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Before you die, you see the frame.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 13
Date: January 06, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Okay, I most certainly will have to agree with everyone that this game is scary. It'll make your skin crawl and maybe even jump in your seat here and there.
It's good and you'd be hard pressed to find anything better. The characters are likable. The graphics are amazing. The story is interesting. The atmosphere works with the game. The sound effects are spooky and subtle. (if you have surround sound I suggest you turn it on). The camera angles and movement work well.
What I really didn't like about the game is that it begins to drag after a while. The way I see it, role playing games like this should feel like you're in a movie rather than watching one. However, while Fatal Frame II does start out this way, but as you go along with the story it begins to get repetitive and a little boring as you have to walk around in circles over and over again to find something. There are many times this is avoided by being guided by music, sounds, an image or the screne merely going black and white. But just the fact that this momentum is broken took me out of the spirit of the game and eventually I felt I wasn't part of the story any more or even watching a movie, but merely playing a game.
This is not to say the game should be shorter, but you shouldn't have to break the momentum of the game to sit there for two hours trying to figure out some lame puzzle, or have the game go nowhere because you have to find some stupid item that is in the middle of nowhere with no clues on how to find it.
The reason I'm giving this 5 stars, though, is because as I said because, despite its flaws, Fatal Frame II really is the best game of its kind I have ever seen. I only wish it kept me hooked longer.

The scariest game ever released, I kid you not.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 16
Date: December 23, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I played this on the PS2, beat it at least three times and still purchased it immediately for the Xbox once it was released. Why, you ask? I'll keep the reasons simple.

1) This game is unbelievably scary. You may think I'm joking about this but this game actually gave me nightmares. If you play this game under the right conditions with the lights down low and the sound way up, believe me you will be spooked pretty bad. The story in this game is quite eerie and as you play the game in harder difficulties, you find out a little bit more about the backstory, which makes the game a rewarding experience everytime you play through it. Also, if you like Asian Horror films at all, stop reading now and pick this up.

2) The sound. If you have your Xbox hooked up to your surround system with the proper connections (i.e. optical cable), you owe it to yourself to get this. The use of surround sound is exceptional in this game. When a spirit comes screaming out of nowhere and you hear babies crying or children giggling quietly from behind you, you'll know what I'm talking about.

3) The extras. This game is definitely worth the purchase, even if you played the PS2 version to death. It has way more unlockable goodies, better graphics and better sound. A really nice little addition is the FPS mode, where you play the game from a first person perspective.

I cannot recommend this game enough. It's one of those games that you really have to sit down with because it may put some people off when first playing it. This isn't the kind of game to play in the middle of the day with a house full of your friends. This is one to play when you're by yourself. My only complaint with this game is that the controls can be a little funky at times. Also, I would've loved to have the original Japanese dialogue and it isn't a selectable option. The English voice acting is just fine though and nowhere near as bad as say, the first Resident Evil.

Great game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: December 19, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Theres only one thing to say about this game; excellent. Fatal Frame 2 is like pokemon snap meets silent hill. The game is based around two twin girls who stumble across a lost village called "All Gods Village" and discover the terrible truths behind the secret of this village. The way the game works is, you're given a camera that has the power to exorcise ghosts, and you solve puzzles thoughout the game, while getting breif chances to get pictures of ghosts for extra points (the points are used to upgrade your camera). There are also ghosts that will try to harm you, and you have to use your camera to exorcise them. But this Xbox version is the director's cut, meaning it's differnt from the orginal version on the PS2. I'll admit, the controls are a little more diffucult on the xbox than on the PS2, but there are lots of extras that are pretty cool.

Plot/Storyline: 5/5- The storyline is very well written and keeps you interested until the very end(when you find out what exactly a crimson butterfly is, which will send shiver's down your spine). Me being a fan of horror/thriller movies/games etc, the concept of All God's Village and the ritual that occurs traditionally is superb.

Graphics: 5/5- The graphics in this game are very nicely done. They really make you feel as if you are traveling through a dark and haunted village. The ghosts in this game are really creepy, and it really gets you when you turn a corner and theres a woman walking down the hall. And then when you follow her...she's gone. The backgrounds are rendered final fantasy style, unless you play FPS mode, where you can play through the game in first person view. This provides for a more terrifying experience

Sound: 5/5- The music is almost as creepy as the graphics. They really set the mood with the soundtrack on this game. And the voices were done pretty well. There are also crystals you can pick up that have spirits in them or something, and you can listen to the voices of that spirit with the radio. The things you hear from those crystals are spine chillingly disturbing

Gameplay: 5/5- The majority of the gameplay is walking around, exploring all the differnt buildings and looking for keys and clues to solve puzzles. The puzzles are kinda like something from final fantasy 8, which is good cuz i liked final fantasy 8. Another chunk of the game is battling ghosts. you dont actually "battle" the ghosts per se, you merely exorcise them with your camera. But if the ghosts get too close to you, they'll grab you and you loose health. Some ghosts are differnt, but mostly you just aim and shoot. how well your shot is centered and how close you are to the ghost determines how much damage you do.

Controls: 3/5- and now the thing that really irks me about this xbox version of fatal frame. The controls are basicaly set up like halo's, only backwards. maybe it's because im so used to playing halo, but i find trouble in moving around looking through the camera, which sucks when you are in battle or when you see a ghost and want to get some points for a picture. i guess after a while you'll get used to it, but the first person controls are a pain. 3rd person though isnt bad though, however, my biggest disapointment was you can only play one point of view per game, meaning you cant alternate between the two.

overall, this game is gorgeous. it will give you nightmares and the only way to play it is in the dark. if you like ghosts and/or things of the supernatural nature, buy this game. Get the xbox version if you want the two differnt modes, extras and unlockable features. get the PS2 version is you dont have much money and/or you want better controls.

Better than 90% of the horror movies coming out lately

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: March 30, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Its pretty sad when we live in a day and age when they are making better horror video games than horror movies that are coming out in theaters these day. This game really captures true horror. Its awesome. I never even played the first one, but I liked it so much I bought the first one used (because it's out of print). Very few games have drove me to do that. As a matter of fact, I'll buy any future games with this title too. You can really experience a nightmare. To live being locked in a dark room with a ghost, while having the ability to exorcise spirits with your camera. The game is near perfect game! Only very minor flaw: no rotating camera ability

Scary as hell!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: March 13, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This game is scary as hell! I bought it because of the good reviews and wasn't dissappointed. My husband started playing it first while I watched and I nearly jumped out of my skin at times because it was so scary. I haven't bought or played FF1 yet but probably will. I hear rumors that there will be a FF3 - I can't wait!

Mio makes the ghost busters look like wimpy babies...she fights deadlier ghosts single handedly with ...a camera

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: September 30, 2005
Author: Amazon User

First off let me say that I don't get scared that easily. After watching many horror movies and at the least getting a bit scared I decided to try video games. I looked online for some interesting titles. Resident Evil looked okay but I wasn't into that. Silent Hill may just disturb me a little by the looks of it. Then I saw how people talked so much about a game called Fatal Frame. I thought: hmmm a game about a girl who finds her way in a scary mansion full of ghosts and the only way she stands a chance against them is a camera infused with exorcismal power...interesting. So I decided to get Fatal Frame. I browsed around the stores but no luck. BUT I did come across the sequel, Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly. Although I didn't hear much of this game I decided to get it and I'm not at all disappointed.

Gameplay~The introduction to the game is well done. Twin sisters, Mio and Mayu, visit a secret hideaway somewhere in a forest. Around this time Mio starts to remember the past and the incident that left her sister Mayu physically weak in the legs. When Mio leaves her thoughts she looks around and sees Mayu following a crimson butterfly into the distance. Mio follows Mayu through the forest while calling out her name. They both find their way to the village: All God's Village. Soon after you encounter the first ghost you fight, Mayu leaves your sight and your stuck fighting ghosts who come at you after certain events. Many events in the game have shocked me and just got me leaving the lights on when I went to sleep. They won't come up from out of the blue. You'll know when they come because the filament on the bottom right screen will glow and will glow brighter if Mio is facing the right way. If the ghost is behind Mio then the filament won't glow. If it's right in front of you it will glow brightly. At times some ghosts aren't hostile and you'll know this if the filament glows blue. At times there are ghosts that you can only take a picture of once and after that they're gone forever so you have to be cautious. The position and quality of the picture will earn you points which are used to upgrade the camera obscura. The better the quality the more points you earn. After some events Mayu will follow you and others she will leave you. When she's following you make sure you don't leave her behind because she can't run as fast as Mio because of the incident. If Mayu dies it's game over. Overall the camera as a weapon really improves the gameplay. The story though could have a been a bit better and longer too. Otherwise think: A survival horror game, add a camera, ghosts, creepy setting, unsettling sounds, characters, scripts, a story, japanese theme, and rpg elements. Mix them all up and you have Fatal Frame 2.

Graphics~The graphics are awesome! You can't go wrong with them. The setting looks rather crisp and the lighting and shadowing just adds to the creepy feel. The Mio and Mayu character models are eye candy although I think the ghost models and some other supporting character models could have used a bit more work but it's still looking pretty good. It's amazing how the flashlight works. You'll be amazed how good of a job Tecmo did when you point the flashlight in an area and how it lights up the target area not too bright but just right.

Sounds~CRANK UP THAT VOLUME!!!The sound really adds to the gameplay. The music gives you a creepy unnerving feeling when you're playing. The sounds can make a full grown man jump. From the moaning of ghosts to the voice acting of the characters... they all sound great. One complaint though may be the recordings from the ghosts that you hear on the radio and how some lines feel like there is no emotion put into it. It seems rather repetitive and dull. Tecmo sure does know when to put SURPRISING sounds. Like when you enter a house the music pauses a moment and replaces it with an unsettling shriek like sound as you walk by a ghost. My brother next to me was like %*#$*#($_*#.

Replay~Multiple endings(including an ending exclusive to the xbox), fps mode and survival mode should add to the replay. Other than that there are extras such as costumes. The replay value really makes up for the short story. There are many extras that you probably wouldn't mind playing this game over and over again.

Overall~Survival horror fans shouldn't miss this one. It would be a somewhat fresh new experience. Good story, fun, awesome graphics, superb sound, getting yourself scared silly, and a good replay value.......where can you go wrong? Well actually if you aren't a patient person then you probably shouldn't get this game. There's a lot of backtracking which may turn off some players. Other than that it's a great new experience for gamers.

Director's cut is the pinnacle of console horror

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: March 31, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I do like a good horror game, but long ago grew tired of the cheap tactics employed by the likes of the Resident Evil series. The irritation caused by miserly ammo & save mechanisms, deliberately awkard combat and camera angles which obscure what I (player and character alike) should be able to see completely override any sense of fear - you can't be scared and annoyed at the same time. System Shock 2 on the PC proved long ago that a game can be terrifying without being unfair, and at last a horror game just as good has arrived for a home console.

The Xbox-only "director's cut" of Fatal Frame 2 stands head and shoulders above all other games in this series, for one reason: the first-person (FPS) control option. This is a brilliant addition, I'm thrilled that the Japanese developers chose to add it for this version, but disappointed that it did not make a return in Fatal Frame 3. It kills two birds with one stone: firstly, it removes the jarring switch from 3rd-person exploration/evasion to 1st-person photography, which has never been comfortable; secondly, it plunges you right into the incredibly atmospheric setting - all barriers between you and the extremely unsettling events and characters are removed. As a friend of mine put it, the change of perspective is so effective because "it's happening to you" - not a character on the screen - and that really is the way it feels when this game takes hold.

The art direction and sound are superb, the premise and story are incredibly involving (and, once you come to understand past events and characters, have an uncommonly strong emotional impact), and as the game progresses with an atmosphere that always keeps you on edge, there are a few stand-out moments of expertly engineered terror that you are likely to remember as all-time gaming highlights. Above all, this is an extremely well designed game, which reminds me in many ways of the old Looking Glass greats like Thief and System Shock - it has a similar mode of progression (lots of freedom within a linear framework) and storytelling to those classics, and treats production values, rewarding gameplay, atmosphere and story with equal respect. If you want a game that is genuinely good and genuinely scary, this is an essential purchase.

Remember to play in FPS mode! Surround sound and HDTV are recommended, but FPS mode and a dark room are essential ;)
It's also worth noting that this game is now playable on Xbox 360.

WOW!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 8
Date: November 25, 2004
Author: Amazon User

First off let me start by saying that I have never really been a big fan of survival horror games. They never really held my attention, they weren't "scarey". I don't get scared when I watch horror movies. I happened to come across Fatal Frame 2 in Blockbuster Saturday and I was bored and decided to try it out. I heard the first was really scarey and the second was supoposed to be even better. I thought okay, I'll rent this, take it home and play it for a little while, not get scared at all, get bored and I'll return it like all other survival horror games I've played(resident evil, clock tower, silent hill). I could NEVER have been more wrong. This game SUCKS YOU IN! I was shocked, I mean I was actually scared while playing this game. THIS GAME IS GREAT! Now there is a difference between scared and startled. Some peopkle confuse these two. Like for example something jumps out of the bushes and yells boo! That's startled. This game starts off with a addictive story and little by little you flesh begins to crawl and the hair on the back of your neck begins to prick up. This is just from the enviroments(beautiful, play in first person for the best effect), the story(genius), the graphics(awesome) and the sound effects and vibrations(believe me, have the controller vibration on, and the sounds are perfect, no too much but just enough to make you think "what was that"?). All this and the ghosts haven't even come out to play yet! When the ghosts come out(around 20 minutes after you start the game) That's really when the scariness begins. they come without warning sometimes, and othertimes you just barely hear them sneaking up on you or you see them out of the corner of your eye. Now to kill/exorcise these ghosts you have a enchanted camera(gee, can't exactly shoot them or neat them can you?) which you can upgrade by finding parts, "spirit orbs" and the points you get from exorcising these ghosts. You also get a "spirit radio" which allows you to put stones in it that were dropped by the dead and you can put in the radio and get some clues or story points from them from beyond the grave. It also saves up to 100 of the photos you take in the game so you can save the cool or scarey ones and delete the not so good ones.
I must say that I am EXTREMELY HAPPY that there is finally a game out there that can scare the heck out of me! Everything about this game is great: graphics, story, puzzles, effects, sounds, control, everything! So if you want a really awesome survival horror game, try Fatal Frame 2. Me, I bought this plus i ordered the first one without even playing it. I'M HOOKED!

Not for the fragile

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 02, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The game is the sequal to fatal frame 1, yet you do not need to play it to understand what is going on. Crimson Butterfly is a different story that takes a different approach than the first.

The game is about twin girls, Mio and Mayu. When they were little Mayu fell down a steep hill in the woods. She was trying to keep up with Mio and tripped. Now she is crippled. This can be a little annoying sometimes. You are Mio, your sister Mayu follows you during parts of the game, she can't keep up with you if you go to fast. Although the game is a little scary so you might not want to go fast anyways...
The game begins with Mio and Mayu in the woods. Mayu sees a crimson butterfly and follows it. When Mio notices she goes after her. As she passes some strange stones everything goes in black and white. She chases her sister only to have a strange vision type thing and Mayu disappears.
You will notice that she does that a lot
Mio follows a path to the "lost village" that was said to have disappeared after a strange ceremony.
Now you have to figure out how to get you and your sister out.
There are a few problems of course...
One you dont really know where you are
There are violent ghosts or spirits all over the place
and your sister, Mayu, seems to be slowly going insane

During the game you will find the camera obscura
with it you can take pictures of ghosts
this is how you fight in this game

They got the whole idea of the camera fighing from a story in japan. There was a girl that was scared because she kept seeing ghosts. Her dad told her to take pictures of them to get them to go away. So she did, and there was actual ghosts in the pictures. After the girl would take a picture the ghost would go away. So they believed that they could capture them in the picture.

Anyways you have to use the camera to get the ghosts. Its unique I like it.

I thought the game was great. I had to play it everyday until i beat it. I wouldnt suggest playing it alone in the dark though. It was kind of sad that I started to like when my sister, Mayu, was around since I wasnt alone. She just tended to become a little creepy after awhile...
Be prepared for some gruesome settings, ghosts that are scary as hell, and a crazy story.

I WANT TO SCREAM

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 8
Date: November 27, 2004
Author: Amazon User

[...]
Its that scary! 10/10 great grahics, great gameplay, great sound, everything i want to scream

10/10

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