Hanting and greusome, but still rather charming.

User Rating: 8 | Project Zero II: Crimson Butterfly PS2
Fatal frame II is one of those games that makes you want to keep playing, if not for the compelling storyline than the interesting gameplay, combat, and graphics. As in the first, you play as a young female who happens to find a special camera that can exorcise ghosts. But unlike the first game, you play as twin sisters who get lost in the woods. As the twins, Mio and Mayu, try to find their way back, they stumble across a village that has mysteriously disappeared during a festival. When they discover they can't seem to find a way back out, they begin to explore. And that is where the real story begins.
Along the way, Mayu seems to get herself lost, leaving a helpless Mio to find her. All around, it's very solid.
There's not a whole lot to say about this game that isn't complimenting it. First, the storyline is absolutely flawless, stringing you along with just enough to keep you wanting more. Second, the combat is just as unique as it can be, because instead of using guns and swords, you use the camera obscura. This was the same type of camera used in the first game, a exorcism device that when used on a ghost captures their soul.
But the best part of the game is the graphics. They form a rich and dark enviornment tht makes even shadows seem to be your enemy. Characters are realistic, and ghosts are gruesome and creepy.The voice acting is fits the characters rather well, and the characters themselves are realistic.
Although, there have to be a few flaws in every good game, right? First off, the ghosts are cheating bastards. They'll often appear DIRECTLY behind you, giving you almost no time to react before Mio gets knocked over. Also, they're just... so... SLOW. Seriously, they run about as fast as a snail that got in a fight with a glue gun and lost. There is also a whole lot of backtracking, which means you'll definately be familiar with your surroundings... VERY familiar.
All-in-all, this is definately something any horror lover will want to have in their gaming library.