User Reviews (1 - 11 of 30)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

Reminds me of J-HORROR, in a GOOD way !!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: March 18, 2006
Author: Amazon User

In the beginning of the game, you play a teenager who is looking for his favorite author in an isolated, and creepy mansion. Then, he goes missing. Then, his big sister comes to find him and uncovers a few things she didn't expect.

Imagine crossing a game with the eeriness of RINGU, the disturbingness of THE RING,the scares of THE GRUDGE, and an old camera that takes pictures of spirts. This is exactly what you get.

The scariness of this game just doesn't end. If you are playing it alone, your probably going to turn it off after the first 45 minutes of game play. It can sometimes get down right unnerving, especially in the numberous cut scenes.

The game is also somewhat difficult, for you can get lost very easily, and you may not be taking your "pictures" fast enough.

If you play this game, do the following......................

1) Turn off every single light in the house (Makes for a good atmosphere)

2)Turn volume up really high, or use a surround-sound system if you have one.(Or use headphones)

3)If possible, turn the ringer on your phone to the highest volume.

4)Make sure you have something funny to watch afterwards......

I have a camera and I know how to use it!

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

Sept. 1987, a group of people enter Himuro mansion to research for a new novel. Apparently, strange rituals were performed there believed to be that of the Shinto. Mafuyu, a good friend of Jensei Takamine, the leader of the group, goes searching for them after they have been gone for days. After he fails to return within two weeks, his sister Miku goes out searching for him.

When you see the based on the true story on the cover, you're probably thinking 'yeah, right, its probably like 'Amityville Horror.' Wrong, the storyline on the game is based on a mansion that had been discovered where the owner went mad and massacred everyone there. The main plot of this game and it's characters have nothing to do with the original mansion other than some of the designs in the house and the room structures.

Starting off, this is one of the best Survival Horror games ever, but I do have to admit it sounds a little cheesy at first with your weapon being a camera. But after a while it seems to make more sense than those weapons used by the 'Ghostbusters' or using a handgun or rifle. The camera controls are a little clunky, but are easy to adjust to. You can upgrade your camera to defeat enemies easier. What makes this game scarier than RE is the fact that you're fighting ghosts and your character has a sixth sense, so she is able to see what happened and these things can be very...well gruesome and cruel. Most of the flashbacks you see are either of the past rituals or how a person died.

This game was already released on PS2, but there are more goodies here for you to enjoy. For starters, the graphics are a little bit better and the framerate is good. Secondly, there are some added features like an extra ending and a bonus costume. And, finally, you don't have to save on a separate block for your album because the HD can hold it all.

Personally, I believe this could have really happened because back then people would do stuff like that to their families if they thought they're against them or something. Stories like 'Amityville Horror' have other things against them that could easily disprove that theory. Believe it or not, its still fun to play the game. The only problem with this game is that the mansion changes a lot throughout the nights you are there so you will backtrack a lot into these areas, but they will be different because doors and things will fix as it reverts to its original form.

This game is a must-have if you play survivor horror games

Pros
- Better graphics than PS2
- Added ending
- More ghosts to capture than PS2
- Bonus ending that didn't appear in PS2 version
- Creepy atmosphere
- The eerie flashback scenes

Cons
- A lot of backtracking
- Easy to get lost

Say Cheese........AHHHHHHHHHH !!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: January 28, 2005
Author: Amazon User

[Edited] June 12 2005 ~
I have read so many reviews where people are confused by the fact that the main character uses a camera so I thought that I would explain. In some Asian cultures some people believed that when you take a picture it captures a part of your soul.

I played this game when it was first released so I'm going to give a general review of the game and how it has held up after the few years that have past.

I didn't know what to expect when I got this game and boy was I scared and impressed by it. This game is very well made, the story is truly twisted like nothing I have ever seen. The gameplay is great and never gets boring and the suspense and horror is very intense.

IMO, nothing since has topped this game in terms of being the most atmospheric and disturbing.

I recommend this game to anyone who enjoys movies like "The Ring" and "The Grudge". Imagine being in those movies, the creepiness/scary factor is even stronger!

ENJOY =)

Don't Play Alone!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: November 28, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This is the most terrifying game I've ever played. Some games in the Survival Horror Genre give you a chainsaw. Some give you a Plasma Gun. This one gives you a camera. Yep, a camera. You start in a Prolouge as the main characters brother, and hey! Geuss what! The house eats you. Then the main character comes searching for her brother who was searching for his Mentor who came with his assistant and his editor. So there are 4 people who got eaten by the house and are coming back in Ghosty Form to eat the main character.
The villan is a little girl that looks like a chipmunk in a kimono. Personally, I can't get past the ghost that the main character thinks is her brother and then turns out to be some creature whith long hair and nails. But whatever, it's still my favorite game and I can't play it alone or in the dark, but Buy it anyways.

Truly Twisted

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: October 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I initially played 'Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly' before I tried out the original game. I was a little disappointed at first, because the gameplay seemed to go slower than in 'Crimson Butterfly'. Soon, however, I realized that the plot might even be creepier than its sequel. You're in a much smaller area in the first game than in the second which means that you have to retrace your steps a lot, but I don't fully understand the people who say that this aspect makes the first game "more boring" than the sequel. Worrying about when another screaming, headless ghost was going to materialize and wrap its hands around my throat managed to keep ME occupied, but hey, that's just me...

Another part about the first game that I thought was more authentic than in 'Crimson Butterfly' was the fact that you collect audio tapes that were recorded by the more "recent" victims of Himuro mansion to piece together the intricate mystery of why the old house is haunted. From these warped tapes, you also get a glimpse into the minds of these poor, doomed fools and can document, much to your chagrin, their individual descents into insanity. It just seems more realistic than the recordings you're given to work with in 'Crimson Butterfly'. You see, in the sequel, there's a similar manner in which you gain these aural clues in order to figure out your predicament, but instead of audio cassettes, you're given precious stones that are left behind from the various ghosts you fight. Since you're also conveniently carrying along a little altered radio from the 20's that is designed to pick up on "otherwordly sounds", you place the stones that the ghosts leave you into the radio and, the thoughts they were thinking before their untimely deaths having been transmitted into the stone, the ghost's last thoughts are heard in all their staticy, hard-to-understand glory! Wow! Perhaps I'm being too picky, but that method just seems a wee bit cornier than the eerie, real life appraoch of dead journalists unfortunate enough to be studying Himuro mansion recording their final thoughts onto tape.

Thoroughly unsettling and quite tragic and moving by its end, Fatal Frame is a fantastic game that I'd advise anyone to play, as long as they appreciate good writing and a good mystery.

From the terrified audio cassettes, to the paranoid, demented pages from old diaries, to the vengeful spirits moaning for help, these little bits of terror stacked up in this incredibly effective manner made it so that I couldn't possibly play Fatal Frame alone. Every time my boyfriend would leave the room, I'd pause the game and get up to follow him around until he'd get fed up with me and agree to go back into the room where the game was. So, to say the least, it helps to have someone supportive around while you're playing it. Just try to not play it around your meaner friends, who will take advantage of your vulnerability by grabbing you from behind and screaming "RRRARRH!!" every time you fight a ghost.

...not that that ever happened to me.

Terror reveal itself Frame after Fatal Frame

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: September 03, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Fatal Frame is hands down the BEST series in the survival horror genre. While Resident evil goes for jump out at you scares and Silent Hill goes for demented gore, Fatal Frame pulls you in with its creepy ambiance,bizarre rituals and a great story.

Essentailly you are Miku, a young girl searching for her missing brother at the haunted Himuro mansion. Armed only with special camera and a 6th sense, it is your job to discover what events unfolded at Himuro mansion that caused the massacre of nearly all who lived there and find your brother.

Fatal Frame looks really great and the Xbox version looks particularly excellent with its rich textures. Tecmo really did a great job making the game lighter than the PS2 version which was at times was too dark. The sound is also great with the dolby 5.1 sound. While fatal frame doesnt have music per se it does have lots of little eerie voices amd noises in the background that really come out in the dolby sound.

The game itself has great gameplay but the Xbox version doesn't control as smoothly as the PS2 version. Unfortunately at times the chracter does get "hung up" on geometry which sucks if you are playing a boss. The hang-ups dont happen very much and are a trade off as the PS2 version was hard to see in areas (particularly the hell mouth).

Either version is great and I cannot recommend Fatal Frame or its sequal Fatal Frame 2: Crmson Butterfly enough.

Chilling, atmospheric, underrated game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: September 03, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I never thought video games could be scary. After all, most games put you in the role of an individual designed to blow up your opponents into pieces. Most scares were cheap shocks and designed to get the adrenaline pumping rather than raise any real dread.

However, that all changed when I tried Fatal Frame, a game that's been around a while. You're put in the role of .. investigating your brother's disappearance inside a Japanese mansion. Over the course of four nights, you'll be led deeper into the mysteries of this abandoned house, and will find that you're not alone.

To fend off the spirits that attack you, you'll have the services of a camera. Remember being told about how certain tribes will not let themselves be photographed because they believe it will take part of their soul? Well that's how things work with the camera obscura, which tears off pieces of the spirit's soul. No guns, grenades or electroplasmic guns.

But wait, you don't just have to aim with the camera obscura, you have to wait before shooting that precious pic. Your camera must charge up, and you can score core shots, or the equivalent of critical hits. Using the camera takes some getting used to, and initially you'll probably be fumbling around with the controls as the ghosts float towards you, and it does take a while to get used to it. There's also powerups which allow you to upgrade your camera, as well as higher grades of film that do more damage.

The ghosts themselves are well designed and fairly disconcerting. The ghost known as Broken Neck flies with her head twisted in an upside down position, while Blind Woman has blood pouring out of her eyes. They also attack differently, and you can't use the same tactics against all of them. For some of them, you'll have to defeat them multiple times, which makes for some repetitious gameplay, but your foes are likely to get tougher with each incarnation.

Exploring itself takes a while, as the house isn't particularly big. There's lots of backtracking, and in the four nights that you explore the mansion you'll find yourselves in the same areas again and again. It makes for occasionally frustrating gameplay, as you try to recall where and what happened. Even worse is some items that were previously inactive are crucial in latter episodes, so you'll find yourself doing click and search to find what items have become suddenly important.

Nonetheless, there's a substantial amount of notes and tapes left around the house as clues for you to unravel the mystery. There's a few puzzles as well, but nothing too complex.

Graphics-wise, the screen is murky-coloured and dull, while things get splotchy when you're using the camera. There's also plenty of cut-scenes, particularly just before a ghost attack. If there were an award for generating mood, Fatal Frame would win it hands down. Even better is the sound design, and vast amount of attention has been paid to how QUIET things are, particularly just before an attack.

Finishing the story unlocks more costumes for .. and a Battle mode where you get to go one on one against a ghost in various environment, as well as more difficult modes. Replay isn't that high, but there is some.

Fatal Frame owes more to the realm of recent Japanese horror movies such as The Ring and Ju-On, and captured the flavour of these movies well. Evoking an atmosphere of mystery and horror, Fatal Frame is definitely one of the most memorable and original games, and proof positive that it is possible to make a genuinely scary game for video consoles.

Fatal Frame is really awesome!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: July 28, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Wow! This game is seriously cool and SCARY. By what the graphics are concerned, it is definately a five star rating. I have to question the viewing point and control handling. This game is really great and I would preffer this game for a person that is into Resident Evil, Evil Dead, or Silent Hill. I would also preffer this game for a mediocre player, for it is fun and difficult but too difficult for a begginner. Fatal Frame is really fun. The graphics are great and the story line is fabulous. There is a few flaws (One that I had mentioned earlier) so I will tell you all of them. The controls aren't very good and the way the screen shows (Camera veiw) isn't too well at all. It scares you half to death (Although that may not be such a bad thing to all the horror-survivor gamers out there). Overall and in conclusion, this game is a definate 5 star horror and survival game.

Wishful thinking

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 10
Date: July 10, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I love the horror survival genre (it is the only reason I play video games). I will start off on the pro side of the game, it has a creepy look and soundtrack and the concept is really good. The con side is that the game controls like crap! The character is not fluid at all. It turned me off the game. I played for about 2 hours and gave up. The controls are that frustrating. If you have patience, get this game, it is a really great story/concept. I will probably do the same thing my friend did when he tried to play the game, turn around and sell it... So I give this 1 star, the controls ruined the whole game.

Wickedly horrific game. . .

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: June 14, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I love this game. It quite simply terrifies me.

I pondered buying it in Blockbuster because it was in the used section and I was looking for a cheap game, but because so many horror games turn out to be flakey I opted to rent it first. After the first ten minutes of gameplay, I did not plan to buy it. In fact, I wanted to stay as far away from it as I could get, it creeped me out so much. But I kept playing, and got so wrapped up in the storyline and cut scenes that I decided to buy it despite the fact that every time I play it, I get achey from being all tensed up.

Although some people have described Fatal Frame's plot as "mediocre," I think it's absolutely fantastic. Here we have a Japanese teenager walking into a dark, isolated mansion in search of her missing brother. Immediately, a ghost shows up. "The ropes," he groans. "There are more ropes. The ropes..." And we open the door into the Rope Room (which is one of the creepiest, in my opinion) and learn later that the ropes swinging from the rafters were being slowly added because the house ghosts had Koji's death in mind. As the story is unraveled, we learn about the evil rituals the Himuro family participated in, and meet Kirie, who is an intriguing "villain." It's strangle proper that when her two selves separate after death and the Calamity comes, it is the child-like half, who understood the necessity of the ritual and her terrible role in it, rather than her adult self who longs to be free, who remains good. I haven't beat the game yet (I am stuck, I think I am going to have to start over, and I am on the third night), but I am still quizzical about the purpose of the gruesome Blinding Ritual, and who it was who takes part in it. Although I pity the Blind Maiden, her ghost is incredible annoying. Every time I hear someone say "My eyes" I cringe. And I like how the storywriters played with the fine line in good in evil - although the Demon Ritual is cruel and horrifying, the player also understands the need for it to be done.

The graphics are also great. Not very interactive, but I never noticed because I was more concerned with other things. I found them very smooth. The controls weren't the best (every time I entered a room I would always turn around automatically and face the wall) but you get used to them. The sounds were FANTABULOUS. More perfect than anything I have ever encountered in videogames or movies. The music seems to come right out of a nightmare - the whole games does, really. It's like the creators knew what your deepest fears looked like and sounded like, and put them onto a game.

BUY THIS GAME. It is hellishly scary. I already have the sequel, and I can't wait to play it too.

Review Page: 1 2 3 Next 

Actions