I traded in a bunch of stuff today and picked up Fatal Frame for the PS2. I was expecting a kind of creepy Pokemon Snap with Zombies.

I couldn't have been further from the mark if I'd tried. This has got to be THE scariest game I've ever played. I'm only an hour into it, but so far I've been creeped out far more than I was in Silent Hill 2 and I can't wait to have the next few days off to really get into the game. It's even scarier than the original Silent Hill and it looks like I'll have an easier time following the story than in the 2 SH's (which needed the excellent online plot guides to approach some semblance of lucidity!)

It's not Resident Evil though. If you're expecting zombies and gun-battles, go elsewhere. This is a game for those who like their scares to take place more in the imagination than on-screen. Heck, your weapon? An old camera that you use to 'capture' and stun ghosts and expose hidden clues around a decrepit old mansion. The presentation and sound is amazing. You know a game is scary when the sudden silences leave you more freaked out than the disturbing breathing sounds you'd just been listening to.

And don't even get me started on the vibration in the controllers. If you thought the heartbeat in the Silent Hill games was creepy, you ain't felt nothin' yet!

I'm very impressed with Fatal Frame (if you couldn't tell) and am even more impressed with the fact that it's such a high quality game for having so little hype. A nice change after the disappointment that was State Of Emergency... sigh.