Fatal Frame

Fatal Frame's story is set upon Miku Hinasaki, a seventeen year old teen who has lost a brother, Mafuyu, who, amongst others, is involved in the other mysterious occurrences of missing people at the mansion of the Himuro family. A team of reporters that had been working on a documentary about the arcane mansion of the Himuro family ended up suddenly vanishing from the place. Now, with a camera that can vanquish ghosts in a flash is Miku's only hope for survival through the desolate locale, in her search to find her brother.

Fatal Frame is a new twist on the genre of horror. Using a camera is the last thing that comes to mind when you wan to kill a ghost. But, knowing Tecmo, it sounds like they've got something up their sleeve. Gameplay-wise, you'll use the camera in a first person perspective, which you can switch to from your normal third person view at any time. Just like Resident Evil, there's fixed camera angles that add a good amount of suspense to the gameplay, since you can't ever really tell what's ahead of you. Evidently, the first person view will come in handy for such trying times.

Throughout intense exploration, you'll need to kill ghosts in order to proceed. Similar to Luigi's Mansion, in the game you're given an icon that will light up whenever a ghost is present or nearby. Switching into the first person perspective will allow the player to aim the camera's view, and capture the targeted apparition. The same box used to locate ghosts also has a secondary feature, which warns you if a puzzle is in the midst. For example, a magically sealed door is in the way. To be certain, only once you're placed in the first person camera perspective, are you able to actually tell it's sealed. The camera also relays the puzzle to you, and helps you to know how to solve it later on in the game.

Even much more familiar, item hunting will be yet another part that has to do with Fatal Frame's gameplay. As if you were hunting for ammo clips in Resident Evil, in Fatal Frame, it's various types of films you're tracking down instead. From start to finish, Miku will find filmstrips that will affect the poltergeists in different ways, as different types of ghosts become introduced. With the use of the special types of films, Miku will be able to then defeat special types of ghosts. Not only that, but your camera can be charged up to radiate more destructive snapshots which will dispose of enemies faster along the way.

If the Dead or Alive games are any form of indication in how Fatal Frame will look on screen, then you better believe what to expect. The graphics will imbue with darkened, lightened, and all around spectacular settings that are enhanced over anything seen that Tecmo's done yet. Expect to see ghosts, that while haunting to notice, will embody the screen in such visual flare that will make you curdle up in horrific delight. The grime of the mansion's dreary corridors and the excellent animations of each game character on screen certainly gives a good idea that Fatal Frame could very well compete as one of the best horror games of 2002.

Fatal Frame's sound system is shaping up to be great in its every aspect. Through the mansion, the sounds of creaky floor tiles, the swish of blood puddles as you walk through them, and the transition from normal sounds to background noises, such as a howl of a ghost, is all frightening to the core. More so, the use of sound will work in a very interesting way, as something like a light flutter of a bug nosing around Miku's body can be heard, as well as felt. The slightest touch the insect makes against Miku's finger forces the controller to vibrate. Cool, huh?