Fatal Frame for the Playstation 2 - Part 1
Originally Posted: May 23, 2006 @ 03:14am PST
Title: Fatal Frame
System: Playstation 2
Published: March 4, 2002
I have played several horror-themed video games over the years. I’ve faced the zombies of Resident Evil
The first game came out with the tagline ‘Based on a True Story.’ While it’s true that the events in the main part of the game didn’t actually happen (girl goes into haunted house and fights ghosts while searching for her brother), some of the ghost scenes are based on actual Japanese folklore. The story most tied-in to reality is that of the mansion itself. There’s an old mansion said to be cursed that is in an area outside of Tokyo. Seven people died in a grisly way in that house. Bloody handprints have been found on the walls, spirits appear on the premises during both day and night, plus a window is said to have a young girl in it when you take a picture of it. There’s said to be a sealed talisman locked away in the attic, but those who’ve tried to find the talisman end up dead, their bodies broken and rope marks around their wrists.
To this day, the people of Tokyo fear the incidents of the mansion and believe those who live near it will become cursed. The other legend deals with a tree that weeps like a woman. People have seen a spirit of a woman there and many traffic accidents have occurred there, as well. The story goes that two young lovers would meet near the tree every night, for their social status wouldn’t allow them to be together. The young woman was so hurt by their situation that she hung herself from the tree which has wept in sorrow ever since. Finally, a brave young man thought that he could rid the area of the ghost and its past, so he chopped down the tree, distributing it as firewood to the nearby residents of the area. However, those who burned the firewood soon died under mysterious circumstances and the young man who chopped down the tree disappeared completely. This legend lives on as the ghost of Yae, who hung herself when she thought the spirits of the Himuro Mansion had abducted her daughter.
My love for the game started the moment I first read about it in a game magazine. It talked about a new game coming out that took place in an old Japanese mansion and that the combat style was based off of the old legend that a camera could steal a person’s soul. I was intrigued by this premise. I’ve always been drawn to games with unusual playing styles… Space Channel 5
So, this article succeeded by lighting a spark in me. Fast forward a few months, and the game has come out. I immediately rent it as soon as I can and I’m just blown away. The game is fun and unnerving all at the same time. I learned quickly that health items came few and far between as I kept getting attacked by the mansion’s unliving residents. I also learned that the old Resident Evil strategy of running from enemies by leaving a room doesn’t work when the enemy can just float through a wall…..
More to come in Part 2, folks! (you can find Part 2 by clicking: THIS LINK)
-- by Red Hawk of http://www.happyhorror.com
Tags: 11th hour, 7th guest, fatal frame, horror, pc games, ps2, resident evil, silent hill, siren, space channel 5, video games
