Project Zero Review

By captain falcon8

"What the …??!! Hmm better hire it first"

In 2002 Tecmo released Project Zero (aka Fatal Frame) that was based on a Japanese urban legend that also spawned the movie "Ring". Released on Xbox in 2003 and now followed up by a sequel, the game must go down as one of the most under-hyped gems in recent history. You play as Miku, searching for your brother who disappeared in a ghost-ridden mansion with a dark history.

"What the f___? That’s it, I’m buying this game"

Gameplay
Tecmo’s Ninja Gaiden was fast and furious ... this is not. Miku is slow, and your weapon is an upgradeable camera. The basic view is from static shots, like from earlier Resident Evil games, its spooky ... However in camera mode ... you see through the eyes of your Miku. To take down ghosts you must take photos of them. The photographs you collect provide you with points which can be used to upgrade your cameras range, max power, reticule size, or with advanced functions like slow, see and stun.

Once you get over the slow nature of the action, you go about solving puzzles and working your way through the mansion searching for your brother. There is a lot of emphasis on the story and the horrific rituals that took place at the mansion ... I am assured that the rituals are based on fact and were actually done in ancient japan. There is also a lot of backtracking involved, but the story leads you on perfectly. The story is so good that it is being made into a movie (http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_2119.html)

"did you see that, did you f___ing see that?" *game goes in cupboard for two weeks*

Graphics:
Graphics are very important in Project Zero in order to create fear. Dark textures and transparent ghosts look a little average nowadays, but it certainly is by no means unplayable. The pre-rendered environments look beautifully decayed under Miku’s torchlight. The ghosts movement is alright. Being ghosts, they tend to fly rather than walk and as such they have minimal movement. When you check your photos after a ghost battle you will see very little changes in the ghosts between images. It’s a lot better in the sequel though - the ghosts are superbly animated.
The cutscenes are also well done. The quality is up there with Ninja Gaiden and really help with creating the mood. The above *game goes in cupboard for two weeks* statement came after a cutscene that showed a particularly gruesome ritual

"I hear something" *quickly spins and goes back out the door* ...

SOUND:
The sound in the game is awesome ... the shrieks, ritualistic chanting, creaking floorboards and periods of absolute silence are terrifying. Very little background music is played, it would just get in the way of the ghost voices ... I will never forget "My eyes, my eeyyyyeesss"

"Fatal mode is what??? dear god nooooooooo"

Lasting
The main story will take 10-15 hours for the average player. You also have a photo album where you can save your most frightening images and show them off later. The game has heaps of unlockables and side quests, a massive checklists of ghosts, alternate costumes, an alternate ending, unlockable camera functions and a few bonus modes which are awesome. Fatal mode is one ghost gets you .... you’re dead .... but by this stage you have a pretty beefed up camera ... still hard nuts though. Overall this game has more bonus stuff than most DVDs

OVERALL:
"Dammit, more people need to play this"

This game is scary ... I have friends who swore by System Shock and Alone in the Dark as being the scariest. They now admit they were wrong. I've been a Silent Hill fan since the beginning. It has very little on Project Zero. If you are looking for a story ridden, clever game, give it a rent. You can pick it up of trademe for under $30 nowadays, and $60 brand new. However if you like action and big blazing guns, give it a pass.