Fatal-Frame-4-Mask-of-the-Lunar-Eclipse
Latest
Dead or Alive ninja Ayane's 'chest wobble' gets special attention in Fatal Frame 5
The spectral horrors of Fatal Frame 5: The Black Haired Shrine Maiden will find themselves stalking a more dangerous foe than they're used to, thanks to a cross-publisher cameo from the Dead or Alive fighting game franchise. According to the latest issue of Famitsu, Yosuke Hayashi, head of Dead or Alive developer Team Ninja, requested that the next Fatal Frame entry feature an appearance by Ayane. In lieu of appearing as a secret costume, the Fatal Frame developers have given Ayane her own playable scenario that sees the purple kunoichi sneaking through darkened halls while wielding her own unique weapon. Despite the new, eerie setting, fans of the female form need not fear that Ayane's grown any more modest. Famitsu claims the Fatal Frame team paid special attention to the character's unrealistically buoyant bosoms. "[The developers] spent a lot of time adjusting things like the wobble of her chest," claims Famitsu. "Team Ninja gave them lots of advice." Fatal Frame 5: The Black Haired Shrine Maiden debuted in Japan on September 27. There's currently no word on a Western release for the survival horror game. [Image: Koei Tecmo]
Fatal Frame haunts Japanese theaters on September 26
Proving once again that Japan gets all the cool stuff, the upcoming Wii U Fatal Frame sequel is to be accompanied by a Fatal Frame feature film, both of which are currently exclusive to the island nation. Though entirely in Japanese, the above trailer does offer hope that the film's creators have managed to capture the game's aesthetics and key themes. Spooky yet commonplace buildings? Check. Overly complex, anachronistic cameras? Check. Dour, possibly spectral Japanese girls? Check and double check. The trailer does take an odd tonal shift at the 1:00 mark thanks to a weirdly upbeat pop song, but that brief moment of levity is quickly silenced by a pile of teenaged corpses. While it's possible that this Fatal Frame film adaptation might come to the West, fans shouldn't get their hopes up. 2008's Fatal Frame 4: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse remained in Japan despite claims from Koei Tecmo that the game would reach both Europe and North America, and the publisher has yet to make any mention of an English-language localization for the upcoming Fatal Frame 5. [Image: Koei Tecmo]
Joystiq Streams: Fatal Frame 4's ghoulish Kodak moments [Update: Watch the replay!]
Update: The stream is over, watch the replay above! Twitch was being a little twitchy, so the stream was split into three videos. Follow the annotations to move onto the next videos. It's fitting that Fatal Frame: Nuregarasu no Miku, the first HD entry in the series, would find its home on Nintendo's Wii U. Like Fatal Frame's haunted villages, Wii U is also full of Japanese ghosts, with once dead games like Bayonetta 2 and Devil's Third getting new life on the box. Plus the tablet controller, so difficult to find appropriate uses for even for its creators, is a natural fit for the Camera Obscura. As Fatal Frame is reborn, we lay the Mid-Summer Terror Train to rest with Fatal Frame 4, the long lost entry that never made it out of Japan. Officially at least. Don't worry if you're not fluent in Japanese - we've got a patch that translates the game into English. Starting at 4PM EST on Joystiq.com/Twitch, we'll be streaming a solid hour of Fatal Frame 4. Will ghosts devour Richard Mitchell's soul as he plays? Will Anthony John Agnello and Susan Arendt be able to stop talking about how awesome Fatal Frame 2 is long enough to learn about this obscure horror game? [Note from Susan: "Probably not."] Will the chat start posting pictures of ghosts that are really just their cats? [Other note from Susan: "Man, I hope so."] These questions and more will be answered when we go live at 4PM EST on Joystiq.com/Twitch. [Images: Nintendo]
Smile! Fatal Frame 4 fan translation available
A dedicated team of homebrewers has done what Nintendo and Tecmo never did: translate Fatal Frame IV. A team at Fatal Frame fansite Beyond the Camera's Lens has released a patch that swaps out the Japanese text in the Tecmo/Nintendo/Grasshopper Manufacture-developed Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse with its own translated English text and allows the Japanese disc to be loaded in other regions' Wiis. The best part? It runs from an SD card on any Wii -- no matter which region, and without the need for modding. We suspect sites like Play-Asia and YesAsia are about to experience a significant increase in the number of orders for this 2008 survival horror game. [Thanks, Antares Meketa!]
Fatal Frame IV unlikely to scare up American release
Since first whispered eerily in our ears, we've been eager to have our pants scared off by the Tecmo/Grasshopper Manufacture collaboration, Fatal Frame IV. Now it seems like our slacks will be staying firmly buttoned. While Nintendo published the Wii-exclusive in Japan, the company has no intention of making a repeat performance stateside with Nintendo boss Reggie Fils-Aime telling MTV, "We are not the publisher of that title in the Americas." A Tecmo spokesperson put the lens cap on the scary sequel, telling IGN that Nintendo of America still holds the publishing rights, and its decision to not release the game means "the title will not be released in this territory." Read Tecmo's official statement: "As the owner of the IP, Tecmo feels very unfortunate that the fans of the series in North America will not have a chance to play the game, but respects the final decision made by Nintendo of America." If you could take a picture of our faces right now you'd see our jaws on the floor at bearing witness to Nintendo's own unique brand of horror. Source: Fatal Frame Never Coming to America? Source: Reggie Talks Wii: Not Paying For Exclusives, Avoiding The Japan Wii Slump
Fatal Frame IV may disturb Europe in February
All we've heard about the release of Fatal Frame IV in the US is that Nintendo apparently isn't publishing it. According to retailer Play.com and Official Nintendo Magazine (via reports on NeoGAF and also this sliver of a scan found on GoNintendo), the Tecmo/Grasshopper Manufacture survival horror title could be headed to Europe on February 6, under the name ... Fatal Frame IV, rather than the series' customary European Project Zero title. Nintendo of Europe's apparent decision to publish this makes Reggie's snub seem just a bit more painful, though we believe that it would be good business for the newly-combined Tecmo/Koei to publish it in North America themselves. %Gallery-14901%
Reggie 'answers' questions about Disaster, Fatal Frame IV
Because it's not a Nintendo event if it isn't followed by "where's (Game X)" questions, Kombo cornered Reggie Fils-Aime at yesterday's conference and asked him about the status of North American versions of Disaster: Day of Crisis and Fatal Frame IV. While nobody expected concrete dates or even confirmation from Reggie's answers, he still managed to impart a bit of information. Regarding Disaster: Nintendo of America is waiting to see how the game performs in Europe before making a decision. That means that we at least have to wait for a while after October 24 to hear anything. As for Fatal Frame, he offered the following frustrating response: "you're going to have to contact the publisher for questions on that." So it might be coming out here -- just not from Nintendo, despite Nintendo of Japan publishing it. Who wants to start cold-calling publishers?* *Note: Wii Fanboy does not encourage the cold-calling of publishers. %Gallery-30942% [Via GoNintendo]
Chew your nails through Fatal Frame IV videos
Okay, let's try our best to forget about all the bad stuff that's recently been revealed about Fatal Frame IV, and concentrate on what the game does best: scaring people like us who can't resist watching/playing it absolutely witless. With this in mind, we'd like you to do something for us. Switch off all your lights and close all curtains/blinds, pull up a seat, grab the most expensive set of headphones available to you, and watch the video above. Now go past the break and watch the other two. Done all that? Good. Now that's two of us who won't be able to sleep tonight. Yeah, you're welcome. %Gallery-14901%
Fatal Frame IV plagued with bugs
We've been riding the Fatal Frame IV hype train as enthusiastically as any other site in recent months. The Tecmo/Grasshopper Manufacture crossover has long looked beautiful, engrossing, and hiding-behind-the-sofa scary. Furthermore, it's being published by Nintendo, which more or less guarantees a good time, right? Wrong. The game released in Japan last Thursday, meaning early importers are just now getting their copies in, and already several new owners are complaining about a host of collision detection issues, unselectable menu options, a ghost database that doesn't record all ghosts, and -- far more depressingly -- a game-freezing bug. Nintendo is acknowledging the glitches, and has released a statement featuring advice on how to best cope with them. We'll just have to hope some of this mess is cleared up when (and if) the game comes to the west. %Gallery-14901%
Fatal Frame IV honors the history of Nintendo scares
Tecmo took advantage of their new association with Nintendo in one of the funniest ways possible: Nintendo character outfits in Fatal Frame IV. Should you want to punch a hole straight through the creepy atmosphere in Mask of the Lunar Eclipse, these two costumes will do the trick nicely. At the same time, while they may seem flagrantly inappropriate, Tecmo has cleverly paid tribute to Nintendo's horror-ish games from the past. The Luigi costume is obviously a shoutout to Luigi's Mansion, and the Zero Suit Samus, uh, suit (after the break) is a reference to the costume's introduction, in a sneaking-based level found in Metroid: Zero Mission. %Gallery-14901%
We're looking forward to being scared by Fatal Frame
We've been keeping a secret. You see, we're absolutely scared to death of Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse. That's not going to stop us from picking the game up and playing the crap out of it though. We just felt we needed to share that with you all. The above video for the game does a good job of depicting exactly what scares us. It's got spooky ghosts, a dark and creepy environment and a girl we hope survives long enough to get her film developed. %Gallery-14901%
New Fatal Frame IV shots are grainier, scarier
Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse (or Zero: Tsukihami no Kamen) is out this week in Japan, which means it's an excellent time for a batch of new screens. And while these seem a little downgraded from some of what we've seen before, they've still got one major thing going for them: the creepiness factor. We're starting to look like the people in the commercials, and we're not even playing the game. %Gallery-14901%
Slow, steady steps mark Fatal Frame videos, interview
Missing Fatal Frame IV at E3? Some news about the Nintendo-published, Tecmo/Grasshopper Manufacture-developed horror sequel would have been welcome in an E3 characterized by screaming about a lack of "core" games. Fatal Frame, with its long history of making you want to keep the lights on while playing, would certainly have stood out. Late is better than never, however, especially when there's a lengthy Creator's Voice segment up on the Japanese Wii site featuring Fatal Frame IV's producer and director, Keisuke Kikuchi and Makoto Shibata. They've got a lot of interesting things to say about the series, and particularly this installment. It sounds like the Wii control scheme allowed them to realize a lot of things they've always wanted to do with the games, without completely revolutionizing the title. Instead, they've taken a few very solid steps forward, while keeping the staples that have been scaring the pants off gamers for years. If you click through on the video above to watch it at YouTube, you can read subtitles from the interview (provided by NeoGAF poster Stormbringer). The subtitles unfortunately don't show up here, but the video is still fantastic. Or, to read a recap of the whole thing, check out the version at IGN. While you're in the video-watching mood, you might also want to check out these Fatal Frame IV commercials, which are hilarious(ly accurate) and worth a few minutes of you're time. They're the videos with the nightvision lighting, which you may have seen in the middle of a longer video here, but if you didn't ... go watch them. %Gallery-14901%
Fatal Frame IV outshines E3
Fatal Frame IV: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse might not be an E3-related goodie, but truthfully, it's probably one of the best things we've seen this week. In the video above you can watch a trailer for this spine-chilling, oh-man-it-will-definitely-be-super-scary game, which is sure to please some of you that were left unimpressed by yesterday's Nintendo keynote. What's even better, though, is watching others get scared by Fatal Frame -- which itself is only topped by watching people pretending to be afraid. We don't normally associate "Fatal Frame" and "fantastically funny" in the same thread of thought, but if you watch the Japanese TV ads that are also in this video, you'll understand where we're going with this. Lucky Japanese gamers get to be scared on their couches as soon as July 31st, but the rest of us will just have to sit pretty hope this beauty gets localized soon. Gallery: Fatal Frame 4
Fatal Frame IV is scarily pretty
After reaching for the lightswitch and squinting over Fatal Frame IV media, Nintendo has updated the official website by adding new screens and character profiles. It seems Fatal Frame just isn't scary unless it stars tiny, innocent-looking girls, and this latest installment has three of them. The only prominent male is wearing a tight shirt with a neck that's a little too big, so he could be classified as the fourth girl in the ghostbusting team. Fatal Frame IV is hiding in the shadows, ready to pounch on unsuspecting customers when it hits the shelves in Japan on July 31st. Hit up the website to examine the rather impressive character renders. One question - why is it always night time, and why are they always holding torches? %Gallery-14901% [Via NeoGAF]
Squint at new Fatal Frame IV shots
New screens of Fatal Frame IV have appeared on Famitsu's site, coinciding with the launch of the game's official site. Our verdict? They're all rather lovely, but terribly dark. Yes, we fully appreciate that traipsing about in pitch black darkness while being scared witless is a key part of the Fatal Frame experience, but in some of these shots it's the Famitsu watermark that is most prominent. The old adage about "what you can't see is what scares you most" will no doubt apply here, and we look forward to hiding behind our sofas whenever this makes the inevitable trip westwards. Make sure your night light is on before heading past the break for a few other screenshots. %Gallery-14901%
Cameras, action! Fatal Frame IV dated for Japan
Grim. Dingy. Grimy. Dilapidated. No, we're not referring to the more picturesque parts of Fanboy Towers (though could well be), but to the environments found in Fatal Frame IV. The latest edition of Famitsu has some of the first gameplay shots from the Tecmo/Grasshopper Manufacture collaboration, most of which feature the title's waif of a heroine and some not entirely pleasant sights; you can see the full scans at the "Source" link below. It also appears that Nintendo's Japanese arm has updated its release schedule with a date for the camera-based horror title -- Nintendo itself will be publishing Fatal Frame IV in Japan on July 31st. %Gallery-14901% [Thanks, HellAlucard!]
New Fatal Frame 4 scans get our pulses racing
Since being announced last September for the Wii, publisher Tecmo has been eerily quiet concerning Fatal Frame 4. Still, with this latest experiment in little girls, cameras, and giving us nightmares being handled by Goichi Suda and his team at Grasshopper Manufacture, we've remained more than a little interested. Now, a pair of scans taken from the latest issue of Famitsu give us an early look at how the title is coming together, just our second peek at the game this year. However, when it comes to how the sequel's photography-meets-terror gameplay will make use of the Wii, we remain largely in the dark with the...hey, wait, what's that grabbing at our ankles? [Thanks Sidepocket]
See first images from Wii's Fatal Frame
We're not going to lie, the images from Grasshopper's upcoming Wii take on the Fatal Frame series look really good. In fact, the screens (captured at French site Wiiz) look so good, we're thinking these are probably lifted from cut scenes, as opposed to any real gameplay. For our part, we're just happy to see that progress is being made on the thing. We're betting that FF's camera-based system is going to be a great marriage with the Wiimote, and we can't wait to see if we're right. Gallery: Fatal Frame 4
Details and snapshots from Fatal Frame IV
Months after announcing a new installment to its survival-horror/photography game, Tecmo unveiled a two-minute CG trailer for Fatal Frame IV (Rei: Tsukihami no Kame) and discussed a few specifics behind the spooky title. The video hasn't yet been released, but you can peek at screen grabs from the movie in the gallery below. According to series producer Keisuke Kikuchi, the game's "image color" will be yellow, and the words "memory," "moon," and "mask" will be recurring themes. That's not much to go on, but we still have months before Fatal Frame IV's expected summer release in Japan. Tecmo has teamed up with studio Grasshopper Manufacture (No More Heroes, Killer 7) for Fatal Frame IV's development, bringing in Goichi Suda (!) to help direct the game along with Makoto Shibata. Surprisingly, Nintendo will handle production, publishing, and promotion. What an interesting mix! %Gallery-14901% [Via IGN]
