Project Zero II: Crimson Butterfly review:
For years Xbox owners have waited for a true horror game to come along. Sure, they got the Silent Hill games, but there was something in those games that just lacked the total horror that true horror fans require to be scared. Along came Project Zero. Based on a true story, the game was bound to be a success if people took it seriously. Upon receiving a mixed reaction from the critics, Tecmo decided to create Project Zero II: Crimson Butterfly – a prequel sequel to the original game, explaining how things came to be thirty years earlier. As you follow the young twin girls through the haunted village, you’ll discover the true meaning of fear, as Crimson Butterfly truly flourishes on the Xbox.Some of you may know this game as Fatal Frame, but over in the PAL territories we like to call it Project Zero. The sequel is named Crimson Butterfly because Mayu wonders off to investigate a very pretty butterfly. Mio of course follows Mayu as she doesn’t want to be left alone in the forest, and the Crimson Butterfly leads them to what’s left of a mysterious lost village no longer inhabited by anything human. For Project Zero fans, you’ll be pleased to know that in this game the proper origins of the Camera Obscura will be explained. For those new to the series, you may be surprised to know that there are no weapons to take out those scary ghosts apart from the camera. Upon taking pictures with the camera, the ghosts will disappear and you will score points. Sounds simple enough, if you have the nerve to boldly go into the next room.Moving around the game is quite similar to a game like Shenmue II. You can’t bolt around the game, and the camera definitely won’t let you see around every corner. This allows the developers to create a larger sense of fear however, as you’ll go around a corner, the camera will follow, then there’ll be a loud haunting noise and you’ll see a ghost wander through a wall. It really is quite a scary sight if you have all the lights out, and we recommend that you don’t go playing this game all by yourself!Tecmo really build around the twin girls, making you feel for them. In any other situation if you saw two pre-teen girls in a lost village all alone, you’d tell them to get the hell out of there as quickly as possible, but in Crimson Butterfly they show that they’re willing to search the whole place, which makes you, the gamer, feel like you have to show that you’re more gutsy than the pre-teen girls and therefore take control of them throughout the game. Tecmo are a bit strange with this game though, as you can unlock different costumes. For some reason one of the costumes is a bikini. Let’s just stop right there.Project Zero II: Crimson Butterfly is quite possibly the scariest game on the market today. It’s designed in a way that will keep you confused and disorientated throughout the whole game, as you’ll never be quite sure where the ghosts are. You take control of Mio, but Mayu seems to be the one that causes the most grief. Sometimes she’ll just stop and go in to a state of shock, other times she’ll be behind you and you’ll feel something on your shoulder, but then when you turn around she won’t be there anymore. If you’ve ever been on the Port Arthur Ghost Tour, this game is 100 times scarier than that.What makes it a game worth playing though? You have to discover what happened to all the people in the lost village. Did they all just disappear, or did something truly supernatural happen here? Why are there so many ghosts wandering around? Are they the people, or are they the reason why the people disappeared? Why do most of the ghosts look like they were violently killed with lashes, cuts, and threads around their necks? Project Zero II: Crimson Butterfly isn’t for the weak hearted, that’s for sure… but if you’re looking for an excellent scare, pick it up right now.GraphicsWith a better console comes a better graphics engine, and the directors cut exploits this perfectly. Project Zero has never looked as good as it does on the Xbox, and PS2 fan-boys should be weeping. The ghosts actually look like you would picture ghosts in real life if you were to be scared by them, unlike the cuddly Casper. The fact that the twin girls look fairly realistic along with the gorgeous yet scary environment means that you will sometimes actually believe that it is happening like in a movie, which can really send shivers down the spine and spread goose bumps all over your body.SoundTecmo have worked very hard to assure that the sound in Project Zero II: Directors Cut is bone chilling. The music throughout the game is very eerie, and will more often than not get just a little too quiet for comfort. Ghosts make desperate cries of pain as you struggle to snap them up with your Camera Obscura, and you’ll hear all sorts of voices all around you, especially if you have a surround sound system set up, as it supports Dolby Digital.OverallIf you’re in for a definite scare, pick up Project Zero II: Crimson Butterfly. Mio and Mayu hug each other quite a lot creating the perfect sense of fear as there’s nothing scarier than watching two young girls being frightened out of their skins by ghosts. The environment and the sheer excellent way that Tecmo have created the ghosts makes Crimson Butterfly one of, if not, the best horror game of this generation.Thumbs Up A very, very scary game. Great environment, with character models to die for, literally. Very interesting storyline.Thumbs Down It can sometimes get so scary that it becomes frustrating. Possibly a bit too awkward and slow for the average gamer. full size >>
Project Zero II: Crimson Butterfly review:
If you're in the business of making horror games, there are two fundamental ways of scaring your audience that you can use. You can go down the tried and tested route of simply throwing unexpected, gory enemies at the player in a shock-scare manner, which is what we'd have called the "Resident Evil approach" until our encounter with the altogether more intelligent Resident Evil 4 last weekend.
Project Zero II: Crimson Butterfly review: