Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly is a slightly creepy experience that is a wonderful game in the Survival Horror genre.
The graphics in this game are very nice, and make the game better themselves. A Survival Horror game has to have nice graphics for it to be scary, otherwise everything will look fake and completely non-scary. The graphics in Fatal Frame II are very good, and will creep you out in some parts of this wonderful game.
The gameplay is also great. Although it can get a little slow at times, if you don't know where you're going, it's always fun. Being a huge fan of the Survival Horror genre, Fatal Frame II was everything I expected and more when I picked it up. Ghosts appearing in places can scare you quite nicely if you're up alone at night playing this game in the dark. Fighting off evil spirits with a camera is also a fresh, new way of disposing of enemies. But disposing of ghosts isn't all the camera can do. While you have the camera, you can take pictures of things that you could not normally see, giving you hints of what to do. These little things are wonderful in a game like this, because no matter how lost you get, there will always be a hint to take a picture of that tells you where to go. The combat system is pretty straight forward, but it's fun every time you play. There are also power-ups you can get for your camera. Each power-up has a different ability, such as to slow a ghost down, or to deal an extra amount of damage. Every time you use one of these you'll have to gain enough energy back into the camera to use it again. You can also use points you earn to make your camera more powerful. After obtaining a special stone, you can place it in a certain area of the camera you want to improve, and then use the points to power it up. There are also other things, such as the Spirit Radio, which is fun to listen to. After beating the game, you unlock the ability to buy extra things, such as outfits, videos, etc. The most entertaining thing you can buy is probably Mission Mode. There's a set amount of missions, all with varying difficulty. Earning enough points or doing the required mission in the set amount of time will get you the best score. Mission Mode is fun, and is sometimes quite challenging.
The sound in the game is also great, and very ominous. The music will set the mood as you progress through the game, finding spirits along the way. The sounds of other things, like the ghosts, your camera, etc. are also well put together.
This is an astonishing game, and if you don't already own it, I would suggest you go buy it now. If you're in for a good scare, this is definitely a game you will enjoy. Although if horror is not for you, stay away from this game, as it will probably give you nightmares.