Fatal Frame 4 is better than 5 than is better than 3 that is still better than many mainstream horror games Fucked showers for me for a month, had to take them with the door open
Maiden of Black Water wasn't particulaly scary, and the final boss was a mess. It still had a fantastic atmosphere and I had no issues with the way it controlled, like I know others had. It's the only limited edition box that I own, and can't wait for a sequel.
Maiden of the Black Water is good but not as good, that's the problem, Fatal Frame is a fantastic saga that topped really hard on 2 and experimented a lot since then, I liked it but I still prefer early sequels
I remember the good ol' days when the franchise wasn't locked to one platform. Ah well, it's not like it'll ever top the second installment anyway. Horror games don't get much scarier than Crimson Butterfly, unless your name is Silent Hill 2. And yeah, it was all downhill from there. 3 was just... absurdly overlong.
Fatal Frame V and that 3DS spin-off book game weren't that long ago so I don't think the series is dead or anything. Despite FFV not being the best in the franchise, it's still a pretty solid game from what I've played and I've been wondering if they might port it to Switch. To be frank, while I'm not complaining I do legitimately wonder what's keeping this franchise alive. Fatal Frame/Project Zero is bizarre in that the series has never really done well. No Fatal Frame game has sold over 70,000 copies in Japan, and I don't think any of the games have hit 1 million sales worldwide. Despite this, the franchise is nearly 20 years old and has had 6 unique entries, one full on remake (FF2 on Wii), two enhanced ports, and a surprisingly good J-Horror film. And the franchise has done some bizarre things like the fourth entry being Japanese only, the Wii version of Project Zero 2 going to Europe but not US, the fifth entry was digital only on WiiU, etc. The games must be super inexpensive to make or the series creator Makoto Shibata has some real blackmail material somewhere. Speaking of how weird this franchise is, Makoto Shibata has stayed the director the entire series which is highly unusual. I keep on suspecting/worrying this series is going to die at some point, but it just keeps on going. Not that I'm complaining. I'm a bit worried about fatigue of the creators though and some... Questionable things. I know for Fatal Frame V they were thinking of going in some RADICALLY different directions, like one concept was for a sci-fi horror game with a different weapon type than a camera or something, and the series has had what I'll call "Fan Service Creep", it's notable that each entry in the franchise about has had more fanservice than the last. The format of the series also notablly changed between Fatal Frame 1/2 and then onward. Fatal Frame 3 is my favorite entry in the franchise and I quite liked FFIV, so I'm not specifically complaining, but the series started really changing how they work at that point. Fatal Frame 1 is like a 5-8 hour game with some back-tracking, and Fatal Frame 2 stands out as the game with the least back-tracking and most varied locations. Starting with FF3 onward there became a stronger focus on this sort of extended chapter system. Fatal Frame 1 sort of had this with the "Nights" in the game, but they started going for longer games where you kind of stay in the same area for an extended period of time with changes over the course of the game. Fatal Frame 3 onward are all pretty long games for the horror genre (15+ hours each essentially), but with some definite padding out. Despite me mentioning them going in radical different directions as a sort of negative earlier, I do think it might be a good idea for them to sit down and think how to move the franchise forward. There's a sort of pro/con that the franchise is maybe the only still on-going horror franchise that is still is incredibly old-school in a lot of its design, but not all in the ways I think people enjoy. Things have changed some over the franchise's legacy, like the camera went from more 'dynamic fixed' to behind-the-sulder for instance, but playing Fatal Frame V it's almost more surprising how much the series has stayed the same (only a bit less surprising than it's still going with those sales numbers and such). I definitely hope FFV wasn't the last entry, frankly I want more and would love a Switch entry, and I hope America brings it over here too due to how much Nintendo of America seems to want to let this franchise die or thinks we have no interest in it. I do have major questions and concerns about the franchise and it going forward, and frankly when I sit down and think I don't strictly know what direction I think they'll even go with if they are working on it. But I'm definitely interested, and think the series STILL has a lot of untapped potential in just a lot of its core concepts.
Yeah she was the one thing in FF5 that legit scared me. The times she popped up I got instant goosebumps.
That's a bit obvious when they only appear on Nintendo consoles. I bet there's a ton of pent-up demand for FF on PS4 and Xbox.
Ah. It seemed like the publisher was super reluctant in localizing it in the West. But, if they make another one, I'd be up for it day 1. Would be neat to see what they would do with HD rumble.
I’ve only played 5 and I enjoyed it for what it was. Wasn’t that scary (except for tall lady, fuck her...) but it’s one of the few Wii U games that justified the gamepads existence.
It's not really a problem that it's stuck on one platform. I mean FF3 is only on the PS2. FF5 made good use of the WiiU as well. While it would be nice to see a FF on a stronger system, it isn't necessary. The problem is NoA. Fine I guess there was an issue with 4. Maybe there was a technical issue or maybe the timing to have a team port it was bad. It was fan translated so I don't know what the issue was. But Project Zero 2 got a European release, so there was no excuse. Then a lack of retail release for FF5 was also shitty. I'm sorry, to me the Wii U was not really a system fit for digital exclusives of that size. Most of my storage was taken up by Xenoblade 2's installation stuff and I wasn't really interested in buying a HDD for the WiiU.
FF1 & FF2 were both good. I still remember the Blinded ghost encounter in the first game, it was dreadful. It didn't help that the mask room was so creepy. FF5 was surprisingly long and enjoyable though.
Fatal Frame is my favorite horror franchise, I would really love another one. And I disagree it peaked on 2, the third and fourth entries are also amazing games, maybe just as good.
I dearly loved the first two games. 3 lost the plot a bit, I finished it but wasn't as enthused. Never had a shot at IV. Maiden of Blackwater was just a drag to play, it just felt repetitive and drawn out. It probably would have benefited from being a shorter game with more going on. I just couldn't get into it after a while. It really needs an RE7-style rethink from the ground up.
The Wii U game looked nice but it didn’t play very well. Wonder if they can use those assets for a sequel. I think they’re still making a movie, right?
I honestly believe that Fatal Frame 2 sold really well due to The Ring and Grudge craze at the time, and I don't know how they managed to make three more games after the flop that was 4.
Echoing a bit here, while I love Fatal Frame 2 I think the series didn't "go downhill" there. Fatal Frame 3 is my personal favorite entry in the franchise, I think while it's got some padding it managed to work with some great "Home slowly becoming haunted" horror with its sort of hubworld, the three different characters and their unique gameplay hooks were fun, the remixed versions of FF1 and FF2 locations in FF3 were fun and had a fun story explanation, and I think Fatal Frame 3 has both the best story in the franchise and manages to be the scariest entry by a pretty large margin. Fatal Frame 4 has some issues, but it has some great art direction, the story is pretty unique (probably helped it was partially written and partially conceived by Suda51) and played with some interesting and different ideas for the franchise. I think FF4 could've been better if they padded it out less, but it really has some amazing scenes sprinkled throughout. I think a lot of people haven't played FF3 though, which is a shame. I see so many people mention FF1/FF2 were incredible, and then jump to FF5 or something. One day FF3 will be appreciated, one day...
First two games on PS2/Xbox are incredible. Worthy of the praise they get in the horror genre. I did not like the Wii games though. For me, the shoulder camera seems to take something away from the feel of the games. I really didn't appreciate it at all. I found the remake of 2 inferior in every way to the original.
I'm sorry. Is that a real screenshot of the game? I though it looked odd and out of place like it's photo-shopped in.
Actually yes, considering the amount of software they have ported, or are porting to the Switch atm (for Japan mostly).
After the way Nintendo of America bungled the distribution of Maiden of Black Water, I'm fine with the series resting for awhile. Fatal Frame deserves better. Assuming it got a competent release here, I'd love to see a new entry and I think the Switch has a lot to offer for an engaging experience.
Where do I sign this? While FF2 is definitely the most praised entry, FF3 is where the series truly peaked. The scariest game of the series by far and the unnerving atmosphere built around your apartment throughout the game is nothing short of masterful and comparable with movie classics from the J-horror genre. It also tells the best story and includes possibly the greatest jumpscare I have ever experienced in a videogame, one that really made me jump in my seat, which never happens to me otherwise. On topic – I think we'll definitely see more Fatal Frame down the road, maybe even a Nintendo exclusive again now with Switch selling gangbusters. The franchise was never a huge hit, but every game seems to be made on a low to moderate budget, which could bring us another sequel or a reboot.
I hope the next step is “Fatal Frame GO”. Someone did a fake ad for it and it’s been on my wishlist ever since.
i intended to play that one on wii u, but the wii u got banished to my closet before i got around to it.
The first two were crazy scary. The rest, since then...not so much (or at least not AS much). That said, if it can regain its original suspense and visual style, i would be onboard day one. Next to silent hill, nothing else really compares.
There’s also that fatal frame spirit camera spin off on 3DS. While the game itself sucked, I literally jumped at some points.
Honestly fucking up the Wii U one was their worst mistake. The Wii U's game pad was perfect to experiment more with the gameplay. Honestly I wish we could get a VR Fatal Frame game.
i wonder what was the reason for nintendo to invest in the series to the degree they did. seems like a very random and unexpected move from them. i'll take a port of 4, and a new game, hopefully a good one.
It would be nice if we got 4 remade on Switch. I never got around to importing it, and it's the only one I haven't played. It is photoshopped. What the ghost is I don't know either.
As others said, Nintendo owns Spirit Camera, but only co-owns the games that were exclusive on their platforms (4/5). Koei-Tecmo still owns the whole Fatal Frame/Project Zero, last news were about Team Ninja being responsible of it (they helped on 5), and creators thinking a new platform might be the right time to make another game (implying probably either Switch or VR). There's a nice community thread to talk about this franchise btw! :) Probably as much demand as a new Siren, aka not much at all. Japanese old school horror games sadly never sold much. It's a meme (that has been ran into the ground) photoshopped in yeah.
I've only played 1 and 2, but I really loved them. I need to track down a copy of 3 and play it on PCSX2. Same with 4 but with Dolphin. 5, I have the limited physical release unopened.
