Fatal Frame
Fatal Frame, known as Project Zero in Europe and Zero (零 Zero) in Japan, is asurvival horror video game series consisting of four installments, a hand-held spin-off, and a remake of the second game. The series' games were released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and later for the Wii and Nintendo 3DS. The series plots deal with ghosts,exorcisms, and dark Shinto rituals.
Created by Tecmo, Fatal Frame is one of the most well-received survival horror games to date.It was a unique entry in the genre, as the player explores a mansion and takes photographs of ghosts in order to defeat them.The Fatal Frame series has since gained a reputation as one of the most distinctive in the genre, with the first game in the series credited as one of the best-written survival horror games ever made, by UGO Networks.While Tecmo Koei remains the sole owner of the Fatal Frame / Project Zero IP and franchise, Nintendo does own certain rights related to the fourth entry in the series and the Wii remake of Fatal Frame 2.
Main Series
Fatal Frame (2001)
October 1986. After having received almost no news about her brother Mafuyu for over a week, Miku Hinasaki goes to the defunct Himuro Mansion to search for him. The only trace she finds of him is their mother's old Camera Obscura, which Mafuyu brought with him. Upon realizing that she is now trapped in the mansion, Miku continues searching for her brother, and a way out.
The original game was later ported to the Xbox. The Xbox version included smoother graphics, more costumes, more ghosts, and an exclusive "Fatal Mode" that can be unlocked by completing the main game.
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly (2003)
Twin sisters Mio and Mayu Amakura are visiting a childhood play spot, when Mayu follows a mysterious crimson butterfly deep into the forest. Concerned for her twin, Mio follows Mayu, and the two find themselves at a lost village. When they reach the village, they notice that the path they took to this mysterious place has vanished. Mio must uncover the mystery behind the Crimson Sacrifice Ritual, while chasing her sister, who is becoming increasingly possessed by the evil spirit of Sae, the last failed sacrifice.Originally released for the PlayStation 2 in 2003, a Director's Cut edition was later released for the Xbox in 2004. This version added several updates to the gameplay, such as a first-person play mode, a survival mode, a new ending, enhanced graphics, and a greater number of alternate costumes to unlock.
Zero: Shinku No Chou / Fatal Frame II: Deep Crimson Butterfly
A remake of Crimson Butterfly, Project Zero 2: Wii Edition, known in Japan as Zero: Shinku No Chou (零 〜眞紅の蝶〜,"Zero: Deep Crimson Butterfly"), was developed by Tecmo Koei and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. It includes the extra game modes and unlockables of the Xbox re-release, but it also includes two new endings on top of those in the Xbox version. The camera angles, voiceover, graphics, and gameplay have been remade to be similar to the fourth Fatal Frame game.
Fatal Frame III: The Tormented (2005)
While on an assignment taking pictures at a derelict mansion, Rei Kurosawa, a 23-year-old freelance photographer, inexplicably captures the image of her deceased fiancé, Yuu Asou, in a photograph. Afterwards, Rei begins having recurring nightmares of an old Japanese manor during a heavy snowfall, and observes Yuu entering the house. She follows him into the house, where the dream becomes a nightmare. Miku Hinasaki from Fatal Frame returns as a playable character; along with newcomer Kei Amakura, uncle of Mio and Mayu from Fatal Frame II. This game revisits locations from the first two installments, along with a new haunted location.
Zero: Tsukihami no Kamen / Fatal Frame IV: Mask of The Lunar Eclipse (2008)
The fourth installment of the Fatal Frame series was developed for the Wii with Nintendo and Grasshopper Manufacture.The game was informally titled Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse outside of Japan.
Ten years prior to the events of the game, five young girls were kidnapped by You Haibara, a criminal, from a mysterious sanatorium on Rougetsu Island. They were eventually rescued by Choushiro Kirishima, a detective pursuing the criminal. Several years after the incident, two of the girls (Marie Shinomiya and Tomoe Nanamura) died mysteriously. The three remaining girls, Misaki Asou, Ruka Minazuki and Madoka Tsukimori, now seventeen years old, return to the island to recover their lost memories and find out more of what happened that day. Choushiro continues to pursue Haibara, as well as aiding Ruka along the way.
The game was released in Japan on July 31, 2008, and so far sold around 75,000 copies making it the best sold game of the series in Japan. There are no plans for a western release, despite various claims of fans. However, an unofficial English translation has been released as a fan patch.
