Project Zero Survey Results

Project Zero II: Crimson Butterfly emerges victorious.

Around a month ago I asked fans from several forums and websites to complete a survey on their likes and dislikes regarding the Project Zero/Fatal Frame Series.



100 responses were received and the results were published on the following websites:

• Playstation.com


• Cameraslens.com

I was hoping for people to comment on the results before putting the results on this blog but only one person replied :( (Thanks Elwing from Cameraslens.com).
So instead I'll give you the results without any insights and include the link to the charts and statistics etc at the end if you're interested enough to do so.

Let's begin:

Favourite Protagonist:

WINNER: Miku Hinasaki (35%)
RUNNER UP: Mio Amakura (30%)
Others mentioned: Rei Kurosawa (21%), Mayu Amakura (7%), Kei Amakura (5%).



Favourite Antagonist:

WINNER: Sae Kurosawa (45%)
RUNNER UP: Reika Kuze (36%)
Others mentioned: Kirie Himuro (19%)



Favourite Ghost:

WINNER: Chitose Tachibana AKA Crimson Kimono
RUNNER UP: Akane and Azami Kiryu AKA The Kiryu Twins
Others mentioned: Blind Maiden, Woman Brushing, Crawling Woman, Kusabi, Broken Neck (PZ2), Fallen Woman, Engraver, Broken Neck (PZ1).

This was an open question so there were a lot of different responses. Those above were all in the Top 10.



Which was best for...Storyline:

WINNER: Project Zero II: Crimson Butterfly (59%)
RUNNER UP: Project Zero III: The Tormented (33%)
Others mentioned: Project Zero (8%)




Which was best for...Ghosts:

WINNER: Project Zero III: The Tormented (55%)
RUNNER UP: Project Zero II: Crimson Butterfly (23%)
Others mentioned: Project Zero (21%)




Which was best for...Scares:

WINNER: Project Zero (41%)
RUNNER UP: Project Zero II: Crimson Butterfly (32%)
Others mentioned: Project Zero III: The Tormented (28%)




Favourite Game Overall:

WINNER: Project Zero II: Crimson Butterfly (52%)
RUNNER UP: Project Zero III: The Tormented (34%)
Others mentioned: Project Zero (14%)




Worst Protagonist:

LOSER: Mayu Amakura (36%)
RUNNER UP: Kei Amakura (35%)
Others mentioned: Rei Kurosawa (16%), Miku Hinisaki (6%), Mio Amakura (5%)





Worst Antagonist:

LOSER: Kirie Himuro (43%)
RUNNER UP: Reika Kuze (33%)
Others mentioned: Sae Kurosawa (23%)




Which game was worst for...Storyline:

LOSER: Project Zero (47%)
RUNNER UP: Project Zero III: The Tormented (36%)
Others mentioned: Project Zero II: Crimson Butterfly (16%)




Which game was worst for...Ghosts:

LOSER: Project Zero (53%)
RUNNER UP: Project Zero II: Crimson Butterfly (26%)
Others mentioned: Project Zero III: The Tormented (21%)




Which game was worst for...Scares:

LOSER: Project Zero III: The Tormented (38%)
RUNNER UP: Project Zero II: Crimson Butterfly (32%)
Others mentioned: Project Zero (31%)




Worst Game Overall:

LOSER: Project Zero (53%)
RUNNER UP: Project Zero III: The Tormented (31%)
Others mentioned: Project Zero II: Crimson Butterfly (16%)


I then went on to ask people what they thought about the situation regarding Project Zero IV and the future of the franchise...


Would you have bought Project Zero IV if had been released in the UK/US:

Yes: 91%
Some of them actually did buy the Japanese game.

No, Not Interested: 0%
Not surprising seeing that only fans of the series responded to the survey.

No, Don't own a Wii: 9%
Don't Know: 0%


Were you annoyed that Project Zero IV was sold to Nintendo:

Yes, Very Annoyed: 63%
Kinda: 14%
No, I have a Wii so it doesn't matter: 22%


Would you buy Project Zero V if it was released:

Yes, definitely: 74%
Only if it's released on the PS2/PS2/360: 20%
No: 0% (Good news for Tecmo)
Depends on what it's like: 5%


Summary

Project Zero II: Crimson Butterfly is the clear leader here. It was the Winner of 4 polls including Best Game and Runner Up in the best categories 3 times.

The original Project Zero didn't fair as well despite winning more of the best categories than Project Zero III: The Tormented. It regularly placed top in the worst categories.



As for Project Zero IV, well it seems it would have sold well if released in the UK/US. It would have been well received by the fans if we were able to play it.

You can see the charts and my opinions on these responses in more detail HERE

The effect of the Next-Gen Consoles on Survival Horror

How is the next generation of Consoles effecting the Survival Horror Genre?

If only one console is credited for the rise of Survival Horror it is surely the Playstation. Resident Evil and Silent Hill both started off on the PS One, as well as games such as Clock Tower, Alone in the Dark and Parasite Eve.
When the Playstation 2 came out in 1999 these classic game series were brought to the newer console as well as new horror classics such as Project Zero and Siren. Obscure, Haunting Ground, Manhunt and The Suffering were also released for the console.

Nowadays however, Sony has more competition for it's games with the likes of the Xbox 360 and especially the Nintendo Wii now on the market. How exactly is the Survival Horror Genre changing with additions of these new consoles.


Increase in action orientated Horror
Offenders: Dead Space, F.E.A.R, Condemned, Resident Evil 4 & 5
Horror games are starting to get too action orientated these days with the male market in mind. The arrivals of the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 mean that game developers are focusing more on the graphics rather than the plots and story lines E.g. Resistance, Kill Zone, Halo (Feel free to backlash).

Survival Horrors are following suit. If we look at the last couple of games that were released in this genre we'll find that weapons and combat have a huge part to play. Dead Space (left), F.E.A.R, and even Horror Classics such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill are following suit with action orientated additions such as RE 4 & 5 and SH:Homecoming.
Luckily, even though it's agreeably much harder than it's predecessors, Silent Hill: Homecoming didn't stray away from the good story lines the series is known for. It did however include more combat than the previous games and health items were very hard to come by making the game more focused on the combat aspect of Survival.

Condemned was the Xbox 360's first attempt at Survival Horror and like Silent Hill Homecoming, had a lot of combat involved but it actually had plenty of scary moments that sent shivers down your spine. Later, Condemned 2 was released for the 360 and the Playstation 3 whose version received better reviews.[2]
Unfortunately games like Dead Space and F.E.A.R think Horror is about making you jump and Resident Evil has jumped on this band wagon. Horror fans and even fans of the game don't like to call Resident Evil a Survival Horror any more.

When was the last time a game freaked you out because the environment put you on edge or because you were scared out of your mind that you had nothing to defeat monsters with? When was the last time you had to put a game away because it was affecting you so much?
It seems those days have gone...


Console Wars
Offenders: Alan Wake, Project Zero IV.
OK, so the Wii is the market leader but that doesn't mean you will sell more games on that console than on any other.

Tecmo made this mistake lately with Project Zero IV: The Mask of the Lunar Eclipse. Leaving their Sony fan base behind, they sold the games rights to Nintendo who sold the game in the Japanese region. For reasons unexplained, Nintendo US and Nintendo Europe didn't feel it necessary to release the game in their regions.
The most likely reason is that the game isn't suited to their target market - family and children. Why Tecmo did this I will never know because the US and the UK (without the rest of Europe) have the two largest gaming markets in the world[3] (In fact, in the UK the Gaming Industry is outselling the music industry).[4]

Alan Wake is another Horror game that isn't to grace the Playstation 3. When it was first announced (I can't remember when because that was ages ago now) the game was to be on the 360 and the Playstation 3 but Microsoft managed to gain the rights to the game. This isn't much a loss on the West's part because the US and Europe are going to be able to play it - It's just a shame that Sony have missed out on what looks like an impressive game.


The Nintendo Wii
Offenders: The Grudge, Cursed Mountain, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

I don't have the strongest opinion of the Wii. Even though it's the main reason why the UK is the 2nd largest games market in the world, to me it defines everything that is wrong in the gaming industry.
We're living in the digital age but the graphics in the games that Nintendo bring out are going backwards and the imagination put into them are terrible. With games like the Imagine Series (Vet, Fashion Designer,Teacher), Dogz, Catz and Wii-Sports, the Wii is a novelty console at best.

Why developers are making Horror games for this console when they could be making them for the Xbox or the Playstation 3 confuses me. Sure, the games are cheaper and quicker to develop and I'm aware that Developers have a hard time developing games for the Sony console but surely they aren't going to sell very well.
There is currently one Survival Horror game for the Wii and two on the way...These are Cursed Mountain, The Grudge and Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.

Recently, it was announced that the Japanese film Ju-On (or The Grudge as it's known here) is to be made into a game. The decision to release this on the Wii is because of the Wii-mote's ability to measure hand movement. The more you're made jump and the more you shake determines your score at the end of the game. The game is to be sold in the US and UK but will it sell if the Wii's market is little children? Look at the front cover (left) and tell me what you think?

Another unfortunate point is that the best Survival Horror games are produced in Japan where the Nintendo Wii isn't necessarily aimed at the family/tween market.

Cursed Mountain is another Survival Horror game that is exclusive for the Wii and again, the Wii-mote is the attraction here. I don't know much about the game but the graphics, even though quite good for the Wii, are still leave something to be desired. (See Screenshot, Right).

The Silent Hill series has even joined the club releasing a game for the Wii. Konami however, unlike Tecmo, have stayed faithful to it's fan base of ten years, releasing the game on the PS2 and the PSP. Good news, but it's the Wii that has the better version again because of it's Wii-mote.
In Shattered Memories, you can use your Wii-mote as a Phone (you'll come across numbers to dial and the voice will emit from the speaker in the Wii-mote), Radio (again, the static will come out of the speaker), Pen (You can write notes on your map) and Torch (you can move the Wii-mote like a torch).
Shattered Memories may be more focused on the Wii, but at least it's stopping itself from being action orientated. There's no combat at all and it's going to make you think - that picture in the screenshot (left) remind you of anyone?


Summary.
A good Survival Horror game should have a plot which can get you thinking about how best to proceed. Give the player a bucket load of weapons and ammo then people are just going to blast their way through and hope for the best. Forbidden Siren made you think of a strategy to complete a mission without being spotted - you didn't get a lot of ammo in this game and most weapons you had to kill a Shibito for anyway.

Silent Hill made you think more on the storyline rather than combat. Most monsters could be out run in this game so combat wasn't always necessary but the game is still fun to play. The atmosphere in these games were the main reason why Silent Hill is scary - the thought of people watching you (Think of when Heather receives the letters from a Hospital Patient you never see yourself or when James is mentioned by name on a note put as graffiti on a wall).

Project Zero is yet another game that didn't focus on combat an those games were so scary that you had to pause the game to relax yourself a little (I know I did anyway).

Unfortunately, all these games are not as popular nowadays. Forbidden Siren has always been underrated, Nintendo decided that Project Zero IV should be kept away from us and Silent Hill is getting trampled on by those who would rather have Resident Evil because of it's "good combat an brilliant graphics".
People are even complaining that Shattered Memories isn't going to have any combat. I think it's a good thing that they're trying to put the Horror back into Survival Horror.

If games like Dead Space and F.E.A.R continue being more popular than the classics and if Resident Evil doesn't return to it's old ways, then I fear for this genre - I really do.


References:
[1] http://survivalhorroronline.com/articles/history.htm
[2] http://www.metacritic.com/search/process?sort=relevance&termtype=all&ts=condemned+2&ty=0&button=search
[3] http://www.ripten.com/2009/02/02/uk-overtakes-japan-in-the-videogame-market
[4] http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7709298.stm

Female Horror Fan Wikia

I'm doing a wikia!

OK, So I had the Idea of doing a Wiki for all things Survival Horror. Not just Silent Hill or Resident Evil, every Survival Horror game over the past 10 years.

I cannot do it all by myself so I invite people to help me out. I've started a few pages myself on my area of expertise - Silent Hill and Project Zero.

To contribute, visit FemaleHorrorFan.wikia

Fatal Frame Questionnaire

Fatal Frame Fans Wanted!!!

After the success of the Silent Hill Questionnaire I thought it would be a good idea to go into the other leading games of the genre.

Click HERE if you wish to help me out. I would be very grateful for all your replies.

Silent Hill Questionnaire - The Results.

SILENT HILL 2 AND SILENT HILL 3 THE MOST POPULAR BY FAR WITH FANS...

This year marks ten years since the first Silent Hill game was released back in 1999. Five games have followed but has the series kept its charm? What are the highlights of the series? Who are the best characters? I wanted to find out.

So, around a month ago I created a Silent Hill questionnaire and asked members of the Gamespot and Playstation forums as well as readers of this blog to fill it out for me.

I asked who fans thought were the best and the worst of the series as well as asking them which game best fulfilled the key horror characteristics. Sixty people responded and these are the results. Let's start with what fans thought were the worst...


The Worst:

Least Favorite Support Character:
Runner Up: Eileen Galvin 17%
LOSER: Elle Holloway 33%
Others in this category: Angela Orosco (12%), Maria (12%), Cybil Bennett (10%) , Douglas (9%), Lisa Garland (3%), Other (3%).

NOTE: The other characters which were chosen under the 'Other' option are Dr Kaufmann from Silent Hill and Laura from Silent Hill 2 with 1 vote each.


Least Favourite Antagonist:
Runner Up: Claudia Wolf (27%)
LOSER: The Butcher (37%)
Others in this category: Dahlia Gillespie (17%), Walter Sullivan (14%), Pyramid Head (5%).



Least Favourite Protagonist:
Runner Up: Henry Townshend (29%)
LOSER: Travis Grady (31%)
Others in this Category: Heather Mason (17%), Alex Shepherd (14%), Harry Mason (5%), James Sunderland (5%).



Least Favourite Overall Silent Hill Game:
Runner Up: Silent Hill: Origins (26%)
LOSER: Silent Hill 4: The Room (32%)
Others in this Category: Homecoming (19%), Silent Hill 3 (14%), Silent Hill (7%), Silent Hill 2 (2%).




The Winners:

Best Monster:
Runner Up: The Doublehead (14%)
WINNER: The Nurses (29%)
Others in this Category: Grey Child/Mumbler (10%), Lying Figure/Patient Demon (10%), Mannequin (9%), Other (7%), Siam (7%), Numb Body (5%), Victims (3%), Carrion (2%), Insane Cancer (2%), Schism (2%), Air Screamer (0%), The Dogs (0%).

NOTE: The other Monsters which were chosen under the 'Other' option are the Rompers from Silent Hill with one vote and the Closers from Silent Hill 3 got three votes making them tied with the Numb Bodies.


Favourite Supporting Character:
Runner Up: Maria (21%)
WINNER: Douglas Cartland (22%)
Others in this Category: Cybil Bennett (12%), Eileen Galvin (12%), Other (10%), Lisa Garland (9%), Elle Holloway (2%).

NOTE: The other characters which were chosen under the 'Other' option are Laura from Silent Hill 2, Jasper from Silent Hill 4, Deputy Wheeler with 1 vote each and Eddie from Silent Hill 2 with 2 votes. Douglas Cartland received an extra vote under this category because somebody gave an explanation to their choice.


Favourite Antagonist:
Runner Up: Walter Sullivan (20%)
WINNER: Pyramid Head (63%)
Others in this Category: Claudia Wolf (12%), Dahlia Gillespie (5%), The Butcher (0%).




Favourite Protagonist:
Runner Up: Heather Mason (27%)
WINNER: James Sunderland (37%)
Others in this Category: Harry Mason (17%), Alex Shepherd (7%), Travis Grady (7%), Henry Townshend (5%).




Favourite Overall Silent Hill Game:
Runner Up: Silent Hill 3 (17%)
WINNER: Silent Hill 2 (53%)
Others in this Category: Silent Hill (15%), Silent Hill 4 (5%), Origins (5%), Homecoming (5%).




Which Silent Hill Game?:

Which Silent Hill game is best for...Atmosphere:
Runner Up: Silent Hill 3 (25%)
WINNER: Silent Hill 2 (41%)
Others in this Category: Silent Hill (20%), Silent Hill 4 (8%), Homecoming (3%), Origins (2%).



Which Silent Hill game is best for...Monsters:
Runner Up: Silent Hill 2 (24%)
WINNER: Silent Hill 3 (39%)
Others in this Category: Homecoming (15%), Silent Hill (14%), Origins (5%), Silent Hill 4 (3%).




Which Silent Hill game is best for...Plot:
Runner Up: Silent Hill 3 (9%)
WINNER: Silent Hill 2 (76%)
Others in this Category: Silent Hill 4 (7%), Silent Hill (5%), Homecoming (3%), Origins (0%).



Which Silent Hill game is best for...Tension:
Runner Up: Silent Hill 3 (25%)
WINNER: Silent Hill (29%)
Others in this Category: Silent Hill 2 (24%), Silent Hill 4 (12%), Homecoming (7%), Origins (3%).

With Shattered Memories due for release later this year, I also asked who would be buying this game at release:

73% said they will be buying the game,
3% said they definitely won't be buying the game and
24% were unsure.


Summary:

Surprise Surprise, Silent Hill 2 is the most popular game in the series winning more categories than the other games. James Sunderland was the fans favourite Protagonist by far and Pyramid head thrashed the competition in the Best Antagonist category.

On the other end of the scale, it was also no surprise to see the unpopularity of Silent Hill 4 and Origins who sweeped the Worst categories. Luckily for Silent Hill 4, Walter Sullivan's and the Doublehead's popularity saved it from being at the bottom of the list, even though it was voted the worst game of the bunch.
Homecoming also proved unpopular despite the fact that Alex had a small amount of backing - Even though he was joint second from bottom with Travis in the Best Protagonist poll, Heather Mason proved to be more hated in the Worst Protagonist poll which did surprise me.

The surprises for me were how unpopular Dahlia Gillespie was. She didn't get the large amount of votes I thought she would and Lisa Garland didn't get much approval either which I found surprising as I always thought she was a fan favourite.
Probably the biggest surprise of all is Douglas Cartland winning the Best Supporting Character category. He only just beat Maria from Silent Hill 2 but I didn't expect him to get more votes than her or Lisa from Silent Hill.

The game that fans seemed to be undecided about was Silent Hill 3. It was runner up in the Best Game category but it recieved more votes in the Worst Game category so maybe Silent Hill 3's results would have been much different if 100 replies were recieved.


Results I was dissapointed by:

I really did think that Walter Sullivan would give Pyramid Head a run for his money but even though Walter came second in the Best Antagonist category he was 25 votes behind. On top of that he was only 2 votes behind Dahlia in the Worst Antagonist category. Shame on you - Seriously though, I did get some feedback on the Gamespot and Playstation forums where people said they had a hard time choosing between the two.

I was also dissapointed by Silent Hill 4 getting more votes than Origins in the Wost Game category. Is it really THAT bad because Origins was only just tolerable to me.

Silent Hill's poor showing wasn't a surprise to me because it's been the general feeling of fans since it's release in 2004 but the things I felt put it ahead of the rest hasn't been proven here. I thought it had one of the best Plots for a game but Silent Hill 3 beat it, I also thought it had better Monsters than Silent Hill 3 and Origins but it got the least votes in this category.


So, what do you guys think? Are you dissapointed by any of these results? Any surprises? To see the graphs of these results click HERE.

If you took part in my survey, any feedback regarding the questions or the choices I made available would be appreciated.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories - Tom Hulett Interview.

So I was rummaging through YouTube today and I came across the beauty of a video about the upcoming Silent Hill game, Shattered Memories.

Online gaming Magazine G4tv (http://g4tv.com) had the chance of meeting Tom Hulett, Associate Producer at Konami, US when they were over at E3 earlier this year.
Tom gives a whole load of new information on the game and how it works and you can find the video below. However, here are the highlights:

• Alternate Silent Hill has changed from a hellish abyss to an Ice World of some sort. This is the only change I am particularly wary of.



• The Monsters that have been shown so far are not the be all and end all. Monsters start of formless but change in appearance depending on the gamers actions. This is to go with the overall idea that the Monsters of Silent Hill represent the Protagonists conscience.



• The Monsters are much more intelligent than Monsters in the previous games. They will work as a team in order to get at you, splitting up to catch you off guard.



• Even though combat isn't available in this game, you can shake them off when Monsters dive on top of you. You can also barricade doors, a la RE4 to stop them from following you and Flares can be used to keep them at a distance - Tom says they don't like the heat.



• The Wii version of the game allows you to pick up items and manipulate them yourself. One scene shows you having to pick up cans and see if there's a key in any of them by shaking any of them.



• Harry has a mobile phone in this game which has a variety of features. You can dial phone numbers if you come across one. You can receive voice mails and messages to freak you out even more. There is a camera, a phonebook and your map can be accessed as well. Your menu is also on this phone so you can change your settings and save the game.



• Maps can viewed on the move like a GPS system. When you move, your character position moves with you whilst your still viewing the map. The Wiimote also allows you to make notes on the map such as places of interest.



• Fatal Frame has influenced your camera mode. In some places in the game there are some things that can only be found when you take a picture. There is a scene with a swing set that shows you an example.

There is no doubt that the Wii version will be better than the PS2 and PSP versions. The Map function where you can circle or write memo's won't be available without the use of the Wiimote and nunchuck and I doubt you'll be able to pick things up without the motion censor. The Wii version will make the experience more real and this video has persuaded me to get the Wii version over the other two.

See for yourself:

I also found a trailer from E3 on YouTube too which shows you a bit more of the plot. Watch out for the woman at the end with short hair. Maria from Silent Hill 2 seems to be the inspiration but who is she? If there's one character Silent Hill fans won't want messing with it's Lisa Garland so let's hope that's not her.

What do you think so far? I can't wait. It looks amazing although there are some things I'm not keen on such as the ice and even character design. Cybil isn't looking too good and if that is Lisa Garland at the end of the trailer, I won't be happy at all. EDIT: That's not Lisa. I've just realised that she calls herself Dahlia. Uh Oh, what do you think of that?

Silent Hill Questionnaire

Come on guys. Help me out here - I need your opinions. This time on Silent Hill.

Please click on this link: Silent Hill Survey to have your say on the Silent Hill series.


Survey is now CLOSED...Check back for the results.