Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly

"A picture is worth a thousand screams"

Good: really nice graphics and scary as hell
Bad: typical survival horror problems (somewhat sluggish controls, a few bad camera angles)
I learned: stay the hell out of Japan's forests

Let me start by saying that this is probably my favorite survival horror game. I never have played the first Fatal Frame but I would really like to an I'm also looking forward to Fatal Frame III. I highly recommend playing this game in the dark because it 1. makes things easier to see (environments are pretty dimly lit and the slightest bit of glare on your tv can really make it hard to see) and 2. it makes things all the more freaky. Well, on to the review.

Story: 10
I really liked the story for this game. It's pretty deep and actually makes you think a little. That, and it's really friggen creepy. Basically, the game opens in a forest with two twins, Mio and Mayu, visiting there childhood home because it will soon be consumed by a lake due to a new dam that will be finished by the end of summer. The two used to play here when they were little. Mio, the younger sister, is lost in her memories of an accident that injured Mayu a long time ago. She snaps out of it and looks up only to find Mayu missing. She spots Mayu wandering of into the woods, following a crimson colored butterfly. Mio chases after her sister into a strange village blanketed by a thick fog and day has somehow become night. The two have wandered into All God's Village, a village that mysteriously vanished during the night of a strange ceremony, and those who wander in, never come out. It is up to you, as Mio, to find some way to escape with Mayu and uncover the secrets of the ceremony that is forever relived by the town.

Graphics: 9
The graphics in this game are wonderful. The dark and dingy environments of the village look great and they really make the place seem creepy. The characters all look really good and have almost no polygonal looking edges and are almost and good looking and smooth as The Bouncer's characters. The ghosts on the other hand, as scary as they are, sometimes have a few pointy edges and can look a little smudgy, but they still look pretty good despite that and the fact that some ghosts are reused a lot. The fog effect in this game looks really cool and the lighting effects are really neat. Some of my favorite effects in this game are the grainy camera filter (you can't notice it as much unless you look at something or someone who has a relatively smooth texture) and the black and white effects that make thing look like an old movie, camera spots and all.

Sound: 10
MY GOD! The sounds in this game are some of the most horrifying things you will ever hear. The moans, groans, and mutterings of the ghosts all sound real and really fit them. A really cool ghost sound effect comes from when you fight the drowned woman on the bridge. During the battle, it sounds like you're under water and it really adds to the creepiness of some woman floating around you like a dead person floats in water. This may come as a surprise but even the door sounds can scare the crap out of you. They creak, bang, and click realistically and whenever you go through them, they shut, making a sudden noise that almost always makes you jump.

Music: 8
There isn't really much in terms of music in this game but the few tracks there are are pretty good. There really isn't all that much to say about this category.

Controls: 7
The controls are pretty much what you would expect from a survival horror game. Movement is a tad sluggish and navigating while running can get a tad frustrating but it isn't too bad and you tend to get used to it. Combat controls sometimes suffer the same fate. Your camera won't always draw when you want and sometimes loses a target that is right in front of you, making you unable to damage it, but like I said, you kind of get used to it and it by no means makes the game unplayable.

Gameplay: 7
Due to the previously mentioned control issues, gameplay can be a bit frustrating but it isn't so bad. The gameplay is naturally a bit slow paced since there is a lot of waiting for the right time to shoot and some ghosts move very slowly so that may be a bit offputing to some but it's an overall enjoyable part of the game and it just about always gives you the creeps.

Overall: 8
This game is a really good game and I highly recommend buying it. Controls keep it from reaching its full potential but it's still a spectacular game and good for a few screams. A fun thing to do is to invite some friends over at night and use it to scare the crap outta them! If you have a good pair of headphones, they can easily make this game give you nightmares. I hope this review was helpful to all who haven't played this game yet and i strongly encourage you to get out there and play it, NOW!!!!!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/23/05