Let's face facts; nowadays it's getting more and more difficult to make a game that stands out to the masses. A market filled with drab sequels and questionable movie based franchises have left most gamers I know with a sour taste in their mouths as they wade through a sea of let downs. The same can apply to the survival horror market as we constantly seem to be bombarded with more Resident Evil sequels and side stories. Don't get me wrong, Resident Evil is a great series. But sometimes you just want to see something different to spice up the whole genre. The first Fatal Frame was one of those games that stood out from the normal swing of zombie blasting goodness by using the art of photography to lay waste to the spirits of evil. Sure this seems comical to some but it did put an interesting twist on things once you decided to put the shotgun down. As 2003 comes to a close, Tecmo has graced us with a follow up to that original idea by delivering Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly.

As the game unfolds, you join twin sisters Mio and Mayu Amakura as they take in the sights of a lush forest and reminisce about the old days. Told through a series of flashbacks, we learn of a childhood incident which left Mayu with a permanent limp in her step. As Mio attempts to apologize for causing her injury, Mayu limps off into the forest unexpectedly as she chases a strange red butterfly. Mio predictably gives chase as they are both suddenly thrust into darkness. Once she catches up with her sister, Mio and Mayu are left staring at an old village which was reported to have mysteriously vanished years ago during a festival. Upon discovering that they have lost their way back, the sisters are reluctantly forced to enter the mysterious village shrouded in darkness in an attempt to find their way to safety.

Upon entering the village the girls find the place deserted and in ruin. As they debate whether to proceed any further, Mayu is racked by psychic-like images depicting visions of sheer terror and the kind of stuff that would make your blood run cold. Shown through a series of flashback utilizing shocking imagery and classic film ( grainy and distorted like one of those old movie projectors you had in elementary school), players are left in an utter "what the hell was that" mode. Not only will scenes such as these strike you're curiosity and not to mention your appreciation for the film work, it will also scare the hell out of you. It's like watching The Ring all over again. As you recover, the twins now proceed deeper and deeper into the village in search of aid.

I'd like to point out that even though you are essentially making your way through the entire village, you'll mostly be restricted to thoroughly exploring one building at a time. Making your way through each building will involve the usual search for clues and items with the occasional puzzle thrown in to break up the monotony. Of course not to mention you'll be fighting back the evil spirits and ghosts that seem to jump out at you when you least expect it. Didn't think Tecmo would leave those out did you?

Take cues from the previous game, the girls come upon the mysterious Camera Obscura early into the adventure. Once again you'll be using the Camera to snap pictures of those restless spirits and exercise their souls. Not to mention saving your tail in the process. Now the Camera also has its uses besides destroying spirits. It also serves to reveal clues, unseal doors sealed by spirit power, and catch those hidden ghosts you may not see off hand. Of course, as with any camera it will require film. Thankfully, unlike the previous Fatal Frame, you have an inexhaustible supply of standard film to use. This allows you to save any higher grade and more powerful film you'll find later for those moments when they are truly needed. To operate the camera, all players will have to do is hit the circle button to enter the first person or viewfinder mode. The center of the viewfinder contains a capture circle which is used to gauge damage and reveal clues by turning different colors. Case in point, when you're battling ghosts, the capture screen will change color from orange to red to indicate the level of damage that can be dealt. Now even though it all depends on your skill, those split second moments when you get that circle red are the moments in which you want to strike or take picture by pressing X or R1. That instant, known as a shutter chance according to the manual, deals out some serious damage to any attacking spirit and also pushes them back. There are also key moments within the shutter chance known as the "Fatal Frame" which will allow you to chain photos to deal out combos for lack of a better word. Now this sounds easy to some, but these shutter chances take some pretty fast timing. They also require the spirit to be almost right in your face to work. Mess up and Mio will be joining the spirit world as yet another restless specter.

Taking photos of spirits not only saves your life, it also adds to the power of your camera. Each photo is scored on a number of different ratings. Which are then rewarded with a monetary like value which allows you to upgrade your camera with better lenses, and powers like spirit tracking. Also, each photo is then stored for later sorting in a photo album. This is a great way for keeping those great shots and showing off to your friends. The only drawback I found with the photo album was the various steps needed to sort and save your pictures. Once you get a look at the album screen you'll know what I'm talking about. I'm not too big on making photo albums, so the added work needed here can be a little frustrating at times.

These so called photo shoots with ghosts make this game very entertaining in my opinion. Not to mention adding to the whole shock factor as some of the creepiest ghosts you'll ever seen are reaching for you. If you're like me, you'll play this game late at night with all the lights turned off to give you that extra chill in your spine. Great entertainment if you ask me. The only problem I saw was that after a while it becomes easier to predict each ghost's movements. After playing for a bit, the skill value dipped a notch since each spirit seems to lack the ability to switch up their attack patterns. Combine that with upgrades you begin earning throughout the game, it definitely starts making things a little too easy at times. Fortunately, the games excellent storyline fills in the game's value.

I don't want to give the whole thing away so I won't go into too much detail. You'll have to see for yourself. However what I can tell you is that playing through the game for the first time will give you the standard ending. Upon which you'll unlock two new difficulties, Hard and Nightmare Mode. I've been told that conquering these modes will result in a more dramatic ending. This I can't wait to see. As an added bonus you'll be able to bring along your upgraded camera. So it's not like you're starting from scratch all over again. This definitely increases the replay value. I only hope that battles with spirits will only increase in difficulty to keep players enthralled.

Overall Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly is a great way to end the year. It's a much needed shot in the arm for survival horror fans and newbies to the genre. Graphically the game is beautiful. Characters are animated smoothly with uncanny lifelike emotion. Not to mention that extra attention has been given to ghosts in terms of clothing facial expressions and overall creepiness. I have to admit that there were a few moments that even scared the hell out of me. Seeing as I'm usually the guy laughing at all the scary parts of a movie, I found this very surprising. But that makes the game all the more entertaining, which most will agree. Coupled with some very nicely done sound work gives Fatal Frame that added appeal in my opinion. When you start hearing some of the other worldly voices, laughs, and screams you'll definitely appreciate the added work Tecmo put into this one. Though a few minor points such as difficulty and the occasional instance when Mayu becomes the limping human path blocker do hinder the game, I don't think they'll do anything to damper the experience. This is a great title to add to your game library and is an experience I'd hate for you to miss.