Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Director's Cut
- September 22, 2004 00:00 AM PST
Twin sisters and a golden butterfly�Mothra, is that you?
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly follows the story of twin sisters (Mio and Mayu Amakura) who invariably get lost in a forest and stumble onto a mysterious abandoned village steeped in irate specters. Coincidently, they find the phantom-exorcizing camera from Fatal Frame I (Camera Obscura), and set off on a journey of frantic photo ops and nightmarish dream-like psychic flashbacks �sounds like the New York fashion world during the heroin sheik era.Don't expect Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Director's Cut to be a direct port of the PS2 title�Tecmo has instituted a large assortment of enhancements worthy of the designation, Director's Cut. While the basic plot and game engine has stayed the same, Director's Cut now features several exclusives, including a First Person Mode, Survival Mode, new unlockable system, an alternate ending, and customarily with ports to the Xbox, enhanced graphics and sound.
The First Person Mode adds an innovative dimension to Crimson Butterfly. Players will experience an enhanced feeling of claustrophobic tension, which augments the already eerie enclosed environments of the original. Survival Mode, seemingly, quadruples the ghosts in a level as players are tasked to reach a designated goal area.
The Director's Cut unlockable feature sports a new user-friendly interface and literally a horde of alternate costumes, accessories, items, and media clips to peruse at your convenience �including an Xbox exclusive alternate ending. Director�s Cut will also feature the original third-person view game, and the Mission Mode. In addition, the lighting, textures, shading, and sound fair customarily better on the Xbox compared to the original edition.
While the new features definitely add to the fun factor, our hands-on build also demonstrated a problem with the new FPS Mode. It�s plagued with clipping, bad pop-up, and movement seems even more sluggish than the original.
With a little tweaking to the FPS Mode, Fatal Frame: Crimson Butterfly Director�s Cut will be a must have for any Xbox enthusiast.
