rss feeds
@gamegrep
Facebook
Check out the newest episode of Big in Japan with Richard Eisenbeis. He gives us the lowdown on Fatal Frame IV. Is it worth importing from Japan or buying from ebay?
Many big announcements from Nintendo today as they formally announced the Wii Remote Plus. Not the only thing, Nintendo also introduced a few new games...
"Fans of the series will settle in once they get their head around the new control scheme; the horror and general creepiness of the series is definitely still there. Newcomers will still enjoy themselves, although it may be a bit hard to get into at first, as the plot is thick with flashbacks, conspiracies and a crazy amount of journals to collect. It really is a shame Fatal Frame IV was never released outside of Japan, especially given its large cult following from the fantastic previous thre..."
As you may know, the Fatal Frame IV translation patch was released two weeks ago, allowing gamers from all over the world to play the previously Japanese-only game. But who are the people behind the translation project?
Hookedgamers.com hunted them down and discussed how the translation project came to be, the pitfalls the team came across, how thrilled they are that they have created a boost in sales, and what they think of the final product and the game itself.
Go to the source for the ...
Goods news for anybody still hoping to play Fatal Frame IV. Since Nintendo refused to publish the game in the West, a group of dedicated fans took it upon themselves to localize the game, creating a legal English language patch that translates the game while you play it.
Well, the translation patch has finally been released!
All you need is a copy of the Japanese Fatal Frame IV, an SD card to transfer the patch, and your Nintendo Wii (any region).
As the patch runs directly from the SD c...
"The march of technology is supposed to make things better for consumers, but these days it seems videogame makers strive to find new ways to take more of our money and give us less in return.
We are not communists here at Game|Life. We want publishers to make financially prudent decisions so they can continue to deliver games that fuel our addictions. But some bone-headed business moves benefit everyone except us."
Fatal Frame IV won't be released outside Japan. So that's the end of that, right?
Not according to a group of dedicated fans at cameraslens.com. They are working on a legal translation patch that will bring the game to Wiis around the world. The project seeks to translate Fatal Frame IV as you're playing it via an SD card. You won't even need a Japanese Wii to play it.
Here is a trailer showing the translation patch in action...
The project is almost complete and is set to be finis...
While Fatal Frame IV won't be released outside Japan, or picked up by another publisher, that hasn't stopped Tecmo from giving it another go. At this year's E3, they revealed that the Fatal Frame series will be continuing, and that they will announce the next FF game "when the time is right".
Let's hope the next installment in the series makes it to Western territories this time around.
"
quote NintendoUnfortunately I don't have a comment for you at this point, but if one comes down the pipeline, I'll be sure to send it your way.
So, where does this leave us? From the sound of the statement and amount of time it took to get an answer, I would say Nintendo of America isn't quite sure what to make of the situation right now. Did they get caught in lie? Or did Tecmo point the blame finger at Nintendo of America a little too quickly? Let's hope we get more information about Fatal..."
"Reader Giancarlo gets in touch to add a little more fuel to the European fire. Giancarlo works at a GameStop in Italy, and he’s told me that his computer system shows Fatal Frame IV with a May 30th, 2009 release.
On top of that, the most recent Italian issue of GameStop’s mailer shows Fatal Frame IV as being localized, but with the name ‘Zero: A Japanese Ghost Story’."
This looks like the final nail in the coffin. A few days ago Nintendo of America announced that Fatal Frame IV will not be coming to America.
Today, Nintendo of Europe have also revealed that they have no plans on releasing the game in PAL regions either.
After a long drawn out silence to the fans Nintendo has decided not to publish Fatal Frame IV, the Japan confined Wii survival horror game which was released midway through last year for North America. Tecmo has shown disappointment at this move, but it appears the word is final. Sorry Gothic Girl.
In the March editions of European magazine Joystiq and French Official Nintendo Magazine, it was revealed that Fatal Frame IV would be released next month in Europe. It looks like that was yet another mistake. There are still no plans for a release outside America.
In a recent interview with multipleyer, Reggie once again stated that Nintendo of America have no plans on publishing Fatal Frame IV and that he doesn't know who the actual publisher is.
*sigh*
Despite Nintendo announcing that Fatal Frame IV would be released last February in Europe, the game still hasn't made it's way to overseas shores.
Now a European Magazine is claiming that "They will haunt your Wii next month" with this new Fatal Frame advertisement. Fingers crossed!
A few months ago the two Fatal Frame IV theme songs were revealed. Indie/rock singer Tsukiko Amano's newest songs "Zero No Chouritsu (Just Call My Name)" and "Noise" will both feature in the game, marking the singer's finale as a solo artist.
Now, the music video for both songs have been released...
"Zero No Chouritsu (Just Call My Name)"
"Noise"
Gaming Target has gotten hold of a rumor that the upcoming Wii horror game Fatal Frame IV might not even be called "Fatal Frame".
The series already has different names for each region. In Japan it is called "Zero", in America it is called "Fatal Frame", and in Europe it is called "Project Zero". So it seems odd that Nintendo would want to confuse fans even more by calling the game something completely different alltogether.
[Discuss in the Fatal Frame IV forum]
"I must admit it was pretty difficult to choose the finalists since there are over 50 Wii games to be released this year (at least this is the number we know of!). Therefore, we had to let out other promising titles like Endless Ocean 2, Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers or Overlord, but Im pretty sure that the list below manages to cover the hottest upcoming releases. So check it out!"
A few weeks ago Gamedaily asked its readers to email in the questions that they want Nintendo to answer the most. Gamedaily then picked the top 10 most-asked questions, and sent them off to Nintendo.
With Reggie's promise that "We listen to our fans all the time", Nintendo have finally gotten back to Gamedaily and answered all ten questions ... oh, except for the question about Fatal Frame IV. Nintendo refused to answer that one, despite hundreds of fans having emailed about it. Figures.
Publisher XSEED is still answering emails that gamers send to them and have once again revealed that "everything points to that game (Fatal Frame IV) eventually coming to North America".
Unfortunately there is no official confirmation of an American release date yet, but with the game being released in Europe early next year, a US release can't be far off.
Discuss in the Fatal Frame IV forum
The latest issue of ONM confirms that Fatal Frame IV will hitting Europe this February, and it will be published by Nintendo.
A North American release hasn't been confirmed just yet, but with the game releasing in Europe and recent comments from XSEED, it seems likely.
Discuss in the Fatal Frame forum
In a recent interview with Gamecyte, US publisher XSeed asked gamers to email them if they wanted to see a certain game localized in the US.
Andrew of Gamespot jumped on the offer and asked when Fatal Frame IV will make it to the states. While XSeed are not publishing the game, they confirmed that it is coming to the US. Here's hoping they're right!
Discuss in the Fatal Frame IV forum
The status of Fatal Frame IV's release has been up in the air for quite some time now. Neither Tecmo or Nintendo have revealed whether the game will be released in the states, with both parties seemingly confused over who is in charge of the game's American release.
The guys at cameraslens.com are starting a campaign entitled "Wii Would Like to Play Fatal Frame IV!" to get fans and interested Wii-owners to contact Tecmo and Nintendo and ask for Fatal Frame IV to be released in the US and ...
From their Dead or Alive series to their TGS booth babes, it's no secret that Tecmo like their characters to be scantily-clad and full of boob. So maybe it was no surprise that they went a little overboard with the bouncing breast (and ass jiggle) physics in Fatal Frame IV.
Were the bowl-of-jello physics really neccessary in a horror game?
Perhaps more time should have been spent fixing the game's bugs, and less time spent upping the jiggle-factor of the characters' boobs and asses...
"Ghosts, demons, and zombies have been part of gaming since the beginning. Though they take on different forms in the hands of different developers, they all have one thing in common: they can no longer be counted among the living. Here is a ranking of some outstanding members. Drag your dead bodies off the floor and be recognized."
"When it comes to horror in games, there are a few things that are givens: it will likely be twisted, bloody, and terrifying. In other words, my kind of game. The genres of such games arent quite as predictable, however, ranging anywhere from RPGs to first-person shooters, and rightfully so; why limit a fun thing like terror to just one genre? Nevertheless, when looking at the overlying themes of these diverse games, trends have been emerging, giving everyone a glimpse of where things are pos..."
In a recent interview with Sean O'Neill of Kombo, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime, answered questions regarding the status of Nintendo's upcoming horror title Fatal Frame IV. Is it going to get an American release date? Reggie responded with: "you're going to have to contact the publisher for questions on that."
Which is odd, since Tecmo (the developers of the title) seem to think Nintendo are the publishers.
To add to the confusion, Nintendo of Japan published the titl...
"Already it's scared the bejeezus out of us several times, partly thanks to a clever new idea which sees you slowly reaching for items and occasionally being grabbed by a spooky hand when you touch something you shouldn't. Add some terrific Wii graphics - making it easily the best-looking in the series to date - and some eerie noises coming from the Remote speaker when you kill a ghost or answer a ringing phone, and you've got a game which will have you sleeping with the lights on. Sweet dream..."
When Nintendo lets an M-Rated game on it's console, they really go all out! Here are new videos showing a handful of the (many) alternate costumes that are available in Fatal Frame IV. They include the rather boob-full "sexy dress", the skin-tight Zero Suit Samus costume and a Japanese schoolgirl outfit ...
[View and Discuss more costumes in the Fatal Frame IV forum]
Popular UK gaming magazine Edge recently reviewed the upoming horror title Fatal Frame IV, and they were very impressed, giving it an overall positive score of 8/10 ...
[Read/Discuss other Fatal Frame IV reviews here]
Is your Wii or DS collecting dust? Do you not know what games to buy next?
Well here are a few upcoming Nintendo games that might tickle your fancy ...
"Even prior to this title, the Project Zero series towered above its competition, thanks to the vastly superior writing and atmosphere the series contained. The removal of legacy gameplay niggles while retaining its trademark superior storytelling means that Mask of the Lunar Eclipse will be an essential purchase on its western release.
Hadrian of the gbatemp.net forums has uploaded NGamer's full Fatal Frame IV review. The magazine loved the game, giving it an overall score of 90% and praising it's graphics, gameplay and innovation, even going so far as to chastise IGN's critisism of the controls by saying "forget any online complaints you may have heard - if either tool (camera or flashlight) was pointer-aimed the game would fall into dud FPS territory".
Fatal Frame IV forum
Add forum to your favorites list
The official Fatal Frame IV website has been updated with 3 brand new wallpapers to scare your pants off. Okay, so they're not that scary, but nevertheless, they're rather pretty to look at.
For those of you wondering about an American release date ... unfortunately, nothing has been announced yet.
Popular UK magazine NGamer has reviewed the latest Wii and DS games, with Fatal Frame IV recieving the highest review score this month of 90%.
Other game's reviewed were Lego Batman, Wario Land: Shake It! and Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People
Dolphinking of the IGN forums recently sent an email to Nintendo of America asking about Fatal Frame IV's release date and, unfortunately for fans, Nintendo's response isn't good news.
It appears Nintendo have no plans on an American release date at present, and rather confusingly mention that they might have plans on developing/publishing the game in future (despite the game being a third-party title that has already been developed by Tecmo).
While Nintendo's reply was most likely an a...
Today Gametrailers previewed the upcoming survival-horror Fatal Frame IV, detailing everything you need to know about the game, including it's plot, the characters, the graphics and gameplay.
Are you brave enough to dive into the latest installment of the Fatal Frame series?
Discuss in the Fatal Frame IV forum
NintendoLife have revealed a bunch of new-ish screenshots for the upcoming survival-horror Fatal Frame IV. The screens show better quality images of the newest playable character (detective Choushiro), the eerie hosptial he will explore during the game, and some of the nasties he will encounter there. Creepy stuff!
View more screenshots here
After IGN's preview of Fatal Frame IV, many people were worried about the lack of IR controls and how IGN believed the game had a rather steep learning curve as a result of it.
DelightfullyDreadful of Gametrailers wanted to quell those worries, and has written a brief preview of his positive experience with the first chapter of Fatal Frame IV. Within ten minutes he was comfortable with the controls, and believed that they were rather straight-forward and not as difficult to master as IGN's...
Chris Kohler from Blog.Wired recently got his hands on a Japanese copy of Fatal Frame IV and, while he has only played the first chapter, he was already impressed with the controls and plot.
Though don't expect the first chapter to jump straight into the scares. Kohler says that Fatal Frame IV has a slow lead-in (which he guesses is an idea used to attract the casual Wii audience) and that the first area where you play as Madoka is used as a tutorial before the actual game begins.
Discu...
Anyone who has played the Fatal Frame games would know they are a part of one of the scariest survival-horror series. Tycho from Penny Arcade knows this. He wants to buy Fatal Frame IV, but he's absolutely terrified of it already!
Fatal Frame IV forum
Last week IGN gave their first hands-on impressions for Fatal Frame IV. While the gameplay had a few hits and misses with the use of the Wiimote, they believed the rest of the game made up for it, saying that "fans of survival horror will ultimately be pleased with this latest entry into the series".
IGN have only played through a few more chapters, but already they have written a follow-up preview for the game.
[Discuss in the Fatal Frame IV forum]
It's no secret that "hardcore" gamers were disappointed with Nintendo's E3 conference. But when presented with a small list of "hardcore" games that are being released on th Wii, many still found reasons to complain.
Alisha Karabinus of NintendoWiiFanboy has noticed that a fair few gamers have the belief that the Wii needs more action in it's titles. Fatal Frame IV and Disaster: Day of Crisis have been targetted recently, with some forum members claiming that the two games might be better ...
As is the standard, Japanese newssite GPara has posted Japanese sales tracker Media Create's top thirty sales rankings for Japanese game software for the week of July 28th to August 3rd.
This week's new releases in the top thirty:
01. [PSP] Phantasy Star Portable - (Sega) - 342,000 / 342,000
02. [NDS] Rhythm Tengoku Gold - (Nintendo) - 213,000 / 213,000
04. [PS3] Soul Calibur IV - (Namco Bandai) - 75,000 / 75,000
06. [360] Soul Calibur IV - (Namco Bandai) - 35,000 / 35,000
07. [Wii] F...
IGN have revealed a bunch of brand new Fatal Frame IV screenshots, showing one of the first enemies in the game - The "dead nurse" - as well as some rather eerie locations in the game.
Nintendo has recently released a report saying that the Tecmo and Grasshopper Manufacture developed Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse has three bugs, one of which will cause the game to crash. However, none of these bugs will affect save data.
The game-crashing bug can be described as follows:
quote duckroll, GAFDuring "三 ノ 蝕 忘 日" (it's a day/chapter in the game I believe) after you have obtained the 暗 号 の よ う な メ モ (coded memo), if you open the door to the doctor's room on th...
From Kimonos to French-Maid outfits to Popstar get-ups, the Fatal Frame series has always had an interesting array of alternate costumes for the playable characters. But with the recent installment being released on Wii, comes some rather familiar costumes that you may have seen in other Nintendo games before.
"From the official Fatal Frame IV website:
Ten years later, two of the girls who were "spirited away" died, one after another, killed by a horrible figure with a hidden face, who screamed and wailed...
The two girls other than Ruka who remained alive, Misaki and Madoka, headed towards Rougetsu Island in order to unravel the mystery of their friends deaths.
And so Ruka followed the two of them to cross over to the island to find out what lay behind her lost memories.
Ruka Minazuki
A..."
The first-day sales for the most recently-released games in Japan are in, and you may be surprised with the results...
The PSP Action-RPG Phantasy Star Portable and the DS's Rhythm Heaven Gold had the highest first-day sales, selling well over 150k copies respectively.
Soul Calibur IV sold 56k on the PS3 and 35k on the 360.
Surprisingly, Fatal Frame IV sold 21k with a 60% sell-through on just the first day. Retailers were cautious as to whether the survival-horror would do well with ...
IGN have uploaded a new batch of Fatal Frame IV gameplay videos, this time showing Ruka exploring the haunted hotel and a few "ghost batles" on the way. It's scary stuff ...
IGN have uploaded the very first "ghost battle" from Fatal Frame IV and let me just say that if you want horror, you've got it in this game.
IGN's title for the videos sum them up nicely: "Holy Hell!!"
With the recent Japanese release of Fatal Frame IV comes the release of it's theme songs too. Indie/rock singer Tsukiko Amano's newest songs "Zero No Chouritsu (Just Call My Name)" and "Noise" will feature in the game, marking the singer's finale as a solo artist.
"Zero No Chouritsu (Just Call My Name)"
"Noise"
About 3 and a Half minutes into "Noise" is a very strange change to the tune that sounds quite out-of-place in a survival horror game.
Discuss in the Fatal Frame IV forum
IGN recently got their hands on a copy of the latest suvival-horror, Fatal Frame IV ... and they were impressed.
While the gameplay had a few hits and misses with the use of the Wiimote, they believed the rest of the game made up for it, saying that "fans of survival horror will ultimately be pleased with this latest entry into the series".
(go to source for full article)
With Fatal Frame IV being released in Japan today, fans are starting to notice changes between this game and previous ones in the series... namely the addition of a Western hotel, a Silent Hill-esque hospital, Resident Evil-style gameplay and the typical "badass tough guy" that is popular in many survival-horrors.
But are these changes for the better, or have they lost the themes that made the previous Fatal Frame games so unique?
Gaming Issues takes a look at the changes that are in Fa...
Good news for anyone looking out for Soul Calibur IV and Fatal Frame IV. They are both currently the most pre-ordered console games on Amazon.co.jp this week.
It comes as no surprise that Soul Calibur IV would sell well, as the series has a solid fanbase and also recieved quite a lot of hype and press.
But it's a surprising feat for Fatal Frame IV to reach so many sales, considering the low publicity the game recieved and the sudden shift to a different console. It seemed doomed to fai...
The latest issue of Famitsu magazine is out and survival-horror fans will be pleased to know that Fatal Frame IV recieved the excellent score of 34/40!
Fatal Frame IV was released in Japan today, so expect more reviews in the coming weeks.
Read/Discuss other Fatal Frame IV reviews here
GoNintendo have revealed two brand new gameplay videos for the upcoming survival-horror Fatal Frame IV. The videos show the first Chapter in which you play as the timid Madoka who has been dragged to the haunted Rougetsu mansion by her friend Misaki ... then abandoned.
Needless to say, things don't go well for her ...
The French Wii site has released a truck-load of new Fatal Frame IV screenshots showing a bunch of creepy enemies, eerie locations and the three main characters in some not-so-friendly looking places.
In this multinational version of Games Releasing This Week, we'll take a look at the games coming out in the three major regions this week, featuring the US, Europe, and Japan. So, how does the last week of July fare for these areas?
US Notable Games This Week:
After months of a Fatal Frame IV news drought, Nintendo is finally making up for it! Here is another gameplay video showing the upgraded combat, exploration through the haunted locations, and a glimpse at the new detective character! The game is looking better and better ...
The newest gameplay video for the Wii's creepy new survival-horror Fatal Frame IV has just been revealed.
Here we finally get our first glimpse of the combat, as well as a brief scene showing how the Wiimote manually controls the flashlight.
But most of the video shows the three main characters exploring the different locations that will be in the game. The atmosphere sure is creepy!
Here is the first-ever glimpse of Fatal Frame IV's gameplay. It doesn't show much in terms of scares, but we get a look at the game's creepy atmosphere and the deserted mansion that Ruka will be exploring ...
You're all alone. Right?
A few days ago it was revealed that Nintendo of America have no idea what Fatal Frame IV is, despite the game being released on Wii in Japan soon.
So perhaps the game won't be published by Nintendo in America? It seems Tecmo feels otherwise... Tecmo told fans to direct all questions regarding FFIV (and it's absence from E3) to Nintendo of America. That might be a little hard though, if NoA reps don't know what the game even is!
Stormbringer from NeoGAF has translated the recent interview with Fatal Frame IV's creators Makoto Shibata and Keisuke Kikuchi.
They talk about the game's plot and setting, why your only weapon is a camera, why they felt the need to add "Western influences" this time around, and why they believe Fatal Frame IV is the best game in the series yet.
(go to source for full article)
It's about time some REAL Fatal Frame IV news started coming in. Here is the second trailer showing the gorgeous cutscenes, the new theme song, and some rather scary moments too ...
Discuss in the Fatal Frame IV forum
Fatal Frame IV's Japanese release is just two weeks away, so one would asume that the game will be released in America sometimes at the end of the year.
Well it looks like that might not be the case...
During E3, GoNintendo.com asked Nintendo of America about Fatal Frame IV ... and they hadn't even heard of the game!
Yes, despite Nintendo being the publishers of the game (and despite a trailer being released at E3), not one person in Nintendo's E3 meeting room had a clue what series GoNi...
Professional game designer, Scott Slomiany is a fan of survival-horror games and he believes that, while Resident Evil and Silent Hill are both fantastic series, they don't deliver much in terms of "horror". He finds it hard to feel scared for Resident Evil's characters when they are at such an obvious advantage against most of their enemies, and Silent Hill delivers a mostly "weird" or "bizarre" atmosphere rather than a scary one.
So what does Slomiany believe the best example of survival-h...
Some Fatal Frame IV news is finally coming in. Yesterday the spooky trailer was released, and today we get a look at some of the commercials that will start playing on Japanese TVs.
'Commercial 2' sums up my reactions when playing these games ...
Fatal Frame IV - Commercial 1
Fatal Frame - Commercial 2
Much to the dismay of fans, Fatal Frame IV was not mentioned during Nintendo's E3 conference today. The game didn't even appear on Nintendo's E3 site, and it looks like it won't show up later in the week either.
However, a trailer was sneaked onto the Japanese Wii Channel just hours ago. It's fuzzy, a little confusing, and barely shows any gameplay, but at least it's something. (And players can now get a glimpse at the new "Resident Evil 4 styled" gameplay) ...
If you can't se...
It looks like Nintendo has yet again completely ignored Fatal Frame IV. Matt of IGN (as well as many FF fans) was hoping that something (or rather, anything) regarding Fatal Frame IV would be announced at E3 2008. But nothing was, not even an American/PAL release date, let alone the trailer that sites were hinting at. We still have until the end of the week for FFIV news to pop up, but it's looking pretty grim so far. (the game isn't even on Nintendo or Tecmo's E3 site, despite IGN recently r...
In a recent Gamegrep article, Next-Gen previewed Fatal Frame IV detailing most of what we know about the game so far. But a small tidbit of new information regarding the gameplay is what stood out for fans of the series.
Apparently Fatal Frame IV will have similar controls and over-the-shoulder camera angles as Resident Evil 4, (which is a considerable change from the previous FF games which all had a fixed-camera and more traditional survival-horror controls). Is this the first sign of Sud...
"Less than 19 days left! Are you excited?
Few things first: IGN posted information about the FFIV website update.
(Seriously, all of their coverage of FFIV has renewed my faith in them!)
Finally, some famitsu tidbits:
- Choushiro has been demoted since the incident 10 years ago. He's formally called a Keiji (IGN is translating this as a "prosecutor") and then called a Tantei ("detective").
Andmebrick tells me that both terms can be translated as 'detective', however a keiji can arre..."
Andmebrick from Cameraslens has translated the new character updates on the official Fatal Frame IV website. Tecmo sure know how to deliver when it comes to creating cute characters in their games. This bunch of Fatal Frame characters look to be the most interesting and varied yet.
(Though let's hope more males get revealed in future too!)
[Discuss in the Fatal Frame IV forum]
Now we're cooking with gas! The latest issue of Famitsu revealed some brand new screens and info for Fatal Frame IV, including a new character and more detail on the plot.
Fans will be interested to know that the newest addition to the case is a main male playable character. The detective, named Choushiro Kirishima, who saved Ruka from her kidnapping is playable and in the scans we can see him exploring through the eerie hospital setting that was mentioned by Famitsu months ago.
There ar...
"Fatal Frame IV isnt getting the buzz it deserves. The title will soon be releasing in Japan, and we are sure to learn more about it come E3 time. Why arent more people talking about this game? The series has been one of the most consistently scary games out there, and the 4th entry is going to have the help/influence of Suda51. If that doesnt make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, I dont know what will.
Fatal Frame IV forum"
"Summertime, and the living dead are restless.
Little specific information has been revealed about the scenario youll face in this latest game, although it once again centers on exploration and exorcism of haunted environments while equipped with little more than a camera. Zero on Wii handles in much the same way as Resident Evil 4, using the Nunchuk to move and the Remote to direct the camera, giving an over-the-shoulder perspective. Youre no Leon Kennedy, however, and as in previous Zer..."
"Details are slowly starting to emerge on Zero: Tsukihami no Kamen, the Japanese version of the Wii entry in the Fatal Frame series. And thank goodness for that! A Japanese release is set for July 31, so it's about time for an update!
Previous updates have revealed a storyline that leads Misaki and Madoka, two of five girls who were involved in an abduction in their youth, to Rougetsu Island, the scene of the incident. Ruka Minazuki, one of the main characters, follows.
Famitsu has a few n..."
When it was first announced that Fatal Frame IV was being published by Nintendo, fans were thrilled that the series would FINALLY recieve some much-needed publicity. But as the months passed by, it became apparent that this wouldn't be the case. In fact, Nintendo has done a worse job than Tecmo did at marketing this little-known series!
Emi, the owner of cameraslens.com, has written her opinion on the matter.
[Fatal Frame IV forum]
wildgames, from Flickr, has enhanced some images from recent Famitsu scans to show us larger and better-quality screenshots from Fatal Frame IV. Here we get a glimpse of the gameplay and what the setting will be like.
(Gotta love the image where Ruka comes across a body in a bag. Creepy stuff!)
Fatal Frame IV forum
For those eager beavers who can't wait to get their hands on Fatal Frame IV, Play-Asia.com is now accepting pre-orders for the Japanese copy of the game.
(Remember: The Japanese Version is only compatible with Japanese Wii consoles)
For those who want the American version, let's hope a release date is announced soon ...
Fatal Frame IV forum
The Fatal Frame series has always had pretty box-art, but let's face it, most of them don't portray what the games are about, and some don't even seem to indicate what genre they belong to.
Today, Amazon's Japanese site revealed the official box-art for Fatal Frame IV and it's definitely one of the best boxes in the series. It's simple, eerie, and gives us a glimpse of what we'll be facing. Quite appropriate for such horror series.
Let's hope America and PAL regions get a similar style...
Fatal Frame IV's release date is drawing near and according to IGN we'll be getting a new batch of of FFIV news (and hopefully a trailer) during E3 2008.
In the meantime, CVG previewed Fatal Frame IV, detailing what we know about the game so far.
Discuss in the forum
With Tecmo in strife with its employees, fans have begun to worry about the fate of Tecmo's games and the company itself. Nobody knows the future of the Dead or Alive or the Ninja Gaiden series, but what about Tecmo's upcoming Fatal Frame IV? Rumors have been circulating around the 'net that the game has been delayed or cancelled alltogether! But how true are these rumors?
Cameraslens has sorted out the facts from the rumors. Go to source for full article.
[Discuss in the Fatal Frame IV...
"The Fatal Frame games have established themselves as the byword for suspense-filled horror. There are no showers of blood or shotguns, no hideous demons with heads attached to their backsides, and definitely no muscle-bound heroes called Jack. Instead, you play as a fragile-looking Japanese schoolgirl and are only ever armed with a flashlight and a special camera that can exorcise the ghosts that haunt whatever spooky location it is that you find yourself in. The games are superb.
The scan..."
The Fatal Frame series has always been heavily linked to Japanese folklore, culture and superstitions. That's what makes it such a unique and interesting horror series. But with Fatal Frame IV's release coming up, not much is known about the themes that will be surrounding the story.
RacoonCityTimes breaks down the info that we do know about the game and speculates what folklore Fatal Frame IV might revolve around ...
Fatal Frame fans can start worrying now. Here are Japan's current estimated shipping numbers of a few upcoming games...
While Wario Land Shake, Blue Dragon Plus and Sigma Harmonics are all expected to ship well over 80,000 copies on their release, Fatal Frame IV is only shipping a measly 20,000 copies to Japanese retailers. That seems oddly low for any game's release, especially a game being published by Nintendo.
"The new scans have more information about the characters, and the second character shown holding the camera obscura in a previously reviewed screenshot appears to be battling (or encountering) one of the ghosts.
Also more screens showing off the camera obscura's viewfinder have are included. The article also rehashes the information that the game will be seen from three different points of view."
Andmebrick from cameraslens.com recently translated the official Fatal Frame IV website which was revealed a few days ago. The translations reveal the "Story" and an interesting page called "Experiencing the horror" which briefly explains how the game will work ...
IGN recently revealed that Fatal Frame IV will be appearing at E3 which was great news for Fatal Frame fans. WE're all hoping for a trailer to finally be released.
It looks like IGN can't wait for the game to be released either, as they revealed in a recent podcast. Expect alot of FFIV news coming from the site soon. As IGN said, "Holy crap! (FFIV) will be awesome!"
There is a rumor floating around the 'net that that indie/rock singer Tsukiko Amano's newest song will be the theme for Fatal Frame IV and it will be in English, which is a first for the series.
Amano also sung the theme songs for FF2 and FF3.
"We are just now getting midway into 2008, and look at all the Wii games we have already enjoyed. Its hard to imagine how 2008 could get any better for the Nintendo Wii. But Im a true to heart optimist, so lets take a look at some of the great titles still to come in 2008.
World Of Goo
Ok, I promise that #s 4-1 will all have actual titles accompanying them. Unless you keep track of independent game release, then you may not of heard of World of Goo. It was a finalist in the 2008 Indepe..."
Fans of the survival horror genre would know of various rumors around the internet that the games are based off true stories. (Fatal Frame fans don't even need to look on the 'net. It's written on the box!)
But even after game companies confirm that their survival horrors aren't based off true stories, fans still insist that they are. So why would people do this? RacoonCityTimes takes a look at why people are so desperate to believe that survival-horrors are real...
When we play a Survival Horror game we want to feel scared. Not only for ourselves, but for the character we are playing as.
But what actually makes us scared for Survival Horror characters? Why do we want them to live through the horrors that they are faced with? And what happens if we aren't scared for them?
Chris, from Chris's Survival Horror Quest, takes a look at why gamers feel genuinely scared for their survival horror protagonists.
Go to source for full article
Fatal Frame fans are all too familiar with the games being an underrated and largely unrecognised series. And with the upcoming release of Fatal Frame IV it looks like little has changed. But why is this? GI takes a look at the reasons as to why fans believe Fatal Frame is such an underrated series.
Discuss in the forum
Fatal Frame IV the series that shifted from the Playstation to Nintendo, is nearing release (at least in Japan), and that obviously means that we get tons of new stuff relating to the game. Today the new stuff is in the form of the official website and some screenshots which have been attached below. Enjoy them...
Remember more screenshots available at the source.
It's about time this game started getting some real attention! In a recent podcast, IGN announced that the Wii's new survival-horror Fatal Frame IV would be appearing at E3.
The IGN editors are also highly excited about the release of the game, saying that it is one of their most anticipated third-party titles and that the Fatal Frame series is "really bad ass".
Here's hoping the trailer finally gets released at E3.
Japanese horror movies have been gaining notoriety in the West over the last few years, while Japanese horror games have been popular for well over a decade. Games like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Fatal Frame, and Siren have all gained a following of fans who have stuck by the series since they were first released.
But what makes them so appealing? Why do Western audiences seem to have more of an interest in Japanese horror games and movies, instead of American ones? And why do so many Jap...
cameraslens.com have translated the recent Fatal Frame IV pamphlet, revealing some new tidbits regarding the game.
One of the more interesting changes include the addition of an abandoned hospital as an area that players can explore. Previously, FF games only had a haunted mansion or small village as the main location. But Fatal Frame IV has an entire island you can wander around on, and it seemd as though players may be able to explore the various buildings on the island.
It sounds a lit...
Some in-game screenshots of Fatal Frame IV have finally been released and they look very impressive.
Here we can see some of the antagonists who will be stalking Ruka throughout the game, (look at the group of school-girls... creepy).
We also have our first glimpse at gameplay, and what seems to be the game's main ritual sacrifice.
"Three sisters and a camera on a haunted island? Sounds about right.
Plot: The game is set in the mysterious Rougetsu Island, where five young girls of the Minazuki family were kidnapped in the past. Two of the girls later died, while the remaining three - Ruka, Misaki, and Madoka - have decided to visit the island in an attempt to remember what happened during that incident. The magazine reveals that players will take on the role of Ruka and venture around the mansion in the island, which..."
It looks like Fatal Frame IV finally has a release date. The game is set for release in Japan on July 31st. Here's hoping it isn't too late for Nintendo to generate any excitement or hype for FFIV.
Nintendo has also revealed some new games, including Wario Land Shake for Wii, Densetsu no Starfi and Rhythm Tengoku Gold for DS. They are all set for a July release.
This week's issue of Famitsu magazine has revealed new screens from the upcoming survival-horror Fatal Frame IV. Here we get a better look at the new protagonist (who's name has been revealed as "Ruka Minazuki"), and the haunted mansion that she will be exploring.
There is also a glimpse at what appears to be a new enemy with a deformed/melted face (bottom right-hand corner).
"Meeting Yoshino and the Priestess
Meeting the antagonist in a Fatal Frame game is always a memorable moment. The main character Rei is trapped in the spooky Manor of Sleep, a corrupt and haunting world that appears only in her nightmares. So it is a surprise for both the player and Rei when she stumbles across a woman named Yoshino who appears to be trapped in the Manor as well. But there is no time to ask questions as the game's antagonist Reika also appears to spread a 'tattoo' curse ont..."
With the upcoming release of Fatal Frame IV, Gaming_Issues has given a quick rundown of the entire series, for anyone who hasn't played the games and/or has no idea what they are about.
Go to source for full article, including the Pros and Cons of each game.
You can also read IGN's rundown of the series here.
Lack of success is something that Fatal Frame fans have been fearing ever since Fatal Frame IV was announced for the Wii.
But despite the series not continuing on Sony and Microsoft's consoles, most fans hoped that with Nintendo publishing FFIV, the series would at least recieve some much-needed publicity.
But with the game's release set for Summer, fans are starting to worry that it's a little too late for Nintendo to generate any real hype for FFIV, especially for a console that is most...
Ever since Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse was announced as a Wii exclusive, fans have been up in arms about Tecmo's odd choice not to continue the series on the Playstation and Xbox consoles.
411mania.com feels as though Tecmo have missed opportunities when they made the newest game in the Fatal Frame series an exclusive to the Nintendo console. They feel as though many fans (and possible newcomers to the series) will be missing out on something amazing if Fatal Frame never appears...
Well, Asian horror movies aren't that bad. They're usually decent enough cheesy B-grade flicks that keep viewers entertained for about an hour and a half.
However, Hollywood remakes of Asian horror movies do suck. Gone is the plot, scares, and cultural references, in exchange for over-the-top (usually hilariously unrealistic) special effects.
SUUnews recently reviewed the newest Asian remake "Shutter"... And their advice to anyone who might be interested in the movie (or any Asian remake...
That's right, folks. The Nintendo Wii is getting an exclusive survival-horror game for Wii: Fatal Frame IV.
The recently released April-issue of Nintendo Power Magazine has revealed a few details and screens on the new game.
With Nintendo publishing FFIV, Tecmo's frightening Fatal Frame series will get some much-needed publicity. And in return, Tecmo will be giving Nintendo a much-needed 'mature' game to add to their collection.
"Details on Wii's Fatal Frame 4 have been scarce since the initial announcement so it is a breath of fresh air to have some news to finally talk about.
It is unknown where these scans originated from however the girl pictured is supposedly the new main character, Tachibana Yoru. She appears to have some connection to the Fatal Frame 2 protagonist, Mio Amakura, and the ghost, Chitose."
"Grasshopper Manufacturer will start work on the latest instalment of Fatal Frame after it has finished up on No More Heroes, recently announced for a US release via Ubisoft.
The fact that the developer has plumped to continue working with the Nintendo Wii is promising, particularly if it means the console to rely on the software houses continued support. Even more so since Fatal Frame 3s producer Keisuke Kikuchi said, I already have some ideas that Id like to do if I had more developm..."
![Box shot of Fatal Frame IV (Import) [Japan]](http://i.neoseeker.com/boxshots/R2FtZXMvTmludGVuZG9fV2lpL0FkdmVudHVyZS9NeXN0ZXJ5/fatal_frame_iv_import_frontcover_small_DgVH1l236jBoPio.jpg)