Product Description

Project Zero (released as Fatal Frame in Japan and the US) is a horror-adventure game that leaves its victims breathless as they become immersed in a world of supernatural spirits and sheer terror. Guided by her sixth sense and armed only with an antique camera, Miku sets out to solve the mystery of her brother's sudden disappearance. As the story unfolds, she discovers gruesome details about the Himura mansion's troubled past. The property and surrounding area have a dark history involving grisly murders, an evil cult, and restless spirits...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7855 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Wanadoo
• Released on: 2002-08-30
• Platform: PlayStation2

Amazon.co.uk Review
With a couple of exceptions, the PlayStation 2 has been starved of good quality survival-horror games. That's changed with the arrival of Project Zero, which mixes Japanese mythology, atmospheric graphics and freaky sound effects.

Project Zero is the European version of the Japanese title Fatal Frame, and tells the tale of a young girl searching for her missing brother in a cursed mansion--all fairly straightforward stuff. Fans of the genre will feel right at home as the background story is quickly filled out, allowing the business of ghost-hunting to begin. In contrast to the comic lunacy of the GameCube's Luigi's Mansion, the spooks and spectres here are very adult in nature. The ghosts arrive to the sound of screaming and moaning and they don't shut up until they're "killed"--an act that requires a camera.

Project Zero eschews pistols and shotguns in favour of a celluloid-death approach, which makes sense given that the opposition are well beyond the living to start with. In camera mode, the heroine's faithful Box Brownie pops up in a first-person style and it's necessary to keep the ghoul within the focusing reticule in order to drain maximum power from it. This process may sound a little lame, but in operation it works well.

The plot development is nicely done and there are numerous puzzles to solve that are well balanced and never get too tough; but it's the graphics and sound that really make Project Zero special. Cut-scenes are rendered in a variety of styles that are designed to increase the tension and the sparse soundtrack works wonders. While this isn't the strongest title in the PS2's gaming arsenal it'll certainly keep survival-horror fans busy until the next instalment of Silent Hill. Remember though, it's best played with the sound up, in the dark, and on your own... --Chris Russell

Official PlayStation 2 Magazine
Project Zero builds up a real sense of anxiety and terror. Play it at night. With the lights off, and the sound cranked up nice and loud.

Edge Magazine
"It clearly doesn't have the budget, brand name or production values of some of its rivals, but, purely in terms of intelligence, Project Zero may be closer to the future of the genre. 7/10."

Customer Reviews

The most terrifying thing I have seen on a screen!
Have you finished Resident Evil or Silent Hill and are looking for your next challange? Or just looking for an eerie game in general? Then STEER CLEAR of this game as it is more than a scary adventure - it is hours and hours of heart-thumping, nerve-shredding terror! And I loved it!

Briefly, you play a young Japanese girl who is searching for her missing brother in an old, haunted mansion. She is equipped with an antique camera which has the ability to trap spirits once a picture is taken and, therefore, 'kill' ghosts and suchlike. So you find yourself exploring this frightening place, filled with dark corners, sudden cut-scenes (and I mean SUDDEN!) and a well-developing storyline which keeps you playing, even though your nerves are telling you to stop!

Camera-work and controls are similar to Res Evil, albeit slightly easier to use. The sounds are fantastic, with frightening music/chants/moans in the background.

The graphics are good, and the game will certainly keep you busy with its balance of puzzles - some of them simply fetch and bring, some of them more taxing, but nothing too difficult.

All this sounds well and good...until you have an encounter... I can't put the terror into words so I'll let you see for yourself!

Overall an excellent game, and I was glad to complete it!

Brilliant but I don't want to be scared THAT much
This game is graphically impressive, has a nicely paced story progression and gameplay and is completely faultless in every way. However, after only getting through about a fifth of the game I had to give up and sell it because they are so stingy with the rolls of film. As you're 'armed' only with a camera the films are like your ammo, and I would say I used it wisely but I ended up not being able to get past a certain encounter and wasn't prepared to start from scratch. On reflection maybe I didn't let the ghosties get close enough to me - snap them when they're real close and you can sometimes take them out with one shot - which is where the scare factor probably came into play with me. Basically I didn't want them things anywhere near me. Project Zero gives a genuine sense of unease. I experienced goosebumps and even mild nausea so be warned. You just want to hide under your covers, drink some cocoa nd never go to that nasty place again. So developers, job well done. Easily as unnerving as Silent Hill or Alien Ressurection - didn't buy the former as it was too scary and sold the latter because it frightened me. What a wimp I am. To rate this game though, its beyond criticism except for the mean film rations. If you are a more skilled gamer than me (anyone on the planet) and don't scare too easily buy it with confidence.

Project Zero (PS2)
Well, what can i say? This game has it all superb graphics, gameplay, sound and lastablity. You play as a young college girl named Miku searching for her brother, Mafuyu who dissapeared in the Himaru mansion whilst collecting information for a project as he is a journalist. Terrible deaths, sickening cults and lots of horrorfying sacrifices took place in the Himaru mansion and that's why it's infested with ghosts. If you liked Silent Hill 2 and thought the monsters were scary, play this game and you'll think Silent Hill 2 is rubbish compared to the scarability! I suggest if you enjoy a scare, place an order for this game NOW!!