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One of the scariest games ever played.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 01, 2005
Author: Amazon User

When I play the first Fatal frame I did it at night with the lights off I was so scare I quikly put them back on.But when I played the second one I did'nt even bother putting them off this game is fun because you have to trapt the ghost with your camara but thats if you have enough courage to play this scaryass game.

Personally, it was disappointing

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: May 01, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Ever get one of those feelings where you really want to do something and it'll keep bugging you until you do it? Somewhere I read a review of this game called Fatal Frame 2 and it looked interesting and everybody was saying it was one of the scariest games they've played. So on a whim I rented it and didn't even finish the game and found it quite disappointing.

Story: Mio and Mayu are 2 japanese twins who are playing in the woods one day. One of them hurt her leg previously so they other one feels sorry about it. One of the twins starts to follow these red butterflies into the woods so the other starts following her. Only they end up in an abandoned village that holds more than what it shows.

Graphics: Pretty dark but sets the atmosphere perfectly. With Resident Evil 4 it was pretty dim and dark with casual lighting or full blown lighting from lamps and fire but here there's not a lot with the only light coming from your flashlight. The ghosts look downright eerie and very disturbing looking, especially some of the later ones.

Sound/Music: Since it's a survival horror game, much emphasis is on an organic and atmosphere based soundtrack rather than full on orchestral music. It's certainly creepy too as you pass by a room and start to hear moaning(not the sexual kind, that 3am grandfather woke up kind) or even voices. The english voice actors are ok but it's in english so it's always gonna sound slightly hammy.

Gameplay: This is where I feel the game falls flat. Your only defense against these spectres of the night? A camera. Not just a camera, the Camera Obscura. Which reveals hidden things and secrets and damages ghosts. Look through the viewfinder and take a picture of the ghost. Hold it long enough and the damage will be more greater than if you fire off shots. It gets tedious since the whole game essentially boils down to look, search, aah ghost, click click click, ghost dead repeat.

If this was a movie I would've loved to see this story unfold but to actually play the game to get to that point just gets old.

This game is scarrrrryyyyyyy

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 6
Date: July 16, 2004
Author: Amazon User

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.

Holy Crapola...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: February 03, 2004
Author: Amazon User

My friend, Tiffany, returned her Simpsons Hit & Run game to get this game, because of our slight obsession of the first game, Fatal Frame. So we desperately wanted to play Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly. The first one was scary, but towards the end we were used to it, and not so jumpy. But FF2 has kept us on the edges of our seats (well, of her bed) throughout every chapter. The game is in a dark setting, FORCING you to turn your lights OFF so you can see your screen better. We are on the last Chapter, and still scared out of our wits. But somehow, I still love the game and look forward to being scared crapless ;)

Breath taking

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: February 20, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Fatal Frame 2 is an absolute work of art. When I first tried the game I found the controls hard to use and the use of the camera confused me. Also, at first, I didn't like playing as a little girl. But the story of the twin girls stuck in my mind like one of those once in a life time movies. That is what is outstanding in Fatal Frame 2. I am playing a well thought out ghost story and the voice acting is so good. The added videos in the gallery are cinema
quality and as I watched the Tokyo game show edition, I choked a tear back.
While game play is hard to get used to, the visuals and story are well worth the practice, but harder then the camera to get used to is the fear factor. no other game has ever scared me as much as this game. But then I was not bombarded by scene after scene with cheesy scare tactics. the game will get you when you least expect it and you will remember it. Well worth the buy. Stunning visuals, an excellent and well written story. The only downside-taking the time to learn the camera so I could get through the story faster because it is so good.

You're not leaving me again...are you?

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 7
Date: January 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I was a love-at-first-play kinda guy about the first one. I could not wait for the release of the sequel. As said in a magazine review of the first, it was the first Survival Horror (now series) to feature the most basic in supernatural phenominon-- ghosts. Note that you do not need to play the first to enjoy this one, they are not directly related to each other.

First off, I have to say the first one is a bit more creepy. The plot was alittle more unknown in the first. In this one, you kind of have an idea where its headed, and the side mysteries in the game keep you going, sometimes frustrated. Although I think the "American" voice actors try alittle too hard to try and scare you...always whispering and stuff sometimes takes away the reality of the situation that is scary to begin with. However the VAs get 8.9 overall score, Compared to FF1's voice actors getting 9.6 (too many things repeated too many times over and over-- plus, only Mayu screamed authentically in this game.)

All in all, it's the cut scenes that will terrify you the most.

The camera has said to be easier to use in previous reviews. I disagree. While the powerups are much easier to come by and use, the "charge bar" which tells you how much ghostbusting power your picture will have can be difficult to keep track of, sometimes downright annoying since some ghosts are hard to shoot, and the fantastic SFX sometimes make ghosts blur into the bar. The first game was obvious when the bar filled. This time, the bar is harder to see, yet the operative controls still remain.

There are those who are "insulted" at a game similar to a "scarier" version of Pokemon Snap-- after all, all you do is take pictures. Well, to that I say imagine Pokemon Snap was never made. The idea of using a camera to zap ghosts (not cute animals) is a great idea, plus, there is a mystery to the story, and strategies on battling ghosts, not just getting them to smile and get points.

I doubt this game would rate as high for me (or any others) if not for the super-cute Japanese girls who play the characters. Probably one of the reasons I got hooked with the first. As brave as Mio and Mayu are for being in such a place, their fearful moments make the game more enjoyable, not just scary. Game play is enjoyable, with a setting and story to top the first. There are even some promotional bonuses (pictures, videos, etc) included in the game (and might I add, Mio and Mayu look EXCELLENT in those special costume skirt kimonos!!). You'll want to play it at least twice to get different endings, and thrice to obtain all of the extra features. It may frighten some children, so be advised. Honestly I'd be more concerned about buying this game for a serious action gamer, later being disappointed at the patience needed for the game. Bottom line, a great game to add to your collection, even if the first one wasn't played. Tecmo did great for the 2nd sequel...but now I'm hungry for a third!

Its a remake!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: May 21, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Fatal Frame 2 is a slick and atmosphere-laden game full of great graphics and spooky sounds. Sadly, it gets all of these great attributes by copying them from the highly effective first game, and not by adding anything new itself. Impressive games have often been followed by equally impressive sequels, so why did I find this one less effective than it could have been?

Well, to start with, the haunted mansion of the first game was foreboding and terrifying, a deathtrap that oozed menace from every corner. Collapsed masonry and rotten furnishings gave a realistic air of paranormal inhabitance. The second game uses an entire deserted village as its location, but a lot of it is quite drab and empty, and the sense of claustophobia is drastically diluted when you go outside, as you are meandering through streets and open areas instead of confined corridors and annexes. The other reason I felt less afraid was that the ghosts just didn't cause the goosebumps I got in the first game, which featured apparitions of people who suffered traumatic deaths like the girl with the broken back, or the woman with her eyes ripped out, as well as totally evil prescences like the man with the unnaturally long arms. The ghosts in FF2 often just look like real people, sometimes attacking you with sabres or flaming torches like any other survival horror enemies, so you don't feel the chill of having to battle a tortured soul who is crying in pain. In fact one set of ghosts in the sequel is a bunch of children who surround you and play "tag" with you...hmmm, I'm getting nostalgic for the first game just writing this. There are plenty of hidden and vanishing ghosts to test your reflexes on, so at least that provides the same level of fun. Sadly, the control system is also still the same, and it's still awful. Mio and Mayu are devishly hard to control because every camera angle change means you lose the direction you are going in and bump into everything (which led to much screaming from me when trying to run towards some of the valuable "miss 'em and they're gone" ghosts). But luckily the Options screen does give you the choice between this and the Resident Evil-style of movement, so if you can't make this one work, you can switch to that one, which is a definite plus. But, once again the "run" mode is nothing more than a dainty trot which looks far too twee coming from characters who are supposedly fighting for their lives.

Actually, the two sisters are far less engaging characters than Miku in the first game, who looked and acted a bit feistier, and had some really horrific events to contend with. Although the plot in the sequel does gradually reveal some interesting twists and fateful turns of events for our heroines, the atmosphere never gets as dark as it could due to the fact that this pair are drawn like two big eyed, cute-faced girlies with doll-like expressions that barely change, so they did not get my sympathy or interest, and were just too drippy, especially Mayu, who spends 90% of the game as your computer controlled partner and just gets in the way all the time.

So, even though a sequel that simply refines it's predecessor can result in a better game, that hasn't happened here in my opinion. For anyone that is a newcomer, and likes the sound of this type of game, go and get the first one immediately. The whole camera sytem and the power ups that can be earned for it, the ghost attacks and the horrific explanation behind the unfiolding events work perfectly and effectively in that one, producing an all-round classic game. This one is a simple retread with two lead characters instead of one, and a re-hashed but less gripping plot. Plus, the explanation of why taking pictures of ghosts will actually defeat them is mostly just glossed over here, whereas in the first game, Miku had a personal connection to the mysterious camera, which made its supernatural abilities a bit clearer.

I'll balance this rather negative list with a few pros; namely that the game seems a fair bit longer than the first, with more chapters and more places to go. And at some points along the way (just a few), the ghost encounters prove exceptionally difficult. The battles are still fun, though. Plenty of tactical planning is needed, as well as nerves of steel because once again, the most effective photos can only be taken the moment before a ghost moves in for the kill. But in conclusion, I have to say that although the whole package is well delivered, and probably above average for a "survival-chiller" game, this time I just don't feel the hairs on my neck standing up.

Didn't we promise we would always be together? ...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: December 24, 2003
Author: Amazon User

What can I say about this game except it is absolutely the best Survival Horror game made. Period.
When "Fatal Frame" was released, it caused a sensation in the gaming world with it's unique concept of having a camera as your only weapon against ghosts bent on your demise. "Fatal Frame 2 - Crimson Butterfly" is even more terrifying and more awesome in every respect.
You play as twin sisters Mio and Mayu Amakura who are trapped in the Lost Village and must solve the mystery of what happened that plunge the village into darkness and turned all the residents into evil ghosts who come at you with a vengeance.
The problem is, the village has been sacrificing twin sisters and Mayu has almost no resistance to the paranormal activity of the village and starts to become unhinged. The battle is on to find her and save her from the ghostly villagers who want to continue with their ritualistic ways.
What's nice about this game is that you have a whole village to explore instead of just a mansion as in "Fatal Frame" and the graphics and spooky sounds are awesome. The ghosts have a more realistic look to them and float in and out of walls and boxes with ease and without any glitches.
The problem I had is the camera, it is used differently from the first game and took a while to get used to. Make sure you read the manual and understand it before you play and save often so that if you have a particularly bad battle you can try it again.
The ending is a complete surprise and extremely well done, it will definately not be what you expect.
Overall this game is excellent and a satisfying chaper in the "Fatal Frame" series.

Thought The First One Was Scary? You Have Seen Nothing Yet..

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 14, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Fatal Frame 2 is with no question the scariest game ever created for the PlayStation 2 system. The company has increased the graphics majorly and has added MANY more ghosts to the game. The sound has also been improved since the first Fatal Frame. You have more areas to explore, and many homes to go into. You have to play the game more than once to see every ghost in the game. Each time you play, the ghosts have been arranged to start in a new area. So, each time you play over, the ghost you saw orginally will be in a new location. Cool huh? The game is best played in the dark with the sound up high. If you have never played the first Fatal Frame, start with this one. This has a whole NEW setting without needing to know what happened in the first game. The BEST thing that I must say about this game is that it is MUCH longer to complete. The first game took 10 hours to complete the game. This one doubles the ammount of time. So this game is great. I play it every NIGHT. If you enjoy the ghostly world, this game is the one for you.

sweet

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I've never played the first one, but if it is half of the game this one it is awsome. This is the best PS2 game i've ever played. Good use of cammera angles and cut scenes to add to drama.

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