It's funny, because I feel like the technology of the 3DS is at odds with itself a bit for this type of game. For those unfamiliar with the Fatal Frame series, your weapon is a camera which is used to damage and then capture vengeful spirits, and this 3DS title is a spiritual successor to that franchise, even though it has dropped the Fatal Frame moniker.
So while it seems natural to use the 3DS and its camera functions to play this type of game, there are two aspects of it that concern me. One is that you are supposedly turning and 'shooting' your camera quite a bit physically with the 3DS, and as we all know, the 3DS effects can get a bit wonky when you pull yourself out of the 'perfect' position. All that turning and jostling seems destined to do that and break the 3D effect.
The other concern I have is with the AR cards - and again the camera in general. Games like this are generally best experienced in a dark room, yet to play properly - you probably need to be in a well-lit one. Those two principles seem quite at odds with one another.
The other concern I have read is that the game is really, really short - like 3ish hours to complete.
So, while I would love to pick this up and support Fatal Frame on a new system, before I go plunking down some cash on it, I was curious to see if anyone else had played this game yet and if so - what they thought of it? Thanks!
I watched several of the videos, but ultimately had the same concerns and decided that my $40 was best spent elsewhere. I like alot of the things they're trying to do, but I'm sad to say that it doesn't seem like enough pay off at the moment. The whole AR book and needing a good light source is at odds with playing in the dark and spooking yourself.
ReplyDeleteI'm also going to play the lazy card with not wanting to move all around the room searching for ghosts. It's a cool concept, just doesn't mesh well at the moment for me.
Though did you watch all the videos? The non-gameplay reality/story video was pretty entertaining. Sure, it's the standard 'far east dark woman without a face' bit, but it still creeped me out a few times. :)
(ps: this post comes up as the 4th link in my google search now. Maybe google+ does help. :D)
I have seen several of the videos and I really like the atmosphere of the game, but like you I think I'm going to hold off for now. Pretty cool though about the post coming up for you that way though. Now, to drive more traffic this way...
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting! :)
I find it odd that Nintendo - who published the fourth Fatal Frame for the Wii in Japan, but NOT here - decided that Spirit Camera would somehow do better sales-wise. Fatal Frame 4 is an actual game, and not surprisingly, is a lot of fun (my buddies and I have played it on a modded Wii). Spirit Camera sounds very gimmicky, and if it's really 3 hours, not worth the forty dollars one would spend for it. Too bad, as I'm with you Chalgyr: the Fatal Frame series is tops in my mind.
ReplyDelete@Dylan - niiiiice - Consider me jealous you got a to play the Wii version. The other thing I find odd? Why didn't Nintendo market Spirit Camera AS a Fatal Frame title? Surely the name recognition wouldn't have hurt sales, right?
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