There are no zombies, dinosaurs or giants, as a matter of fact there's not much of anything for most of Fatal Frame, except you and a big, empty mansion. The terror in this game isn't in your face, it's behind you for a split second, then it's beside you, then it's gone: lots of big open space, no corners to hide in to feel protected and safe. Most survival horror titles have an abundance of enemies, the fear caused by the feeling of being overwhelmed, Fatal Frame kinda sneaks up and grabs you from the dark, and when you spin around, it's gone. The fear comes from a lack of control of the situation; the ghosts fade in and out, and can appear or disappear in the time it takes to focus on them. The strength of Fatal Frame was its story, and the game structure, and the slowly emerging relationship between them. The protagonist (and player) experienced a strange, distorted world -- and then an even more distorted and horrific world -- and then both worlds collided, mixed, and finally fragmented into complete psychosis. Really, that's what I remember the game being like. The descent into madness, pardon my cliche; they did it right. And, one step behind that sequence, the protagonist learned things. Not everything was explained; but you could guess (eventually) why there were two worlds, what that meant, and why they fell apart. Why, in fact, your first guesses were wrong, and that the madness had been there all along. When my friend and I play, in front of my xbox, in the dark; there was barely a rare ten minutes when you could not hear us say, "Holy crap." Or "This is insane." Or "This is freakin' nuts." Or "Aaaaa." We said "Aaaaa" to each other a lot, as I recall. The designers understand pacing. And timing. (Timing is a single unanticipated thump; pacing is a long walk in the dark, during which nothing happens at all. Both are necessary.) The sound design is terrific. The design of the ghost, their movement, is terrific. Horrific. Aweful. The layout of the buildings is given a great deal of thought. They're realistic, but blocked and locked doors guide the path of exploration, and therefore the path of the storyline. A bit of backtracking, but not much. From the very moment you fire up the game it oozes class (to borrow a phrase from Fagin a fellow dooyooee, as it's so appropriate). The opening FMV sets the tone perfectly for the game, sweeping through haunting images, enticing and confusing. The quality of this is maintained throughout the various cut-scenes within the game which slowly draws you into the plot. While the gameplay is clearly derivative of Resident Evil, the detail and subtlety of the puzzles are far superior to any of Capcom's challenges and will only be mastered by the most patient and persevering gamer.
This major free update, which has already been successfully launched on Steam, brings a new layer of depth, strategy, and innovative gameplay mechanics to the immersive world of Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles.
Thrustmaster’s best-seller is back with a new look featuring the official license of Microsoft Flight Simulator. This complete, precise and easy-to-use hands- on throttle and stick (HOTAS) is the ideal companion for Microsoft Flight Sim 2024
Players worldwide can now take control of the all-new Hero Skylar for ultimate aerial assault gameplay.
Embark on an epic journey to the Far Far Kingdom and challenge Koschei the Deathless to save your immortal soul and become a true hero in Bylina, an action RPG rooted in Slavic folklore and myths.
Amazon Games released a new trailer on what players can expect when they first experience New World: Aeternum, including background on the history of the game.
Today, Amazon Games released a brand new trailer for New World: Aeternum in celebration of the title’s upcoming release.
Prune your feathers and polish your weapons as you prepare to go where no fowl has gone before: “point-and-cluck” detective game Chicken Police: Into the HIVE! is coming to Steam on November 7th! Console edition to follow afterwards!
