The Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly project started relatively soon after the first project concluded. Since we received lots of feedback that players got too scared to complete the game, we shifted our attention to making the storyline more interesting, to encourage such players to overcome the scariness in wanting to see the end of the story.

The storyline is based on a dream I had after the initial project concluded. Thinking back about it, I recall it being a complete dream in many ways. The dream was scary, magical and traumatic, and it had a perfect plot — even with a title and a structured ending. Thus, it was simply a case of how to interpret the dream and recreate it as a game.

In a psychic horror scenario, it is normal for ghosts and spirits to not appear in the exact locations where they previously appeared. Even at any exact locations where spirits died, one can feel the presence every now and then. Also, the way a given spirit makes an appearance may be different on occasion.

Such never-ending loops of thoughts are the core characteristic of psychic horror.

One may notice a slight difference in what the true meaning of the story concludes when playing the game. The more times you play through it, the more different outcomes you’ll feel every time as a result. This is actually a reflection of what happened when I was trying to figure out the meanings behind the dream I had mentioned earlier on. This never-ending illusion is something which has been reflected in the game. I recommend it to anyone who has not encountered any spiritual occasions in real life, to try and get an idea of what they are missing.

The initial project kicked off under the “Project ZERO” codename when the PlayStation 2 development tools were first made available, back at the time. Before the Fatal Frame project, I worked on the “Deception” series (aka Tecmo’s Deception) which focused on coming up with a new, yet complex game system in order to broaden player experiences. This led us to transcending traditional game genres by combining the best parts of different game systems: action, adventure, puzzle and simulation genres, just to name a few.

When the PS2 hardware came out with dramatically improved graphical capabilities, we took a different approach by keeping the game system and play experience simple. We tried to emotionally reach out to players and get them to feel things they cannot actually see on screen.

As a result, we selected the horror genre, which was an area aligned with my personal interests since I tend to “see” things myself every now and then in real life. In other words, my experience of seeing things that weren’t actually there — or noticing abnormal things around me — were some of the fear factors I thought would appeal to the emotional side of the player, if we were able to embed them on top of the adventure side of the gameplay.

The initial research of the new PS2 hardware led us to the conclusion that we would be able to recreate some of the ways I experienced seeing “things” in real life. Also the existence of Silent Hill was beneficial for us in seeing how well polygon-created horrors were accepted by the players. As a result, our task was to take it a step further and get players to feel things they couldn’t see on screen, recreating that uncountable feeling one tends to experience in certain rooms and locations like in real life.

When we first started working on the project, our basic idea was that the more fear and fright we provide to scare the player, the more it will sell. In this sense, the first installment can be seen as the scariest, since it took the most direct approach in all areas. As a result, many players gave up mid-way through the game since they could no longer stand it. For the second installment, we had to provide some encouraging factors for such players to get them to take the extra step to complete the game. This led to us making the game more story-driven as a result.

With the title now reappearing in a slightly different format, I’m hoping both old fans and new players give it a try, though I have to warn that anyone who does not have a strong heart should try avoiding this.

Hopefully, the approach we took in having players work their imaginations on top of what they see in front of them will be a long-living horror game, which will remain fresh in their memories for years to come.

Playing through the first few levels of the NGS+, memories from nearly a decade ago came flooding back to me: the placement of treasures, decapitating enemies with a single charged slash (hold down the triangle button to, um, execute), and the difficulty. The Ninja Gaiden series resides firmly in the “tough, but fair” challenge department. When you die – and you will – it’s usually not due to AI cheapness, but rather a mistimed block or a delayed dodge. That doesn’t mean the game can’t get frustrating, but when you prevail, the frustration melts into delicious satisfaction. For those having trouble, NGS+ adds Hero Mode, which helps automates some blocking and dodging to help you along. There’s no shame in it.

Ninja Gaiden was one of the best looking games around when it first debuted, and NGS+ still looks nice on PS Vita. While it doesn’t approach an Uncharted Golden Abyss level visually, it’s better looking on Vita’s OLED than an 8 year old game ought to look.

Tecmo’s Team Ninja has added a number of features to take advantage of the new Vita hardware, such as six axis arrow shooting and touchscreen prompts to enhance your Ninpo magic attacks. I had trouble adjusting to the new controls in first-person view, but fortunately, they’re optional.

The most significant addition to NGS+ is the new Ninja Challenge mode, a series of snack-sized trials can be completed in just a couple of minutes – geared toward gamers on the go. Each of these 76 missions provides a straightforward goal, such as clearing a certain amount of enemies, taking on a boss character, or engaging in a weapon-specific objective. This is also where you can use use alternate character Rachel, and try out new costumes and weapons that you might not have earned yet in the story mode.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma arrived on PS3 before the advent of PSN Trophies, so NGS+ is the first to incorporate the addictive baubles. I took a look at the Trophy list, and most of the rewards involve killing lots of dudes with each weapon, or by mastering techniques such as the powerful Izuna drop.

I can confirm that Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus is no longer a “launch window” title – it’ll be ready for launch day. If you’re picking up a PS Vita on February 22nd, or are looking for a primer for the upcoming Ninja Gaiden 3, you should give Ryu Hayabusa’s first modern adventure a look.

I apologize for the fact that I’m practically yelling at Shibata-san; this dude over at the neighboring Alienware booth was incredibly, obnoxiously loud. If you were there, you know who I’m talking about.

Anyways, with a good deal more development to go, we’ll keep tabs on this game for you, and report back at the next milestone.

To further whet your appetite as we gear up for launch, the Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 table boasts a record five multiball game modes, a massive amount of killer action-packed missions where players can unleash a ridiculous amount of punishment with lightning-fast weapon combos, ball slicing effects, electricity charged ramps and much more!

Currently, we have a tentative release date scheduled for October 2009, so mark your calendars and plan to spend some quality time slashing your way through the Sky City Tokyo-themed table come this fall. As always, stay tuned to this blog or check out the official ZEN Pinball site for the most up-to-date information.

Until next time, keep those flipper fingers loose!

While at the Tecmo Koei booth we got a chance to chat to Akihiro Suzuki, the Director of Koei’s upcoming PS3 exclusive action RPG, Trinity: Souls of Zill O’ll.

It’s the latest in the Zill O’ll series, but you’d be forgiven for not knowing that — the previous games never made it outside of Japan. It’s a pretty popular series over there and now it’s coming to both the US and Europe, so we’ll be able to see what all the fuss is about when it releases next year.

It’s a prequel to the Zill O’ll series, so story-wise it promises to be very accessible. In terms of gameplay it’s also a departure from the norm for the series, as it leaves its turn-based RPG roots behind and embraces a more action-orientated approach.

Why Tecmo? Because the team there is working on two games you’ll only play on PLAYSTATION 3. We’ll be talking Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 tomorrow; today we bring you an interview on a game that many readers have been asking about: Quantum.

This 3rd person action-shooter is shaping up to be a very interesting addition to the PS3 software lineup, with a brutal brand of shooting that may well be a first on the console. Take a look at the video (with US Producer Pete Garza) and let us know what you think.

I’m definitely looking to get more time with the game (which is currently around 40% complete), and we also are looking forward to sharing more with you as well.

More from the show floor to come!