Fatal Frame 2 - PlayStation 2

Having followed video game reviews and television shows all through my adolescence, I knew the hype "Fatal Frame II" was getting. "Scariest survival horror game yet!" claimed many sources. But I hesitated to buy it, figuring the game couldn't possibly be as scary as they claimed. After all, it's only a video game, right? And the other horror games were so-so in my opinion.But then I bought the game. Myself and my roommate sat down to play it, looking more to laugh at ghosts than to be scared out of our wits. Less than an hour into the game, we were both shaking from being startled so many times. From that point on, every time we played at least one of us would be yelling in surprise and fear at points."Fatal Frame II" lives up to the hype. Even for horror game veterans, this is a favorite. Maybe it's because your only weapon is a camera rather than a gun. Maybe it's the ghosts. Maybe the music or the graphics. Or it's a combination of all of the above. Whatever it is, it works. Even knowing EXACTLY what will happen doesn't dull the fear. Nightmares are a common occurrence when playing this.The game isn't continually scary, really. There are a lot of moments that will make you jump, especially with the perfectly-timed music stings from the soundtrack. But the story is intriguing and will lead the player through places they never wanted to enter.The story focuses on Mio and her twin sister Mayu. They enter a (if you'll pardon the term) ghost town where Mayu is led away from Mio by crimson butterflies. Your job, as Mio, is to find Mayu and lead her to safety, despite those pesky butterflies. Now that is just the most basic plot. The story itself is full of twists, turns, and revelations.Unfortunately, one complaint I can make pertains to Mio and Mayu, the main characters. Neither are particularly likable and Mayu especially will have you yelling at the screen in frustration. But then, what horror film won't have you yelling at the main characters, "Don't go in there! The killer's in there!"Game play is fairly standard--one button to aim the camera, another to shoot, etc. Most time is spent wandering the town in search of the next clue. It sounds repetitive, and at times can be. But with ghosts waiting to surprise you around every corner, you find yourself thankful for the dull moments. But be prepared to backtrack quite a bit, though you'll find ghosts scattered around to make things interesting.Fighting ghosts is basic. The game explains how to use the camera well, though the menu can be confusing at times. The enemies you encounter, though, are a little mismatched. In the middle of the game, you'll find ghosts that are too easy for you. But then, one corridor later, and you'll have a ghost that's near impossible. Luckily, by the end, the designers balanced it out a little more. The same ghosts you've been fighting since the beginning have gotten their power-ups and are more of a threat.Of the three games released thus far worldwide, this is certainly the scariest. 7 years old now, and this game is a fan-favorite in the genre. I daresay it's likely to remain as one for years to come.

I have to admit that I'm somewhat of a strange case. I absolutely deplore horror movies but for some odd reason love the survival horror genre. I've played through a great deal of the resident evil series (my favorite being 4) and the Silent Hill series (my favorite in that series is 2) and all of them are scary as hell. That being said this game puts them all to shame in terms of sheer terror and is truly terrifying. I have not beaten it yet but I play it every night and I do it with the lights off and the volume turned up. Its atmosphere is incredibly creepy as is its story and the rumble function and music/sound effects are used amazingly well in order to scare you. Of course most of all however the reason this game is scary is the Ghosts. Their designs are horrifying and in order to fight them effectively you must let them get near enough to you to attack you so that you can do reasonable damage to them. So sometimes they will creep up to you and you're wondering whether you're going to be able to hit them before they attack you. This makes the combat very scary and incredibly intense. I personally love the camera system of combat as I think its a brilliant way to apply constant scares to the player by making them physically look at and confront the abominations they have to face. Anyway I really love it, I can only play like 2 hrs max of it a day because after that I just get too freaked out. I actually think this game is a lot of fun not just because its scary. The gameplay is great, the story is really good, and the characters are very relatable. So if you can handle some serious scares this is a fantastic game and I have thoroughly enjoyed it so far.Update: I just beat the game on normal. It was really fantastic. I have heard that you get a different ending if you play the game on Hard so that is what I will be doing next. I will definitely not mind playing this game a second time. It was a fantastic experience but this time I think I'm going to play it with the lights on ;).

My sister and i finished the first fatal frame and were just blown away at how much fun it was so i had to get the second. I can't even begin to describe how amazing fatal frame 2 was. The adreneline that is pumping through your veins as each new door you open is insane. The story line sucks you in that no matter how much you don't want to enter that room that is stained in blood you do it anyways because you are dying to see what happens next. i am proud to say that i have another sister who hates games like this but i got her to play and now she is wanting the thrid one. If you enjoy a good scare and a beautifully crafted demonic and horrid story line, get this game! you won't be sorry...just don't play it alone.