So someone did a little thread necromancy on this 2-yr old thread over at QT3 about the Fatal Frame series. Much to my surprise, I found there was a Fatal Frame 3 that I'd totally forgotten about -- at the time I think I hadn't played Fatal Frame 2 yet so I just skipped over it mentally. I really love the Fatal Frame series (sometimes more in concept than in execution) so after reading the positive impressions of the third one there I resolved to find a copy. While apparently now they've just done another print run on it and Fatal Frame 2, I was not so lucky and paid the going (high) rate for an original copy.
It seems to play fine on my PS3 so far, though I guess it has issues on the other, less-compatible PS3 models. Sure, it is a bit dated but nothing that keeps it from being the same ultra-creepy Fatal Frame experience. That dev team (Project Zero at Tecmo?) are the masters of understanding a particular kind of creepiness that comes from playing with your perceptions and knowing what psychological buttons to push. Sure, they aren't afraid of a "cat scare" every now and then but the real power in Fatal Frame comes from this sense of the real world and the spirit world colliding in a disturbing way. Pacing is key for this kind of experience, and they totally get that. The actual combat & exploration mechanics aren't necessarily anything to write home about, but it delivers exactly what it needs to for the game -- tension. Seeing the world through that tiny camera viewfinder is an intense mechanic, and it is one of the few games that can reliably creep me out.
Fatal Frame 3 has a different vibe so far that the first two, and actually feels a lot more polished. I hear rumors of a Fatal Frame game for the Wii, which would be pretty cool to see. The prerendered cutscenes are great and they do a LOT with the post-processing effects the good old PS2 can crank out, but it would be nice to bring some of the tech a little up to the modern era. I'd much rather see it on the 360 of course, but I'll take what I can get...
On a totally different note, if you live in one of the primary states make sure you vote! I'm thrilled to finally have a chance to actually vote in a primary, since usually the states beyond Iowa, NH, and SC rarely matter. Texas has a pretty messed-up primary system involving both a vote and a caucus, so we'll be dragging the kids out to join us in some caucus action this evening...