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Retro|Spective 077: Fatal Frame

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    Retro|Spective 077: Fatal Frame

    Light a candle, peer into the darkness, brace yourself and then... take a selfie for...!




    Mainline Entry 01 - Fatal Frame
    Formats:
    Playstation 2 and Xbox
    Also known as Project Zero, the series begins in 1986 with Miku and Mafayu Hinasaki, Miku exploring a haunted mansion after the sudden disappearance of her brother. The series is probably most identified by the combat system whereby players use a special in game camera to defeat the wandering hostile spirits. The game uses a fixed perspective camera system and 3D environments rather than Resi's 2D style ones of the earlier games and drew a lot of comparisons to other survival horror games of the time. Sometimes these comparisons cost the game points in its scoring but broadly it held its own.



    Mainline Entry 02 - Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly
    Formats:
    Playstation 2 and XBox
    Following on soon after the enhanced Xbox port of the original, the second game follows twin sisters in an abandoned village and increased the focus on the storytelling as Tecmo had learnt that many players dropped the original before completing the game. This, coupled up with some tightening of the gameplay systems led to a better reception and the consideration that this was the peak of the series.



    Mainline Entry 03 - Fatal Frame III: The Tormented
    Formats:
    Playstation 2
    The third game largely followed the same pattern of the first two games in a similar manner to other horrors of the time such as Silent Hill 3, refine what's there and polish up the visuals. The game was largely just as well received critically as the previous two entries but failed to make the same impact as attention from gamers started to drift away from the series. As a result the franchise subsequently began to fade away from the minds of western audiences after this.



    Mainline Entry 04 - Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse
    Formats:
    Wii
    The fourth game saw Tecmo work with Nintendo and Grasshopper to bring the series to the Wii. Despite an EU launch being lined up it never happened and so the game remains exclusive to Japanese audiences outside of a fan translation. Ruka is the lead character this time out and she has been held captive on an island for some time, though players eventually get to control other characters in her group as the adventure goes on. The game reviewed consistently with other entries and its success was a mixed story, selling very low compared to other Wii games but also the best the series had managed.



    Spin Off Entry 01 - Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir
    Formats:
    Nintendo 3DS
    The sole spin-off the franchise has ever had, this game was an early 3DS title and made use of the systems often overlooked AR capabilities to recreate the ghost action of the main games but with players physically taking the photos themselves. The game wasn't that well received though so remains a one-off experiment.



    Remake Entry 01 - Fatal Frame II: Wii Edition
    Formats:
    Wii
    Tecmo decided to go back to the second game for its next project and remade the title with the lessons learnt making the fourth one. A third person over the shoulder camera was used for this redo with new visuals, costumes and an investigation mechanic as well as previously closed off areas of the village. The remake enjoyed a western release and was well received for the care and attention it brought to the effort to recreate the original title.



    Mainline Entry 05 - Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water
    Formats:
    WiiU
    The series powered on to its fifth entry, this time using the Gamepad to recreate the camera gameplay. Set on a mountain top and following three new characters, the game saw a global release but failed to make much of a dent on the struggling system. It tied to promote itself by including some DOA focused dlc but within the main series this entry holds the weakest reviews. It's currently unknown if the franchise will continue on to the Switch in some form.



    Share your thoughts and memories of Fatal Frame / Project Zero

    #2
    It'd be a shame to let this one sink without a trace, so I want to at least say that I liked the first one. I owned it on Xbox and it was fun; not perfect, but definitely felt interesting in what felt like a sea of Resident Evil imitations.

    Comment


      #3
      Loved the 1st game, It was so scary I had to stop playing it one night and just left it until the daytime the next day lol. II and III were great too, but the series died with the move (pardon the pun) to the Wii

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        #4
        I loved the three PS2 games.

        I always found the creepy ghostly atmosphere much more scary that Resident Evil's soldiers versus monsters (not that I didn't enjoy Resident Evil as well).

        I particularly recall buying the second game around Christmas time and staying up really late playing it whilst I was off work.

        The third game tied up the trilogy nicely. If people were drifting away from the series a bit, it was probably in part due to the Xbox 360 being on the shelves by the time it was released.

        I remember the sound design in each game being very good. There was usually background noise which really added to the atmosphere. The noise would change in different areas, giving each quite a different feel.

        After the PS2 trilogy, I was quite excited when the translation of the Wii game was released. I still enjoyed it, despite some bugs.

        The reviews for the Wii-U game were so poor that I never got around to playing it, but should perhaps give it a go someday.

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          #5
          I only ever really gave the original a go, I remember seeing screens of the fourth game and thinking it looked good but the cancellation of its western release meant I stayed that limited on what I played. I'd love to know why it's become associated with Nintendo and their consoles, seems like a borderline kiss of death for it. That being said, they should consider a collection for Switch.

          Comment


            #6
            Clue for 078 - An invitation to fight for the crown

            Comment


              #7
              The only one I've played through is the Wii U game and absolutely loved it. It's pretty basic and some of the combat can be slightly frustrating but I loved the atmosphere and it's one of my favourite looking games. It goes on for perhaps an hour too long but I loved exploring the environments and drinking in the atmosphere.

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