the graphics, that I've become obsessed with it. . .And I plan to rent it as soon as my friend returns it.

BUY. THIS. GAME.


Favourite PS2 game   November 16, 2004
I bought this game on a whim because of the cute anime-style girls featured in the ad. I have never particularily enjoyed Survival-Horror, because I find most games in the genre hard to control and I'm usually dead before I know what's going on. (Heh...typical girl, huh?) This game was totally different than anything I have ever experienced.

The voice acting was tolerable, but the fright factor is incredible. If you are scared by the atmosphere of Japanese movies like 'Ringu' or 'Ju-On' - this is the game for you. I tried playing in the dark alone and had to turn it off after 5 minutes. Through *all* the Silent Hill games only *one* moment frightened me, so it's not like I'm scared of everything.

The controls are easy. Aim at a ghost and shoot camera - a lot more exciting than it sounds. Ghosts move slowly toward you sometimes and you have to wait until the appropriate moment to snap the best shot - yikes. Some ghost charge at you with inhuman (*giggles*) speed, some teleport. The graphics and cutscenes are amazing.

Creative, unique, scary, and a welcome break from RPGs and FPSs-you really want to invest in this game. It is my favourite on the PS2 (sorry Final Fantasy...) because the story stayed with me well after putting down the controller. I've finished it 4 times - and I only wish I had an Xbox to play the Director's Cut.


This game is scarrrrryyyyyyy   July 16, 2004
Okay i borrowed this game from my boyfriend and he played and i watched and i was so scared...i can't play the game in the nite because i get so freaked out..lol...i know its just a game but the firstt ime i played it i had nitemares...my bro and my bf already passed it, now im trying to pass it on my own...i dnt know how long it will take because i play like 15 min everyday before it gets dark....i have school all day..its a really cool game and i wanna get fatal frame now.


Simply an Enjoyable Game   June 17, 2004
Fun and interestingly creepy. You start out in a village haunted with ghosts. You must find a ghost destroying camera that has many upgrades and film types of varying strengths. You and your twin sister are involved in the plot. She is involved in a killing ritual, but how? Can you save her and you? The ghosts are cool and creepy and it's fun to take them down. I hope you enjoy this game too. Don't let it scare you!


Actually physically terrifying!!!   June 14, 2004
WOW.

That is all.

WOW.

No, seriously, folks, nothing at all could have prepared me for the beauty and artistry and downright good old-fashioned terror that I experienced while playing 'Fatal Frame 2'. It's a magnificent, magnificent game and really deserving of prize place on your games top shelf.

You play the part of Mio, a para-psychic girl who, along with her deeply psychic sister Mayu, get lost and trapped in All God's Village, a deserted town in the middle of a forest, some days before the sinister 'Crimson Butterfly Ritual' is to take place. Mayu, intermittently under the control of the spirits that haunt All God's, disappears, and Mio must find her and stop the mysterious 'Sacrifice' before it's too late.

Firstly, what's new?

Well, as with any competent sequel, there is an overall feel of things being 'tighter' - presentation, graphics, and in-game explanations of things are all much more accessible and beautiful now than they were before - and the game feels a lot more professionally done than the still-excellent original.

Sound is a huge improvement - not even in the Silent Hill series has sound been employed to make such a huge difference in the tension and atmosphere - and the manual is most definitely to be believed when it tells you 'This game is best played through headphones'. Try it in a dark room. Trust me :-)

The controls are excellent, the Camera Obscura (your weapon) is now far less complicated to use and a lot more satisfying to have as your primary weapon. The inclusion of the 'Spirit Radio' may seem a little overdone, but it's a nice touch nevertheless.

What really marks 'Fatal Frame 2' out as a Standard-Bearing game is the sense of real, palpable terror it inspires. The ghosts are horrific in their simplicity and all feels very much like classic Japanese horrors like 'Ringu' and 'Dark Water'. The innocence of the girls and some of the spirits' human personalities is drawn in stark contrast to the violent and shocking methods by which they attack. The game is also full of wonderful aural and visual vignettes, adding more atmosphere than I can say.

An excellent title, current King of Survival Horror (and I've got through 'The Suffering' and 'Siren' in the last two months) and a definite must-have, I can't rave about this game enough.

Get it now.

Wow!