User Reviews (11 - 21 of 80)

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Pros and Cons

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: December 24, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Fatal Frame is a good game to buy if you're into survival horror games. The plot was okay, it kept me into the game until I beat it at least. What's really freaky is that it's based on a true story. To think, someone really had to go through that ritual. Well anyways onto the stuff you want to hear:

The main character's method for fighting off the ghosts (which is what you do throughout the whole game) is pretty lame, at least in the beginning. She takes their picture with an antique camera. It really gets annoying when they grab you and bring your health down. However, once you get the good film and advance the camera... well lets just say you could hear me say "Ha take that!"

There is also a glitch in the game, which was that the company didn't translate the Japanese characters into english numbers. A couple of times you had to open a door with Japanese characters on it. I didn't know what I was supposed to do and was stuck for a while. Just remember that the first character at the top is zero and the numbers go in order counter clock wise. That's the only one i know so far, hopefully there aren't any other major ones.

What I liked about this game was that it actually scares you. You'll get sucked into what you are doing in the game that anything will scare you (like loud crashes, moaning, or a shadow in the corner of your screen). The scenery and the music really sets the mood for a scary stroy. It's a good game to play in the dark when your friends are over or by yourself for that matter.

Whether it's the kind of game you would like to get yourself into only you know. I just hope that my review helped in your decision.

Can I just say ""SCARY FREAKY""

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: July 13, 2002
Author: Amazon User

All right people forget the horror movies! This game is the BOMB!
I am an adult and have never been so scared in all my life and I
love the paranormal.This game keeps you an your toes till the very end. The creepiest thing about it is when your playing and you think everything is nice and calm your controller starts to vibrate and you hear that heart beat but you cant see the ghosts!
AAAAAHHHHH !!!!!!! This is what I did when that first ghost popped out like 2 feet in front of me at the beginning, I mean come on you don't know what to expect. The darkness through out the whole game was a plus. I recommend this game to everyone who loves the paranormal! I hope they make another game just as scary as this one. When you play make sure you take a breather every few minutes or you'll end up having an anxiety attack like I almost did. They need to make a movie! This game has a great story line. They should have rated it M because if I was scared to death imagine what this will do to a teenager. So play and have fun and you'll see why I gave it 5 stars!

So Good, It's Scary

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: July 29, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I have owned and played many games, but Fatal Frame is among the best. Let's start off by naming the pro's and con's.

Pro's
-Scariest game ever made.
-A wide variety of ghosts.
-A pretty long game
-Not too hard, but not too easy.
-You'll have a good time all through the game
-Excellent graphics.
-The music couldn't be any better. It is perfect.

Con's
-Controllers are different, but you'll get used to it.
-You might pee your pants at night, and your parents'll be mad.
-Not much else.

The game is mostly rated teen because of extreme horror and some blood. If you can handle the horror, I strongly suggest buying the game. It took me a while to finish the game because I couldn't play it without a friend there. If you want to be constantly entertained with ghosts coming and stuff, this is not your game. The ghosts will and do come, but they aren't constantly appearing. You have to figure out what has happened to the mansion and it's past. Have a rosary in one hand and the controller in the other.

Happy gaming

Why go to a scary movie...play it!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: March 21, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game has stunning graphics, a bit dark, but that adds to the overall mood of this game.Character control is slow and can be cumbersom, but as you play it will become easier. This game was designed to scare you, and with the lights turned down and the surround sound up, it will scare you. The camera you use throughout the game as a weapon is unique, and gives this game a fresh feel over current games. This may not be a game you want to play over-and-over, but it will hold your attention to the bitter end. You will get the satisfaction of money well spent on this must-have-game of 2002.

This game is #1

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: April 26, 2002
Author: Amazon User

As an avid video game player for years and a dedicated RE fan I thought this game would be too lame especially when somebody who shall remain nameless in my family tried to discourage me from buying it. However I can now say with absolute confidence that he was just plain STUPID. This game is the best horror game that I have ever seen! I have played every last darn one of them also from RE1 to the last Veronica and Silent Hills 1 and 2 besides. This game doesn't have the sheer gore factor of RE or the twisted insanity of Silent Hill but it's 10 times more scarey! I mean it, it's that good. And don't you dare listen to those dunderheads that say the inventory will be too hard or that game is too hard or all that stuff. It's not that hard. Let me just say that if you played RE at all then this will seem just fine in fact it's not really that challenging. Now don't get me wrong, you probably will get killed a couple of times but it's not the fighting that's the real core of this game, it's the fear factor. The mansion is just plain horrifying. It's really great to play and be really horrified rather than suprised. you see there are two kinds of fear: Terror namely the primal fight or flight physical response kind of fear which is involed by RE, and Horror which is psychological in nature and may or not issue forth from Terror. Anyway this game has only 10% Terror and 90% Horror. Just wait till you see the blinding ritual then think about it for awhile. Anyway I can't recommend this game enough.

It might suprise a few people...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: June 30, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game without even knowing much about it, but the fact my foes were ghosts (I love anything having to do with ghosts..lol) I had to try it for myself. When I found out more about it (The camera as a weapon & such) I was a lil doubtful on how I would take to this game.

I'm a long time survival/horror fan & I don't think I'd even put the RE or SH series together with Fatal Frame. Those games belong in their own category in a shrine somewhere, but this game is in a class all by itself. It stands apart from those, & really never got the respect it deserves.

This game not only totally messed with my head while playing it, but I find that after experiencing it the 1st time I am reluctant to play through it again. Yet it is soooo hauntingly beautiful in plot & gameplay that I WANT to play through it again... Does that make sense?! lol

In all this game is horrifying & can really play tricks on you if you let it get to you. I would say to anyone who wants to play it to rent it 1st, only because not everyone has the same feelings with the game but GIVE IT A CHANCE! Don't let the camera turn you off because you may just be letting a great game slip through the cracks...

I admit the voice acting is not the best, but even the greats have a history of bad voice actors...lol Sometimes it comes with the package.

The graphics are not upto PS2 or XBox standards, but they REALLY work well, especially the design of the ghosts which at times can be shockingly horrifying. I want to run & hide everytime I see blinded searching for me =0P

I barely noticed any music in this game with the exception of cutscenes & ghost battles, & there's a good reason for that. While traveling through Himuro Mansion you will hear nothing but the sound of Miku walking, or just basic "house" noises. With silence constantly around the sudden booming of creepy music when a ghost is coming for you can give you such a jolt you have to pause till your heart leaves your throat & returns to your chest...lol I usually am a scare seeker, but these scares drove me to taking a "time out" to get my wits together.

The gameplay can seem odd at 1st, but once you get aquainted with what buttons do what you can easily navigate yourself from normal to camera mode. The changing of the camera angles can cause your character to turn around on occasion, but once again if you can learn the controls then you'll have no problem working the toggle button in time with the angles.

Many have mentioned the fact that Miku's walking pace is slow. Once you begin the game it can seem that way, but you will get use to it. I like to think of it as playing RE Outbreak for the 1st time, & those load times I eventually didn't even notice once I got into the "groove" of things. Hopefully you will too...lol Also, it makes sense for Miku to walk & run quietly... She KNOWS she's in a potentially dangerous situation, she's not going to go running around banging on wooden floors & such practically with a dart painted on her backside...lol

All in all this game is an awesome one for those who want something other than the norm survival horror. This game is best suited for the open minded, & strong of heart...lol

Fatal Frame

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 11
Date: March 19, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Fatal Frame is one of the scariest games on the market, right next to Silent Hill 2 and the whole Resident Evil series. What gets me mad though is that almost everyone compares this game to the RE and SH series. It's a totally different story with Fatal Frame. Sure, the genre is Survival Horror, but its a different kind of survival and a different kind of horror. First off, you deal with ghosts here, not zombies or freaky creatures of any kind, ghosts. And your weapon is a camera, not a colt python or a plank of wood... a camera, my friend. Sure, it sounds lame to your gory people out there, but its not. First off, you can only see the ghosts through the camera and second that how you kill (or capture) them. You battle with two types of ammo (or two types of film) a weaker one, for regular pictures Type-14 Film, and a stronger one for the battles, Type-37 Film. At first the game is confusing and you won't understand exactly how to capture the ghosts but I'll explain go into Finder Mode on the camera by pressing Circle (and thats how you get out too) and take a picture with X. But don't waste your film and snap every two seconds, you move your camera around when you're facing the ghost and wait till a blue or bright yellow circle appears on their faces, now take a pictures and the shot will inflict more damage. When the circle turns bright yellow you're gonna wanna move back a little cause they can attack you too. When they do attack you can push them off but hitting X repeatingly. Well, that's just the basics, and the game, as your get farther explains how to attack and take pictures and stuff. But don't waste your film, you're very limited. Anyway, back to the game... I enjoy this game a lot but one thing that gets me mad is that it doesn't work with the InterAct Mega Memory Card, so I need to buy the regular sony one for this game. Well, the music is good, it will rise your blood level and there are tons of scares in this game. So I recommend you pick this one up, it's definately a classic - one of its kind.

Totally fun and Totally freaky

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: April 08, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Be prepared: Start out at night or early A.M.. (It's a kick to play after Midnight) Turn out all the lights. Spread out your favorite comfortable blanket or pillow on the floor (yes the floor). Take your late night goodies with you; you've got your soda and your snacks right beside you. Shut the ringer of your phone off (just incase your best friend tries to call you at a crucial moment), shut the door, and if you are really daring and really brave...plug in the headphones into your speaker jack. Then be prepared for a spooky and scary game. Oh yeah!!-And don't forget to lock the pets safety away. A brush of a tail here or a sudden bark there and you might end up taking flight while playing this game, especially in the dark, in the night, when ghosts can haunt you.

Junsei Takamine and his research team have an interest in a big scary mansion in Japan where dozens of years ago a family was slaughtered and people have disappeared and there are rumors about secret CULT rituals. Takamine wants to write a new book on this Himura Mansion and unlock some of the secrets of the old run-down mansion in which no one has lived in in many years. The locals do try to urge him away but he is persistent, and soon he and his whole research team go missing.

Mafuyu is an avid reader and idol of Junsei Takamine's and becomes disturbed when his idol goes missing. He tracks Takamine and his group to Himura Mansion; his trusty and special camera from his mother by his side. As you begin to explore the interior of the Mansion you know something is wrong. The grainy black and white picture that you are playing in seems to shriek terror. The dust never seems to settle and the darkness forever looms in front of you. You never "see" it coming.

Miku is Mafuyu's sister and has a unique gift of her own. She can see ghosts and some pictures of the past in her mind. Her sixth sense is what has brought her to the Mansion to try to save her brother from what she believes is a horrible fate. As you play Miku you are able to see a colored version of the Mansion but are no more armed now than Mafuyu was at the beginning of the game.

Wait...was that a creak on the stair? There...was that a shadow over there? What is that sound? Did that thing move? Here, there, RIGHT BEHIND YOU. (sorry heh heh couldn't help it)

Gamer fans will not be disappointed with this game, though at times aiming the camera and trying not to snap a zillion pictures at the bad guys (thereby wasting your limited film supply) is very hard to do.

Play this game. Own this game. Oh and...you may not want to PLAY ALONE IN THE DARK. Bring a friend-then you can share the headset. Heh heh heh...

(The game is based on a true story and as far as I can tell the extent of the truth goes as far as a team of researchers disappearing and never returning from the Mansion). This has some definite disturbing images within it and I would recommend renting this game before purchasing to make sure that it is suited for children.

Scary,Awesome,and even more Scary!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: May 13, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game is one of the best games out there. I rented it and now im SURE i want to buy it. The story is based on a young girl named Miku who is trying to find her lost brother. But in this mansion there are ghosts. For example, when you take a shot of a ghost you go to 'Album' and it tells you the names like..The Bound Man,Man Looking Down,Crawling Child. Even though the names don't need any use..well I find them useful. Remember there are no guns. Your only weapon is an antique camera. And you have a flashlight. You are the only person in the mansion besides these ghosts. So if I were you..I'd get this game for sure!

Interesting take on the horror rpg genre

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: March 03, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I saw a review of this game on television, which included several in-game views, and knew right away that this was a game that I was just gonna have to play.
It looked dark and brooding, something to subtly play on the mind whilst you're trying to solve the next piece of the puzzle. It is just that. The use of sound effects, and the sound track all add to the experience. They are perfectly integrated into the game that it took a while for me to notice it, and how well done it was.
As others have mentioned in their reviews, the fact that you're a teenage girl armed only with a camera that has the ability to capture spirits is what makes this game stand out from a pretty crowded selection of rpg's currently available for the PS2.
The control system was initially a little fiddly, but after an hour I didn't notice this any more. Just as well, as I still find it hard not to panic when I encounter a nasty spirit.

The story is well thought out and put together, without being overly complicated. It still requires some thought, which makes this a game that I find I need to sit down to for an hour or more, rather than one that can be used to have a quick rattle.
It's well structured, and you'll have a pretty good idea of what you need to do very quickly after starting the game.

If you feel the need to combat dark mysterious forces in the universe, and you're tired of rocket launchers and plasma cannons, this may just be worth trying out.

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