• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Project Zero/Fatal Frame 2: Wii Edition |OT|

ASIS

Member
I wouldn't call it a key mechanic since you could go through FF4 without it and be just fine. Honestly, I don't mind not using pointer controls for the flashlight since you don't really point a flashlight in real life and how awful they were in Shattered Memories when shaking enemies off.

Sold out on amazon.de? I really hope I don't miss out on getting a copy.

WM+ seems like the perfect fit for this game. No need for pointer controls but what they did isn't the right way either.
 

thomaser

Member
Question for Scandinavians: have you seen this in stores? I tried ordering it for my store, but it wasn't in Bergsala's system. Very strange.
 

ASIS

Member
I don't see what WM+ would improve here.

Improving torch controls without the use of the pointer which, in effect, means turning would be up to the Wiimote and the right/left on the nunhcuck would be for strafing only. Plus I'm hearing some complaints about gyro sensors. I'm pretty sure It would have been better with WM+
 

Dascu

Member
Two questions:
- How should I distribute my spirit points to upgrade the Camera Obscura? What should I focus on, should I keep points for something special, do I get different versions of the camera and should I wait to upgrade, etc.
- (Actually not a question) Fuck the spirit hand. I don't remember the one in FF4 being so annoying.
 

Jucksalbe

Banned
Two questions:
- How should I distribute my spirit points to upgrade the Camera Obscura? What should I focus on, should I keep points for something special, do I get different versions of the camera and should I wait to upgrade, etc.

Don't know what's best, I don't think you can really go wrong. I ignored the upgrade for the spirit points so far, at least it seems the least important to me, used the others by what needed the least points. No reason to wait with an upgrade, there aren't any different cameras.

- (Actually not a question) Fuck the spirit hand. I don't remember the one in FF4 being so annoying.
I lost a lot more health because of that freaking hand than because of the ghosts. I think I never managed to evade it so far.
 

jimi_dini

Member
the japanes VO would've requiered a dual layer disc.

And that would have been a problem because Wii can't read dual layered discs? Oh wait, there is Metroid Prime trilogy + Super Smash Bros Brawl. Both dual layered.

Also if it's really just 4.0GBs, there were 700MBs left on single layer. PS2 version of Fatal Frame 2 (PAL) took 3.4GB. The US PS2 version that had no japanese audio track was 3.0GB. So japanese audio was a tiny 400MB at most. Or maybe PS2 PAL didn't include English audio, I'm not sure. Still laughable. Fatal Frame is a niche game, so it totally makes no sense to remove the original audio, especially because the game takes place in Japan.

The whole audio of Maniac Mansion 2 takes a tiny 75MB compressed as MP3. There really is no excuse.
 

Sadist

Member
Ghosthand freaks me out. Cheap scare, but it works.

Game is awesome though. I don't know what it is with Japanese horror, but it creeps me out everytime.

Question for Scandinavians: have you seen this in stores? I tried ordering it for my store, but it wasn't in Bergsala's system. Very strange.
As in Sweden? There was a rumour posted on Go Nintendo that Project Zero II and Spirit Camera got banned. Same reason as Dead or Alive Dimensions.
 

Aostia

El Capitan Todd
Ghosthand freaks me out. Cheap scare, but it works.

Game is awesome though. I don't know what it is with Japanese horror, but it creeps me out everytime.

I agree! Really enjoying this game as I did with FF4.
about the comparison between the two: anybody else think that they are different in terms of visual approach?
very similar in terms of polycount and animations and so on, but FF4 was really polished visually while this episode has a "dirty" filter applied (you can easily note it lookin at the lights especially outdoor, aiming at the moon for example)
 

Lime

Member
Question for Scandinavians: have you seen this in stores? I tried ordering it for my store, but it wasn't in Bergsala's system. Very strange.

If you're in Denmark, Coolshop has it in stock, while CDON lists the game as being slated for a July 15th release.
 

Adam Prime

hates soccer, is Mexican
Picked up this game but haven't tried out the story mode yet, just messed around in the Haunted House mode, which is silly.

I'm wondering if I should just finish playing PZ4 first, or give this a shot.
 

fliesatnight

Neo Member
Just got this through the mail from Amazon. Been tinkering with running it through Dolphin with Jediyoshi's controller profile along with some geckocodes to toggle that goddamn mini-map.

For those interested, here are some of the gecko codes: http://geckocodes.org/index.php?c=SL2P01

Did you have to do anything special to get this code to work? Many of the other codes work for me but not the minimap toggle... I've tried a few different Dolphin revisions too. Which revision are you using?
 
Okay, so I've gotten Spirit Camera and Project Zero 2 yesterday.
I'll give you my first impression of PZ2 as well as a mini review of Spirit Camera as I finished it allready:

Spirit Camera

If I had to give this a numerical score I would have to give it a 3 out of 10. The game is a technical mess. The AR implementation is ambitious but completely underused, and if you don't have daylight or a very high lumen light source, you're shit out of luck to get the Booklet to work. It works like a charm in daylight though. I tried to play this in the dark with my desk lamp, but the results were very very unstable. A large reason for that was the light gloss on the paper caused by the desk lamp. The paper itself is pretty matte, and of high quality print, but still tends to reflect light under a desklamp.
The game is also criminally short. My first playthrough took me about 3 hours. The concept presented is great, but it just remains a concept and nothing more. The same also goes for the story which feels rushed and unexplored.
The best parts are the ghost hunting AR sections. Those are simply amazing, and I cannot wait for a Project Zero game on WiiU that uses the Gamepad. This feature alone has me completely hyped for the WiiU.

I absolutely cannot recommend this game to anyone though. Not at full price at last. You can unlock some Face Raiders mini game rip offs after finishing the story quest as well as play boss battles and photography minigames (like the AR Miis) but the content on the card is simply not enough to warrant the price. If it weren't for the Booklet, this game should've been a 6€ e-shop release.

If you can get it for 10€ used somewhere, give it a try, as the concepts presented are very cool, but be aware that this is more like a retail proof of concept, rather than a full fledged game.


Project Zero 2

I am usually someone who absolutely enjoys horror games, movies and stories. I'm not easily scared and I simply love horror stories with some depth to them. The last game to genuinely frighten me was Silent Hill on the PS1. SH2 i thought was a beautifull dark story, but not much in the way of scary to me.
Now with these expectations and the fact that it's melting hot here in Vienna right now I fired up Project Zero 2 yesterday during a rainstorm that didn't do much to cool the air, but at least drowned out the street noises from outside.
Mind you, my Girlfriend was with me in the room, and so I set out to play it.
First of all, the controls are clunky. They are fully operational, and the game allways remains playable, but the decision to use the gyro to aim the flashlight slightly up and slightly down is puzzling. I guess the game was designed to have enemy encounters on the same plane so you only have to looks slightly down or up anyway, but it feels weird.
Otherwise the controls are responsive.
Animation is a bit stiff, but I actually don't mind it as it isn't cheap, but rather unsettling.
And that's so far my verdict on this game: It's highly unsettling. Again, I'm usually one who enjoys these games without getting scared. But this game manages to instill you with claustrophobia, anxiety and outright panic, by posing limitations and dangers on pretty much the most basic actions. Picking up an Item? Well hold the A button until your hand reaches it, or let go of the A button if you're scared enough.
Just the fact that even such an essential action like picking up an item is a potentially dangerous affair really shatters your conventional thinking of how horror games work.
Another aspect is that the gameplay in itself isn't violent. You are fighting ghosts, but the violence that led to these ghosts becoming vengefull spirits is a completely different matter. It's very well presented and genuinely intriguing to get to know more about the games story.

I was genuinely scared at times, even with my girlfriend right next to me (hiding behind the blanket when ghosts would appear). Those stupid ghost hands.

Yes the game is clunky, yes the game could use some better hardware, but holy shit it just might be the best console horror game of this gen. It's masterfully crafted and if you can stomach the controls (again fully playable, just clunky) this is a must have for horror fans, not just Wii owners.
 

Aostia

El Capitan Todd
I agree on both Spirit Camera and PZ2 general feedbacks. Spirit camera is just useful to show how great a PZ on WiiU will/would be. PZ2 instead is a great horror game.
 

Shiggy

Member
Question for Scandinavians: have you seen this in stores? I tried ordering it for my store, but it wasn't in Bergsala's system. Very strange.

If you're in Denmark, Coolshop has it in stock, while CDON lists the game as being slated for a July 15th release.

Based on the Skandinavian Bergsala websites, the game wasn't officially released in your countries. Perhaps Coolshop received some UK copies?
 

eXistor

Member
Cool game, but man the controls could have been...better. It's very wooden and awkward sometimes, managable, but awkward. Still, the game itself is a nice reminder of how good the genre can be.
 
Based on the Skandinavian Bergsala websites, the game wasn't officially released in your countries. Perhaps Coolshop received some UK copies?

I talked to Bergsala yesterday, and they are not doing distribution of it, and couldn't provide a publisher. So yeah, not coming to the nordics right now (and yes, Coolshop does parralell importing, something that is pissing off both retail and publishers here)
 

Sadist

Member
I don't have a lot of trouble with the ghosthands. I think there were only two who grabbed me succesfully; there were a few occasions where I shook off/slapped away ghosthands without taking any damage.

And entering chapter 4, but sheesh chapter 3 was uncanny.

First you enter a room full of bodies, a creepy laughing maiden soaked in blood stains and a very scary super ghost. I died because I used the camera Obscura, but it didn't have any effect. But afterwards, you open up the room with all the bloody handprints on them and you get stuck in a small room with two ghosts: talking about a tense claustrofobic experience.
 

Lime

Member
Did you have to do anything special to get this code to work? Many of the other codes work for me but not the minimap toggle... I've tried a few different Dolphin revisions too. Which revision are you using?

I contacted wiiztec, the person making the codes, and he said it is an issue with Dolphin. The memory address from a Wii controller input might be different when emulating through Dolphin.
 

Shiggy

Member
I talked to Bergsala yesterday, and they are not doing distribution of it, and couldn't provide a publisher. So yeah, not coming to the nordics right now (and yes, Coolshop does parralell importing, something that is pissing off both retail and publishers here)

There's nothing they can do about it, even though it's probably not great for Bergsala who always put on an extra margin. That's certainly a benefit for customers.
 

danmaku

Member
As I already own the PS2 version, is this worth purchasing or not? the camera controls sounds fucking awful, how about the additional content?
 

Dascu

Member
As I already own the PS2 version, is this worth purchasing or not? the camera controls sounds fucking awful, how about the additional content?

Hard to say. The graphics and character models got a boost, camera and controls are changed. Some minor adjustments to the gameplay in the Camera Obscura and ghost patterns. It's the "definitive version" as it has the most content and looks the prettiest, but the controls are clumsier. I'd say it's worth picking up, even if you've played the original, but perhaps not at full price.


Edit: Oh. An entire house devoted to creepy dolls and ghost children. Isn't that nice.
 

Zornica

Banned
somehow the combat feels inconsistent when compared to the 4th game. sometimes I can't lock on to enemies, sometimes I lose focus, most of the time I don't get a clear signal when to start a chain attack... and everytime it happens I am not even sure if I did something wrong, or if this was intentional.

combat in zero4 felt more focused and when something happened, I knew why it happened, even if it was in japanese and I couldn't read a damn thing.
maybe my strong memories of that game are what confuses me in zero2?

Is it best to focus? or aim manually? Does the small red light always indicate an immediate attack?
 

apricot

Member
Is it best to focus? or aim manually? Does the small red light always indicate an immediate attack?

After checking out some reactions on some Fatal Frame/Project Zero forums and playing the game myself (I'm partway through chapter 3 right now), I'd say it's best to aim manually. Focusing is very awkward and it never seems to work properly. Some people suggest aiming manually until just before you're going to take a picture, then focusing to "center" camera. I've been doing it completely manually myself, though.

As for the small red light (someone correct me if I'm wrong), the pulsating/vibrating of the Wiimote should help to indicate how close the ghost is. Just because the red light is on does not mean there's a ghost right next to you just about to attack - they could still be a ways away.

Hope that helps!
 

Lime

Member
For those on Dolphin and wanting to remove the transmediate and immersion-breaking Minimap, use this Gecko code:

Code:
286CE70A 00000100
040D39B8 A89C0000
CC000000 00000000
040D39B8 38800000
E0000000 80008000

It'll remove the minimap by default, so if you want to activate the minimap again, you'll have to quit the game and toggle the Gecko cheat off (Dolphin's save states will alleviate you in this).

EDIT: Nevermind, apparently the code disables all 2D textures, meaning that all menus and grain filter are removed. It is too cumbersome to exit the game whenever you have to look at a map or the menu, so the minimap toggle is still useless in Dolphin (unless someone has the memory address for an emulated wiimote).
 

Aostia

El Capitan Todd
somehow the combat feels inconsistent when compared to the 4th game. sometimes I can't lock on to enemies, sometimes I lose focus, most of the time I don't get a clear signal when to start a chain attack... and everytime it happens I am not even sure if I did something wrong, or if this was intentional.

combat in zero4 felt more focused and when something happened, I knew why it happened, even if it was in japanese and I couldn't read a damn thing.
maybe my strong memories of that game are what confuses me in zero2?

Is it best to focus? or aim manually? Does the small red light always indicate an immediate attack?

I agree that it's, at least, different.
Me too, I prefer PZ4 combat system. This one is slightly different in terms of...rhythm, maybe?
To reply to your question, I'd say:

I focus freely at the beginning, and then I lock with Z when the ghost is approaching. The red light always means a stronger attack, but if you want to really damage the ghosts you should wait until the remote rumbles.

Anyway, I'm hating this game, is scary as hell! I hated the
boss under the bridge on the river
at the beginning of chapter 3 (or was it the end of chpater 2?)



Heh, one of the haunted houses is a level from Fatal Frame 4.

Really? :D
I'll give it a try!
 

Liethe

Member
As I already own the PS2 version, is this worth purchasing or not? the camera controls sounds fucking awful, how about the additional content?
Like Dascu says, I guess it is hard to say as your mileage may vary on how you gauge it being "worth it".

Having completed the game through once I can say that on your first cycle there is a very small amount of actually NEW stuff. Besides that you have some familiar things that have been tweaked, but not nearly always for the better.

The controls are, in my opinion, far worse than the original. The new viewpoint does add some value to seeing these environments from angles you could not previously, but even so, you always did have the camera to look through in first person, so you'll likely not be shocked by anything in these areas in this regard either.

The character models are certainly the most noticeable difference, with the item pick-up system lifted from FF4 being the second. (let it also be known that I loathe the ghost hand and do not find it scary in the least. it had the opposite effect every time it appeared.)

I come off as not enjoying this remake, which is true to a degree. I was disappointed by it. But that is not to say that it is a bad game. Using this information you'll have to make that guess yourself. I'll be sticking with the originals for now.
 

danmaku

Member
Thanks. I started a new game on the PS2 version last night and man, this game is still scary as hell. I'll stick with this version, let's see if I can complete it this time (I stopped at chapter 3 because I felt burned out after playing the game straight after PZ1).
 

Lime

Member
I'd have to say that the two immediate differences between the original and this remake seem to me to be (in terms of deficiencies in this version):

The use of camera
  • The fixed camera angles in the PS2 version allowed for some interesting and visually evocative camera shots which used their perspective to frame the sets and characters in many extraordinary ways
  • Meanwhile, the new camera perspective in this remake seems to be cumbersome and less interesting from a visual perspective. Although it is nice to have control over which parts of the levels and scenery you are viewing, the constant camera position kind of makes the experience more predictable and less refreshing. Moreover, the RE4 camera angle used in this remake is also too unoriginal and is not as compatible with the visual characteristics of the survival horror genre (imo). Additionally, the camera position is way too close to the character, making half of the field of view obstructed by the playable character. Finally, you are also never able to rotate the camera while playing, which makes the playable experience less engaging in the form of seeing different perspectives on the scenery, character, enemies, etc.

The lighting and use of brightness
  • The lighting in the original PS2 version is much darker and more nuanced. This creates a more foreboding and oppresive atmosphere for me, because its use of darkness partly outlines the levels and scenery.
  • In contrast, the lighting in the remake seems more primitive in the sense that almost all non-lit objects are actually lighted. This makes the overall picture much brighter and you are able to see the whole scene and its objects as if you are playing it in daytime. Unfortunately lowering the game's brightness does not solve this visual issue, because it is the graphics engine's lighting technology that is the cause of this kind of global illumination.
  • To give some examples:
    PS2 version (through PCSX2):
    pcsx22012-07-0316-39-pejni.png

    pcsx22012-07-0316-16-3wk15.png

    Wii remake (credit to BlackBeetleKing's Dolphin screenshots):

As you can see the screens are much brigher and objects are much more lighted than the original.
 

Liethe

Member
Thanks. I started a new game on the PS2 version last night and man, this game is still scary as hell. I'll stick with this version, let's see if I can complete it this time (I stopped at chapter 3 because I felt burned out after playing the game straight after PZ1).
good luck! it's definitely one kick ass game. having trouble deciding which one is my favorite between PZ2 and PZ3. I just wish there was some way to wipe my memory of these games just to get that first experience again.
 

big_z

Member
somehow the combat feels inconsistent when compared to the 4th game. sometimes I can't lock on to enemies, sometimes I lose focus, most of the time I don't get a clear signal when to start a chain attack... and everytime it happens I am not even sure if I did something wrong, or if this was intentional.

combat in zero4 felt more focused and when something happened, I knew why it happened, even if it was in japanese and I couldn't read a damn thing.
maybe my strong memories of that game are what confuses me in zero2?

Is it best to focus? or aim manually? Does the small red light always indicate an immediate attack?

it took me until a good way through the mansion (5ish hours in) to understand the controls. imo always lock on and once you do never touch the control stick unless you need to side step. once locked on rotating the wiimote and tilting it up and down moves the crosshair for lining up shots in the other circle. the cross hair turns red when you're good. make sure you do very small movements on the wiimote since its very sensitive. touching the control stick when lining up a shot ruins everything.

for chaining shots max out your camera power, line up the cross hair and target circle then wait for the moment another red ring circles around the power meter and snap a shot. right after you'll get the opportunity to take another photo if you can line up crosshair again. rinse and repeat.

The lighting in the original PS2 version is much darker and more nuanced. This creates a more foreboding and oppresive atmosphere for me, because its use of darkness partly outlines the levels and scenery.

running the game on dolphin messes up the gamma levels making it easy to see everything. i went back to playing it on wii and it looks much better. everything not being touched by light is pretty much black
 

Dascu

Member
Took some better (though badly compressed) comparison pictures of the same room, in Dolphin.


Indeed, the look is a bit different. The character models in particular are a notch brighter. The rooms aren't that much brighter though.


By the way, Blackbeetleking's screenshots aren't very good to compare with. I see he removed one of the filters in the game.
 

Fritz

Member
This is my frist entry to the series and I've got a question:

I have just finished the 2nd chapter. My first impression was that enemies would be scarce and that you simply would have to beat every single ghost. now after the 2nd chapter I am not too sure. it even felt like some enemies were respawning inifinitely. Am I well advised to just leave some enemies behind and don't bother with every single one?
 

big_z

Member
This is my frist entry to the series and I've got a question:

I have just finished the 2nd chapter. My first impression was that enemies would be scarce and that you simply would have to beat every single ghost. now after the 2nd chapter I am not too sure. it even felt like some enemies were respawning inifinitely. Am I well advised to just leave some enemies behind and don't bother with every single one?

let me guess the part going back into the village where you have to fight 3 at a time and more keep coming. i thought they were endlessly spawning myself but they do stop and there hasnt been another section like that so far from what ive played.
 

Dascu

Member
This is my frist entry to the series and I've got a question:

I have just finished the 2nd chapter. My first impression was that enemies would be scarce and that you simply would have to beat every single ghost. now after the 2nd chapter I am not too sure. it even felt like some enemies were respawning inifinitely. Am I well advised to just leave some enemies behind and don't bother with every single one?

There is one moment there, in the town near the entrance to Osaka house, where there is an infinitely respawning moment. I don't think there's any other moments in the game like that.


Edit: Damn velociraptor beat me to it. Clever girl.
 

Lime

Member
Okay, wiiztec updated the mini-map toggle Gecko Code so that the menu and other 2D textures work. In Dolphin you still have to edit the code, so that it's ON by default by making the 00000001 line to 00000000. It should then look like this:

Code:
+$no minimap via Dolphin [wiiztec]
286CE70A 00000100
040D39B8 A89C0000
CC000000 00000000
040D39B8 38800000
E0000000 80008000

Anyone irritated by the constant minimap can use the above in Dolphin. Now the game is even better, especially if you're using free look to take screenshots :)

These are the results, all taken during gameplay:
 
I'd have to say that the two immediate differences between the original and this remake seem to me to be (in terms of deficiencies in this version):

The use of camera
  • The fixed camera angles in the PS2 version allowed for some interesting and visually evocative camera shots which used their perspective to frame the sets and characters in many extraordinary ways
  • Meanwhile, the new camera perspective in this remake seems to be cumbersome and less interesting from a visual perspective. Although it is nice to have control over which parts of the levels and scenery you are viewing, the constant camera position kind of makes the experience more predictable and less refreshing. Moreover, the RE4 camera angle used in this remake is also too unoriginal and is not as compatible with the visual characteristics of the survival horror genre (imo). Additionally, the camera position is way too close to the character, making half of the field of view obstructed by the playable character. Finally, you are also never able to rotate the camera while playing, which makes the playable experience less engaging in the form of seeing different perspectives on the scenery, character, enemies, etc.

The lighting and use of brightness
  • The lighting in the original PS2 version is much darker and more nuanced. This creates a more foreboding and oppresive atmosphere for me, because its use of darkness partly outlines the levels and scenery.
  • In contrast, the lighting in the remake seems more primitive in the sense that almost all non-lit objects are actually lighted. This makes the overall picture much brighter and you are able to see the whole scene and its objects as if you are playing it in daytime. Unfortunately lowering the game's brightness does not solve this visual issue, because it is the graphics engine's lighting technology that is the cause of this kind of global illumination.
  • To give some examples:
    PS2 version (through PCSX2):


    Wii remake (credit to BlackBeetleKing's Dolphin screenshots):

As you can see the screens are much brigher and objects are much more lighted than the original.


I don't know how it looks in Dolphin, but this is NOT how it looks on my TV. The game is fuzzy and dark as hell and most of the time I can't see much stuff around (and It's not a brightness issue).
 

Dusk Golem

A 21st Century Rockefeller
Oooooh after chapter 4 it gets even more creepy

Chills down my spine. I'm in chapter 5 right now.

Trust me, a big part of the appeal of the original game is that the game just gets progressively creepier and creepier. I've said it earlier, but one of the late locations is one of my favorite locations ever in a horror game. They utilize so many great ideas during it.
 
Top Bottom