Fatal Frame 2: The Crimson Butterfly Preview (PS2)

Fatal Frame is one of those games that is highly respected by its fans but unknown to thousands of gamers who never bothered with it; and it's a shame because if you consider yourself one of them, you missed out on one of the best and most disturbing survival horror games ever made. Well Tecmo's back again with its PS2 exclusive sequel, Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly, and I strongly suggest you take a break from the holiday's blockbusters to check out what should be yet another Tecmo classic.

If you've never played the first game (and why haven't you?) you don't need to know anything about the story to play the sequel that actually predates the first. Twin sisters, Mio and Mayu take a trip to a village they used to visit as children. While there they chase a mysterious crimson butterfly through a forest and into an abandoned village that played host to a horrible ritual that involved twin girls. As the younger twin Mio, you'll explore the village with a strange camera that can be used to destroy the horrors that populate the village, evil spirits that are hell bent on possessing Mio's psychic sister and forcing her to reenact the ritual in which the older sister murders the other.

The game's graphics look significantly improved (though the first game was gorgeous) and features a lot more detail on the characters and their semi-transparent attackers. The ghosts are even creepier than those in the original and will likely keep me from sleeping on those cold winter nights. What I also love about Fatal Frame 2 and the series in general are the locations. We're used to playing these types of games in more modern, albeit creepy settings such as bio labs and cities. The Fatal Frames take place in Japan, so it's a fun trip walking through Japanese mansions and villages.

In addition to better graphics Fatal Frame 2 will include more chapters to play through than the original and will showcase more dynamic sound. More importantly, the camera's origins will be revealed! Tecmo has proved they are one of the best companies at effectively tapping into hardware and Fatal Frame 2 should be a perfect example of their genius. My only criticism is the PS2 exclusivity. It would've been nice to see the game come to the Xbox since the first one debuted last year on Microsoft's console, though with more and more exclusives going multi-console, we may see an improved Fatal Frame 2 on another system. For now, all PS2 owners should check out the game. Lock your doors, kill the lights and play it alone. Go buy the first one too!